Daily Readings

13th March

Leviticus 21

1 And the LORD said unto Moses, Speak unto the priests the sons of Aaron, and say unto them, There shall none be defiled for the dead among his people:2 But for his kin, that is near unto him, that is, for his mother, and for his father, and for his son, and for his daughter, and for his brother.3 And for his sister a virgin, that is nigh unto him, which hath had no husband; for her may he be defiled.4 But he shall not defile himself, being a chief man among his people, to profane himself.5 They shall not make baldness upon their head, neither shall they shave off the corner of their beard, nor make any cuttings in their flesh.6 They shall be holy unto their God, and not profane the name of their God: for the offerings of the LORD made by fire, and the bread of their God, they do offer: therefore they shall be holy.7 They shall not take a wife that is a whore, or profane; neither shall they take a woman put away from her husband: for he is holy unto his God.8 Thou shalt sanctify him therefore; for he offereth the bread of thy God: he shall be holy unto thee: for I the LORD, which sanctify you, am holy.9 And the daughter of any priest, if she profane herself by playing the whore, she profaneth her father: she shall be burnt with fire.10 And he that is the high priest among his brethren, upon whose head the anointing oil was poured, and that is consecrated to put on the garments, shall not uncover his head, nor rend his clothes;11 Neither shall he go in to any dead body, nor defile himself for his father, or for his mother;12 Neither shall he go out of the sanctuary, nor profane the sanctuary of his God; for the crown of the anointing oil of his God is upon him: I am the LORD.13 And he shall take a wife in her virginity.14 A widow, or a divorced woman, or profane, or an harlot, these shall he not take: but he shall take a virgin of his own people to wife.15 Neither shall he profane his seed among his people: for I the LORD do sanctify him.16 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,17 Speak unto Aaron, saying, Whosoever he be of thy seed in their generations that hath any blemish, let him not approach to offer the bread of his God.18 For whatsoever man he be that hath a blemish, he shall not approach: a blind man, or a lame, or he that hath a flat nose, or any thing superfluous,19 Or a man that is brokenfooted, or brokenhanded,20 Or crookbackt, or a dwarf, or that hath a blemish in his eye, or be scurvy, or scabbed, or hath his stones broken;21 No man that hath a blemish of the seed of Aaron the priest shall come nigh to offer the offerings of the LORD made by fire: he hath a blemish; he shall not come nigh to offer the bread of his God.22 He shall eat the bread of his God, both of the most holy, and of the holy.23 Only he shall not go in unto the vail, nor come nigh unto the altar, because he hath a blemish; that he profane not my sanctuaries: for I the LORD do sanctify them.24 And Moses told it unto Aaron, and to his sons, and unto all the children of Israel.

Psalms 120,121,122,123,124

1 In my distress I cried unto the LORD, and he heard me.2 Deliver my soul, O LORD, from lying lips, and from a deceitful tongue.3 What shall be given unto thee? or what shall be done unto thee, thou false tongue?4 Sharp arrows of the mighty, with coals of juniper.5 Woe is me, that I sojourn in Mesech, that I dwell in the tents of Kedar!6 My soul hath long dwelt with him that hateth peace.7 I am for peace: but when I speak, they are for war.

1 I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.2 My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.3 He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber.4 Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.5 The LORD is thy keeper: the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand.6 The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.7 The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul.8 The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.

1 I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD.2 Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem.3 Jerusalem is builded as a city that is compact together:4 Whither the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD, unto the testimony of Israel, to give thanks unto the name of the LORD.5 For there are set thrones of judgment, the thrones of the house of David.6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee.7 Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity within thy palaces.8 For my brethren and companions' sakes, I will now say, Peace be within thee.9 Because of the house of the LORD our God I will seek thy good.

1 Unto thee lift I up mine eyes, O thou that dwellest in the heavens.2 Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress; so our eyes wait upon the LORD our God, until that he have mercy upon us.3 Have mercy upon us, O LORD, have mercy upon us: for we are exceedingly filled with contempt.4 Our soul is exceedingly filled with the scorning of those that are at ease, and with the contempt of the proud.

1 If it had not been the LORD who was on our side, now may Israel say;2 If it had not been the LORD who was on our side, when men rose up against us:3 Then they had swallowed us up quick, when their wrath was kindled against us:4 Then the waters had overwhelmed us, the stream had gone over our soul:5 Then the proud waters had gone over our soul.6 Blessed be the LORD, who hath not given us as a prey to their teeth.7 Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers: the snare is broken, and we are escaped.8 Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth.

Luke 4

1 And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,2 Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered.3 And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread.4 And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.5 And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.6 And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.7 If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine.8 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.9 And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence:10 For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee:11 And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.12 And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.13 And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season.14 And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about.15 And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all.16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.17 And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.20 And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.21 And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.22 And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph's son?23 And he said unto them, Ye will surely say unto me this proverb, Physician, heal thyself: whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy country.24 And he said, Verily I say unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country.25 But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land;26 But unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow.27 And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian.28 And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath,29 And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong.30 But he passing through the midst of them went his way,31 And came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and taught them on the sabbath days.32 And they were astonished at his doctrine: for his word was with power.33 And in the synagogue there was a man, which had a spirit of an unclean devil, and cried out with a loud voice,34 Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art; the Holy One of God.35 And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him. And when the devil had thrown him in the midst, he came out of him, and hurt him not.36 And they were all amazed, and spake among themselves, saying, What a word is this! for with authority and power he commandeth the unclean spirits, and they come out.37 And the fame of him went out into every place of the country round about.38 And he arose out of the synagogue, and entered into Simon's house. And Simon's wife's mother was taken with a great fever; and they besought him for her.39 And he stood over her, and rebuked the fever; and it left her: and immediately she arose and ministered unto them.40 Now when the sun was setting, all they that had any sick with divers diseases brought them unto him; and he laid his hands on every one of them, and healed them.41 And devils also came out of many, crying out, and saying, Thou art Christ the Son of God. And he rebuking them suffered them not to speak: for they knew that he was Christ.42 And when it was day, he departed and went into a desert place: and the people sought him, and came unto him, and stayed him, that he should not depart from them.43 And he said unto them, I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also: for therefore am I sent.44 And he preached in the synagogues of Galilee.