Psalm 130

[1] Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD.   

[2] Lord, hear my voice!   

    Let your ears be attentive   

         to the voice of my supplications!

[3] If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities,   

         Lord, who could stand?   

[4] But there is forgiveness with you,   

         so that you may be revered.

[5] I wait for the LORD, my soul waits,   

         and in his word I hope;   

[6] my soul waits for the Lord   

         more than those who watch for the morning,   

         more than those who watch for the morning.

[7] O Israel, hope in the LORD!   

         For with the LORD there is steadfast love,   

         and with him is great power to redeem.   

[8] It is he who will redeem Israel   

         from all its iniquities.

Psalm 36

[1] Transgression speaks to the wicked            deep in their hearts;   

    there is no fear of God   

         before their eyes.   

[2] For they flatter themselves in their own eyes   

         that their iniquity cannot be found out and hated.   

[3] The words of their mouths are mischief and deceit;   

         they have ceased to act wisely and do good.   

[4] They plot mischief while on their beds;   

         they are set on a way that is not good;   

         they do not reject evil.

[5] Your steadfast love, O LORD, extends to the heavens,   

         your faithfulness to the clouds.   

[6] Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains,   

         your judgments are like the great deep;   

         you save humans and animals alike, O LORD.

[7] How precious is your steadfast love, O God!   

         All people may take refuge in the shadow of your wings.   

[8] They feast on the abundance of your house,   

         and you give them drink from the river of your delights.   

[9] For with you is the fountain of life;   

         in your light we see light.

[10] O continue your steadfast love to those who know you,   

         and your salvation to the upright of heart!   

[11] Do not let the foot of the arrogant tread on me,   

         or the hand of the wicked drive me away.   

[12] There the evildoers lie prostrate;   

         they are thrust down, unable to rise.

 

Psalm 15

[1]   O LORD, who may abide in your tent?  
          Who may dwell on your holy hill?

[2]   Those who walk blamelessly, and do what is right,  
          and speak the truth from their heart;  
[3]   who do not slander with their tongue,  
          and do no evil to their friends,  
          nor take up a reproach against their neighbors;  
[4]   in whose eyes the wicked are despised,  
          but who honor those who fear the LORD;  
     who stand by their oath even to their hurt;  
[5]   who do not lend money at interest,  
          and do not take a bribe against the innocent.  
     Those who do these things shall never be moved.

Psalm 123

[1]   To you I lift up my eyes,  
          O you who are enthroned in the heavens!  
[2]   As the eyes of servants  
          look to the hand of their master,  
     as the eyes of a maid  
          to the hand of her mistress,  
     so our eyes look to the LORD our God,  
          until he has mercy upon us.

[3]   Have mercy upon us, O LORD, have mercy upon us,  
          for we have had more than enough of contempt.  
[4]   Our soul has had more than its fill  
          of the scorn of those who are at ease,  
          of the contempt of the proud.

Deuteronomy 4:9-14

[9]But take care and watch yourselves closely, so as neither to forget the things that your eyes have seen nor to let them slip from your mind all the days of your life; make them known to your children and your children's children - [10]how you once stood before the Lord your God at Horeb, when the Lord said to me, 'Assemble the people for me, and I will let them hear my words, so that they may learn to fear me as long as they live on the earth, and may teach their children to do so'; [11]you approached and stood at the foot of the mountain while the mountain was blazing up to the very heavens, shrouded in dark clouds. [12]Then the Lord spoke to you out of the fire. You heard the sound of words but saw no form; there was only a voice. [13]He declared to you his covenant, which he charged you to observe, that is, the ten commandments; and he wrote them on two stone tablets. [14]And the Lord charged me at that time to teach you statutes and ordinances for you to observe in the land that you are about to cross into and occupy. 

Psalm 104

[1] Bless the LORD, O my soul.   

         O LORD my God, you are very great.   

    You are clothed with honor and majesty,   

[2] wrapped in light as with a garment.   

