Formation Journal Reading Plan

20:1 When you go forth to battle against your enemies, and see horses, chariots, and a people more than you, you shall not be afraid of them; for Yahweh your God is with you, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.

20:2 It shall be, when you draw near to the battle, that the priest shall approach and speak to the people,

20:3 and shall tell them, “Hear, Israel, you draw near this day to battle against your enemies: don’t let your heart faint; don’t be afraid, nor tremble, neither be scared of them;

20:4 for Yahweh your God is he who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.”

20:5 The officers shall speak to the people, saying, “What man is there who has built a new house, and has not dedicated it? Let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man dedicate it.

20:6 What man is there who has planted a vineyard, and has not used its fruit? Let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man use its fruit.

20:7 What man is there who has pledged to be married a wife, and has not taken her? Let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man take her.”

20:8 The officers shall speak further to the people, and they shall say, “What man is there who is fearful and fainthearted? Let him go and return to his house, lest his brother’s heart melt as his heart.”

20:9 It shall be, when the officers have made an end of speaking to the people, that they shall appoint captains of armies at the head of the people.

20:10 When you draw near to a city to fight against it, then proclaim peace to it.

20:11 It shall be, if it makes you answer of peace, and opens to you, then it shall be, that all the people who are found therein shall become tributary to you, and shall serve you.

20:12 If it will make no peace with you, but will make war against you, then you shall besiege it:

20:13 and when Yahweh your God delivers it into your hand, you shall strike every male of it with the edge of the sword:

20:14 but the women, and the little ones, and the livestock, and all that is in the city, even all its spoil, you shall take for a prey to yourself; and you shall eat the spoil of your enemies, which Yahweh your God has given you.

20:15 Thus you shall do to all the cities which are very far off from you, which are not of the cities of these nations.

20:16 But of the cities of these peoples, that Yahweh your God gives you for an inheritance, you shall save alive nothing that breathes;

20:17 but you shall utterly destroy them: the Hittite, and the Amorite, the Canaanite, and the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite; as Yahweh your God has commanded you;

20:18 that they not teach you to do after all their abominations, which they have done to their gods; so would you sin against Yahweh your God.

20:19 When you shall besiege a city a long time, in making war against it to take it, you shall not destroy its trees by wielding an axe against them; for you may eat of them, and you shall not cut them down; for is the tree of the field man, that it should be besieged of you?

20:20 Only the trees of which you know that they are not trees for food, you shall destroy and cut them down; and you shall build bulwarks against the city that makes war with you, until it fall.

21:1 If one be found slain in the land which Yahweh your God gives you to possess it, lying in the field, and it isn’t known who has struck him;

21:2 then your elders and your judges shall come forth, and they shall measure to the cities which are around him who is slain:

21:3 and it shall be, that the city which is nearest to the slain man, even the elders of that city shall take a heifer of the herd, which hasn’t been worked with, and which has not drawn in the yoke;

21:4 and the elders of that city shall bring down the heifer to a valley with running water, which is neither plowed nor sown, and shall break the heifer’s neck there in the valley.

21:5 The priests the sons of Levi shall come near; for them Yahweh your God has chosen to minister to him, and to bless in the name of Yahweh; and according to their word shall every controversy and every stroke be.

21:6 All the elders of that city, who are nearest to the slain man, shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley;

21:7 and they shall answer and say, “Our hands have not shed this blood, neither have our eyes seen it.

21:8 Forgive, Yahweh, your people Israel, whom you have redeemed, and don’t allow innocent blood in the midst of your people Israel.” The blood shall be forgiven them.

21:9 So you shall put away the innocent blood from the midst of you, when you shall do that which is right in the eyes of Yahweh.

21:10 When you go forth to battle against your enemies, and Yahweh your God delivers them into your hands, and you carry them away captive,

21:11 and see among the captives a beautiful woman, and you have a desire to her, and would take her to you as wife;

21:12 then you shall bring her home to your house; and she shall shave her head, and pare her nails;

21:13 and she shall put the clothing of her captivity from off her, and shall remain in your house, and bewail her father and her mother a full month: and after that you shall go in to her, and be her husband, and she shall be your wife.

21:14 It shall be, if you have no delight in her, then you shall let her go where she will; but you shall not sell her at all for money, you shall not deal with her as a slave, because you have humbled her.

