March 10 (Exodus 21; Luke 24; Job 39; 2 Corinthians 9)

Now these are the rules that you shall set before them.

When you buy a Hebrew sleeve, he shall serve six years, and in the seventh, he shall go

out free for nothing.

If he comes in single, he shall go out single.

If he comes in married, then his wife shall go out with him.

If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the wife and her

children shall be her masters, and he shall go out alone.

But if the slave plainly says, I love my master, my wife and my children, I will not go

out free, then his master shall bring him to God, and he shall bring him to the door

or the doorpost, and his master shall bore his ear through with an all, and he shall

be his slave forever.

When a man sells his daughter as a slave, she shall not go out as the male slaves do.

If she does not please her master, who has designated her for himself, then he shall

let her be redeemed.

He shall have no right to sell her to a foreign people, since he has broken faith with

her.

If he designates her for his son, he shall deal with her as with the daughter.

If he takes another wife to himself, he shall not diminish her food, her clothing, or her

marital rights.

And if he does not do these three things for her, she shall go out for nothing, without payment

of money.

Whoever strikes a man so that he dies shall be put to death.

But if he did not lie and wait for him, but God let him fall into his hand, then I will

appoint for you a place to which he may flee.

But if a man willfully attacks another to kill him by cunning, you shall take him from

my altar that he may die.

Whoever strikes his father or his mother shall be put to death.

Whoever steals a man and sells him, and anyone finds him possession of him shall be put

to death.

Whoever curses his father or his mother shall be put to death.

When men quarrel and one strikes the other with a stone, or with his fist, and the man

does not die but takes to his bed, then if the man rises again and walks outdoors with

his staff, he who struck him shall be clear.

Only he shall pay for the loss of his time, and shall have him thoroughly healed.

When a man strikes his sleeve, male or female, with a rod and the sleeve dies under his hand,

he shall be avenged.

But if the sleeve survives a day or two, he is not to be avenged, for the sleeve is his

money.

When men strive together and hit a pregnant woman so that her children come out, but there

is no harm, the one who hit her shall surely be fined, as the woman's husband shall impose

on him.

And he shall pay as the judge is determined.

And if there is harm, then you shall pay life for life, I for I, tooth for tooth, hand

for hand, fit for foot, burn for burn, wind for wind, stripe for stripe.

When a man strikes the eye of his sleeve, male or female and destroys it, he shall let

the sleeve go free because of his eye.

If he knocks out the tooth of his sleeve, male or female, he shall let the sleeve go free

because of his tooth.

When an ox goes a man or a woman to death, the ox shall be stoned, and its flesh shall

not be eaten, but the owner of the ox shall not be liable.

But if the ox has been accustomed to gore in the past, and its owner has been warned but

has not kept it in, and it kills a man or a woman, the ox shall be stoned, and its owner

also shall be put to death.

If a ransom is imposed on him, then he shall give for the redemption of his life whatever

is imposed on him.

If it gores a man's son or daughter, he shall be dealt with according to this same rule.

If the ox goes a sleeve, male or female, the owner shall give to their master thirty

shackles of silver, and the ox shall be stoned.

When a man opens a pit, or when a man digs a pit and does not cover it, and an ox or

a donkey falls into it, the owner of the pit shall make restoration.

He shall give money to its owner, and the dead beast shall be his.

When one man's ox butts and others, so that it dies, then they shall sell the live ox

and share its price, and the dead beast also they shall share, or if it is known that

the ox has been accustomed to gore in the past, and its owner has not kept it in, he shall

repay ox for ox, and the dead beast shall be his.

A reading from Luke.

But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices

they had prepared, and they find the stone rolled away from the tomb.

But when they went in, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.

While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel.

And as they were frightened, and bide their faces to the ground, the man said to them,

why do you seek the living among the dead?

He is not here, but has risen.

Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the son of man must be delivered

into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and on the third day rise.

And they remembered his words, and returning from the tomb, they told all these things to

the eleven, and to all the rest.

Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, and the other woman

with them, who told these things to the apostles.

But these words seemed to them an idle teal, and they did not believe them.

But Peter rose and ran to the tomb, stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves,

and he went home marveling at what had happened.

That very day, two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from

Jerusalem, and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened.

While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them.

But the rise were kept from recognizing him, and he said to them, what is this conversation

that you are holding with each other as you walk?

And they stood still, looking sad.

Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him.

Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened

there in these days?

And he said to them, what things?

And they said to him, concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty indeed in

word before God and all the people, and high our chief priests and rulers delivered him

up to be condemned to death, and crucified him.

But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel.

Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened.

Moreover, some women of our company amazed us.

They were at the tomb early in the morning, and when they did not find his body, they came

back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive.

Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and find it just as the woman had said,

but him they did not see.

And he said to them, oh, foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets

have spoken.

Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?

And beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them in all the scriptures

the things concerning himself.

So they drew near to the village to which they were going.

He acted as if he were going farther, but they urged him strongly, saying, stay with us,

for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.

So he went in to stay with them.

When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it

to them.

And their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he vanished from their sight.

They said to each other, did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the

road, while he opened to us the scriptures.

And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem.

And they find the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, saying, the Lord

has risen indeed and has appeared to Simon.

Then they told what had happened on the road and how he was known to them in the breaking

of the bread.

As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them,

peace to you.

But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit.

And he said to them, why are you troubled?

And why do doubts arise in your hearts?

See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself.

Touch me and see.

For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.

And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet.

And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, he said to them, have you

anything here to eat?

They gave him a piece of broiled fish and he took it and ate it before them.

Then he said to them, these are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you,

that everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and the Psalms

must be fulfilled.

Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures and said to them, thus it is written

that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance

for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from

Jerusalem.

You are witnesses of these things, and behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon

you, but stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.

But he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands, he blessed them.

While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven.

And they worshipped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the

temple, blessing God.

A reading from Job.

Do you know when the mountain goats give birth?

Do you observe the calving of the doves?

Can you number the months that they fulfill?

And do you know the time when they give birth?

When they cry, bring forth their offspring, and are delivered of their young?

Their young ones become strong.

They grow up in the open, they go out, and do not return to them.

Who has let the wild donkey go free?

Who has loosed the bonds of the swift donkey?

To whom I have given the arid plain for his home?

And the salt land for his dwelling place?

He scorns the tumult of the city.

He hears not the shouts of the driver.

He ranges the mountains as his pasture, and he searches after every green thing.

Is the wild ox willing to serve you?

Will he spend the night at your manger?

Can you bind him in the furrow with ropes?

Or will he harrow the valleys after you?

Will you depend on him, because his strength is great?

And will you leave to him your labor?

Do you have faith in him that he will return your grain, and gather it to your threshing

floor?

The wings of the ostrich weigh of pridely, but are they the opinions and plumage of love?

Or she leaves her eggs to the earth, and lets them be warmed on the ground?

Forgetting that a foot may crush them, and that the wild beast may trample them.

She deals cruelly with her young, as if they were not hers.

Though her labor be in vain, yet she has no fear, because God has made her forget wisdom,

and given her no share in understanding.

And she rises herself to flee.

She laughs at the horse and his rider.

Do you give the horse his might?

Do you clothe his neck with a man?

Do you make him leap like the locust?

His majestic snorting is terrifying.

He paws in the valley, and exults in his strength.

He goes out to meet the weapons.

He laughs at fear and is not dismayed.

He does not turn back from the sword.

Upon him rattle the quiver, the flashing spear, and the javelin.

With fierceness and rage he swallows the ground.

He cannot stand still at the sound of the trumpet.

When the trumpet signs, he says a ha.

He smells the battle from afar, the thunder of the captains, and the shouting.

Is it by your understanding that the hawk soars, and spreads his wings toward the south?

Is it at your command that the eagle mounts up, and makes his nest on high?

On the rocky dwells, and makes his home, on the rocky craig and stronghold?

From there he spies out the prey.

His eyes behold it from far away.

His young ones suck up blood, and where the sleen are, there is he.

A reading from 2nd Corinthians.

Now it is superfluous for me to write to you about the ministry for the sins, for I know

your readiness, of which I boast about you to the people of Macedonia, saying that a

keya has been ready since last year, and your zeal has stirred up most of them.

But I am sending the brothers, so that our boasting about you, may not prevent you in

this matter, so that you may be ready, as I said you would be.

Otherwise if some Macedonians come with me and find that you are not ready, we would be

humiliated, to say nothing of you, for being so confident.

So I thought it necessary to urge the brothers to go on ahead to you, and arrange in advance

for the gift you have promised, so that it may be ready as a willing gift, not as an

exaction.

The point is this, whoever so sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever soes bountifully

will also reap bountifully.

Each one must give, as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion,

for God loves the cheerful giver, and God is able to make all grace abound to you,

so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.

As it is written, he has distributed freely, he has given to the poor, his righteousness

in jurors forever.

He who supplies seed to the sewer and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed

for sowing, and increase the harvest of your righteousness.

You will be enriched in every way, to be generous in every way, which through us will produce

thanksgiving to God.

For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints, but is also

overflowing in many thanksgiving to God.

By the approval of this service, they will glorify God because of your submission that

comes from your confession of the gospel of Christ, and the generosity of your contribution

for them and for all others, while they long for you and pray for you because of the surpassing

grace of God upon you.

Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift.