Formation Journal Reading Plan

17:1 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

17:2 “Speak to the children of Israel, and take of them rods, one for each fathers’ house, of all their princes according to their fathers’ houses, twelve rods: write every man’s name on his rod.

17:3 You shall write Aaron’s name on the rod of Levi; for there shall be one rod for each head of their fathers’ houses.

17:4 You shall lay them up in the Tent of Meeting before the testimony, where I meet with you.

17:5 It shall happen, that the rod of the man whom I shall choose shall bud: and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel, which they murmur against you.”

17:6 Moses spoke to the children of Israel; and all their princes gave him rods, for each prince one, according to their fathers’ houses, even twelve rods: and the rod of Aaron was among their rods.

17:7 Moses laid up the rods before Yahweh in the tent of the testimony.

17:8 It happened on the next day, that Moses went into the tent of the testimony; and behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded, and put forth buds, and produced blossoms, and bore ripe almonds.

17:9 Moses brought out all the rods from before Yahweh to all the children of Israel: and they looked, and took every man his rod.

17:10 Yahweh said to Moses, “Put back the rod of Aaron before the testimony, to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion; that you may make an end of their murmurings against me, that they not die.”

17:11 Moses did so. As Yahweh commanded him, so he did.

17:12 The children of Israel spoke to Moses, saying, “Behold, we perish! We are undone! We are all undone!

17:13 Everyone who comes near, who comes near to the tabernacle of Yahweh, dies! Will we all perish?”

18:1 Yahweh said to Aaron, “You and your sons and your fathers’ house with you shall bear the iniquity of the sanctuary; and you and your sons with you shall bear the iniquity of your priesthood.

18:2 Your brothers also, the tribe of Levi, the tribe of your father, bring near with you, that they may be joined to you, and minister to you: but you and your sons with you shall be before the tent of the testimony.

18:3 They shall keep your commands, and the duty of all the Tent: only they shall not come near to the vessels of the sanctuary and to the altar, that they not die, neither they, nor you.

18:4 They shall be joined to you, and keep the responsibility of the Tent of Meeting, for all the service of the Tent: and a stranger shall not come near to you.

18:5 “You shall perform the duty of the sanctuary, and the duty of the altar; that there be no more wrath on the children of Israel.

18:6 I, behold, I have taken your brothers the Levites from among the children of Israel: to you they are a gift, given to Yahweh, to do the service of the Tent of Meeting.

18:7 You and your sons with you shall keep your priesthood for everything of the altar, and for that within the veil; and you shall serve: I give you the priesthood as a service of gift: and the stranger who comes near shall be put to death.”

18:8 Yahweh spoke to Aaron, “I, behold, I have given you the command of my wave offerings, even all the holy things of the children of Israel; to you have I given them by reason of the anointing, and to your sons, as a portion forever.

18:9 This shall be yours of the most holy things from the fire: every offering of theirs, even every meal offering of theirs, and every sin offering of theirs, and every trespass offering of theirs, which they shall render to me, shall be most holy for you and for your sons.

18:10 You shall eat of it like the most holy things. Every male shall eat of it. It shall be holy to you.

18:11 “This is yours, too: the wave offering of their gift, even all the wave offerings of the children of Israel. I have given them to you, and to your sons and to your daughters with you, as a portion forever. Everyone who is clean in your house shall eat of it.

18:12 “All the best of the oil, and all the best of the vintage, and of the grain, the first fruits of them which they give to Yahweh, to you have I given them.

18:13 The first-ripe fruits of all that is in their land, which they bring to Yahweh, shall be yours; everyone who is clean in your house shall eat of it.

18:14 “Everything devoted in Israel shall be yours.

18:15 Everything that opens the womb, of all flesh which they offer to Yahweh, both of man and animal shall be yours: nevertheless you shall surely redeem the firstborn of man, and you shall redeem the firstborn of unclean animals.

18:16 You shall redeem those who are to be redeemed of them from a month old, according to your estimation, for five shekels of money, after the shekel of the sanctuary (the same is twenty gerahs).

18:17 “But you shall not redeem the firstborn of a cow, or the firstborn of a sheep, or the firstborn of a goat. They are holy. You shall sprinkle their blood on the altar, and shall burn their fat for an offering made by fire, for a pleasant aroma to Yahweh.

18:18 Their flesh shall be yours, as the wave offering breast and as the right thigh, it shall be yours.

18:19 All the wave offerings of the holy things, which the children of Israel offer to Yahweh, have I given you, and your sons and your daughters with you, as a portion forever: it is a covenant of salt forever before Yahweh to you and to your seed with you.”

18:20 Yahweh said to Aaron, “You shall have no inheritance in their land, neither shall you have any portion among them. I am your portion and your inheritance among the children of Israel.

18:21 “To the children of Levi, behold, I have given all the tithe in Israel for an inheritance, in return for their service which they serve, even the service of the Tent of Meeting.

18:22 Henceforth the children of Israel shall not come near the Tent of Meeting, lest they bear sin, and die.

18:23 But the Levites shall do the service of the Tent of Meeting, and they shall bear their iniquity: it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations; and among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance.

18:24 For the tithe of the children of Israel, which they offer as a wave offering to Yahweh, I have given to the Levites for an inheritance: therefore I have said to them, ‘Among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance.’”

18:25 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

18:26 “Moreover you shall speak to the Levites, and tell them, ‘When you take of the children of Israel the tithe which I have given you from them for your inheritance, then you shall offer up a wave offering of it for Yahweh, a tithe of the tithe.

