17 Sivan, 5781

Numbers 10:35-36

When the Ark was to set out, Moses would say: Advance, O LORD! May Your enemies be scattered, And may Your foes flee before You! And when it halted, he would say: Return, O LORD, You who are Israel’s myriads of thousands!

Numbers 11:1-29

The people took to complaining bitterly before the LORD. The LORD heard and was incensed: a fire of the LORD broke out against them, ravaging the outskirts of the camp. The people cried out to Moses. Moses prayed to the LORD, and the fire died down. That place was named Taberah, because a fire of the LORD had broken out against them. The riffraff in their midst felt a gluttonous craving; and then the Israelites wept and said, “If only we had meat to eat! We remember the fish that we used to eat free in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic. Now our gullets are shriveled. There is nothing at all! Nothing but this manna to look to!” Now the manna was like coriander seed, and in color it was like bdellium. The people would go about and gather it, grind it between millstones or pound it in a mortar, boil it in a pot, and make it into cakes. It tasted like rich cream. When the dew fell on the camp at night, the manna would fall upon it. Moses heard the people weeping, every clan apart, each person at the entrance of his tent. The LORD was very angry, and Moses was distressed. And Moses said to the LORD, “Why have You dealt ill with Your servant, and why have I not enjoyed Your favor, that You have laid the burden of all this people upon me? Did I conceive all this people, did I bear them, that You should say to me, ‘Carry them in your bosom as a nurse carries an infant,’ to the land that You have promised on oath to their fathers? Where am I to get meat to give to all this people, when they whine before me and say, ‘Give us meat to eat!’ I cannot carry all this people by myself, for it is too much for me. If You would deal thus with me, kill me rather, I beg You, and let me see no more of my wretchedness!” Then the LORD said to Moses, “Gather for Me seventy of Israel’s elders of whom you have experience as elders and officers of the people, and bring them to the Tent of Meeting and let them take their place there with you. I will come down and speak with you there, and I will draw upon the spirit that is on you and put it upon them; they shall share the burden of the people with you, and you shall not bear it alone. And say to the people: Purify yourselves for tomorrow and you shall eat meat, for you have kept whining before the LORD and saying, ‘If only we had meat to eat! Indeed, we were better off in Egypt!’ The LORD will give you meat and you shall eat. You shall eat not one day, not two, not even five days or ten or twenty, but a whole month, until it comes out of your nostrils and becomes loathsome to you. For you have rejected the LORD who is among you, by whining before Him and saying, ‘Oh, why did we ever leave Egypt!’” But Moses said, “The people who are with me number six hundred thousand men; yet You say, ‘I will give them enough meat to eat for a whole month.’ Could enough flocks and herds be slaughtered to suffice them? Or could all the fish of the sea be gathered for them to suffice them?” And the LORD answered Moses, “Is there a limit to the LORD’s power? You shall soon see whether what I have said happens to you or not!” Moses went out and reported the words of the LORD to the people. He gathered seventy of the people’s elders and stationed them around the Tent. Then the LORD came down in a cloud and spoke to him; He drew upon the spirit that was on him and put it upon the seventy elders. And when the spirit rested upon them, they spoke in ecstasy, but did not continue. Two men, one named Eldad and the other Medad, had remained in camp; yet the spirit rested upon them—they were among those recorded, but they had not gone out to the Tent—and they spoke in ecstasy in the camp. A youth ran out and told Moses, saying, “Eldad and Medad are acting the prophet in the camp!” And Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ attendant from his youth, spoke up and said, “My lord Moses, restrain them!” But Moses said to him, “Are you wrought up on my account? Would that all the LORD’s people were prophets, that the LORD put His spirit upon them!”

Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures, published by JPS
Copyright: JPS, 1985

Psalms 83

A song, a psalm of Asaph. O God, do not be silent; do not hold aloof; do not be quiet, O God! For Your enemies rage, Your foes assert themselves. They plot craftily against Your people, take counsel against Your treasured ones. They say, “Let us wipe them out as a nation; Israel’s name will be mentioned no more.” Unanimous in their counsel they have made an alliance against You— the clans of Edom and the Ishmaelites, Moab and the Hagrites, Gebal, Ammon, and Amalek, Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre; Assyria too joins forces with them; they give support to the sons of Lot.Selah. Deal with them as You did with Midian, with Sisera, with Jabin, at the brook Kishon— who were destroyed at En-dor, who became dung for the field. Treat their great men like Oreb and Zeeb, all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna, who said, “Let us take the meadows of God as our possession.” O my God, make them like thistledown, like stubble driven by the wind. As a fire burns a forest, as flames scorch the hills, pursue them with Your tempest, terrify them with Your storm. Cover their faces with shame so that they seek Your name, O LORD. May they be frustrated and terrified, disgraced and doomed forever. May they know that Your name, Yours alone, is the LORD, supreme over all the earth.

