Daily Readings for April 17
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Numbers 36

 

1.The heads of the fathers' households of the family of the children of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, of the families of the sons of Joseph, came near, and spoke before Moses, and before the princes, the heads of the fathers' households of the children of Israel: 2.and they said, "Yahweh commanded my lord to give the land for inheritance by lot to the children of Israel: and my lord was commanded by Yahweh to give the inheritance of Zelophehad our brother to his daughters. 3.If they are married to any of the sons of the other tribes of the children of Israel, then will their inheritance be taken away from the inheritance of our fathers, and will be added to the inheritance of the tribe whereunto they shall belong: so will it be taken away from the lot of our inheritance. 4.When the jubilee of the children of Israel shall be, then will their inheritance be added to the inheritance of the tribe whereunto they shall belong: so will their inheritance be taken away from the inheritance of the tribe of our fathers."

5.Moses commanded the children of Israel according to the word of Yahweh, saying, "The tribe of the sons of Joseph speaks right. 6.This is the thing which Yahweh does command concerning the daughters of Zelophehad, saying, Let them be married to whom they think best; only into the family of the tribe of their father shall they be married. 7.So shall no inheritance of the children of Israel remove from tribe to tribe; for the children of Israel shall all keep the inheritance of the tribe of his fathers. 8.Every daughter who possesses an inheritance in any tribe of the children of Israel shall be wife to one of the family of the tribe of her father, that the children of Israel may possess every man the inheritance of his fathers. 9.So shall no inheritance remove from one tribe to another tribe; for the tribes of the children of Israel shall each keep his own inheritance."

10.The daughters of Zelophehad did as Yahweh commanded Moses: 11.for Mahlah, Tirzah, and Hoglah, and Milcah, and Noah, the daughters of Zelophehad, were married to their father's brothers' sons. 12.They were married into the families of the sons of Manasseh the son of Joseph; and their inheritance remained in the tribe of the family of their father. 13.These are the commandments and the ordinances which Yahweh commanded by Moses to the children of Israel in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho.

 

Proverbs 27

 

1.Don't boast about tomorrow; for you don't know what a day may bring forth. 2.Let another man praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips. 3.A stone is heavy, and sand is a burden; but a fool's provocation is heavier than both. 4.Wrath is cruel, and anger is overwhelming; but who is able to stand before jealousy? 5.Better is open rebuke than hidden love. 6.Faithful are the wounds of a friend; although the kisses of an enemy are profuse. 7.A full soul loathes a honeycomb; but to a hungry soul, every bitter thing is sweet. 8.As a bird that wanders from her nest, so is a man who wanders from his home. 9.Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart; so does earnest counsel from a man's friend. 10.Don't forsake your friend and your father's friend. Don't go to your brother's house in the day of your disaster: better is a neighbor who is near than a distant brother. 11.Be wise, my son, and bring joy to my heart, then I can answer my tormentor. 12.A prudent man sees danger and takes refuge; but the simple pass on, and suffer for it. 13.Take his garment when he puts up collateral for a stranger. Hold it for a wayward woman! 14.He who blesses his neighbor with a loud voice early in the morning, it will be taken as a curse by him. 15.A continual dropping on a rainy day and a contentious wife are alike: 16.restraining her is like restraining the wind, or like grasping oil in his right hand.

17.Iron sharpens iron; so a man sharpens his friend's countenance. 18.Whoever tends the fig tree shall eat its fruit. He who looks after his master shall be honored. 19.As water reflects a face, so a man's heart reflects the man. 20.Sheol¹⁰ and Abaddon are never satisfied; and a man's eyes are never satisfied. 21.The crucible is for silver, and the furnace for gold; but man is refined by his praise. 22.Though you grind a fool in a mortar with a pestle along with grain, yet his foolishness will not be removed from him.

23.Know well the state of your flocks, and pay attention to your herds: 24.for riches are not forever, nor does even the crown endure to all generations. 25.The hay is removed, and the new growth appears, the grasses of the hills are gathered in. 26.The lambs are for your clothing, and the goats are the price of a field. 27.There will be plenty of goats' milk for your food, for your family's food, and for the nourishment of your servant girls.

 

John 9

 

1.As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. 2.His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"

3.Jesus answered, "Neither did this man sin, nor his parents; but, that the works of God might be revealed in him. 4.I must work the works of him who sent me, while it is day. The night is coming, when no one can work. 5.While I am in the world, I am the light of the world." 6.When he had said this, he spat on the ground, made mud with the saliva, anointed the blind man's eyes with the mud, 7.and said to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam" (which means "Sent"). So he went away, washed, and came back seeing. 8.The neighbors therefore, and those who saw that he was blind before, said, "Isn't this he who sat and begged?" 9.Others were saying, "It is he." Still others were saying, "He looks like him."

He said, "I am he." 10.They therefore were asking him, "How were your eyes opened?"

11.He answered, "A man called Jesus made mud, anointed my eyes, and said to me, 'Go to the pool of Siloam, and wash.' So I went away and washed, and I received sight."

He said, "I don't know."

12.Then they asked him, "Where is he?"