21:15 If a man have two wives, the one beloved, and the other hated, and they have borne him children, both the beloved and the hated; and if the firstborn son be hers who was hated;

21:16 then it shall be, in the day that he causes his sons to inherit that which he has, that he may not make the son of the beloved the firstborn before the son of the hated, who is the firstborn:

21:17 but he shall acknowledge the firstborn, the son of the hated, by giving him a double portion of all that he has; for he is the beginning of his strength; the right of the firstborn is his.

21:18 If a man have a stubborn and rebellious son, who will not obey the voice of his father, or the voice of his mother, and, though they chasten him, will not listen to them;

21:19 then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him, and bring him out to the elders of his city, and to the gate of his place;

21:20 and they shall tell the elders of his city, “This our son is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton, and a drunkard.”

21:21 All the men of his city shall stone him to death with stones: so you shall put away the evil from the midst of you; and all Israel shall hear, and fear.

21:22 If a man have committed a sin worthy of death, and he be put to death, and you hang him on a tree;

21:23 his body shall not remain all night on the tree, but you shall surely bury him the same day; for he who is hanged is accursed of God; that you don’t defile your land which Yahweh your God gives you for an inheritance.

107:23 Those who go down to the sea in ships, who do business in great waters;

107:24 These see Yahweh’s works, and his wonders in the deep.

107:25 For he commands, and raises the stormy wind, which lifts up its waves.

107:26 They mount up to the sky; they go down again to the depths. Their soul melts away because of trouble.

107:27 They reel back and forth, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits’ end.

107:28 Then they cry to Yahweh in their trouble, and he brings them out of their distress.

107:29 He makes the storm a calm, so that its waves are still.

107:30 Then they are glad because it is calm, so he brings them to their desired haven.

107:31 Let them praise Yahweh for his loving kindness, for his wonderful works for the children of men!

107:32 Let them exalt him also in the assembly of the people, and praise him in the seat of the elders.

107:33 He turns rivers into a desert, water springs into a thirsty ground,

107:34 and a fruitful land into a salt waste, for the wickedness of those who dwell in it.

107:35 He turns a desert into a pool of water, and a dry land into water springs.

107:36 There he makes the hungry live, that they may prepare a city to live in,

107:37 sow fields, plant vineyards, and reap the fruits of increase.

107:38 He blesses them also, so that they are multiplied greatly. He doesn’t allow their livestock to decrease.

107:39 Again, they are diminished and bowed down through oppression, trouble, and sorrow.

107:40 He pours contempt on princes, and causes them to wander in a trackless waste.

107:41 Yet he lifts the needy out of their affliction, and increases their families like a flock.

107:42 The upright will see it, and be glad. All the wicked will shut their mouths.

107:43 Whoever is wise will pay attention to these things. They will consider the loving kindnesses of Yahweh.

9:18 It happened, as he was praying alone, that the disciples were with him, and he asked them, “Who do the multitudes say that I am?”

9:19 They answered, “‘John the Baptizer,’ but others say, ‘Elijah,’ and others, that one of the old prophets is risen again.”

9:20 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered, “The Christ of God.”

9:21 But he warned them, and commanded them to tell this to no one,

9:22 saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and the third day be raised up.”

9:23 He said to all, “If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.

9:24 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever will lose his life for my sake, the same will save it.

9:25 For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses or forfeits his own self?

9:26 For whoever will be ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed, when he comes in his glory, and the glory of the Father, and of the holy angels.

9:27 But I tell you the truth: There are some of those who stand here, who will in no way taste of death, until they see the Kingdom of God.”

9:28 It happened about eight days after these sayings, that he took with him Peter, John, and James, and went up onto the mountain to pray.

9:29 As he was praying, the appearance of his face was altered, and his clothing became white and dazzling.

9:30 Behold, two men were talking with him, who were Moses and Elijah,

9:31 who appeared in glory, and spoke of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.

9:32 Now Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep, but when they were fully awake, they saw his glory, and the two men who stood with him.

9:33 It happened, as they were parting from him, that Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here. Let’s make three tents: one for you, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah,” not knowing what he said.

9:34 While he said these things, a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were afraid as they entered into the cloud.

9:35 A voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him!”

9:36 When the voice came, Jesus was found alone. They were silent, and told no one in those days any of the things which they had seen.