Daily Bible CEV March 07 Scroll

The Unbelieving Towns
(Luke 10.13-15)

Matthew 11 ²⁰In the towns where Jesus had worked most of his miracles, the people refused to turn to God. So Jesus was upset with them and said:

²¹You people of Chorazin are in for trouble! You people of Bethsaida are in for trouble too! If the miracles that took place in your towns had happened in Tyre and Sidon, the people there would have turned to God long ago. They would have dressed in sackcloth and put ashes on their heads. ²²I tell you that on the day of judgment the people of Tyre and Sidon will get off easier than you will.

²³People of Capernaum, do you think you will be honored in heaven? You will go down to hell! If the miracles that took place in your town had happened in Sodom, that town would still be standing. ²⁴So I tell you that on the day of judgment the people of Sodom will get off easier than you.

Come to Me and Rest
(Luke 10.21, 22)

²⁵At that moment Jesus said:

My Father, Lord of heaven and earth, I am grateful that you hid all this from wise and educated people and showed it to ordinary people. ²⁶Yes, Father, that is what pleased you.

²⁷My Father has given me everything, and he is the only one who knows the Son. The only one who truly knows the Father is the Son. But the Son wants to tell others about the Father, so that they can know him too.

²⁸If you are tired from carrying heavy burdens, come to me and I will give you rest. ²⁹Take the yoke I give you. Put it on your shoulders and learn from me. I am gentle and humble, and you will find rest. ³⁰This yoke is easy to bear, and this burden is light.

Skin Diseases

Leviticus 13 The LORD told Moses and Aaron to say to the people:

²If sores or boils or a skin rash should break out and start spreading on your body, you must be brought to Aaron or to one of the other priests. ³If the priest discovers that the hair in the infected area has turned white and that the infection seems more than skin deep, he will say, "This is leprosy --you are unclean."

⁴But if the infected area is white and only skin deep, and if the hair in it hasn't turned white, the priest will order you to stay away from everyone else for seven days. ⁵If the disease hasn't spread by that time, he will order you to stay away from everyone else for another seven days. ⁶Then if the disease hasn't gotten any worse or spread, the priest will say, "You are clean. It was only a sore. After you wash your clothes, you may go home."

⁷However, if the disease comes back, you must return to the priest. ⁸If it is discovered that the disease has started spreading, he will say, "This is leprosy--you are unclean."

⁹Any of you with a skin disease must be brought to a priest. ¹⁰If he discovers that the sore spot is white with pus and that the hair around it has also turned white, ¹¹he will say, "This is leprosy. You are unclean and must stay away from everyone else." ^12-13But if the disease has run its course and only the scars remain, he will say, "You are clean." ^14-15If the sores come back and turn white with pus, he will say, "This is leprosy--you are unclean."

^16-17However, if the sores heal and only white spots remain, the priest will say, "You are now clean."

^18-19If you have a sore that either swells or turns reddish-white after it has healed, then you must show it to a priest. ²⁰If he discovers that the hair in the infected area has turned white and that the infection seems more than skin deep, he will say, "This is leprosy--you are unclean." ²¹But if the white area is only on the surface of the skin and hasn't gotten any worse, and if the hair in it hasn't turned white, he will have you stay away from everyone else for seven days.

²²If the sore begins spreading during this time, the priest will say, "You are unclean because you have a disease." ²³But if it doesn't spread, and only a scar remains, he will say, "You are now clean."

²⁴If you have a burn that gets infected and turns red or reddish-white, ²⁵a priest must examine it. Then if he discovers that the hair in the infected area has turned white and that the infection seems more than skin deep, he will say, "The burn has turned into leprosy, and you are unclean." ²⁶But if the priest finds that the hair in the infected area hasn't turned white and that the sore is only skin deep and it is healing, he will have you stay away from everyone else for seven days. ²⁷On the seventh day the priest will examine you again, and if the infection is spreading, he will say, "This is leprosy--you are unclean." ²⁸However, if the infection hasn't spread and has begun to heal, and if only a scar remains, he will say, "Only a scar remains from the burn, and you are clean."

