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Giving the Firstfruits

26 “When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance,^(A) and you take possession of it and live in it, ² take some of the first of all the land’s produce that you harvest from the land the Lord your God is giving you and put it in a basket. Then go to the place where the Lord your God chooses to have his name dwell.^{(B) 3} When you come before the priest who is serving at that time, say to him, ‘Today I declare to the Lord your^[a] God that I have entered the land the Lord swore to our ancestors to give us.’

⁴ “Then the priest will take the basket from you and place it before the altar of the Lord your God. ⁵ You are to respond by saying in the presence of the Lord your God:

My father was a wandering Aramean.^(C) He went down to Egypt with a few people and resided there as an alien.^(D) There he became a great, powerful, and populous nation. ⁶ But the Egyptians mistreated and oppressed us, and forced us to do hard labor. ⁷ So we called out to the Lord, the God of our ancestors, and the Lord heard our cry and saw our misery, hardship, and oppression.^{(E) 8} Then the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a strong hand and an outstretched arm, with terrifying power, and with signs and wonders. ⁹ He led us to this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey.^{(F) 10} I have now brought the first of the land’s produce that you, Lord, have given me.

You will then place the container before the Lord your God and bow down to him. ¹¹ You, the Levites, and the resident aliens among you will rejoice^(G) in all the good things the Lord your God has given you and your household.

The Tenth in the Third Year

¹² “When you have finished paying all the tenth of your produce in the third year,^(H) the year of the tenth, you are to give it to the Levites, resident aliens, fatherless children, and widows, so that they may eat in your towns and be satisfied. ¹³ Then you will say in the presence of the Lord your God:

I have taken the consecrated portion out of my house; I have also given it to the Levites, resident aliens, fatherless children, and widows, according to all the commands you gave me. I have not violated or forgotten your commands. ¹⁴ I have not eaten any of it while in mourning, or removed any of it while unclean, or offered any of it for the dead.^(I) I have obeyed the Lord my God; I have done all you commanded me. ¹⁵ Look down from your holy dwelling, from heaven, and bless your people Israel and the land you have given us as you swore to our ancestors, a land flowing with milk and honey.

Covenant Summary

¹⁶ “The Lord your God is commanding you this day to follow these statutes and ordinances. Follow them carefully with all your heart and all your soul. ¹⁷ Today you have affirmed that the Lord is your God and that you will walk in his ways, keep his statutes, commands, and ordinances, and obey him. ¹⁸ And today the Lord has affirmed that you are his own possession as he promised you, that you are to keep all his commands, ¹⁹ that he will elevate you to praise, fame, and glory above all the nations he has made, and that you will be a holy people^(J) to the Lord your God as he promised.”

The Law Written on Stones

27 Moses and the elders of Israel commanded the people, “Keep every command I am giving you today. ² When you cross the Jordan into the land the Lord your God is giving you, set up large stones and cover them with plaster.^{(K) 3} Write all the words of this law on the stones after you cross to enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, a land flowing with milk and honey,^(L) as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, has promised you. ⁴ When you have crossed the Jordan, you are to set up these stones on Mount Ebal, as I am commanding you today, and you are to cover them with plaster. ⁵ Build an altar of stones there to the Lord your God—do not use any iron tool on them.^{(M) 6} Use uncut stones to build the altar of the Lord your God and offer burnt offerings to the Lord your God on it. ⁷ There you are to sacrifice fellowship offerings, eat, and rejoice in the presence of the Lord your God. ⁸ Write clearly all the words of this law on the plastered stones.”

The Covenant Curses

⁹ Moses and the Levitical priests spoke to all Israel, “Be silent, Israel, and listen! This day you have become the people of the Lord your God. ¹⁰ Obey the Lord your God and follow his commands and statutes I am giving you today.”

¹¹ On that day Moses commanded the people, ¹² “When you have crossed the Jordan, these tribes will stand on Mount Gerizim to bless the people: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin. ¹³ And these tribes will stand on Mount Ebal to deliver the curse: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali.^{(N) 14} The Levites will proclaim in a loud voice to every Israelite:

Martha and Mary

³⁸ While they were traveling, he entered a village, and a woman named Martha^(A) welcomed him into her home.^{[a] 39} She had a sister named Mary, who also sat at the Lord’s^[b] feet^(B) and was listening to what he said.^{[c] 40} But Martha was distracted by her many tasks, and she came up and asked, “Lord, don’t you care^(C) that my sister has left me to serve alone? So tell her to give me a hand.”^[d](D)

⁴¹ The Lord^[e] answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things,^{(E) 42} but one thing is necessary.^[f](F) Mary has made the right choice,^[g] and it will not be taken away from her.”

The Lord’s Prayer

11 He was praying^(G) in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John also taught his disciples.”^(H)

² He said to them, “Whenever you pray, say,^(I)

Ask, Search, Knock

⁵ He also said to them, “Suppose one of you^[m] has a friend and goes to him at midnight and says to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, ⁶ because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I don’t have anything to offer him.’ ⁷ Then he will answer from inside and say, ‘Don’t bother me! The door is already locked, and my children and I have gone to bed. I can’t get up to give you anything.’ ⁸ I tell you, even though he won’t get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his friend’s shameless boldness,^[n] he will get up and give him as much as he needs.^(R)

⁹ “So^(S) I say to you, ask,^(T) and it will be given to you. Seek,^(U) and you will find. Knock,^(V) and the door will be opened to you. ¹⁰ For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. ¹¹ What father among you, if his son^[o] asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead of a fish? ¹² Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? ¹³ If you then, who are evil,^(W) know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father^(X) give the Holy Spirit^(Y) to those who ask him?”

Psalm 76

God, the Powerful Judge

For the choir director: with stringed instruments. A psalm of Asaph.^(A) A song.

Who Cannot Become One of the Lord's People

Moses said to Israel:

23 If a man's private parts have been crushed or cut off,^[a] he cannot fully belong to the Lord's people.

² No one born outside of a legal marriage, or any of their descendants for ten generations, can fully belong to the Lord's people.

^3 (A) No Ammonites or Moabites, or any of their descendants for ten generations, can become part of Israel, the Lord's people. ^4 (B) This is because when you came out of Egypt, they refused to provide you with food and water. And besides, they hired Balaam^[b] to put a curse on you. ^5 (C) But the Lord your God loves you, so he refused to listen to Balaam and turned Balaam's curse into a blessing. ⁶ Don't even think of signing a peace treaty with Moab or Ammon.

⁷ But Edomites are your relatives, and you lived as foreigners in the country of Egypt. Now you must be kind to Edomites and Egyptians ⁸ and let their great-grandchildren become part of Israel, the Lord's people.

Keep the Army Camp Acceptable

Moses said to Israel:

⁹ When you men go off to fight your enemies, make sure your camp is acceptable to the Lord.

¹⁰ For example, if something happens at night that makes a man unclean and unfit for worship, he^[c] must go outside the camp and stay there ¹¹ until late afternoon. Then he must take a bath, and at sunset he can go back into camp.

¹² Set up a place outside the camp to be used as a toilet area. ¹³ And make sure that you have a small shovel in your equipment. When you go out to the toilet area, use the shovel to dig a hole. Then, after you relieve yourself, bury the waste in the hole. ¹⁴ You must keep your camp clean of filthy and disgusting things. The Lord is always present in your camp, ready to rescue you and give you victory over your enemies. But if he sees something disgusting in your camp, he may turn around and leave.

Runaway Slaves from Other Countries

Moses said:

¹⁵ When runaway slaves from other countries come to Israel and ask for protection, you must not hand them back to their owners. ¹⁶ Instead, you must let them choose which one of your towns they want to live in. Don't be cruel to runaway slaves.