13.They brought him who had been blind to the Pharisees. 14.It was a Sabbath when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. 15.Again therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he received his sight. He said to them, "He put mud on my eyes, I washed, and I see."

16.Some therefore of the Pharisees said, "This man is not from God, because he doesn't keep the Sabbath." Others said, "How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?" There was division among them. 17.Therefore they asked the blind man again, "What do you say about him, because he opened your eyes?"

He said, "He is a prophet."

18.The Jews therefore did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind, and had received his sight, until they called the parents of him who had received his sight, 19.and asked them, "Is this your son, whom you say was born blind? How then does he now see?"

20.His parents answered them, "We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; 21.but how he now sees, we don't know; or who opened his eyes, we don't know. He is of age. Ask him. He will speak for himself." 22.His parents said these things because they feared the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that if any man would confess him as Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue. 23.Therefore his parents said, "He is of age. Ask him."

24.So they called the man who was blind a second time, and said to him, "Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner."

25.He therefore answered, "I don't know if he is a sinner. One thing I do know: that though I was blind, now I see."

26.They said to him again, "What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?"

27.He answered them, "I told you already, and you didn't listen. Why do you want to hear it again? You don't also want to become his disciples, do you?"

28.They insulted him and said, "You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. 29.We know that God has spoken to Moses. But as for this man, we don't know where he comes from."

30.The man answered them, "How amazing! You don't know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. 31.We know that God doesn't listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshipper of God, and does his will, he listens to him.[28] 32.Since the world began it has never been heard of that anyone opened the eyes of someone born blind. 33.If this man were not from God, he could do nothing."

34.They answered him, "You were altogether born in sins, and do you teach us?" They threw him out.

35.Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and finding him, he said, "Do you believe in the Son of God?"

36.He answered, "Who is he, Lord, that I may believe in him?"

37.Jesus said to him, "You have both seen him, and it is he who speaks with you."

38.He said, "Lord, I believe!" and he worshiped him.

39.Jesus said, "I came into this world for judgment, that those who don't see may see; and that those who see may become blind."

40.Those of the Pharisees who were with him heard these things, and said to him, "Are we also blind?"

41.Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, 'We see.' Therefore your sin remains.

 

John 10

 

1."Most certainly, I tell you, one who doesn't enter by the door into the sheep fold, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. 2.But one who enters in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3.The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name, and leads them out. 4.Whenever he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. 5.They will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him; for they don't know the voice of strangers." 6.Jesus spoke this parable to them, but they didn't understand what he was telling them.

7.Jesus therefore said to them again, "Most certainly, I tell you, I am the sheep's door. 8.All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep didn't listen to them. 9.I am the door. If anyone enters in by me, he will be saved, and will go in and go out, and will find pasture. 10.The thief only comes to steal, kill, and destroy. I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly. 11.I am the good shepherd.[29] The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12.He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who doesn't own the sheep, sees the wolf coming, leaves the sheep, and flees. The wolf snatches the sheep, and scatters them. 13.The hired hand flees because he is a hired hand, and doesn't care for the sheep. 14.I am the good shepherd. I know my own, and I'm known by my own; 15.even as the Father knows me, and I know the Father. I lay down my life for the sheep. 16.I have other sheep, which are not of this fold.[30] I must bring them also, and they will hear my voice. They will become one flock with one shepherd. 17.Therefore the Father loves me, because I lay down my life,[31] that I may take it again. 18.No one takes it away from me, but I lay it down by myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. I received this commandment from my Father."

19.Therefore a division arose again among the Jews because of these words. 20.Many of them said, "He has a demon, and is insane! Why do you listen to him?" 21.Others said, "These are not the sayings of one possessed by a demon. It isn't possible for a demon to open the eyes of the blind, is it?"[32]

22.It was the Feast of the Dedication³³ at Jerusalem. 23.It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple, in Solomon's porch. 24.The Jews therefore came around him and said to him, "How long will you hold us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly."

25.Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you don't believe. The works that I do in my Father's name, these testify about me. 26.But you don't believe, because you are not of my sheep, as I told you. 27.My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28.I give eternal life to them. They will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29.My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all. No one is able to snatch them out of my Father's hand. 30.I and the Father are one."

31.Therefore Jews took up stones again to stone him. 32.Jesus answered them, "I have shown you many good works from my Father. For which of those works do you stone me?"

33.The Jews answered him, "We don't stone you for a good work, but for blasphemy: because you, being a man, make yourself God."

34.Jesus answered them, "Isn't it written in your law, 'I said, you are gods?'[34] 35.If he called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture can't be broken), 36.do you say of him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, 'You blaspheme,' because I said, 'I am the Son of God?' 37.If I don't do the works of my Father, don't believe me. 38.But if I do them, though you don't believe me, believe the works; that you may know and believe that the Father is in me, and I in the Father."

39.They sought again to seize him, and he went out of their hand. 40.He went away again beyond the Jordan into the place where John was baptizing at first, and there he stayed. 41.Many came to him. They said, "John indeed did no sign, but everything that John said about this man is true." 42.Many believed in him there.

 

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