Numbers 29, Psalm 73, Isaiah 21, 2 Peter 2

Numbers 29,

1 " 'On the first day of the seventh month hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work. It is a day for you to sound the trumpets.
 
2 As an aroma pleasing to the LORD, prepare a burnt offering of one young bull, one ram and seven male lambs a year old, all without defect.
 
3 With the bull prepare a grain offering of three-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil; with the ram, two-tenths;
 
4 and with each of the seven lambs, one-tenth.
 
5 Include one male goat as a sin offering to make atonement for you.
 
6 These are in addition to the monthly and daily burnt offerings with their grain offerings and drink offerings as specified. They are offerings made to the LORD by fire-a pleasing aroma.
 
7 " 'On the tenth day of this seventh month hold a sacred assembly. You must deny yourselves and do no work.
 
8 Present as an aroma pleasing to the LORD a burnt offering of one young bull, one ram and seven male lambs a year old, all without defect.
 
9 With the bull prepare a grain offering of three-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil; with the ram, two-tenths;
 
10 and with each of the seven lambs, one-tenth.
 
11 Include one male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the sin offering for atonement and the regular burnt offering with its grain offering, and their drink offerings.
 
12 " 'On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work. Celebrate a festival to the LORD for seven days.
 
13 Present an offering made by fire as an aroma pleasing to the LORD, a burnt offering of thirteen young bulls, two rams and fourteen male lambs a year old, all without defect.
 
14 With each of the thirteen bulls prepare a grain offering of three-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil; with each of the two rams, two-tenths;
 
15 and with each of the fourteen lambs, one-tenth.
 
16 Include one male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain offering and drink offering.
 
17 " 'On the second day prepare twelve young bulls, two rams and fourteen male lambs a year old, all without defect.
 
18 With the bulls, rams and lambs, prepare their grain offerings and drink offerings according to the number specified.
 
19 Include one male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain offering, and their drink offerings.
 
20 " 'On the third day prepare eleven bulls, two rams and fourteen male lambs a year old, all without defect.
 
21 With the bulls, rams and lambs, prepare their grain offerings and drink offerings according to the number specified.
 
22 Include one male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain offering and drink offering.
 
23 " 'On the fourth day prepare ten bulls, two rams and fourteen male lambs a year old, all without defect.
 
24 With the bulls, rams and lambs, prepare their grain offerings and drink offerings according to the number specified.
 
25 Include one male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain offering and drink offering.
 
26 " 'On the fifth day prepare nine bulls, two rams and fourteen male lambs a year old, all without defect.
 
27 With the bulls, rams and lambs, prepare their grain offerings and drink offerings according to the number specified.
 
28 Include one male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain offering and drink offering.
 
29 " 'On the sixth day prepare eight bulls, two rams and fourteen male lambs a year old, all without defect.
 
30 With the bulls, rams and lambs, prepare their grain offerings and drink offerings according to the number specified.
 
31 Include one male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain offering and drink offering.
 
32 " 'On the seventh day prepare seven bulls, two rams and fourteen male lambs a year old, all without defect.
 
33 With the bulls, rams and lambs, prepare their grain offerings and drink offerings according to the number specified.
 
34 Include one male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain offering and drink offering.
 
35 " 'On the eighth day hold an assembly and do no regular work.
 
36 Present an offering made by fire as an aroma pleasing to the LORD, a burnt offering of one bull, one ram and seven male lambs a year old, all without defect.
 
37 With the bull, the ram and the lambs, prepare their grain offerings and drink offerings according to the number specified.
 
38 Include one male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain offering and drink offering.
 
39 " 'In addition to what you vow and your freewill offerings, prepare these for the LORD at your appointed feasts: your burnt offerings, grain offerings, drink offerings and fellowship offerings.' "
 
40 Moses told the Israelites all that the LORD commanded him.

Psalm 73,

1 Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart.
 
2 But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold.
 
3 For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
 
4 They have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong.
 
5 They are free from the burdens common to man; they are not plagued by human ills.
 
6 Therefore pride is their necklace; they clothe themselves with violence.
 
7 From their callous hearts comes iniquity; the evil conceits of their minds know no limits.
 
8 They scoff, and speak with malice; in their arrogance they threaten oppression.
 
9 Their mouths lay claim to heaven, and their tongues take possession of the earth.
 
10 Therefore their people turn to them and drink up waters in abundance.
 
11 They say, "How can God know? Does the Most High have knowledge?"
 
12 This is what the wicked are like-always carefree, they increase in wealth.
 
13 Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure; in vain have I washed my hands in innocence.
 