Temple Prostitutes

Moses said:

^17 (D) People of Israel, don't any of you ever be temple prostitutes.^{[d] 18} The Lord your God is disgusted with men and women who are prostitutes of any kind, and he will not accept a gift from them, even if it had been promised to him.

Interest on Loans

Moses said:

^19 (E) When you lend money, food, or anything else to another Israelite, you are not allowed to charge interest. ²⁰ You can charge a foreigner interest. But if you charge other Israelites interest, the Lord your God will not let you be successful in the land you are about to take.

Sacred Promises to the Lord

Moses said:

^21 (F) People of Israel, if you make a sacred promise to give a gift to the Lord, then do it as soon as you can. If the Lord has to come looking for the gift you promised, you will be guilty of breaking that promise. ²² On the other hand, if you never make a sacred promise, you can't be guilty of breaking it. ²³ You must keep whatever promises you make to the Lord. After all, you are the one who chose to make the promises.

Eating Someone Else's Produce

²⁴ If you go into a vineyard that belongs to someone else, you are allowed to eat as many grapes as you want while you are there. But don't take any with you when you leave. ²⁵ In the same way, if you are in a grain field that belongs to someone else, you can pick heads of grain and eat the kernels. But don't cut down the stalks of grain and take them with you.

A Law about Divorce

Moses said to Israel:

24 ^(G) Suppose a woman was divorced by her first husband because he found something disgraceful about her.^[e] He wrote out divorce papers, gave them to her, and sent her away. ² Later she married another man, ³ who then either divorced her in the same way or died. ⁴ Since she has slept with her second husband, she cannot marry her first husband again. Their marriage would pollute the land that the Lord your God is giving you, and he would be disgusted.

Newlyweds

Moses said to Israel:

⁵ If a man and a woman have been married less than one year, he must not be sent off to war or sent away to do forced labor. He must be allowed to stay home for a year and be happy with his wife.

Loans

Moses said to Israel:

⁶ When you lend money to people, you are allowed to keep something of theirs as a guarantee that they will pay back the loan. But don't take one or both of their millstones, or else they may starve. They need these stones for grinding grain into flour to make bread.

Kidnapping

Moses said to Israel:

^7 (H) If you are guilty of kidnapping Israelites and forcing them into slavery, you will be put to death to remove this evil from the community.

Skin Diseases

Moses said to Israel:

^8 (I) I have told the priests^[f] what to do if any of you have leprosy,^[g] so do exactly what they say. ^9 (J) And remember what the Lord your God did to Miriam^[h] after you left Egypt.

Loans

Moses said to Israel:

^10 (K) When you lend money to people, you are allowed to keep something of theirs as a guarantee that the money will be paid back. But you must not go into their house to get it. ¹¹ Wait outside, and they will bring out the item you have agreed on.

¹² Suppose someone is so poor that a coat is the only thing that can be offered as a guarantee on a loan. Don't keep the coat overnight. ¹³ Instead, give it back before sunset, so the owner can keep warm and sleep and ask the Lord to bless you. Then the Lord your God will notice that you have done the right thing.

Poor People's Wages

Moses said:

^14 (L) If you hire poor people to work for you, don't hold back their pay,^[i] whether they are Israelites or foreigners who live in your town. ¹⁵ Pay them their wages at the end of each day, because they live in poverty and need the money to survive. If you don't pay them on time, they will complain about you to the Lord, and he will punish you.

The Death Penalty

Moses said to Israel:

^16 (M) Parents must not be put to death for crimes committed by their children, and children must not be put to death for crimes committed by their parents. Don't put anyone to death for someone else's crime.

Don't Mistreat the Powerless

Moses said to Israel:

^17 (N) Make sure that orphans and foreigners are treated fairly. And if you lend money to a widow and want to keep something of hers to guarantee that she will pay you back, don't take any of her clothes. ¹⁸ You were slaves in Egypt until the Lord your God rescued you. That's why I am giving you these laws.

Leave Some of Your Harvest for the Poor

Moses said to Israel:

^19 (O) If you forget to bring in a stack of harvested grain, don't go back in the field to get it. Leave it for the poor, including foreigners, orphans, and widows, and the Lord will make you successful in everything you do.

²⁰ When you harvest your olives, don't try to get them all for yourself, but leave some for the poor. ²¹ And when you pick your grapes, go over the vines only once, then let the poor have what is left. ²² You lived in poverty as slaves in Egypt until the Lord your God rescued you. That's why I am giving you these laws.

Whipping as Punishment for a Crime

Moses said to Israel:

25 ^1-2 Suppose you and someone else each accuse the other of doing something wrong, and you go to court, where the judges decide you are guilty. If your punishment is to be beaten with a whip,^[j] one of the judges will order you to lie down, and you will receive the number of lashes you deserve. ^3 (P) Forty lashes is the most that you can be given, because more than that might make other Israelites think you are worthless.

Don't Muzzle an Ox

Moses said to Israel:

^4 (Q) Don't muzzle an ox while it is threshing grain.^[k]

A Son for a Dead Brother

Moses said to Israel:

^5-6 (R) Suppose two brothers are living on the same property, when one of them dies without having a son to carry on his name. If this happens, his widow must not marry anyone outside the family. Instead, she must marry her late husband's brother, and their first son will be the legal son of the dead man.

^7 (S) But suppose the brother refuses to marry the widow. She must go to a meeting of the town leaders at the town gate and say, “My husband died without having a son to carry on his name. And my husband's brother refuses to marry me so I can have a son.”

⁸ The leaders will call the living brother to the town gate and try to persuade him to marry the widow. But if he doesn't change his mind and marry her, ⁹ she must go over to him while the town leaders watch. She will pull off one of his sandals and spit in his face, while saying, “That's what happens to a man who won't help provide descendants for his dead brother.” ¹⁰ From then on, that man's family will be known as “the family of the man whose sandal was pulled off.”

When Two Men Fight

Moses said to Israel:

¹¹ If two men are fighting, and the wife of one man tries to rescue her husband by grabbing the other man's private parts, ¹² you must cut off her hand. Don't have any mercy.

Be Honest in Business

Moses said to Israel:

^13-14 (T) Don't try to cheat people by having two sets of weights or measures, one to get more when you are buying, and the other to give less when you are selling. ¹⁵ If you weigh and measure things honestly, the Lord your God will let you enjoy a long life in the land he is giving you. ¹⁶ But the Lord is disgusted with anyone who cheats or is dishonest.

Wipe Out Amalek

Moses said:

^17 (U) People of Israel, do you remember what the Amalekites did to you after you came out of Egypt? ¹⁸ You were tired, and they followed along behind, attacking those who could not keep up with the others. This showed that the Amalekites have no respect for God.

¹⁹ The Lord your God will help you capture the land, and he will give you peace. But when that day comes, you must wipe out Amalek so completely that no one will remember they ever lived.

The Unbelieving Towns

(Matthew 11.20-24)

^13 (A) You people of Chorazin are in for trouble! You people of Bethsaida are also in for trouble! If the miracles that took place in your towns had happened in Tyre and Sidon, the people there would have turned to God long ago. They would have dressed in sackcloth and put ashes on their heads.^{[a] 14} On the day of judgment the people of Tyre and Sidon will get off easier than you will. ^15 (B) People of Capernaum, do you think you will be honored in heaven? Well, you will go down to hell!

^16 (C) My followers, whoever listens to you is listening to me. Anyone who says “No” to you is saying “No” to me. And anyone who says “No” to me is really saying “No” to the one who sent me.

The Return of the Seventy-Two

¹⁷ When the 72^[b] followers returned, they were excited and said, “Lord, even the demons obeyed when we spoke in your name!”

¹⁸ Jesus told them:

I saw Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning. ^19 (D) I have given you the power to trample on snakes and scorpions and to defeat the power of your enemy Satan. Nothing can harm you. ²⁰ But don't be happy because evil spirits obey you. Be happy that your names are written in heaven!

Jesus Thanks His Father

(Matthew 11.25-27; 13.16,17)

²¹ At that same time, Jesus felt the joy that comes from the Holy Spirit,^[c] and he said:

My Father, Lord of heaven and earth, I am grateful that you hid all this from wise and educated people and showed it to ordinary people. Yes, Father, this is what pleased you.

^22 (E) My Father has given me everything, and he is the only one who knows the Son. The only one who really knows the Father is the Son. But the Son wants to tell others about the Father, so they can know him too.

²³ Jesus then turned to his disciples and said to them in private, “You are really blessed to see what you see! ²⁴ Many prophets and kings were eager to see what you see and to hear what you hear. But I tell you they did not see or hear.”

The Good Samaritan

^25 (F) An expert in the Law of Moses stood up and asked Jesus a question to see what he would say. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to have eternal life?”

²⁶ Jesus answered, “What is written in the Scriptures? How do you understand them?”

^27 (G) The man replied, “The Scriptures say, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind.’ They also say, ‘Love your neighbors as much as you love yourself.’ ”

^28 (H) Jesus said, “You have given the right answer. If you do this, you will have eternal life.”

²⁹ But the man wanted to show that he knew what he was talking about. So he asked Jesus, “Who are my neighbors?”

³⁰ Jesus replied:

As a man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, robbers attacked him and grabbed everything he had. They beat him up and ran off, leaving him half dead.

³¹ A priest happened to be going down the same road. But when he saw the man, he walked by on the other side. ³² Later a temple helper^[d] came to the same place. But when he saw the man who had been beaten up, he also went by on the other side.

^33 (I) A man from Samaria then came traveling along that road. When he saw the man, he felt sorry for him ³⁴ and went over to him. He treated his wounds with olive oil and wine^[e] and bandaged them. Then he put him on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. ³⁵ The next morning he gave the innkeeper two silver coins and said, “Please take care of the man. If you spend more than this on him, I will pay you when I return.”

³⁶ Then Jesus asked, “Which one of these three people was a real neighbor to the man who was beaten up by robbers?”

³⁷ The expert in the Law of Moses answered, “The one who showed pity.”

Jesus said, “Go and do the same!”

(A psalm and a song by Asaph for the music leader. To the tune “Don't Destroy.”^[a])

Praise God for All He Has Done

Unsolved Murder

Moses said to Israel:

21 Suppose the body of a murder victim is found in a field in the land the Lord your God is giving you, and no one knows who the murderer is. ² The judges and other leaders from the towns around there must find out what town is the closest to where the body was found. ³ The leaders from that town will go to their cattle herds and choose a young cow that has never been put to work.^{[a] 4-5} They and some of the priests will take this cow to a nearby valley where there is a stream, but no crops. Once they reach the valley, the leaders will break the cow's neck.

The priests must be there, because the Lord your God has chosen them to be his special servants at the place of worship. The Lord has chosen them to bless the people in his name and to be judges in all legal cases, whether property or injury is involved.

⁶ The town leaders will wash their hands over the body of the dead cow ⁷ and say, “We had no part in this murder, and we don't know who did it. ^8-9 But since an innocent person was murdered, we beg you, our Lord, to accept this sacrifice and forgive Israel. We are your people, and you rescued us. Please don't hold this crime against us.”

If you obey the Lord and do these things, he will forgive Israel.

Marrying a Woman Taken Prisoner in War

Moses said to Israel:

¹⁰ From time to time, you men will serve as soldiers and go off to war. The Lord your God will help you defeat your enemies, and you will take many prisoners. ^11-13 One of these prisoners may be a beautiful woman, and you may want to marry her. But first you must bring her into your home, and have her shave her head, cut her nails, get rid of her foreign clothes, and start wearing Israelite clothes. She will mourn a month for her father and mother, then you can marry her.

¹⁴ Later on, if you are not happy with the woman, you can divorce her, and she can go free. But you have slept with her as your wife, so you cannot sell her as a slave or make her into your own slave.

Rights of a First-Born Son

Moses said to Israel:

^15-17 Suppose a man has two wives and loves one more than the other. The first son of either wife is the man's first-born son, even if the boy's mother is the wife the man doesn't love. Later, when the man is near death and is dividing up his property, he must give a double share to his first-born son, simply because he was the first to be born.

A Son Who Rebels

Moses said to Israel:

¹⁸ A father and a mother may have a stubborn and rebellious son who refuses to obey them even after he has been punished. ¹⁹ If a son is like that, his parents must drag him to the town gate, where the leaders of the town hold their meetings. ²⁰ The parents will tell the leaders, “This son of ours is stubborn and never obeys. He spends all his time drinking and partying.”

²¹ The men of the town will stone that son to death, because they must get rid of the evil he brought into the community. Everyone in Israel will be afraid when they hear how he was punished.

The Body of a Criminal

Moses said to Israel:

²² If a criminal is put to death, and you hang the dead body on a tree, ^23 (A) you must not leave it there overnight. Bury it the same day, because the dead body of a criminal hanging on a tree will bring God's curse on the land. The Lord your God is giving this land to you, so don't make it unclean by leaving the bodies of executed criminals on display.

Helping Others

Moses said to Israel:

22 ^(B) If you see a cow or sheep wandering around lost, take the animal back to its owner. ² If the owner lives too far away, or if you don't know who the owner is, take the animal home with you and take care of it. The owner will come looking for the animal, and then you can give it back. ³ That's what you should do if you find anything that belongs to someone else. Do whatever you can to help, whether you find a cow or sheep or donkey or some clothing.

⁴ Oxen and donkeys that carry heavy loads can stumble and fall, and be unable to get up by themselves. So as you walk along the road, help anyone who is trying to get an ox or donkey back on its feet.

Don't Pretend To Be the Opposite Sex

Moses said to Israel:

⁵ Women must not pretend to be men, and men must not pretend to be women.^[b] The Lord your God is disgusted with people who do that.

Don't Take a Mother Bird

Moses said to Israel:

^6-7 As you walk along the road, you might see a bird's nest in a tree or on the ground. If the mother bird is in the nest with either her eggs or her baby birds, you are allowed to take the baby birds or the eggs, but not the mother bird. Let her go free, and the Lord will bless you with a long and successful life.

Put a Wall around Your Flat Roof

⁸ If you build a house, make sure to put a low wall around the edge of the flat roof.^[c] Then if someone falls off the roof and is killed, it won't be your fault.

Laws against Mixing Different Things

Moses said to Israel:

^9 (C) If you plant a vineyard, don't plant any other fruit tree or crop in it. If you do plant something else there, you must bring to the place of worship everything you harvest from the vineyard.

¹⁰ Don't hitch an ox and a donkey to your plow at the same time.

¹¹ When you weave cloth for clothing, you can use thread made of flax^[d] or wool, but not both together. ^12 (D) And when you make a coat, sew a tassel on each of the four corners.

When a Husband Accuses His Wife

Moses said to Israel:

¹³ Suppose a man starts hating his wife soon after they are married. ¹⁴ He might tell ugly lies about her, and say, “I married this woman, but when we slept together, I found out she wasn't a virgin.”

¹⁵ If this happens, the bride's father and mother must go to the town gate to show the town leaders the proof that the woman was a virgin. ¹⁶ Her father will say, “I let my daughter marry this man, but he started hating her ¹⁷ and accusing her of not being a virgin. But he is wrong, because here is proof that she was a virgin!” Then the bride's parents will show them the bed sheet from the woman's wedding night.

¹⁸ The town leaders will beat the man with a whip ¹⁹ because he accused his bride of not being a virgin. He will have to pay her father 100 pieces of silver and will never be allowed to divorce her.