²⁹If you have a sore on your head or chin, ³⁰it must be examined by a priest. If the infection seems more than skin deep, and the hair in it has thinned out and lost its color, he will say, "This is leprosy--you are unclean." ³¹On the other hand, if he discovers that the itchy spot is only skin deep, but that the hair still isn't healthy, he will order you to stay away from everyone else for seven days. ³²By that time, if the itch hasn't spread, if the hairs seem healthy, and if the itch is only skin deep, ³³you must shave off the hairs around the infection, but not those on it. Then the priest will tell you to stay away from everyone else for another seven days. ³⁴By that time, if the itch hasn't spread and seems no more than skin deep, he will say, "You are clean; now you must wash your clothes."

^35-36Later, if the itch starts spreading, even though the hair is still healthy, the priest will say, "You are unclean." ³⁷But if he thinks you are completely well, he will say, "You are clean."

³⁸If white spots break out on your skin, ³⁹but the priest discovers that it is only a rash, he will say, "You are clean."

^40-41If you become bald on any part of your head, you are still clean. ^42-43But if a priest discovers that a reddish-white sore has broken out on the bald spot and looks like leprosy, he will say, ⁴⁴"This is leprosy--you are unclean."

⁴⁵If you ever have leprosy, you must tear your clothes, leave your hair uncombed, cover the lower part of your face, and go around shouting, "I'm unclean! I'm unclean!" ⁴⁶As long as you have the disease, you are unclean and must live alone outside the camp.

^47-50If a greenish or reddish spot appears anywhere on any of your clothing or on anything made of leather, you must let the priest examine the clothing or the leather. He will put it aside for seven days, ⁵¹and if the mildew has spread in that time, he will say, "This is unclean ⁵²because the mildew has spread." Then he will burn the clothing or the piece of leather.

⁵³If the priest discovers that the mildew hasn't spread, ⁵⁴he will tell you to wash the clothing or leather and put it aside for another seven days, ⁵⁵after which he will examine it again. If the spot hasn't spread, but is still greenish or reddish, the clothing or leather is unclean and must be burned. ⁵⁶But if the spot has faded after being washed, he will tear away the spot. ⁵⁷Later, if the spot reappears elsewhere on the clothing or the leather, you must burn it. ⁵⁸Even if the spot completely disappears after being washed, it must be washed again before it is clean.

⁵⁹These are the rules for deciding if clothing is clean or unclean after a spot appears on it.

More of Solomon's Wise Sayings

Proverbs 25 Here are more of Solomon's proverbs.

They were copied by the officials

of King Hezekiah of Judah.

²God is praised for being mysterious;

rulers are praised for explaining mysteries.

³Who can fully understand the thoughts of a ruler?

They reach beyond the sky and go deep in the earth.

⁴Silver must be purified

before it can be used to make something of value.

⁵Evil people must be removed

before anyone can rule with justice.

⁶Don't try to seem important in the court of a ruler.

⁷It's better for the ruler to give you a high position

than for you to be embarrassed

in front of royal officials.

Be sure you are right ⁸before you sue someone,

or you might lose your case and be embarrassed.

⁹When you and someone else can't get along,

don't gossip about it.

¹⁰Others will find out,

and your reputation will then be ruined.

¹¹The right word at the right time

is like precious gold set in silver.

¹²Listening to good advice

is worth much more than jewelry made of gold.

¹³A messenger you can trust is just as refreshing

as cool water in summer.

¹⁴Broken promises are worse than rain clouds

that don't bring rain.

¹⁵Patience and gentle talk can convince a ruler

and overcome any problem.

¹⁶Eating too much honey can make you sick.

¹⁷Don't visit friends too often,

or they will get tired of it and start hating you.

¹⁸Telling lies about friends is like attacking them

with clubs and swords and sharp arrows.

¹⁹A friend you can't trust in times of trouble

is like having a toothache or a sore foot.

²⁰Singing to someone in deep sorrow

is like pouring vinegar in an open cut.

²¹If your enemies are hungry, give them something to eat.

And if they are thirsty, give them something to drink.

²²This will be the same as piling burning coals on their heads.

And the LORD will reward you.

²³As surely as rain blows in from the north,

anger is caused by cruel words.

²⁴It's better to stay outside on the roof of your house

than to live inside with a nagging wife.

²⁵Good news from far away refreshes like cold water

when you are thirsty.

²⁶When a good person gives in to the wicked,

it's like dumping garbage in a stream of clear water.

²⁷Don't eat too much honey or always want praise.

²⁸Losing self-control leaves you as helpless

as a city without a wall.

These daily Bible readings from the Contemporary English Version (CEV) are published by BibleNetUSA. The web site and BibleCard® designs are by iCreative. BibleCard® images copyright iCreative. All rights reserved.