14 All day long I have been plagued; I have been punished every morning.
 
15 If I had said, "I will speak thus," I would have betrayed your children.
 
16 When I tried to understand all this, it was oppressive to me
 
17 till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny.
 
18 Surely you place them on slippery ground; you cast them down to ruin.
 
19 How suddenly are they destroyed, completely swept away by terrors!
 
20 As a dream when one awakes, so when you arise, O Lord, you will despise them as fantasies.
 
21 When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered,
 
22 I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before you.
 
23 Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand.
 
24 You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory.
 
25 Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
 
26 My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
 
27 Those who are far from you will perish; you destroy all who are unfaithful to you.
 
28 But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds.

Isaiah 21,

1 An oracle concerning the Desert by the Sea: Like whirlwinds sweeping through the southland, an invader comes from the desert, from a land of terror.
 
2 A dire vision has been shown to me: The traitor betrays, the looter takes loot. Elam, attack! Media, lay siege! I will bring to an end all the groaning she caused.
 
3 At this my body is racked with pain, pangs seize me, like those of a woman in labor; I am staggered by what I hear, I am bewildered by what I see.
 
4 My heart falters, fear makes me tremble; the twilight I longed for has become a horror to me.
 
5 They set the tables, they spread the rugs, they eat, they drink! Get up, you officers, oil the shields!
 
6 This is what the Lord says to me: "Go, post a lookout and have him report what he sees.
 
7 When he sees chariots with teams of horses, riders on donkeys or riders on camels, let him be alert, fully alert."
 
8 And the lookout shouted, "Day after day, my lord, I stand on the watchtower; every night I stay at my post.
 
9 Look, here comes a man in a chariot with a team of horses. And he gives back the answer: 'Babylon has fallen, has fallen! All the images of its gods lie shattered on the ground!' "
 
10 O my people, crushed on the threshing floor, I tell you what I have heard from the LORD Almighty, from the God of Israel.
 
11 An oracle concerning Dumah : Someone calls to me from Seir, "Watchman, what is left of the night? Watchman, what is left of the night?"
 
12 The watchman replies, "Morning is coming, but also the night. If you would ask, then ask; and come back yet again."
 
13 An oracle concerning Arabia: You caravans of Dedanites, who camp in the thickets of Arabia,
 
14 bring water for the thirsty; you who live in Tema, bring food for the fugitives.
 
15 They flee from the sword, from the drawn sword, from the bent bow and from the heat of battle.
 
16 This is what the Lord says to me: "Within one year, as a servant bound by contract would count it, all the pomp of Kedar will come to an end.
 
17 The survivors of the bowmen, the warriors of Kedar, will be few." The LORD, the God of Israel, has spoken.

2 Peter 2

1 But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them-bringing swift destruction on themselves.
 
2 Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute.
 
3 In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.
 
4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them into gloomy dungeons to be held for judgment;
 
5 if he did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others;
 
6 if he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly;
 
7 and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the filthy lives of lawless men
 
8 (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard)-
 
9 if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment, while continuing their punishment.
 
10 This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire of the sinful nature and despise authority. Bold and arrogant, these men are not afraid to slander celestial beings;
 
11 yet even angels, although they are stronger and more powerful, do not bring slanderous accusations against such beings in the presence of the Lord.
 
12 But these men blaspheme in matters they do not understand. They are like brute beasts, creatures of instinct, born only to be caught and destroyed, and like beasts they too will perish.
 
13 They will be paid back with harm for the harm they have done. Their idea of pleasure is to carouse in broad daylight. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their pleasures while they feast with you.
 
14 With eyes full of adultery, they never stop sinning; they seduce the unstable; they are experts in greed-an accursed brood!
 
15 They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Beor, who loved the wages of wickedness.
 
16 But he was rebuked for his wrongdoing by a donkey-a beast without speech-who spoke with a man's voice and restrained the prophet's madness.
 
17 These men are springs without water and mists driven by a storm. Blackest darkness is reserved for them.
 
18 18For they mouth empty, boastful words and, by appealing to the lustful desires of sinful human nature, they entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error.
 
19 They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity-for a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him.
 
20 If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning.
 
21 It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them.
 
22 Of them the proverbs are true: "A dog returns to its vomit,"and, "A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud."