Daily Bible GNT March 07 Scroll

The Unbelieving Towns
(Luke 10.13-15)

Matthew 11 ²⁰The people in the towns where Jesus had performed most of his miracles did not turn from their sins, so he reproached those towns. ²¹"How terrible it will be for you, Chorazin! How terrible for you too, Bethsaida! If the miracles which were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, the people there would have long ago put on sackcloth and sprinkled ashes on themselves, to show that they had turned from their sins! ²²I assure you that on the Judgment Day God will show more mercy to the people of Tyre and Sidon than to you! ²³And as for you, Capernaum! Did you want to lift yourself up to heaven? You will be thrown down to hell! If the miracles which were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would still be in existence today! ²⁴You can be sure that on the Judgment Day God will show more mercy to Sodom than to you!"

Come to Me and Rest
(Luke 10.21, 22)

²⁵At that time Jesus said, "Father, Lord of heaven and earth! I thank you because you have shown to the unlearned what you have hidden from the wise and learned. ²⁶Yes, Father, this was how you were pleased to have it happen.

²⁷"My Father has given me all things. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

²⁸"Come to me, all of you who are tired from carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest. ²⁹Take my yoke and put it on you, and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in spirit; and you will find rest. ³⁰For the yoke I will give you is easy, and the load I will put on you is light."

Laws concerning Skin Diseases

Leviticus 13 The LORD gave Moses and Aaron these regulations. ²If any of you have a sore on your skin or a boil or an inflammation which could develop into a dreaded skin disease, you shall be brought to the Aaronite priest. ³The priest shall examine the sore, and if the hairs in it have turned white and the sore appears to be deeper than the surrounding skin, it is a dreaded skin disease, and the priest shall pronounce you unclean. ⁴But if the sore is white and does not appear to be deeper than the skin around it and the hairs have not turned white, the priest shall isolate you for seven days. ⁵The priest shall examine you again on the seventh day, and if in his opinion the sore looks the same and has not spread, he shall isolate you for another seven days. ⁶The priest shall examine you again on the seventh day, and if the sore has faded and has not spread, he shall pronounce you ritually clean; it is only a sore. You shall wash your clothes and be ritually clean. ⁷But if the sore spreads after the priest has examined you and pronounced you clean, you must appear before the priest again. ⁸The priest will examine you again, and if it has spread, he shall pronounce you unclean; it is a dreaded skin disease.

⁹If any of you have a dreaded skin disease, you shall be brought to the priest, ¹⁰who will examine you. If there is a white sore on your skin which turns the hairs white and is full of pus, ¹¹it is a chronic skin disease. The priest shall pronounce you unclean; there is no need to isolate you, because you are obviously unclean. ¹²If the skin disease spreads and covers you from head to foot, ¹³the priest shall examine you again. If he finds that it actually has covered the whole body, he shall pronounce you ritually clean. If your whole skin has turned white, you are ritually clean. ¹⁴But from the moment an open sore appears, you are unclean. ¹⁵The priest shall examine you again, and if he sees an open sore, he shall pronounce you unclean. An open sore means a dreaded skin disease, and you are unclean. ¹⁶But when the sore heals and becomes white again, you shall go to the priest, ¹⁷who will examine you again. If the sore has turned white, you are ritually clean, and the priest shall pronounce you clean.

¹⁸If any of you have a boil that has healed ¹⁹and if afterward a white swelling or a reddish-white spot appears where the boil was, you shall go to the priest. ²⁰The priest shall examine you, and if the spot seems to be deeper than the surrounding skin and the hairs in it have turned white, he shall pronounce you unclean. It is a dreaded skin disease that has started in the boil. ²¹But if the priest examines it and finds that the hairs in it have not turned white and that it is not deeper than the surrounding skin, but is light in color, the priest shall isolate you for seven days. ²²If the spot spreads, the priest shall pronounce you unclean; you are diseased. ²³But if it remains unchanged and does not spread, it is only the scar left from the boil, and the priest shall pronounce you ritually clean.

²⁴In case any of you have been burned, if the raw flesh becomes white or reddish-white, ²⁵the priest shall examine you. If the hairs in the spot have turned white and it appears deeper than the surrounding skin, it is a dreaded skin disease that has started in the burn, and the priest shall pronounce you unclean. ²⁶But if the hairs in it have not turned white and it is not deeper than the surrounding skin, but is light in color, the priest shall isolate you for seven days. ²⁷The priest shall examine you again on the seventh day, and if it is spreading, it is a dreaded skin disease, and the priest shall pronounce you unclean. ²⁸But if the spot remains unchanged and does not spread and is light in color, it is not a dreaded skin disease. The priest shall pronounce you ritually clean, because it is only a scar from the burn.

²⁹When any of you, male or female, have a sore on your head or chin, ³⁰the priest shall examine it. If it seems to be deeper than the surrounding skin and the hairs in it are yellowish and thin, it is a dreaded skin disease, and he shall pronounce you unclean. ³¹If, when the priest examines you, the sore does not appear to be deeper than the surrounding skin, but there are still no healthy hairs in it, he shall isolate you for seven days. ³²The priest shall examine the sore again on the seventh day, and if it has not spread and there are no yellowish hairs in it and it does not seem to be deeper than the surrounding skin, ³³you shall shave the head except the area around the sore. The priest shall then isolate you for another seven days. ³⁴On the seventh day the priest shall again examine the sore, and if it has not spread and does not seem to be deeper than the surrounding skin, he shall pronounce you ritually clean. You shall wash your clothes, and you will be clean. ³⁵But if the sore spreads after you have been pronounced clean, ³⁶the priest shall examine you again. If the sore has spread, he need not look for yellowish hairs; you are obviously unclean. ³⁷But if in the priest's opinion the sore has not spread and healthy hairs are growing in it, the sore has healed, and the priest shall pronounce you ritually clean.