²⁰ But if the man was right and there is no proof that his bride was a virgin, ²¹ the men of the town will take the woman to the door of her father's house and stone her to death.

This woman brought evil into your community by sleeping with someone before she got married, and you must get rid of that evil by killing her.

Laws about Illegal Sex

Moses said:

²² People of Israel, if a man is caught having sex with someone else's wife, you must put them both to death. That way, you will get rid of the evil they have done in Israel.

^23-24 If a man is caught in town having sex with an engaged woman who isn't screaming for help, they both must be put to death. The man is guilty of having sex with a married woman.^[e] And the woman is guilty because she didn't call for help, even though she was inside a town and people were nearby. Take them both to the town gate and stone them to death. You must get rid of the evil they brought into your community.

^25 (E) If an engaged woman is raped out in the country, only the man will be put to death. ²⁶ Do not punish the woman at all; she has done nothing wrong, and certainly nothing deserving death. This crime is like murder, ²⁷ because the woman was alone out in the country when the man attacked her. She screamed, but there was no one to help her.

^28 (F) Suppose a woman isn't engaged to be married, and a man forces her to have sex with him. If he is caught, ²⁹ they will be forced to get married. He must give her father 50 pieces of silver as a bride-price and^[f] can never divorce her.

^30 (G) A man must not marry a woman who was married to his father. This would be a disgrace to his father.

A Samaritan Village Refuses To Receive Jesus

⁵¹ Not long before it was time for Jesus to be taken up to heaven, he made up his mind to go to Jerusalem. ⁵² He sent some messengers on ahead to a Samaritan village to get things ready for him. ⁵³ But he was on his way to Jerusalem, so the people there refused to welcome him. ^54 (A) When the disciples James and John saw what was happening, they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to destroy these people?”^[a]

⁵⁵ But Jesus turned and corrected them for what they had said.^{[b] 56} Then they all went on to another village.

Three People Who Wanted To Be Followers

(Matthew 8.19-22)

⁵⁷ Along the way someone said to Jesus, “I'll follow you anywhere!”

⁵⁸ Jesus said, “Foxes have dens, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man doesn't have a place to call his own.”

⁵⁹ Jesus told someone else to come with him. But the man said, “Lord, let me wait until I bury my father.”^[c]

⁶⁰ Jesus answered, “Let the dead take care of the dead, while you go and tell about God's kingdom.”

^61 (B) Then someone said to Jesus, “I want to follow you, Lord, but first let me go back and take care of things at home.”

⁶² Jesus answered, “Anyone who starts plowing and keeps looking back isn't worth a thing to God's kingdom!”

The Work of the Seventy-Two Followers

10 Later the Lord chose 72^[d] other followers and sent them out two by two to every town and village where he was about to go. ^2 (C) He said to them:

A large crop is in the fields, but there are only a few workers. Ask the Lord in charge of the harvest to send out workers to bring it in. ^3 (D) Now go, but remember, I am sending you like lambs into a pack of wolves. ^4 (E) Don't take along a moneybag or a traveling bag or sandals. And don't waste time greeting people on the road.^{[e] 5} As soon as you enter a home, say, “God bless this home with peace.” ⁶ If the people living there are peace-loving, your prayer for peace will bless them. But if they are not peace-loving, your prayer will return to you. ^7 (F) Stay with the same family, eating and drinking whatever they give you, because workers are worth what they earn. Don't move around from house to house.

⁸ If the people of a town welcome you, eat whatever they offer. ⁹ Heal their sick and say, “God's kingdom will soon be here!”^[f]

^10 (G) But if the people of a town refuse to welcome you, go out into the street and say, ¹¹ “We are shaking the dust from our feet^[g] as a warning to you. And you can be sure that God's kingdom will soon be here!”^{[h] 12 (H)} I tell you that on the day of judgment the people of Sodom will get off easier than the people of that town!

(A special psalm by Asaph.)

A Prayer for the Nation in Times of Trouble

Special Privileges for Priests and Levites

(Numbers 18.8-32)

Moses said to Israel:

18 The people of the Levi tribe, including the priests, will not receive any land. Instead, they will receive part of the sacrifices that are offered to the Lord, ^2 (A) because he has promised to provide for them in this way.

³ When you sacrifice a bull or sheep, the priests will be given the shoulder, the jaws, and the stomach.^{[a] 4} In addition, they will receive the first part of your grain harvest and part of your first batches of wine and olive oil.^[b] You must also give them the first wool that is cut from your sheep each year. ⁵ Give these gifts to the priests, because the Lord has chosen them and their descendants out of all the tribes of Israel to be his special servants at the place of worship.

⁶ Any Levite can leave his hometown, and go to the place where the Lord chooses to be worshiped, ⁷ and then be a special servant of the Lord^[c] there, just like all the other Levites. ⁸ Some Levites may have money from selling family possessions, and others may not. But all Levites serving at the place of worship will receive the same amount of food from the sacrifices and gifts brought by the people.

Don't Do Disgusting Things

Moses said to Israel:

⁹ Soon you will go into the land that the Lord your God is giving you. The nations that live there do things that are disgusting to the Lord, and you must not follow their example. ^10-11 (B) Don't sacrifice your son or daughter. And don't try to use any kind of magic or witchcraft to tell fortunes^[d] or to cast spells or to talk with spirits of the dead.

¹² The Lord is disgusted with anyone who does these things, and that's why he will help you destroy the nations that are in the land. ^13 (C) Never be guilty of doing any of these disgusting things!

A Prophet like Moses

Moses said to Israel:

¹⁴ You will go in and take the land from nations that practice magic and witchcraft. But the Lord your God won't allow you to do those things. ^15 (D) Instead, he will choose one of your own people to be a prophet just like me, and you must do what that prophet says. ¹⁶ You were asking for a prophet the day you were gathered at Mount Sinai^[e] and said to the Lord, “Please don't let us hear your voice or see this terrible fire again—if we do, we will die!”

¹⁷ Then the Lord told me:

Moses, they have said the right thing. ¹⁸ So when I want to speak to them, I will choose one of them to be a prophet like you. I will give my message to that prophet, who will tell the people exactly what I have said. ^19 (E) Since the message comes from me, anyone who doesn't obey the message will have to answer to me.

²⁰ But if I haven't spoken, and a prophet claims to have a message from me, you must kill that prophet, and you must also kill any prophet who claims to have a message from another god.

Moses said to Israel:

²¹ You may be asking yourselves, “How can we tell if a prophet's message really comes from the Lord?” ²² You will know, because if the Lord says something will happen, it will happen. And if it doesn't, you will know that the prophet was falsely claiming to speak for the Lord. Don't be afraid of any prophet whose message doesn't come from the Lord.

Safe Towns

(Numbers 35.9-28; Joshua 20.1-9)

Moses said to Israel:

19 ^(F) Soon you will go into the land and attack the nations. The Lord your God will destroy them and give you their lands, towns, and homes. Then after you are settled, ^2-4 you must choose three of your towns to be Safe Towns. Divide the land into three regions with one Safe Town near the middle of each, so that a Safe Town can be easily reached from anywhere in your land.

Then, if one of you accidentally kills someone, you can run to a Safe Town and find protection from being put to death. But you must not have been angry with the person you killed.

⁵ For example, suppose you and a friend go into the forest to cut wood. You are chopping down a tree with an ax, when the ax head slips off the handle, hits your friend, and kills him. You can run to one of the Safe Towns and save your life. ⁶ You don't deserve to die, since you did not mean to harm your friend. But he did get killed, and his relatives might be very angry. They might even choose one of the men from their family to track you down and kill you. If it is too far to one of the Safe Towns, the victim's relative might be able to catch you and kill you. ⁷ That's why I said there must be three Safe Towns.

