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Contemporary English Version (CEV)
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Deuteronomy 26-27

Give the Lord the First Part of Your Harvest

Moses said to Israel:

26 The Lord is giving you the land, and soon you will conquer it, settle down, (A) and plant crops. And when you begin harvesting each of your crops, the very first things you pick must be put in a basket. Take them to the place where the Lord your God chooses to be worshiped, and tell the priest, “Long ago the Lord our God promised our ancestors that he would give us this land. And today, I thank him for keeping his promise and giving me a share of the land.”

The priest will take the basket and set it in front of the Lord's altar. Then, standing there in front of the place of worship, you must pray:

My ancestor was homeless,
an Aramean who went to live
    in Egypt.
There were only a few
    in his family then,
but they became great
and powerful,
    a nation of many people.

The Egyptians were cruel
    and had no pity on us.
They mistreated our people
    and forced us into slavery.
We called out for help
to you, the Lord God
    of our ancestors.
You heard our cries;
you knew we were in trouble
    and abused.
Then you terrified the Egyptians
with your mighty miracles
    and rescued us from Egypt.
You brought us here
and gave us this land
    rich with milk and honey.
10 Now, Lord, I bring to you
the best of the crops
    that you have given me.

After you say these things, place the basket in front of the Lord's altar and bow down to worship him.

11 Then you and your family must celebrate by eating a meal at the place of worship to thank the Lord your God for giving you such a good harvest. And remember to invite the Levites and the foreigners who live in your town.

Ten Percent of the Harvest

Moses said to Israel:

12 (B) Every year you are to give ten percent of your harvest to the Lord.[a] But every third year,[b] this ten percent must be given to the poor who live in your town, including Levites, foreigners, orphans, and widows. That way, they will have enough to eat. 13 Then you must pray:

Our Lord and our God, you have said that ten percent of my harvest is sacred. I have obeyed your command and given this to the poor, including the Levites, foreigners, orphans, and widows.

14 I have not eaten any of this sacred food while I was in mourning; in fact, I never touched it when I was unclean.[c] And none of it has been offered as a sacrifice to the spirits of the dead. I have done everything exactly as you commanded.

15 Our Lord, look down from your temple in heaven and bless us and our land. You promised our ancestors that you would give us this land rich with milk and honey, and you have kept your promise.

The Lord Is Your God, and You Are His People

Moses said to Israel:

16 Today the Lord your God has commanded you to obey these laws and teachings with all your heart and soul.

17 In response, you have agreed that the Lord will be your God, that you will obey all his laws and teachings, and that you will listen when he speaks to you.

18 (C) Since you have agreed to obey the Lord, he has agreed that you will be his people and that you will belong to him, just as he promised. 19 The Lord created all nations, but he will make you more famous than any of them, and you will receive more praise and honor. You will belong only to the Lord your God, just as he promised.

Build an Altar on Mount Ebal

27 Moses stood together with the leaders and told the people of Israel:

Obey all the laws and teachings that I am giving you today. 2-4 (D) Soon you will enter the land that the Lord your God is giving to you. He is the God your ancestors worshiped, and he has promised that this land is rich with milk and honey.

After you cross the Jordan River, go to Mount Ebal. Set up large slabs of stone, then cover them with white plaster and write on them a copy of these laws.

(E) At this same place, build an altar for offering sacrifices to the Lord your God. But don't use stones that have been cut with iron tools. Look for stones that can be used without being cut. Then offer sacrifices to please the Lord,[d] burning them completely on the altar. Next, offer sacrifices to ask the Lord's blessing,[e] and serve the meat at a sacred meal where you will celebrate in honor of the Lord.

Don't forget to write out a copy of these laws on the stone slabs that you are going to set up. Make sure that the writing is easy to read.

Curses on Those Who Disobey

Moses stood together with the priests[f] and said, “Israel, be quiet and listen to me! Today you have become the people of the Lord your God.[g] 10 So you must obey his laws and teachings that I am giving you.”

11 That same day, Moses gave them the following instructions:

12-13 (F) After you cross the Jordan River, you will go to Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal.[h] The tribes of Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Ephraim, Manasseh,[i] and Benjamin will go up on Mount Gerizim, where they will bless the people of Israel. The tribes of Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali will go up on Mount Ebal where they will agree to the curses.

