Day 41 reading

Wisdom·Psalm 29

¹Ascribe to the LORD, O heavenly beings, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength. ²Ascribe to the LORD the glory due His name; worship the LORD in the splendor of His holiness. ³The voice of the LORD is over the waters; the God of glory thunders; the LORD is heard over many waters. ⁴The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is majestic. ⁵The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars; the LORD shatters the cedars of Lebanon. ⁶He makes Lebanon skip like a calf, and Sirion like a young wild ox. ⁷The voice of the LORD strikes with flames of fire. ⁸The voice of the LORD shakes the wilderness; the LORD shakes the Wilderness of Kadesh. ⁹The voice of the LORD twists the oaks and strips the forests bare. And in His temple all cry, “Glory!” ¹⁰The LORD sits enthroned over the flood; the LORD is enthroned as King forever. ¹¹The LORD gives His people strength; the LORD blesses His people with peace.

New Testament·Matthew 25:1–31

¹“At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. ²Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. ³The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take along any extra oil. ⁴But the wise ones took oil in flasks along with their lamps. ⁵When the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep. ⁶At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ ⁷Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. ⁸The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’ ⁹‘No,’ said the wise ones, ‘or there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’ ¹⁰But while they were on their way to buy it, the bridegroom arrived. Those who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet, and the door was shut. ¹¹Later the other virgins arrived and said, ‘Lord, lord, open the door for us!’ ¹²But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I do not know you.’ ¹³Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour. ¹⁴For it is just like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted them with his possessions. ¹⁵To one he gave five talents, to another two talents, and to another one talent—each according to his own ability. And he went on his journey. ¹⁶The servant who had received the five talents went at once and put them to work and gained five more. ¹⁷Likewise, the one with the two talents gained two more. ¹⁸But the servant who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground, and hid his master’s money. ¹⁹After a long time the master of those servants returned to settle accounts with them. ²⁰The servant who had received the five talents came and presented five more. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.’ ²¹His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master!’ ²²The servant who had received the two talents also came and said, ‘Master, you entrusted me with two talents. See, I have gained two more.’ ²³His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master!’ ²⁴Finally, the servant who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Master, I knew that you are a hard man, reaping where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. ²⁵So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what belongs to you.’ ²⁶‘You wicked, lazy servant!’ replied his master. ‘You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed. ²⁷Then you should have deposited my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received it back with interest. ²⁸Therefore take the talent from him and give it to the one who has ten talents. ²⁹For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. But the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. ³⁰And throw that worthless servant into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ ³¹When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, He will sit on His glorious throne.

Old Testament·Exodus 24–25

¹Then the LORD said to Moses, “Come up to the LORD—you and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of Israel’s elders—and you are to worship at a distance. ²Moses alone shall approach the LORD, but the others must not come near. And the people may not go up with him.” ³When Moses came and told the people all the words and ordinances of the LORD, they all responded with one voice: “All the words that the LORD has spoken, we will do.” ⁴And Moses wrote down all the words of the LORD. Early the next morning he got up and built an altar at the base of the mountain, along with twelve pillars for the twelve tribes of Israel. ⁵Then he sent out some young men of Israel, and they offered burnt offerings and sacrificed young bulls as peace offerings to the LORD. ⁶Moses took half of the blood and put it in bowls, and the other half he sprinkled on the altar. ⁷Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it to the people, who replied, “All that the LORD has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient.” ⁸So Moses took the blood, sprinkled it on the people, and said, “This is the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words.” ⁹Then Moses went up with Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, ¹⁰and they saw the God of Israel. Under His feet was a work like a pavement made of sapphire, as clear as the sky itself. ¹¹But God did not lay His hand on the nobles of Israel; they saw Him, and they ate and drank. ¹²Then the LORD said to Moses, “Come up to Me on the mountain and stay here, so that I may give you the tablets of stone, with the law and commandments I have written for their instruction.” ¹³So Moses set out with Joshua his attendant and went up on the mountain of God. ¹⁴And he said to the elders, “Wait here for us until we return to you. Aaron and Hur are here with you. Whoever has a dispute can go to them.” ¹⁵When Moses went up on the mountain, the cloud covered it, ¹⁶and the glory of the LORD settled on Mount Sinai. For six days the cloud covered it, and on the seventh day the LORD called to Moses from within the cloud. ¹⁷And the sight of the glory of the LORD was like a consuming fire on the mountaintop in the eyes of the Israelites. ¹⁸Moses entered the cloud as he went up on the mountain, and he remained on the mountain forty days and forty nights.

