Daily Bible CEV February 28 Scroll

Jesus Heals a Man
(Mark 1.40-45; Luke 5.12-16)

Matthew 8 As Jesus came down the mountain, he was followed by large crowds. ²Suddenly a man with leprosy came and knelt in front of Jesus. He said, "Lord, you have the power to make me well, if only you wanted to."

³Jesus put his hand on the man and said, "I want to! Now you are well." At once the man's leprosy disappeared. ⁴Jesus told him, "Don't tell anyone about this, but go and show the priest that you are well. Then take a gift to the temple just as Moses commanded, and everyone will know that you have been healed."

Jesus Heals an Army Officer's Servant
(Luke 7.1-10; John 4.43-54)

⁵When Jesus was going into the town of Capernaum, an army officer came up to him and said, ⁶"Lord, my servant is at home in such terrible pain that he can't even move."

⁷"I will go and heal him," Jesus replied.

⁸But the officer said, "Lord, I'm not good enough for you to come into my house. Just give the order, and my servant will get well. ⁹I have officers who give orders to me, and I have soldiers who take orders from me. I can say to one of them, 'Go!' and he goes. I can say to another, 'Come!' and he comes. I can say to my servant, 'Do this!' and he will do it."

¹⁰When Jesus heard this, he was so surprised that he turned and said to the crowd following him, "I tell you that in all of Israel I've never found anyone with this much faith! ¹¹Many people will come from everywhere to enjoy the feast in the kingdom of heaven with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. ¹²But the ones who should have been in the kingdom will be thrown out into the dark. They will cry and grit their teeth in pain."

¹³Then Jesus said to the officer, "You may go home now. Your faith has made it happen."

Right then his servant was healed.

Making the Priestly Clothes
(Exodus 28.1-14)

Exodus 39 Beautiful priestly clothes were made of blue, purple, and red wool for Aaron to wear when he performed his duties in the holy place. This was done exactly as the LORD had commanded Moses.

^2-3The entire priestly vest was made of fine linen, woven with blue, purple, and red wool. Thin sheets of gold were hammered out and cut into threads that were skillfully woven into the vest. ^4-5It had two shoulder straps to support it and a sash that fastened around the waist. ⁶Onyx stones were placed in gold settings, and each one was engraved with the name of one of Israel's sons. ⁷Then these were attached to the shoulder straps of the vest, so the LORD would never forget his people. Everything was done exactly as the LORD had commanded Moses.

The Breastpiece
(Exodus 28.15-30)

⁸The breastpiece was made with the same materials and designs as the priestly vest. ⁹It was nine inches square and folded double ¹⁰with four rows of three precious stones: A carnelian, a chrysolite, and an emerald were in the first row; ¹¹a turquoise, a sapphire, and a diamond were in the second row; ¹²a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst were in the third row; ¹³and a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper were in the fourth row. They were mounted in a delicate gold setting, ¹⁴and on each of them was engraved the name of one of the twelve tribes of Israel.

^15-18Two gold rings were attached to the upper front corners of the breastpiece and fastened with two braided gold chains to gold settings on the shoulder straps. ¹⁹Two other gold rings were attached to the lower inside corners next to the vest, ²⁰and two more near the bottom of the shoulder straps right above the sash. ²¹To keep the breastpiece in place, a blue cord was used to tie the two lower rings on the breastpiece to those on the vest. These things were done exactly as the LORD had commanded Moses.

The Clothes for the Priests
(Exodus 28.31-43)

²²The priestly robe was made of blue wool ²³with an opening in the center for the head. The material around the collar was bound so as to keep it from raveling. ^24-26Along the hem of the robe were woven pomegranates of blue, purple, and red wool with a bell of pure gold between each of them. This robe was to be worn by Aaron when he performed his duties.

^27-29Everything that Aaron and his sons wore was made of fine linen woven with blue, purple, and red wool, including their robes and turbans, their fancy caps and underwear, and even their sashes that were embroidered with needlework.

³⁰"Dedicated to the LORD" was engraved on a narrow strip of pure gold, ³¹which was fastened to Aaron's turban. These things were done exactly as the LORD had commanded Moses.

The Work Is Completed
(Exodus 35.10-19)

³²So the people of Israel finished making everything the LORD had told Moses to make. ³³Then they brought it all to Moses: the sacred tent and its equipment, including the hooks, the framework and crossbars, and its posts and stands; ³⁴the covering of tanned ram skins and fine leather; the inside curtain; ³⁵the sacred chest with its carrying poles and the place of mercy; ³⁶the table with all that goes on it, including the sacred bread; ³⁷the lampstand of pure gold, together with its equipment and oil; ³⁸the gold-covered incense altar; the ordination oil and the sweet-smelling incense; the curtain for the entrance to the tent; ³⁹the bronze altar for sacrifices with its bronze grating, its carrying poles, and its equipment; the large bronze bowl with its stand; ⁴⁰the curtain with its posts and cords, and its pegs and stands that go around the courtyard; everything needed for the sacred tent; ⁴¹and the finely woven priestly clothes for Aaron and his sons.