^8-9 Israel, the Lord your God has promised that if you obey his laws and teachings I'm giving you, and if you always love him, then he will give you the land he promised your ancestors. When that happens, you must name three more Safe Towns in the new territory. ¹⁰ You will need them, so innocent people won't be killed on your land while they are trying to reach a Safe Town that is too far away. You will be guilty of murder, if innocent people lose their lives because you didn't name enough Safe Towns in the land the Lord your God will give you.

¹¹ But what if you really do commit murder? Suppose one of you hates a neighbor. So you wait in a deserted place, kill the neighbor, and run to a Safe Town. ¹² If that happens, the leaders of your town must send messengers to bring you back from the Safe Town. They will hand you over to one of the victim's relatives, who will put you to death.

¹³ Israel, for the good of the whole country, you must kill anyone who murders an innocent person. Never show mercy to a murderer!

Property Lines

Moses said to Israel:

^14 (G) In the land the Lord is giving you, there are already stones set up to mark the property lines between fields. So don't move those stones.

Witnesses Must Tell the Truth

Moses said to Israel:

^15 (H) Before you are convicted of a crime, at least two witnesses must be able to testify that you did it.

¹⁶ If you accuse someone of a crime, but seem to be lying, ^17-18 then both you and the accused must be taken to the court at the place where the Lord is worshiped. There the priests and judges will find out if you are lying or telling the truth.

If you are lying and the accused is innocent, ^19-21 (I) then you will be punished without mercy. You will receive the same punishment the accused would have received if found guilty, whether it means losing an eye, a tooth, a hand, a foot, or even your life.

Israel, the crime of telling lies in court must be punished. And when people hear what happens to witnesses that lie, everyone else who testifies in court will tell the truth.

Laws for Going to War

Moses said to Israel:

20 If you have to go to war, you may find yourselves facing an enemy army that is bigger than yours and that has horses and chariots. But don't be afraid! The Lord your God rescued you from Egypt, and he will help you fight. ² Before you march into battle, a priest will go to the front of the army ³ and say, “Soldiers of Israel, listen to me! Today when you go into battle, don't be afraid of the enemy, and when you see them, don't panic. ⁴ The Lord your God will fight alongside you and help you win the battle.”

⁵ Then the tribal officials will say to the troops:

If any of you have built a new house, but haven't yet moved in, you may go home. It isn't right for you to die in battle and for somebody else to live in your new house.

⁶ If any of you have planted a vineyard but haven't had your first grape harvest, you may go home. It isn't right for you to die in battle and for somebody else to enjoy your grapes.

⁷ If any of you are engaged to be married, you may go back home and get married. It isn't right for you to die in battle and for somebody else to marry the woman you are engaged to.

⁸ Finally, if any of you are afraid, you may go home. We don't want you to discourage the other soldiers.

⁹ When the officials are finished giving these orders, they will appoint officers to be in command of the army.

^10-15 Before you attack a town that is far from your land, offer peace to the people who live there. If they surrender and open their town gates, they will become your slaves. But if they reject your offer of peace and try to fight, surround their town and attack. Then, after the Lord helps you capture it, kill all the men. Take the women and children as slaves and keep the livestock and everything else of value.

¹⁶ Whenever you capture towns in the land the Lord your God is giving you, be sure to kill all the people and animals. ¹⁷ He has commanded you to completely wipe out the Hittites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. ¹⁸ If you allow them to live, they will persuade you to worship their disgusting gods, and you will be unfaithful to the Lord.

¹⁹ When you are attacking a town, don't chop down its fruit trees, not even if you have had the town surrounded for a long time. Fruit trees aren't your enemies, and they produce food that you can eat, so don't cut them down. ²⁰ You may need wood to make ladders and towers to help you get over the walls and capture the town. But use only trees that you know are not fruit trees.

The True Glory of Jesus

(Matthew 17.1-8; Mark 9.2-8)

^28 (A) About eight days later Jesus took Peter, John, and James with him and went up on a mountain to pray. ²⁹ While he was praying, his face changed, and his clothes became shining white. ³⁰ Suddenly Moses and Elijah were there speaking with him. ³¹ They appeared in heavenly glory and talked about all that Jesus' death^[a] in Jerusalem would mean.

³² Peter and the other two disciples had been sound asleep. All at once they woke up and saw how glorious Jesus was. They also saw the two men who were with him.

³³ Moses and Elijah were about to leave, when Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here! Let us make three shelters, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” But Peter did not know what he was talking about.

³⁴ While Peter was still speaking, a shadow from a cloud passed over, and they were frightened as the cloud covered them. ^35 (B) From the cloud a voice spoke, “This is my chosen Son. Listen to what he says!”

³⁶ After the voice had spoken, Peter, John, and James saw only Jesus. For some time they kept quiet and did not say anything about what they had seen.

Jesus Heals a Boy

(Matthew 17.14-18; Mark 9.14-27)

³⁷ The next day Jesus and his three disciples came down from the mountain and were met by a large crowd. ³⁸ Just then someone in the crowd shouted, “Teacher, please do something for my son! He is my only child! ³⁹ A demon often attacks him and makes him scream. It shakes him until he foams at the mouth, and it won't leave him until it has completely worn the boy out. ⁴⁰ I begged your disciples to force out the demon, but they couldn't do it.”

⁴¹ Jesus said to them, “You people are stubborn and don't have any faith! How much longer must I be with you? Why do I have to put up with you?”

Then Jesus said to the man, “Bring your son to me.” ⁴² While the boy was being brought, the demon attacked him and made him shake all over. Jesus ordered the demon to stop. Then he healed the boy and gave him back to his father. ⁴³ Everyone was amazed at God's great power.

Jesus Again Speaks about His Death

(Matthew 17.22,23; Mark 9.30-32)

While everyone was still amazed at what Jesus was doing, he said to his disciples, ⁴⁴ “Pay close attention to what I am telling you! The Son of Man will be handed over to his enemies.” ⁴⁵ But the disciples did not know what he meant. The meaning was hidden from them. They could not understand it, and they were afraid to ask.

Who Is the Greatest?

(Matthew 18.1-5; Mark 9.33-37)

^46 (C) Jesus' disciples were arguing about which one of them was the greatest. ⁴⁷ Jesus knew what they were thinking, and he had a child stand there beside him. ^48 (D) Then he said to his disciples, “When you welcome even a child because of me, you welcome me. And when you welcome me, you welcome the one who sent me. Whichever one of you is the most humble is the greatest.”

For or against Jesus

(Mark 9.38-40)

⁴⁹ John said, “Master, we saw a man using your name to force demons out of people. But we told him to stop, because he isn't one of us.”

⁵⁰ “Don't stop him!” Jesus said. “Anyone who isn't against you is for you.”

BOOK III

(Psalms 73–89)

(A psalm by Asaph.)

God Is Good

Passover

(Exodus 12.1-20; Leviticus 23.4-8)

Moses said:

16 ^(A) People of Israel, you must celebrate Passover in the month of Abib,^[a] because one night in that month years ago, the Lord your God rescued you from Egypt. ² The Passover sacrifice must be a cow, a sheep, or a goat, and you must offer it at the place where the Lord chooses to be worshiped. ^3-4 Eat all of the meat of the Passover sacrifice that same night. But don't serve bread made with yeast at the Passover meal. Serve the same kind of thin bread that you ate when you were slaves suffering in Egypt^[b] and when you had to leave Egypt quickly. As long as you live, this thin bread will remind you of the day you left Egypt.

For seven days following Passover,^[c] don't make any bread with yeast. In fact, there should be no yeast anywhere in Israel.