Psalms 84

For the leader; on the gittith. Of the Korahites. A psalm. How lovely is Your dwelling-place, O LORD of hosts. I long, I yearn for the courts of the LORD; my body and soul shout for joy to the living God. Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself in which to set her young, near Your altar, O LORD of hosts, my king and my God. Happy are those who dwell in Your house; they forever praise You.Selah. Happy is the man who finds refuge in You, whose mind is on the [pilgrim] highways. They pass through the Valley of Baca, regarding it as a place of springs, as if the early rain had covered it with blessing. They go from rampart to rampart, appearing before God in Zion. O LORD, God of hosts, hear my prayer; give ear, O God of Jacob.Selah. O God, behold our shield, look upon the face of Your anointed. Better one day in Your courts than a thousand [anywhere else]; I would rather stand at the threshold of God’s house than dwell in the tents of the wicked. For the LORD God is sun and shield; the LORD bestows grace and glory; He does not withhold His bounty from those who live without blame. O LORD of hosts, happy is the man who trusts in You.

Psalms 85

For the leader. Of the Korahites. A psalm. O LORD, You will favor Your land, restore Jacob’s fortune; You will forgive Your people’s iniquity, pardon all their sins;selah You will withdraw all Your anger, turn away from Your rage. Turn again, O God, our helper, revoke Your displeasure with us. Will You be angry with us forever, prolong Your wrath for all generations? Surely You will revive us again, so that Your people may rejoice in You. Show us, O LORD, Your faithfulness; grant us Your deliverance. Let me hear what God, the LORD, will speak; He will promise well-being to His people, His faithful ones; may they not turn to folly. His help is very near those who fear Him, to make His glory dwell in our land. Faithfulness and truth meet; justice and well-being kiss. Truth springs up from the earth; justice looks down from heaven. The LORD also bestows His bounty; our land yields its produce. Justice goes before Him as He sets out on His way.

Psalms 86

A prayer of David. Incline Your ear, O Lord, answer me, for I am poor and needy. Preserve my life, for I am steadfast; O You, my God, deliver Your servant who trusts in You. Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I call to You all day long; bring joy to Your servant’s life, for on You, Lord, I set my hope. For You, Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call on You. Give ear, O LORD, to my prayer; heed my plea for mercy. In my time of trouble I call You, for You will answer me. There is none like You among the gods, O Lord, and there are no deeds like Yours. All the nations You have made will come to bow down before You, O Lord, and they will pay honor to Your name. For You are great and perform wonders; You alone are God. Teach me Your way, O Lord; I will walk in Your truth; let my heart be undivided in reverence for Your name. I will praise You, O Lord, my God, with all my heart and pay honor to Your name forever. For Your steadfast love toward me is great; You have saved me from the depths of Sheol. O God, arrogant men have risen against me; a band of ruthless men seek my life; they are not mindful of You. But You, O Lord, are a God compassionate and merciful, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness. Turn to me and have mercy on me; grant Your strength to Your servant and deliver the son of Your maidservant. Show me a sign of Your favor, that my enemies may see and be frustrated because You, O LORD, have given me aid and comfort.

Psalms 87

Of the Korahites. A psalm. A song. The LORD loves the gates of Zion, His foundation on the holy mountains, more than all the dwellings of Jacob. Glorious things are spoken of you, O city of God. Selah. I mention Rahab and Babylon among those who acknowledge Me; Philistia, and Tyre, and Cush—each was born there. Indeed, it shall be said of Zion, “Every man was born there.” He, the Most High, will preserve it. The LORD will inscribe in the register of peoples that each was born there.Selah. Singers and dancers alike [will say]: “All my roots are in You.”

Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures, published by JPS
Copyright: JPS, 1985

but Yeshua went to the Mount of Olives. Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them. The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Yeshua bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Yeshua was left alone with the woman standing before him. Yeshua stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Yeshua said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”]]

Again Yeshua spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” So the Pharisees said to him, “You are bearing witness about yourself; your testimony is not true.” Yeshua answered, “Even if I do bear witness about myself, my testimony is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going, but you do not know where I come from or where I am going. You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one. Yet even if I do judge, my judgment is true, for it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father who sent me. In your Law it is written that the testimony of two people is true. I am the one who bears witness about myself, and the Father who sent me bears witness about me.” They said to him therefore, “Where is your Father?” Yeshua answered, “You know neither me nor my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father also.” These words he spoke in the treasury, as he taught in the temple; but no one arrested him, because his hour had not yet come.

So he said to them again, “I am going away, and you will seek me, and you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come.” So the Jews said, “Will he kill himself, since he says, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come’?” He said to them, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins.” So they said to him, “Who are you?” Yeshua said to them, “Just what I have been telling you from the beginning. I have much to say about you and much to judge, but he who sent me is true, and I declare to the world what I have heard from him.” They did not understand that he had been speaking to them about the Father. So Yeshua said to them, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me. And he who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him.” As he was saying these things, many believed in him.

So Yeshua said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?”

Yeshua answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. I know that you are offspring of Abraham; yet you seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you. I speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have heard from your father.”

They answered him, “Abraham is our father.” Yeshua said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would be doing the works Abraham did, but now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did. You are doing the works your father did.” They said to him, “We were not born of sexual immorality. We have one Father—even God.” Yeshua said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me. Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.”

The Jews answered him, “Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?” Yeshua answered, “I do not have a demon, but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me. Yet I do not seek my own glory; there is One who seeks it, and he is the judge. Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.” The Jews said to him, “Now we know that you have a demon! Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say, ‘If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death.’ Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you make yourself out to be?” Yeshua answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’ But you have not known him. I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and I keep his word. Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.” So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” Yeshua said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Yeshua hid himself and went out of the temple.

(ESV)