Day 118 reading

Wisdom·Psalm 73:1–10

¹Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. ²But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled; my steps had nearly slipped. ³For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. ⁴They have no struggle in their death; their bodies are well-fed. ⁵They are free of the burdens others carry; they are not afflicted like other men. ⁶Therefore pride is their necklace; a garment of violence covers them. ⁷From their prosperity proceeds iniquity; the imaginations of their hearts run wild. ⁸They mock and speak with malice; with arrogance they threaten oppression. ⁹They set their mouths against the heavens, and their tongues strut across the earth. ¹⁰So their people return to this place and drink up waters in abundance.

New Testament·Luke 18:11–32

¹¹The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like the other men—swindlers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. ¹²I fast twice a week and pay tithes of all that I acquire.’ ¹³But the tax collector stood at a distance, unwilling even to lift up his eyes to heaven. Instead, he beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner!’ ¹⁴I tell you, this man, rather than the Pharisee, went home justified. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” ¹⁵Now people were even bringing their babies to Jesus for Him to place His hands on them. And when the disciples saw this, they rebuked those who brought them. ¹⁶But Jesus called the children to Him and said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them! For the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. ¹⁷Truly I tell you, anyone who does not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” ¹⁸Then a certain ruler asked Him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” ¹⁹“Why do you call Me good?” Jesus replied. “No one is good except God alone. ²⁰You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not bear false witness, honor your father and mother.’” ²¹“All these I have kept from my youth,” he said. ²²On hearing this, Jesus told him, “You still lack one thing: Sell everything you own and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.” ²³But when the ruler heard this, he became very sad, because he was extremely wealthy. ²⁴Seeing the man’s sadness, Jesus said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! ²⁵Indeed, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” ²⁶Those who heard this asked, “Who then can be saved?” ²⁷But Jesus said, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.” ²⁸“Look,” said Peter, “we have left all we had to follow You.” ²⁹“Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God ³⁰will fail to receive many times more in this age—and in the age to come, eternal life.” ³¹Then Jesus took the Twelve aside and said to them, “Look, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything the prophets have written about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. ³²He will be delivered over to the Gentiles and will be mocked and insulted and spit upon.