⁵ Don't offer the Passover sacrifice in just any town where you happen to live. ⁶ It must be offered at the place where the Lord chooses to be worshiped. Kill the sacrifice at sunset, the time of day when you left Egypt.^{[d] 7} Then cook it and eat it there at the place of worship, returning to your tents the next morning.

⁸ Eat thin bread for the next six days. Then on the seventh day, don't do any work. Instead, come together and worship the Lord.

The Harvest Festival

(Exodus 34.22; Leviticus 23.15-21)

Moses said to Israel:

^9 (B) Seven weeks after you start your grain harvest, ^10-11 go to the place where the Lord chooses to be worshiped and celebrate the Harvest Festival^[e] in honor of the Lord your God. Bring him an offering as large as you can afford, depending on how big a harvest he has given you. Be sure to take along your sons and daughters and all your servants. Also invite the poor, including Levites, foreigners, orphans, and widows. ¹² Remember that you used to be slaves in Egypt, so obey these laws.

The Festival of Shelters

(Leviticus 23.33-43; Numbers 29.12-38)

Moses said to Israel:

^13-15 (C) After you have finished the grain harvest and the grape harvest,^[f] take your sons and daughters and all your servants to the place where the Lord chooses to be worshiped. Celebrate the Festival of Shelters for seven days. Also invite the poor, including Levites, foreigners, orphans, and widows.

The Lord will give you big harvests and make you successful in everything you do. You will be completely happy, so celebrate this festival in honor of the Lord your God.

Three Festivals at the Place of Worship

(Exodus 23.14-17)

Moses said:

¹⁶ Each year there are three festivals when all Israelite men must go to the place where the Lord chooses to be worshiped. These are the Festival of Thin Bread, the Harvest Festival,^[g] and the Festival of Shelters. And don't forget to take along a gift for the Lord. ¹⁷ The bigger the harvest the Lord gives you, the bigger your gift should be.

Treat Everyone with Justice

Moses said to Israel:

^18-19 (D) After you are settled in the towns that you will receive from the Lord your God, the people in each town must appoint judges and other officers. Those of you that become judges must be completely fair when you make legal decisions, even if someone important is involved. Don't take bribes to give unfair decisions. Bribes keep people who are wise from seeing the truth and turn honest people into liars.^[h]

²⁰ People of Israel, if you want to enjoy a long and successful life, make sure that everyone is treated with justice in the land the Lord is giving you.

Don't Set Up Sacred Poles or Stones

Moses said to Israel:

^21 (E) When you build the altar for offering sacrifices to the Lord your God, don't set up a sacred pole^[i] for the worship of the goddess Asherah. ^22 (F) And don't set up a sacred stone! The Lord hates these things.

Sacrifices That Have Something Wrong with Them

Moses said to Israel:

17 If an ox or a sheep has something wrong with it, don't offer it as a sacrifice to the Lord your God—he will be disgusted!

Put To Death People Who Worship Idols

Moses said to Israel:

^2-3 (G) The Lord your God is giving you towns to live in. But later, a man or a woman in your town may start worshiping other gods, or even the sun, moon, or stars.^[j] I have warned you not to worship other gods, because whoever worships them is disobeying the Lord and breaking the agreement he made with you. ⁴ So when you hear that someone in your town is committing this disgusting sin, you must carefully find out if that person really is guilty. ^5-7 (H) But you will need two or three witnesses—one witness isn't enough to prove a person guilty.

Get rid of those who are guilty of such evil. Take them outside your town gates and everyone must stone them to death. But the witnesses must be the first to throw stones.

Difficult Cases

Moses said to Israel:

^8-12 It may be difficult to find out the truth in some legal cases in your town. You may not be able to decide if someone was killed accidentally or murdered. Or you may not be able to tell whether an injury or some property damage was done by accident or on purpose. If the case is too difficult, take it to the court at the place where the Lord your God chooses to be worshiped.

This court will be made up of one judge and several priests^[k] who serve at the Lord's altar. They will explain the law to you and give you their decision about the case. Do exactly what they tell you, or you will be put to death. ¹³ When other Israelites hear about it, they will be afraid and obey the decisions of the court.

The King

Moses said:

^14 (I) People of Israel, after you capture the land the Lord your God is giving you, and after you settle on it, you will say, “We want a king, just like the nations around us.”

¹⁵ Go ahead and appoint a king, but make sure that he is an Israelite and that he is the one the Lord has chosen.

^16 (J) The king should not have many horses, especially those from Egypt. The Lord has said never to go back there again. ^17 (K) And the king must not have a lot of wives—they might tempt him to be unfaithful to the Lord.^[l] Finally, the king must not try to get huge amounts of silver and gold.

¹⁸ The official copy of God's laws^[m] will be kept by the priests of the Levi tribe. So, as soon as anyone becomes king, he must go to the priests and write out a copy of these laws while they watch. ¹⁹ Each day the king must read and obey these laws, so that he will learn to worship the Lord with fear and trembling ²⁰ and not think that he's better than everyone else.

If the king completely obeys the Lord's commands, he and his descendants will rule Israel for many years.

Herod Is Worried

(Matthew 14.1-12; Mark 6.14-29)

^7 (A) Herod^[a] the ruler heard about all that was happening, and he was worried. Some people were saying John the Baptist had come back to life. ⁸ Others were saying Elijah had come^[b] or one of the prophets from long ago had come back to life. ⁹ But Herod said, “I had John's head cut off! Who is this I hear so much about?” Herod was eager to meet Jesus.

Jesus Feeds Five Thousand

(Matthew 14.13-21; Mark 6.30-44; John 6.1-14)

¹⁰ The apostles came back and told Jesus everything they had done. He then took them with him to the village of Bethsaida, where they could be alone. ¹¹ But a lot of people found out about this and followed him. Jesus welcomed them. He spoke about God's kingdom and healed everyone who was sick.

¹² Late in the afternoon the twelve apostles came to Jesus and said, “Send the crowd to the villages and farms around here. They need to find a place to stay and something to eat. There is nothing in this place. It's like a desert!”

¹³ Jesus answered, “You give them something to eat.”

But they replied, “We have only five small loaves of bread^[c] and two fish. If we are going to feed all these people, we will have to go and buy food.” ¹⁴ There were about 5,000 men in the crowd.

Jesus said to his disciples, “Tell the people to sit in groups of 50.” ¹⁵ They did this, and all the people sat down. ¹⁶ Jesus took the five loaves and the two fish. He looked up toward heaven and blessed the food. Then he broke the bread and fish and handed them to his disciples to give to the people.

¹⁷ Everyone ate all they wanted. What was left over filled twelve baskets.

Who Is Jesus?

(Matthew 16.13-19; Mark 8.27-29)

¹⁸ When Jesus was alone praying, his disciples came to him, and he asked them, “What do people say about me?”

^19 (B) They answered, “Some say you are John the Baptist or Elijah^[d] or a prophet from long ago who has come back to life.”

^20 (C) Jesus then asked, “But who do you say I am?”

Peter answered, “You are the Messiah sent from God.”

²¹ Jesus strictly warned his disciples not to tell anyone about this.

Jesus Speaks about His Suffering and Death

(Matthew 16.20-28; Mark 8.30—9.1)

²² Jesus told his disciples, “The nation's leaders, the chief priests, and the teachers of the Law of Moses will make the Son of Man suffer terribly. They will reject him and kill him, but three days later he will rise to life.”

^23 (D) Then Jesus said to all the people:

If any of you want to be my followers, you must forget about yourself. You must take up your cross every day and follow me. ^24 (E) If you want to save your life,^[e] you will destroy it. But if you give up your life for me, you will save it. ²⁵ What will you gain, if you own the whole world but destroy yourself or waste your life? ²⁶ If you are ashamed of me and my message, the Son of Man will be ashamed of you when he comes in his glory and in the glory of his Father and the holy angels. ²⁷ You can be sure some of the people standing here will not die before they see God's kingdom.