    You stretch out the heavens like a tent,   

[3] you set the beams of your chambers on the waters,   

    you make the clouds your chariot,   

         you ride on the wings of the wind,   

[4] you make the winds your messengers,   

         fire and flame your ministers.

[5] You set the earth on its foundations,   

         so that it shall never be shaken.   

[6] You cover it with the deep as with a garment;   

         the waters stood above the mountains.   

[7] At your rebuke they flee;   

         at the sound of your thunder they take to flight.   

[8] They rose up to the mountains, ran down to the valleys   

         to the place that you appointed for them.   

[9] You set a boundary that they may not pass,   

         so that they might not again cover the earth.

[10] You make springs gush forth in the valleys;   

         they flow between the hills,   

[11] giving drink to every wild animal;   

         the wild asses quench their thirst.   

[12] By the streams the birds of the air have their habitation;   

         they sing among the branches.   

[13] From your lofty abode you water the mountains;   

         the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work.

[14] You cause the grass to grow for the cattle,   

         and plants for people to use,   

    to bring forth food from the earth,   

[15] and wine to gladden the human heart,   

    oil to make the face shine,   

         and bread to strengthen the human heart.   

[16] The trees of the LORD are watered abundantly,   

         the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.   

[17] In them the birds build their nests;   

         the stork has its home in the fir trees.   

[18] The high mountains are for the wild goats;   

         the rocks are a refuge for the coneys.   

[19] You have made the moon to mark the seasons;   

         the sun knows its time for setting.   

[20] You make darkness, and it is night,   

         when all the animals of the forest come creeping out.   

[21] The young lions roar for their prey,   

         seeking their food from God.   

[22] When the sun rises, they withdraw   

         and lie down in their dens.   

[23] People go out to their work   

         and to their labor until the evening.

[24] O LORD, how manifold are your works!   

         In wisdom you have made them all;   

         the earth is full of your creatures.   

[25] Yonder is the sea, great and wide,   

         creeping things innumerable are there,   

         living things both small and great.   

[26]There go the ships,   

         and Leviathan that you formed to sport in it.

[27] These all look to you   

         to give them their food in due season;   

[28] when you give to them, they gather it up;   

         when you open your hand, they are filled with good things.   

[29] When you hide your face, they are dismayed;   

         when you take away their breath, they die   

         and return to their dust.   

[30] When you send forth your spirit, they are created;   

         and you renew the face of the ground.

[31] May the glory of the LORD endure for ever;   

         may the LORD rejoice in his works --   

[32] who looks on the earth and it trembles,   

         who touches the mountains and they smoke.   

[33] I will sing to the LORD as long as I live;   

         I will sing praise to my God while I have being.   

[34] May my meditation be pleasing to him,   

         for I rejoice in the LORD.   

[35] Let sinners be consumed from the earth,   

         and let the wicked be no more.   

    Bless the LORD, O my soul.   

    Praise the Lord!

  

Luke 14:1-11

[1]On one occasion when Jesus was going to the house of a leader of the Pharisees to eat a meal on the sabbath, they were watching him closely. [2]Just then, in front of him, there was a man who had dropsy. [3]And Jesus asked the lawyers and Pharisees, "Is it lawful to cure people on the sabbath, or not?" [4]But they were silent. So Jesus took him and healed him, and sent him away. [5]Then he said to them, "If one of you has a child or an ox that has fallen into a well, will you not immediately pull it out on a sabbath day?" [6]And they could not reply to this. 

[7]When he noticed how the guests chose the places of honor, he told them a parable. [8]"When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not sit down at the place of honor, in case someone more distinguished than you has been invited by your host; [9]and the host who invited both of you may come and say to you, 'Give this person your place,' and then in disgrace you would start to take the lowest place. [10]But when you are invited, go and sit down at the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he may say to you, 'Friend, move up higher'; then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at the table with you. [11]For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted." 

 

Ruth 3:1-18

[1]Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, "My daughter, I need to seek some security for you, so that it may be well with you. [2]Now here is our kinsman Boaz, with whose young women you have been working. See, he is winnowing barley tonight at the threshing-floor. [3]Now wash and anoint yourself, and put on your best clothes and go down to the threshing-floor; but do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking. [4]When he lies down, observe the place where he lies; then, go and uncover his feet and lie down; and he will tell you what to do." [5]She said to her, "All that you tell me I will do."

[6]So she went down to the threshing-floor and did just as her mother-in-law had instructed her. [7]When Boaz had eaten and drunk, and he was in a contented mood, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain. Then she came quietly and uncovered his feet, and lay down. [8]At midnight the man was startled and turned over, and there, lying at his feet, was a woman! [9]He said, "Who are you?" And she answered, "I am Ruth, your servant; spread your cloak over your servant, for you are next-of-kin."[10]He said, "May you be blessed by the LORD, my daughter; this last instance of your loyalty is better than the first; you have not gone after young men, whether poor or rich.  [11]And now, my daughter, do not be afraid; I will do for you all that you ask, for all the assembly of my people know that you are a worthy woman.  [12]But now, though it is true that I am a near kinsman, there is another kinsman more closely related than I. [13]Remain this night, and in the morning, if he will act as next-of-kin for you, good; let him do so. If he is not willing to act as next-of-kin for you, then, as the LORD lives, I will act as next-of-kin for you. Lie down until the morning."

[14]So she lay at his feet until morning, but got up before one person could recognize another; for he said, "It must not be known that the woman came to the threshing-floor." [15]Then he said, "Bring the cloak you are wearing and hold it out." So she held it, and he measured out six measures of barley, and put it on her back; then he went into the city. [16]She came to her mother-in-law, who said, "How did things go with you, my daughter?" Then she told her all that the man had done for her, [17]saying, "He gave me these six measures of barley, for he said, 'Do not go back to your mother-in-law empty-handed.'" [18]She replied, "Wait, my daughter, until you learn how the matter turns out, for the man will not rest, but will settle the matter today."

Ruth 2:14-23

[14]At mealtime Boaz said to her, "Come here, and eat some of this bread, and dip your morsel in the sour wine." So she sat beside the reapers, and he heaped up for her some parched grain. She ate until she was satisfied, and she had some left over. [15]When she got up to glean, Boaz instructed his young men, "Let her glean even among the standing sheaves, and do not reproach her.
[16]You must also pull out some handfuls for her from the bundles, and leave them for her to glean, and do not rebuke her."

[17]So she gleaned in the field until evening. Then she beat out what she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley. [18]She picked it up and came into the town, and her mother-in-law saw how much she had gleaned. Then she took out and gave her what was left over after she herself had been satisfied.
[19]Her mother-in-law said to her, "Where did you glean today? And where have you worked? Blessed be the man who took notice of you." So she told her mother-in-law with whom she had worked, and said, "The name of the man with whom I worked today is Boaz." [20]Then Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, "Blessed be he by the LORD, whose kindness has not forsaken the living or the dead!" Naomi also said to her, "The man is a relative of ours, one of our nearest kin."[21]Then Ruth the Moabite said, "He even said to me, 'Stay close by my servants, until they have finished all my harvest.'" [22]Naomi said to Ruth, her daughter-in-law, "It is better, my daughter, that you go out with his young women, otherwise you might be bothered in another field." [23]So she stayed close to the young women of Boaz, gleaning until the end of the barley and wheat harvests; and she lived with her mother-in-law.

Psalm 42

[1] As a deer longs for flowing streams,            so my soul longs for you, O God.   

[2] My soul thirsts for God,   

         for the living God.   

    When shall I come and behold   

         the face of God?   

[3] My tears have been my food   

         day and night,   

    while people say to me continually,   

         "Where is your God?"

[4] These things I remember,   

         as I pour out my soul:   

    how I went with the throng,   

         and led them in procession to the house of God,   

    with glad shouts and songs of thanksgiving,   

         a multitude keeping festival.   

[5] Why are you cast down, O my soul,   

         and why are you disquieted within me?   

    Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,   

         my help [6]and my God.

    My soul is cast down within me;   

         therefore I remember you   

    from the land of Jordan and of Hermon,   

         from Mount Mizar.   

[7] Deep calls to deep   

         at the thunder of your cataracts;   

    all your waves and your billows   

         have gone over me.   

[8] By day the LORD commands his steadfast love,   

         and at night his song is with me,   

         a prayer to the God of my life.

[9] I say to God, my rock,   

         "Why have you forgotten me?   

    Why must I walk about mournfully   

         because the enemy oppresses me?"   

[10] As with a deadly wound in my body,   

         my adversaries taunt me,   

    while they say to me continually,   

         "Where is your God?"

[11] Why are you cast down, O my soul,   

         and why are you disquieted within me?   

    Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,   

         my help and my God.

 

Ruth 1:1-18

[1]In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land, and a certain man of Bethlehem in Judah went to live in the country of Moab, he and his wife and two sons. [2]The name of the man was Elimelech and the name of his wife Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion; they were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah. They went into the country of Moab and remained there. [3]But Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died, and she was left with her two sons. [4]These took Moabite wives; the name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. When they had lived there about ten years, [5]both Mahlon and Chilion also died, so that the woman was left without her two sons and her husband.

[6]Then she started to return with her daughters-in-law from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the country of Moab that the LORD had considered his people and given them food. [7]So she set out from the place where she had been living, she and her two daughters-in-law, and they went on their way to go back to the land of Judah. [8]But Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, "Go back each of you to your mother's house. May the LORD deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me. [9]The LORD grant that you may find security, each of you in the house of your husband." Then she kissed them, and they wept aloud. [10]They said to her, "No, we will return with you to your people." [11]But Naomi said, "Turn back, my daughters, why will you go with me? Do I still have sons in my womb that they may become your husbands?
[12]Turn back, my daughters, go your way, for I am too old to have a husband.
Even if I thought there was hope for me, even if I should have a husband tonight and bear sons, [13]would you then wait until they were grown? Would you then refrain from marrying? No, my daughters, it has been far more bitter for me than for you, because the hand of the LORD has turned against me."
[14]Then they wept aloud again. Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her.

[15]So she said, "See, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law." [16]But Ruth said, "Do not press me to leave you or to turn back from following you! Where you go, I will go; Where you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God. [17]Where you die, I will die - there will I be buried. May the LORD do thus and so to me, and more as well, if even death parts me from you!"
[18]When Naomi saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more to her.

Psalm 96

[1] O sing to the LORD a new song;   

         sing to the LORD, all the earth.   

[2] Sing to the LORD, bless his name;   

         tell of his salvation from day to day.   

[3] Declare his glory among the nations,   

         his marvelous works among all the peoples.   

[4] For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised;   

         he is to be revered above all gods.   

[5] For all the gods of the peoples are idols,   

         but the LORD made the heavens.   

[6] Honor and majesty are before him;   

         strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.   

[7] Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples,   

         ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.   

[8] Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name;   

         bring an offering, and come into his courts.   

[9] Worship the LORD in holy splendor;   

         tremble before him, all the earth.

[10] Say among the nations, "The LORD is king!   

         The world is firmly established; it shall never be moved.   

         He will judge the peoples with equity."   

[11] Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;   

         let the sea roar, and all that fills it;   

[12] let the field exult, and everything in it.   

    Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy   

[13] before the LORD; for he is coming,   

         for he is coming to judge the earth.   

    He will judge the world with righteousness,   

         and the peoples with his truth.

Luke 10:25-37

[25]Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he said, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" [26]He said to him, "What is written in the law? What do you read there?" [27]He answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself." [28]And he said to him, "You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live."

[29]But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"
[30]Jesus replied, "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. [31]Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. [32]So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. [33]But a Samaritan while traveling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. [34]He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. [35]The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, 'Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.' [36]Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?" [37]He said, "The one who showed him mercy." Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."

Psalm 9

[1]   I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart;  
          I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.  
[2]   I will be glad and exult in you;  
          I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.

[3]   When my enemies turned back,  
          they stumbled and perished before you.  
[4]   For you have maintained my just cause;  
          you have sat on the throne giving righteous judgment.

[5]   You have rebuked the nations, you have destroyed the wicked;  
          you have blotted out their name forever and ever.  
[6]   The enemies have vanished in everlasting ruins;  
          their cities you have rooted out;  
          the very memory of them has perished.

[7]   But the LORD sits enthroned forever,  
          he has established his throne for judgment.  
[8]   He judges the world with righteousness;  
          he judges the peoples with equity.

[9]   The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed,  
          a stronghold in times of trouble.  
[10]  And those who know your name put their trust in you,  
          for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you.

[11  ]Sing praises to the LORD, who dwells in Zion.  
          Declare his deeds among the peoples.  
[12]  For he who avenges blood is mindful of them;  
          he does not forget the cry of the afflicted.

[13]  Be gracious to me, O LORD.  
          See what I suffer from those who hate me;  
          you are the one who lifts me up from the gates of death,  
[14]  so that I may recount all your praises,  
          and, in the gates of daughter Zion,  
          rejoice in your deliverance.

[15]  The nations have sunk in the pit that they made;  
          in the net that they hid has their own foot been caught.  
[16]  The LORD has made himself known, he has executed judgment;  
          the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands.            
Higgaion.  Selah

[17]  The wicked shall depart to Sheol,  
          all the nations that forget God.

[18]  For the needy shall not always be forgotten,  
          nor the hope of the poor perish forever.

[19]  Rise up, O LORD! Do not let mortals prevail;  
          let the nations be judged before you.  
[20]  Put them in fear, O LORD;  
          let the nations know that they are only human.                    
            Selah

Hebrews 6:13-20

[13]When God made a promise to Abraham, because he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself, [14]saying, "I will surely bless you and multiply you." [15]And thus Abraham, having patiently endured, obtained the promise. [16]Human beings, of course, swear by someone greater than themselves, and an oath given as confirmation puts an end to all dispute.

[17]In the same way, when God desired to show even more clearly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it by an oath, [18]so that through two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible that God would prove false, we who have taken refuge might be strongly encouraged to seize the hope set before us. [19]We have this hope, a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters the inner shrine behind the curtain, [20]where Jesus, a forerunner on our behalf, has entered, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.

Psalm 124

[1]   If it had not been the LORD who was on our side  
          -- let Israel now say --  
[2]   if it had not been the LORD who was on our side,  
          when our enemies attacked us,  
[3]   then they would have swallowed us up alive,  
          when their anger was kindled against us;  
[4]   then the flood would have swept us away,  
          the torrent would have gone over us;  
[5]   then over us would have gone  
          the raging waters.

[6]   Blessed be the LORD,  
          who has not given us  
          as prey to their teeth.  
[7]   We have escaped like a bird  
          from the snare of the fowlers;  
     the snare is broken,  
          and we have escaped.

[8]   Our help is in the name of the LORD,  
          who made heaven and earth.

Matthew 28:16-20

[16]Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. [17]When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. [18]And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. [19]Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, [20]and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

Luke 12:22-31

[22]He said to his disciples, "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear. [23]For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. [24]Consider the ravens:
they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! [25]And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? [26]If then you are not able to do so small a thing as that, why do you worry about the rest?
[27]Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. [28]But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you -- you of little faith!
[29]And do not keep striving for what you are to eat and what you are to drink, and do not keep worrying. [30]For it is the nations of the world that strive after all these things, and your Father knows that you need them.
[31]Instead, strive for his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well."

Luke 11:1-13

[1]He was praying in a certain place, and after he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples."
[2]He said to them, "When you pray, say:  
     Father, hallowed be your name.  
          Your kingdom come.  
[3]        Give us each day our daily bread.  
[4]        And forgive us our sins,  
               for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us.  
        And do not bring us to the time of trial."

[5]And he said to them, "Suppose one of you has a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say to him, 'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; [6]for a friend of mine has arrived, and I have nothing to set before him.' [7]And he answers from within, 'Do not bother me; the door has already been locked, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.' [8]I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, at least because of his persistence he will get up and give him whatever he needs.

[9]"So I say to you, Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. [10]For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. [11]Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for a fish, will give a snake instead of a fish? [12]Or if the child asks for an egg, will give a scorpion? [13]If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"

Deuteronomy 8:1-10

[1]This entire commandment that I command you today you must diligently observe, so that you may live and increase, and go in and occupy the land that the Lord promised on oath to your ancestors. [2]Remember the long way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, in order to humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commandments. [3]He humbled you by letting you hunger, then by feeding you with manna, with which neither you nor your ancestors were acquainted, in order to make you understand that one does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. [4]The clothes on your back did not wear out and your feet did not swell these forty years.

[5]Know then in your heart that as a parent disciplines a child so the Lord your God disciplines you. [6]Therefore keep the commandments of the Lord your God, by walking in his ways and by fearing him. [7]For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land with flowing streams, with springs and underground waters welling up in valleys and hills, [8]a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey, [9]a land where you may eat bread without scarcity, where you will lack nothing, a land whose stones are iron and from whose hills you may mine copper. [10]You shall eat your fill and bless the Lord your God for the good land that he has given you.

Luke 9:12-17

[12]The day was drawing to a close, and the twelve came to him and said, "Send the crowd away, so that they may go into the surrounding villages and countryside, to lodge and get provisions; for we are here in a deserted place." [13]But he said to them, "You give them something to eat." They said, "We have no more than five loaves and two fish -- unless we are to go and buy food for all these people." [14]For there were about five thousand men. And he said to his disciples, "Make them sit down in groups of about fifty each." [15]They did so and made them all sit down. [16]And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. [17]And all ate and were filled. What was left over was gathered up, twelve baskets of broken pieces.

 

Romans 14:13-23

[13]Let us therefore no longer pass judgment on one another, but resolve instead never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of another. [14]I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself; but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean. [15]If your brother or sister is being injured by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. Do not let what you eat cause the ruin of one for whom Christ died. [16]So do not let your good be spoken of as evil. [17]For the kingdom of God is not food and drink but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. [18]The one who thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and has human approval. [19]Let us then pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding. [20]Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for you to make others fall by what you eat; [21]it is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that makes your brother or sister stumble. [22]The faith that you have, have as your own conviction before God. Blessed are those who have no reason to condemn themselves because of what they approve. [23]But those who have doubts are condemned if they eat, because they do not act from faith; for whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.

Romans 14:1-12

[1]Welcome those who are weak in faith, but not for the purpose of quarreling over opinions. [2]Some believe in eating anything, while the weak eat only vegetables. [3]Those who eat must not despise those who abstain, and those who abstain must not pass judgment on those who eat; for God has welcomed them.
[4]Who are you to pass judgment on servants of another? It is before their own lord that they stand or fall. And they will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make them stand.

[5]Some judge one day to be better than another, while others judge all days to be alike. Let all be fully convinced in their own minds. [6]Those who observe the day, observe it in honor of the Lord. Also those who eat, eat in honor of the Lord, since they give thanks to God; while those who abstain, abstain in honor of the Lord and give thanks to God.

[7]We do not live to ourselves, and we do not die to ourselves. [8]If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's. [9]For to this end Christ died and lived again, so that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living.

[10]Why do you pass judgment on your brother or sister? Or you, why do you despise your brother or sister? For we will all stand before the judgment seat
of God. [11]For it is written,  
     "As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me,  
          and every tongue shall give praise to God."  
[12]So then, each of us will be accountable to God.

Romans 13:8-14

 [8]Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves

another has fulfilled the law. [9]The commandments, "You shall not commit

adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not covet"; and

any other commandment, are summed up in this word, "Love your neighbor as

yourself." [10]Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the

fulfilling of the law.

[11]Besides this, you know what time it is, how it is now the moment for you

to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became

believers; [12]the night is far gone, the day is near. Let us then lay aside

the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; [13]let us live honorably

as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and

licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy. [14]Instead, put on the Lord

Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.