Old Testament·Joshua 19–20

¹The second lot came out for the clans of the tribe of Simeon: Their inheritance lay within the territory of Judah ²and included Beersheba (or Sheba), Moladah, ³Hazar-shual, Balah, Ezem, ⁴Eltolad, Bethul, Hormah, ⁵Ziklag, Beth-marcaboth, Hazar-susah, ⁶Beth-lebaoth, and Sharuhen—thirteen cities, along with their villages. ⁷Ain, Rimmon, Ether, and Ashan—four cities, along with their villages, ⁸and all the villages surrounding these cities as far as Baalath-beer (Ramah of the Negev). This was the inheritance of the clans of the tribe of Simeon. ⁹The inheritance of the Simeonites was taken from the territory of Judah, because the share for Judah’s descendants was too large for them. So the Simeonites received an inheritance within Judah’s portion. ¹⁰The third lot came up for the clans of the tribe of Zebulun: The border of their inheritance stretched as far as Sarid. ¹¹It went up westward to Maralah, reached Dabbesheth, and met the brook east of Jokneam. ¹²From Sarid it turned eastward along the border of Chisloth-tabor and went on to Daberath and up to Japhia. ¹³From there it crossed eastward to Gath-hepher and to Eth-kazin; it extended to Rimmon and curved around toward Neah. ¹⁴Then the border circled around the north side of Neah to Hannathon and ended at the Valley of Iphtah-el. ¹⁵It also included Kattath, Nahalal, Shimron, Idalah, and Bethlehem. There were twelve cities, along with their villages. ¹⁶This was the inheritance of the clans of the tribe of Zebulun, including these cities and their villages. ¹⁷The fourth lot came out for the clans of the tribe of Issachar: ¹⁸Their territory included Jezreel, Chesulloth, Shunem, ¹⁹Hapharaim, Shion, Anaharath, ²⁰Rabbith, Kishion, Ebez, ²¹Remeth, En-gannim, En-haddah, and Beth-pazzez. ²²The border reached Tabor, Shahazumah, and Beth-shemesh, and ended at the Jordan. There were sixteen cities, along with their villages. ²³This was the inheritance of the clans of the tribe of Issachar, including these cities and their villages. ²⁴The fifth lot came out for the clans of the tribe of Asher: ²⁵Their territory included Helkath, Hali, Beten, Achshaph, ²⁶Allammelech, Amad, and Mishal. On the west the border touched Carmel and Shihor-libnath, ²⁷then turned eastward toward Beth-dagon, touched Zebulun and the Valley of Iphtah-el, and went north to Beth-emek and Neiel, passing Cabul on the left. ²⁸It went on to Ebron, Rehob, Hammon, and Kanah, as far as Greater Sidon. ²⁹The border then turned back toward Ramah as far as the fortified city of Tyre, turned toward Hosah, and came out at the Sea in the region of Achzib, ³⁰Ummah, Aphek, and Rehob. There were twenty-two cities, along with their villages. ³¹This was the inheritance of the clans of the tribe of Asher, including these cities and their villages. ³²The sixth lot came out for the clans of the tribe of Naphtali: ³³Their border started at Heleph and the great tree of Zaanannim, passing Adami-nekeb and Jabneel as far as Lakkum and ending at the Jordan. ³⁴Then the border turned westward to Aznoth-tabor and ran from there to Hukkok, touching Zebulun on the south side, Asher on the west, and Judah at the Jordan on the east. ³⁵The fortified cities were Ziddim, Zer, Hammath, Rakkath, Chinnereth, ³⁶Adamah, Ramah, Hazor, ³⁷Kedesh, Edrei, En-hazor, ³⁸Iron, Migdal-el, Horem, Beth-anath, and Beth-shemesh. There were nineteen cities, along with their villages. ³⁹This was the inheritance of the clans of the tribe of Naphtali, including these cities and their villages. ⁴⁰The seventh lot came out for the clans of the tribe of Dan: ⁴¹The territory of their inheritance included Zorah, Eshtaol, Ir-shemesh, ⁴²Shaalabbin, Aijalon, Ithlah, ⁴³Elon, Timnah, Ekron, ⁴⁴Eltekeh, Gibbethon, Baalath, ⁴⁵Jehud, Bene-berak, Gath-rimmon, ⁴⁶Me-jarkon, and Rakkon, including the territory across from Joppa. ⁴⁷(Later, when the territory of the Danites was lost to them, they went up and fought against Leshem, captured it, and put it to the sword. So they took possession of Leshem, settled there, and renamed it after their father Dan.) ⁴⁸This was the inheritance of the clans of the tribe of Dan, including these cities and their villages. ⁴⁹When they had finished distributing the land into its territories, the Israelites gave Joshua son of Nun an inheritance among them, ⁵⁰as the LORD had commanded. They gave him the city of Timnath-serah in the hill country of Ephraim, as he requested. He rebuilt the city and settled in it. ⁵¹These are the inheritances that Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the heads of the families distributed by lot to the tribes of Israel at Shiloh before the LORD at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. So they finished dividing up the land.

20Then the LORD said to Joshua, ²“Tell the Israelites to designate the cities of refuge, as I instructed you through Moses, ³so that anyone who kills another unintentionally or accidentally may flee there. These will be your refuge from the avenger of blood. ⁴When someone flees to one of these cities, stands at the entrance of the city gate, and states his case before its elders, they are to bring him into the city and give him a place to live among them. ⁵Now if the avenger of blood pursues him, they must not surrender the manslayer into his hand, because that man killed his neighbor accidentally without prior malice. ⁶He is to stay in that city until he stands trial before the assembly and until the death of the high priest serving at that time. Then the manslayer may return to his own home in the city from which he fled.” ⁷So they set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the hill country of Judah. ⁸And beyond the Jordan, east of Jericho, they designated Bezer on the wilderness plateau from the tribe of Reuben, Ramoth in Gilead from the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan from the tribe of Manasseh. ⁹These are the cities appointed for all the Israelites and foreigners among them, so that anyone who kills a person unintentionally may flee there and not die by the hand of the avenger of blood prior to standing trial before the assembly.