(By Solomon.)

A Prayer for God To Guide and Help the King

Don't Worship Other Gods

Moses said to Israel:

13 ^1-2 Someday a prophet^[a] may come along who is able to perform miracles or tell what will happen in the future. Then the prophet may say, “Let's start worshiping some new gods—some gods that we know nothing about.” ³ If the prophet says this, don't listen! The Lord your God will be watching to find out whether or not you love him with all your heart and soul. ⁴ You must be completely faithful to the Lord. Worship and obey only the Lord and do this with fear and trembling, ⁵ because he rescued you from slavery in Egypt.

If a prophet tells you to disobey the Lord your God and to stop worshiping him, then that prophet is evil and must be put to death.

^6-10 (A) Someone else may say to you, “Let's worship other gods.” That person may be your best friend, your brother or sister, your son or daughter, or your own dear wife or husband. But you must not listen to people who say such things. Instead, you must stone them to death. You must be the first to throw the stones, then others from the community will finish the job. Don't show any pity.

The gods worshiped by other nations have never done anything for you or your ancestors. People who ask you to worship other gods are trying to get you to stop worshiping the Lord, who rescued you from slavery in Egypt. So put to death anyone who asks you to worship another god. ¹¹ And when the rest of Israel hears about it, they will be afraid, and no one else will ever do such an evil thing again.

¹² After the Lord your God gives you towns to live in, you may hear a rumor about one of the towns. ¹³ You may hear that some worthless people have talked everyone there into worshiping other gods, even though these gods had never done anything for them. ¹⁴ You must carefully find out if the rumor is true. Then if the people of that town have actually done such a disgusting thing in your own country, ¹⁵ you must take your swords and kill every one of them, and their livestock too. ^16-17 Gather all the possessions of the people who lived there, and pile them up in the marketplace, without keeping anything for yourself. Set the pile and the whole town on fire, and don't ever rebuild the town. The whole town will be a sacrifice to the Lord your God. Then he won't be angry anymore, and he will have mercy on you and make your nation stronger, just as he promised your ancestors. ¹⁸ That's why you must do what the Lord your God says is right. I am giving you his laws and teachings today, and you must obey them.

Don't Mourn like Other Nations

Moses said:

14 ^(B) People of Israel, you are the Lord's children, so when you mourn for the dead, you must not cut yourselves or shave your forehead.^{[b] 2 (C)} Out of all the nations on this earth, the Lord your God chose you to be his own. You belong to the Lord, so don't behave like those who worship other gods.

Animals That Can Be Eaten

(Leviticus 11.1-47)

^3 (D) Don't eat any disgusting animals.

^4-5 You may eat the meat of cattle, sheep, and goats; wild sheep and goats; and gazelles, antelopes, and all kinds of deer. ⁶ It is all right to eat meat from any animals that have divided hoofs and also chew the cud.^[c]

⁷ But don't eat camels, rabbits, and rock badgers. These animals chew the cud but do not have divided hoofs. You must treat them as unclean. ⁸ And don't eat pork, since pigs have divided hoofs, but they do not chew their cud. Don't even touch a dead pig!

⁹ You can eat any fish that has fins and scales. But there are other creatures that live in the water, ¹⁰ and if they do not have fins and scales, you must not eat them. Treat them as unclean.

¹¹ You can eat any clean bird. ^12-18 But don't eat the meat of any of the following birds: eagles, vultures, falcons, kites, ravens, ostriches, owls, sea gulls, hawks, pelicans, ospreys, cormorants, storks, herons, and hoopoes.^[d] You must not eat bats. ¹⁹ Swarming insects are unclean, so don't eat them. ²⁰ However, you are allowed to eat certain kinds of winged insects.^[e]

^21 (E) You belong to the Lord your God, so if you happen to find a dead animal, don't eat its meat. You may give it to foreigners who live in your town or sell it to foreigners who are visiting your town.

Don't boil a young goat in its mother's milk.

Give the Lord Ten Percent of Your Harvest

Moses said:

^22 (F) People of Israel, every year you must set aside ten percent of your grain harvest. ²³ Also set aside ten percent of your wine and olive oil, and the first-born of every cow, sheep, and goat. Take these to the place where the Lord chooses to be worshiped, and eat them there. This will teach you to always respect the Lord your God.

²⁴ But suppose you can't carry that ten percent of your harvest to the place where the Lord chooses to be worshiped. If you live too far away, or if the Lord gives you a big harvest, ²⁵ then sell this part and take the money there instead. ²⁶ When you and your family arrive, spend the money on food for a big celebration. Buy cattle, sheep, goats, wine, beer, and if there are any other kinds of food that you want, buy those too. ²⁷ And since people of the Levi tribe won't own any land for growing crops, remember to ask the Levites to celebrate with you.

²⁸ Every third year, instead of using the ten percent of your harvest for a big celebration, bring it into town and put it in a community storehouse. ²⁹ The Levites have no land of their own, so you must give them food from the storehouse. You must also give food to the poor who live in your town, including orphans, widows, and foreigners. If they have enough to eat, then the Lord your God will be pleased and make you successful in everything you do.

Loans

(Leviticus 25.1-7)

Moses said:

15 ^1-2 Every seven years you must announce, “The Lord says loans do not need to be paid back.” Then if you have loaned money to another Israelite, you can no longer ask for payment.^{[f] 3} This law applies only to loans you have made to other Israelites. Foreigners will still have to pay back what you have loaned them.

^4-6 No one in Israel should ever be poor. The Lord your God is giving you this land, and he has promised to make you very successful, if you obey his laws and teachings that I'm giving you today. You will lend money to many nations, but you won't have to borrow. You will rule many nations, but they won't rule you.

^7 (G) After the Lord your God gives land to each of you, there may be poor Israelites in the town where you live. If there are, then don't be mean and selfish with your money. ⁸ Instead, be kind and lend them what they need. ⁹ Be careful! Don't say to yourself, “Soon it will be the seventh year, and then I won't be able to get my money back.” It would be horrible for you to think that way and to be so selfish that you refuse to help the poor. They are your relatives, and if you don't help them, they may ask the Lord to decide whether you have done wrong. And he will say that you are guilty. ¹⁰ You should be happy to give the poor what they need, because then the Lord will make you successful in everything you do.

^11 (H) There will always be some Israelites who are poor and needy. That's why I am commanding you to be generous with them.

Setting Slaves Free

(Exodus 21.1-11)

Moses said to Israel:

^12 (I) If any of you buy Israelites as slaves, you must set them free after six years. ¹³ And don't just tell them they are free to leave— ¹⁴ give them sheep and goats and a good supply of grain and wine. The more the Lord has given you, the more you should give them. ¹⁵ I am commanding you to obey the Lord as a reminder that you were slaves in Egypt before he set you free. ¹⁶ But one of your slaves may say, “I love you and your family, and I would be better off staying with you, so please don't make me leave.” ¹⁷ Take the slave to the door of your house and push a sharp metal rod through one earlobe and into the door. Such slaves will belong to you for life, whether they are men or women.

¹⁸ Don't complain when you have to set a slave free. After all, you got six years of service at half the cost of hiring someone to do the work.^[g]

First-Born Animals

(Leviticus 27.26,27; Numbers 18.15-18)

Moses said to Israel:

^19 (J) If the first-born animal of a cow or sheep or goat is a male, it must be given to the Lord. Don't put first-born cattle to work or cut wool from first-born sheep. ²⁰ Instead, each year you must take the first-born of these animals to the place where the Lord your God chooses to be worshiped. You and your family will sacrifice them to the Lord and then eat them as part of a sacred meal.