^42-43When Moses saw that the people had done everything exactly as the LORD had commanded, he gave them his blessing.

The LORD's Tent Is Set Up

Exodus 40 The LORD said to Moses:

²Set up my tent on the first day of the year ³and put the chest with the Ten Commandments behind the inside curtain of the tent. ⁴Bring in the table and set on it those things that are made for it. Also bring in the lampstand and attach the lamps to it. ⁵Then place the gold altar of incense in front of the sacred chest and hang a curtain at the entrance to the tent. ⁶Set the altar for burning sacrifices in front of the entrance to my tent. ⁷Put the large bronze bowl between the tent and the altar and fill the bowl with water. ⁸Surround the tent and the altar with the wall of curtains and hang the curtain that was made for the entrance.

⁹Use the sacred olive oil to dedicate the tent and everything in it to me. ¹⁰Do the same thing with the altar for offering sacrifices and its equipment ¹¹and with the bowl and its stand. ¹²Bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the tent and have them wash themselves. ¹³Dress Aaron in the priestly clothes, then use the sacred olive oil to ordain him and dedicate him to me as my priest. ¹⁴Put the priestly robes on Aaron's sons ¹⁵and ordain them in the same way, so they and their descendants will always be my priests.

¹⁶Moses followed the LORD's instructions. ¹⁷And on the first day of the first month of the second year, the sacred tent was set up. ¹⁸The posts, stands, and framework were put in place, ¹⁹then the two layers of coverings were hung over them. ²⁰The stones with the Ten Commandments written on them were stored in the sacred chest, the place of mercy was put on top of it, and the carrying poles were attached. ²¹The chest was brought into the tent and set behind the curtain in the most holy place. These things were done exactly as the LORD had commanded Moses.

²²The table for the sacred bread was put along the north wall of the holy place, ²³after which the bread was set on the table. ²⁴The lampstand was put along the south wall, ²⁵then the lamps were attached to it there in the presence of the LORD. ²⁶The gold incense altar was set up in front of the curtain, ²⁷and sweet-smelling incense was burned on it. These things were done exactly as the LORD had commanded Moses.

²⁸The curtain was hung at the entrance to the sacred tent. ²⁹Then the altar for offering sacrifices was put in front of the tent, and animal sacrifices and gifts of grain were offered there. ³⁰The large bronze bowl was placed between the altar and the entrance to the tent. It was filled with water, ³¹then Moses and Aaron, together with Aaron's sons, washed their hands and feet. ³²In fact, they washed each time before entering the tent or offering sacrifices at the altar. These things were done exactly as the LORD had commanded Moses.

³³Finally, Moses had the curtain hung around the courtyard.

The Glory of the LORD

³⁴Suddenly the sacred tent was covered by a thick cloud and filled with the glory of the LORD. ³⁵And so, Moses could not enter the tent. ³⁶Whenever the cloud moved from the tent, the people would break camp and follow; ³⁷then they would set up camp and stay there, until it moved again. ³⁸No matter where the people traveled, the LORD was with them. Each day his cloud was over the tent, and each night a fire could be seen in the cloud.

It's Wrong to Favor the Guilty

Proverbs 18 It's selfish and stupid to think only of yourself

and to sneer at people who have sense.

²Fools have no desire to learn;

they would much rather give their own opinion.

³Wrongdoing leads to shame and disgrace.

⁴Words of wisdom are a stream

that flows from a deep fountain.

⁵It's wrong to favor the guilty

and keep the innocent from getting justice.

⁶Foolish talk will get you into a lot of trouble.

⁷Saying foolish things is like setting a trap

to destroy yourself.

⁸There's nothing so delicious as the taste of gossip!

It melts in your mouth.

⁹Being lazy is no different from being a troublemaker.

¹⁰The LORD is a mighty tower

where his people can run for safety--

¹¹

the rich think their money is a wall of protection.

¹²Pride leads to destruction; humility leads to honor.

¹³It's stupid and embarrassing

to give an answer before you listen.

¹⁴Being cheerful helps when we are sick,

but nothing helps when we give up.

¹⁵Everyone with good sense wants to learn.

¹⁶

A gift will get you in to see anyone.

¹⁷You may think you have won your case in court,

until your opponent speaks.

¹⁸Drawing straws is one way to settle a difficult case.

¹⁹Making up with a friend you have offended

is harder than breaking through a city wall.

²⁰Make your words good-- you will be glad you did.

²¹Words can bring death or life!

Talk too much, and you will eat everything you say.

²²A man's greatest treasure is his wife--

she is a gift from the LORD.

²³The poor must beg for help,

but the rich can give a harsh reply.

²⁴Some friends don't help,

but a true friend is closer than your own family.

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.