18:27 Your wave offering shall be reckoned to you, as though it were the grain of the threshing floor, and as the fullness of the winepress.

18:28 Thus you also shall offer a wave offering to Yahweh of all your tithes, which you receive of the children of Israel; and of it you shall give Yahweh’s wave offering to Aaron the priest.

18:29 Out of all your gifts you shall offer every wave offering of Yahweh, of all its best, even the holy part of it out of it.’

18:30 “Therefore you shall tell them, ‘When you heave its best from it, then it shall be reckoned to the Levites as the increase of the threshing floor, and as the increase of the winepress.

18:31 You shall eat it in every place, you and your households: for it is your reward in return for your service in the Tent of Meeting.

18:32 You shall bear no sin by reason of it, when you have heaved from it its best: and you shall not profane the holy things of the children of Israel, that you not die.’”

89:1 A contemplation by Ethan, the Ezrahite. I will sing of the loving kindness of Yahweh forever. With my mouth, I will make known your faithfulness to all generations.

89:2 I indeed declare, “Love stands firm forever. You established the heavens. Your faithfulness is in them.”

89:3 “I have made a covenant with my chosen one, I have sworn to David, my servant,

89:4 ‘I will establish your seed forever, and build up your throne to all generations.’” Selah.

89:5 The heavens will praise your wonders, Yahweh; your faithfulness also in the assembly of the holy ones.

89:6 For who in the skies can be compared to Yahweh? Who among the sons of the heavenly beings is like Yahweh,

89:7 a very awesome God in the council of the holy ones, to be feared above all those who are around him?

89:8 Yahweh, God of Armies, who is a mighty one, like you? Yah, your faithfulness is around you.

89:9 You rule the pride of the sea. When its waves rise up, you calm them.

89:10 You have broken Rahab in pieces, like one of the slain. You have scattered your enemies with your mighty arm.

89:11 The heavens are yours. The earth also is yours; the world and its fullness. You have founded them.

89:12 The north and the south, you have created them. Tabor and Hermon rejoice in your name.

89:13 You have a mighty arm. Your hand is strong, and your right hand is exalted.

89:14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne. Loving kindness and truth go before your face.

89:15 Blessed are the people who learn to acclaim you. They walk in the light of your presence, Yahweh.

89:16 In your name they rejoice all day. In your righteousness, they are exalted.

89:17 For you are the glory of their strength. In your favor, our horn will be exalted.

89:18 For our shield belongs to Yahweh; our king to the Holy One of Israel.

89:19 Then you spoke in vision to your saints, and said, “I have bestowed strength on the warrior. I have exalted a young man from the people.

89:20 I have found David, my servant. I have anointed him with my holy oil,

89:21 with whom my hand shall be established. My arm will also strengthen him.

89:22 No enemy will tax him. No wicked man will oppress him.

89:23 I will beat down his adversaries before him, and strike those who hate him.

89:24 But my faithfulness and my loving kindness will be with him. In my name, his horn will be exalted.

89:25 I will set his hand also on the sea, and his right hand on the rivers.

89:26 He will call to me, ‘You are my Father, my God, and the rock of my salvation!’

89:27 I will also appoint him my firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth.

89:28 I will keep my loving kindness for him forevermore. My covenant will stand firm with him.

89:29 I will also make his seed endure forever, and his throne as the days of heaven.

89:30 If his children forsake my law, and don’t walk in my ordinances;

89:31 if they break my statutes, and don’t keep my commandments;

89:32 then I will punish their sin with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes.

89:33 But I will not completely take my loving kindness from him, nor allow my faithfulness to fail.

89:34 I will not break my covenant, nor alter what my lips have uttered.

89:35 Once have I sworn by my holiness, I will not lie to David.

89:36 His seed will endure forever, his throne like the sun before me.

89:37 It will be established forever like the moon, the faithful witness in the sky.” Selah.

1:1 Since many have undertaken to set in order a narrative concerning those matters which have been fulfilled among us,

1:2 even as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word delivered them to us,

1:3 it seemed good to me also, having traced the course of all things accurately from the first, to write to you in order, most excellent Theophilus;

1:4 that you might know the certainty concerning the things in which you were instructed.

1:5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the priestly division of Abijah. He had a wife of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.

1:6 They were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord.

1:7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they both were well advanced in years.

1:8 Now it happened, while he executed the priest’s office before God in the order of his division,

1:9 according to the custom of the priest’s office, his lot was to enter into the temple of the Lord and burn incense.

1:10 The whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense.

1:11 An angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense.

1:12 Zacharias was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him.

1:13 But the angel said to him, “Don’t be afraid, Zacharias, because your request has been heard, and your wife, Elizabeth, will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.

1:14 You will have joy and gladness; and many will rejoice at his birth.

1:15 For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and he will drink no wine nor strong drink. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb.

1:16 He will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord, their God.

1:17 He will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to prepare a people prepared for the Lord.”

1:18 Zacharias said to the angel, “How can I be sure of this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years.”

1:19 The angel answered him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God. I was sent to speak to you, and to bring you this good news.

1:20 Behold, you will be silent and not able to speak, until the day that these things will happen, because you didn’t believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their proper time.”

1:21 The people were waiting for Zacharias, and they marveled that he delayed in the temple.

1:22 When he came out, he could not speak to them, and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple. He continued making signs to them, and remained mute.

1:23 It happened, when the days of his service were fulfilled, he departed to his house.

1:24 After these days Elizabeth, his wife, conceived, and she hid herself five months, saying,

1:25 “Thus has the Lord done to me in the days in which he looked at me, to take away my reproach among men.”