25Then the LORD said to Moses, ²“Tell the Israelites to bring Me an offering. You are to receive My offering from every man whose heart compels him. ³This is the offering you are to accept from them: gold, silver, and bronze; ⁴blue, purple, and scarlet yarn; fine linen and goat hair; ⁵ram skins dyed red and fine leather; acacia wood; ⁶olive oil for the light; spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense; ⁷and onyx stones and gemstones to be mounted on the ephod and breastpiece. ⁸And they are to make a sanctuary for Me, so that I may dwell among them. ⁹You must make the tabernacle and design all its furnishings according to the pattern I show you. ¹⁰And they are to construct an ark of acacia wood, two and a half cubits long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit and a half high. ¹¹Overlay it with pure gold both inside and out, and make a gold molding around it. ¹²Cast four gold rings for it and fasten them to its four feet, two rings on one side and two on the other. ¹³And make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. ¹⁴Insert the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark, in order to carry it. ¹⁵The poles are to remain in the rings of the ark; they must not be removed. ¹⁶And place inside the ark the Testimony, which I will give you. ¹⁷And you are to construct a mercy seat of pure gold, two and a half cubits long and a cubit and a half wide. ¹⁸Make two cherubim of hammered gold at the ends of the mercy seat, ¹⁹one cherub on one end and one on the other, all made from one piece of gold. ²⁰And the cherubim are to have wings that spread upward, overshadowing the mercy seat. The cherubim are to face each other, looking toward the mercy seat. ²¹Set the mercy seat atop the ark, and put the Testimony that I will give you into the ark. ²²And I will meet with you there above the mercy seat, between the two cherubim that are over the ark of the Testimony; I will speak with you about all that I command you regarding the Israelites. ²³You are also to make a table of acacia wood two cubits long, a cubit wide, and a cubit and a half high. ²⁴Overlay it with pure gold and make a gold molding around it. ²⁵And make a rim around it a handbreadth wide and put a gold molding on the rim. ²⁶Make four gold rings for the table and fasten them to the four corners at its four legs. ²⁷The rings are to be close to the rim, to serve as holders for the poles used to carry the table. ²⁸Make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold, so that the table may be carried with them. ²⁹You are also to make the plates and dishes, as well as the pitchers and bowls for pouring drink offerings. Make them out of pure gold. ³⁰And place the Bread of the Presence on the table before Me at all times. ³¹Then you are to make a lampstand of pure, hammered gold. It shall be made of one piece, including its base and shaft, its cups, and its buds and petals. ³²Six branches are to extend from the sides of the lampstand—three on one side and three on the other. ³³There are to be three cups shaped like almond blossoms on the first branch, each with buds and petals, three on the next branch, and the same for all six branches that extend from the lampstand. ³⁴And on the lampstand there shall be four cups shaped like almond blossoms with buds and petals. ³⁵For the six branches that extend from the lampstand, a bud must be under the first pair of branches, a bud under the second pair, and a bud under the third pair. ³⁶The buds and branches are to be all of one piece with the lampstand, hammered out of pure gold. ³⁷Make seven lamps and set them up on the lampstand so that they illuminate the area in front of it. ³⁸The wick trimmers and their trays must be of pure gold. ³⁹The lampstand and all these utensils shall be made from a talent of pure gold. ⁴⁰See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.