14-26 (G) The people of the Levi tribe will speak each curse in a loud voice, then the rest of the people[j] will agree to that curse by saying, “Amen!” Here are the curses:

We ask the Lord to put a curse on anyone who makes an idol or worships idols, even secretly. The Lord is disgusted with idols.

We ask the Lord to put a curse on all who do not show respect for their father and mother.

We ask the Lord to put a curse on anyone who moves the rocks that mark property lines.

We ask the Lord to put a curse on anyone who tells blind people to go the wrong way.

We ask the Lord to put a curse on anyone who keeps the poor from getting justice, whether these poor are foreigners, widows, or orphans.

We ask the Lord to put a curse on any man who sleeps with his father's wife; that man has shown no respect for his father's marriage.

We ask the Lord to put a curse on anyone who has sex with an animal.

We ask the Lord to put a curse on any man who sleeps with his sister or his half sister or his mother-in-law.

We ask the Lord to put a curse on anyone who commits murder, even when there are no witnesses to the crime.

We ask the Lord to put a curse on anyone who accepts money to murder an innocent victim.

We ask the Lord to put a curse on anyone who refuses to obey his laws.

And so, to each of these curses, the people will answer, “Amen!”

Luke 10:38-11:13

Martha and Mary

38 (A) The Lord and his disciples were traveling along and came to a village. When they got there, a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. 39 She had a sister named Mary, who sat down in front of the Lord and was listening to what he said. 40 Martha was worried about all that had to be done. Finally, she went to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn't it bother you that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her to come and help me!”

41 The Lord answered, “Martha, Martha! You are worried and upset about so many things, 42 but only one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen what is best, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Prayer

(Matthew 6.9-13; 7.7-11)

11 When Jesus had finished praying, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his followers to pray.”

So Jesus told them, “Pray in this way:

‘Father, help us
    to honor your name.
Come and set up
    your kingdom.
Give us each day
    the food we need.[a]
Forgive our sins,
as we forgive everyone
    who has done wrong to us.
And keep us
    from being tempted.’ ”

Then Jesus went on to say:

Suppose one of you goes to a friend in the middle of the night and says, “Let me borrow three loaves of bread. A friend of mine has dropped in, and I don't have a thing for him to eat.” And suppose your friend answers, “Don't bother me! The door is bolted, and my children and I are in bed. I cannot get up to give you something.”

He may not get up and give you the bread, just because you are his friend. But he will get up and give you as much as you need, simply because you are not ashamed to keep on asking.

So I tell you to ask and you will receive, search and you will find, knock and the door will be opened for you. 10 Everyone who asks will receive, everyone who searches will find, and the door will be opened for everyone who knocks. 11 Which one of you fathers would give your hungry child a snake if the child asked for a fish? 12 Which one of you would give your child a scorpion if the child asked for an egg? 13 As bad as you are, you still know how to give good gifts to your children. But your heavenly Father is even more ready to give the Holy Spirit to anyone who asks.

Psalm 76

(A song and a psalm by Asaph for the music leader. Use stringed instruments.)

God Always Wins

You, our God,
are famous in Judah
    and honored in Israel.
Your home is on Mount Zion,
    the city of peace.
There you destroyed
fiery arrows, shields, swords,
    and all the other weapons.

You are more glorious than
    the eternal mountains.[a]
Brave warriors were robbed
    of what they had taken,
and now they lie dead,
    unable to lift an arm.
God of Jacob, when you roar,
enemy chariots and horses
    drop dead in their tracks.

Our God, you are fearsome,
and no one can oppose you
    when you are angry.
From heaven you announced
    your decisions as judge!
And all who live on this earth
    were terrified and silent
when you took over as judge,
ready to rescue
    everyone in need.
10 Even the most angry people
will praise you
    when you are furious.[b]

11 Everyone, make your promises
to the Lord your God
    and do what you promise.
The Lord is fearsome,
and all his servants
    should bring him gifts.
12 God destroys the courage
of rulers and kings
    and makes cowards of them.

Proverbs 12:15-17

15 Fools think they know
    what is best,
but a sensible person
    listens to advice.

16 Losing your temper is foolish;
    ignoring an insult is smart.
17 An honest person
    tells the truth in court,
but a dishonest person
    tells nothing but lies.

Contemporary English Version (CEV)

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