³⁸When any of you, male or female, have white spots on the skin, ³⁹the priest shall examine you. If the spots are dull white, it is only a blemish that has broken out on the skin; you are ritually clean.

^40-41If you lose your hair at the back or the front of your head, this does not make you unclean. ⁴²But if a reddish-white sore appears on the bald spot, it is a dreaded skin disease. ⁴³The priest shall examine you, and if there is a reddish-white sore, ⁴⁴the priest shall pronounce you unclean, because of the dreaded skin disease on your head.

⁴⁵If you have a dreaded skin disease, you must wear torn clothes, leave your hair uncombed, cover the lower part of your face, and call out, "Unclean, unclean!" ⁴⁶You remain unclean as long as you have the disease, and you must live outside the camp, away from others.

Laws concerning Mildew

⁴⁷When there is mildew on clothing, whether wool or linen, ⁴⁸or on any piece of linen or wool cloth or on leather or anything made of leather, ⁴⁹if it is greenish or reddish, it is a spreading mildew and must be shown to the priest. ⁵⁰The priest shall examine it and put the object away for seven days. ⁵¹He shall examine it again on the seventh day, and if the mildew has spread, the object is unclean. ⁵²The priest shall burn it, because it is a spreading mildew which must be destroyed by fire.

⁵³But if, when he examines it, the priest finds that the mildew has not spread on the object, ⁵⁴he shall order that it be washed and put away for another seven days. ⁵⁵Then he shall examine it, and if the mildew has not changed color, even though it has not spread, it is still unclean; you must burn the object, whether the rot is on the front or the back. ⁵⁶But if, when the priest examines it again, the mildew has faded, he shall tear it out of the clothing or leather. ⁵⁷Then, if the mildew reappears, it is spreading again, and the owner shall burn the object. ⁵⁸If he washes the object and the spot disappears, he shall wash it again, and it will be ritually clean.

⁵⁹This, then, is the law about mildew on clothing, whether it is wool or linen, or on linen or wool cloth or on anything made of leather; this is how the decision is made as to whether it is ritually clean or unclean.

More of Solomon's Proverbs

Proverbs 25 Here are more of Solomon's proverbs, copied by scribes at the court of King Hezekiah of Judah.

²We honor God for what he conceals; we honor kings for what they explain.

³You never know what a king is thinking; his thoughts are beyond us, like the heights of the sky or the depths of the ocean.

⁴Take the impurities out of silver and the artist can produce a thing of beauty. ⁵Keep evil advisers away from the king and his government will be known for its justice.

⁶When you stand before the king, don't try to impress him and pretend to be important. ⁷It is better to be asked to take a higher position than to be told to give your place to someone more important.

⁸Don't be too quick to go to court about something you have seen. If another witness later proves you wrong, what will you do then?

⁹If you and your neighbor have a difference of opinion, settle it between yourselves and do not reveal any secrets. ¹⁰Otherwise everyone will learn that you can't keep a secret, and you will never live down the shame.

¹¹An idea well-expressed is like a design of gold, set in silver.

¹²A warning given by an experienced person to someone willing to listen is more valuable than gold rings or jewelry made of the finest gold.

¹³A reliable messenger is refreshing to the one who sends him, like cold water in the heat of harvest time.

¹⁴People who promise things that they never give are like clouds and wind that bring no rain.

¹⁵Patient persuasion can break down the strongest resistance and can even convince rulers.

¹⁶Never eat more honey than you need; too much may make you vomit. ¹⁷Don't visit your neighbors too often; they may get tired of you and come to hate you.

¹⁸A false accusation is as deadly as a sword, a club, or a sharp arrow.

¹⁹Depending on an unreliable person in a crisis is like trying to chew with a loose tooth or walk with a crippled foot.

²⁰Singing to a person who is depressed is like taking off a person's clothes on a cold day or like rubbing salt in a wound.

²¹If your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them a drink. ²²You will make them burn with shame, and the LORD will reward you.

²³Gossip brings anger just as surely as the north wind brings rain.

²⁴Better to live on the roof than share the house with a nagging wife.

²⁵Finally hearing good news from a distant land is like a drink of cold water when you are dry and thirsty.

²⁶A good person who gives in to someone who is evil reminds you of a polluted spring or a poisoned well.

²⁷Too much honey is bad for you, and so is trying to win too much praise.

²⁸If you cannot control your anger, you are as helpless as a city without walls, open to attack.

This reading is from The Holy Bible, Today's English Version, Second Edition copyright © American Bible Society, 1992;
Old Testament copyright © American Bible Society, 1976, 1992; New Testament © American Bible Society, 1966, 1971, 1976, 1992.

These daily Bible readings from the Good News Translation (GNT), formerly the Today's English Version (TEV), are published by BibleNetUSA. The web site and BibleCard® designs are by iCreative. All BibleCard® images are copyrighted by iCreative. All rights reserved.