²¹ But if the animal is lame or blind or has something else wrong with it, you must not sacrifice it to the Lord your God. ²² You can butcher it where you live, and eat it just like the meat of a deer or gazelle that you kill while hunting. Even those people who are unclean and unfit for worship can have some. ^23 (K) But you must never eat the blood of an animal—let it drain out on the ground.

A Dying Girl and a Sick Woman

(Matthew 9.18-26; Mark 5.21-43)

⁴⁰ Everyone had been waiting for Jesus, and when he came back, a crowd was there to welcome him. ⁴¹ Just then the man in charge of the synagogue came and knelt down in front of Jesus. His name was Jairus, and he begged Jesus to come to his home ⁴² because his twelve-year-old child was dying. She was his only daughter.

While Jesus was on his way, people were crowding all around him. ⁴³ In the crowd was a woman who had been bleeding for twelve years. She had spent everything she had on doctors,^[a] but none of them could make her well.

⁴⁴ As soon as she came up behind Jesus and barely touched his clothes, her bleeding stopped.

⁴⁵ “Who touched me?” Jesus asked.

While everyone was denying it, Peter said, “Master, people are crowding all around and pushing you from every side.”^[b]

⁴⁶ But Jesus answered, “Someone touched me, because I felt power going out from me.” ⁴⁷ The woman knew that she could not hide, so she came trembling and knelt down in front of Jesus. She told everyone why she had touched him and that she had been healed at once.

⁴⁸ Jesus said to the woman, “You are now well because of your faith. May God give you peace!”

⁴⁹ While Jesus was speaking, someone came from Jairus' home and said, “Your daughter has died! Why bother the teacher anymore?”

⁵⁰ When Jesus heard this, he told Jairus, “Don't worry! Have faith, and your daughter will get well.”

⁵¹ Jesus went into the house, but he did not let anyone else go with him, except Peter, John, James, and the girl's father and mother. ⁵² Everyone was crying and weeping for the girl. But Jesus said, “The child isn't dead. She is just asleep.” ⁵³ The people laughed at him because they knew she was dead.

⁵⁴ Jesus took hold of the girl's hand and said, “Child, get up!” ⁵⁵ She came back to life and got right up. Jesus told them to give her something to eat. ⁵⁶ Her parents were surprised, but Jesus ordered them not to tell anyone what had happened.

Instructions for the Twelve Apostles

(Matthew 10.5-15; Mark 6.7-13)

9 Jesus called together his twelve apostles and gave them complete power over all demons and diseases. ² Then he sent them to tell about God's kingdom and to heal the sick. ^3 (A) He told them, “Don't take anything with you! Don't take a walking stick or a traveling bag or food or money or even a change of clothes. ⁴ When you are welcomed into a home, stay there until you leave that town. ^5 (B) If people won't welcome you, leave the town and shake the dust from your feet^[c] as a warning to them.”

⁶ The apostles left and went from village to village, telling the good news and healing people everywhere.

A Prayer for God's Protection

If You Are Loyal to the Lord, He Will Bless You

Moses said to Israel:

11 The Lord is your God, so you must always love him and obey his laws and teachings. ² Remember, he corrected you and not your children. You are the ones who saw the Lord use his great power ^3 (A) when he worked miracles in Egypt, making terrible things happen to the king and all his people. ^4 (B) And when the Egyptian army chased you in their chariots, you saw the Lord drown them and their horses in the Red Sea.^[a] Egypt still suffers from that defeat!

⁵ You saw what the Lord did for you while you were in the desert, right up to the time you arrived here. ^6 (C) And you saw how the Lord made the ground open up in the middle of our camp underneath the tents of Dathan and Abiram,^[b] who were swallowed up along with their families, their animals, and their tents.

⁷ With your own eyes, you saw the Lord's mighty power do all these things.

⁸ Soon you will cross the Jordan River, and if you obey the laws and teachings I'm giving you today, you will be strong enough to conquer the land ⁹ that the Lord promised your ancestors and their descendants. It's rich with milk and honey, and you will live there and enjoy it for a long time. ¹⁰ It's better land than you had in Egypt, where you had to struggle just to water your crops.^{[c] 11} But the hills and valleys in the promised land are watered by rain from heaven,^{[d] 12} because the Lord your God keeps his eye on this land and takes care of it all year long.

^13 (D) The Lord your God commands you to love him and to serve him with all your heart and soul. If you obey him, ^14-15 he will send rain at the right seasons,^[e] so you will have more than enough food, wine, and olive oil, and there will be plenty of grass for your cattle.

¹⁶ But watch out! You will be tempted to turn your backs on the Lord. And if you worship other gods, ¹⁷ the Lord will become angry and keep the rain from falling. Nothing will grow in your fields, and you will die and disappear from the good land that the Lord is giving you.

^18 (E) Memorize these laws and think about them. Write down copies and tie them to your wrists and your foreheads to help you obey them. ¹⁹ Teach them to your children. Talk about them all the time—whether you're at home or walking along the road or going to bed at night, or getting up in the morning. ²⁰ Write them on the door frames of your homes and on your town gates. ²¹ Then you and your descendants will live a long time in the land that the Lord promised your ancestors. Your families will live there as long as the sky is above the earth.

²² Love the Lord your God faithfully and obey all the laws and teachings I'm giving you today. If you live the way the Lord wants, ²³ he will help you take the land. And even though the nations there are more powerful than you, the Lord will force them to leave when you attack. ^24 (F) You will capture the land everywhere you go, from the Southern Desert to the Lebanon Mountains, and from the Euphrates River west to the Mediterranean Sea. ²⁵ No one will be able to stand up to you. The Lord will make everyone terrified of you, just as he promised.

²⁶ You have a choice—do you want the Lord to bless you, or do you want him to put a curse on you? ²⁷ Today I am giving you his laws, and if you obey him, he will bless you. ²⁸ But if you disobey him and worship those gods that have never done anything for you, the Lord will put a curse on you.

^29 (G) After the Lord your God helps you take the land, you must have a ceremony where you announce his blessings from Mount Gerizim and his curses from Mount Ebal. ³⁰ You know that these two mountains are west of the Jordan River in land now controlled by the Canaanites living in the Jordan River valley. The mountains are west of the road near the sacred trees of Moreh on the other side of Gilgal.

³¹ Soon you will cross the Jordan River to conquer the land that the Lord your God is giving you. And when you have settled there, ³² be careful to obey his laws and teachings that I am giving you today.

Only One Place To Worship the Lord

Moses said to Israel:

12 Now I'll tell you the laws and teachings that you have to obey as long as you live. Your ancestors worshiped the Lord, and he is giving you this land. ² But the nations that live there worship other gods. So after you capture the land, you must completely destroy their places of worship—on mountains and hills or in the shade of large trees. ^3 (H) Wherever these nations worship their gods, you must tear down their altars, break their sacred stones, burn the sacred poles^[f] used in worshiping the goddess Asherah, and smash their idols to pieces. Destroy these places of worship so completely that no one will remember they were ever there. ⁴ Don't worship the Lord your God in the way those nations worship their gods.

^5-19 (I) Soon you will cross the Jordan, and the Lord will help you conquer your enemies and let you live in peace, there in the land he has given you. But after you are settled, life will be different. You must not offer sacrifices just anywhere you want to. Instead, the Lord will choose a place somewhere in Israel where you must go to worship him. All of your sacrifices and offerings must be taken there, including sacrifices to please the Lord^[g] and any gift you promise or voluntarily give him. That's where you must also take one tenth of your grain, wine, and olive oil,^[h] as well as the first-born of your cattle, sheep, and goats.^[i] You and your family and servants will eat your gifts and sacrifices^[j] and celebrate there at the place of worship, because the Lord your God has made you successful in everything you have done. And since Levites will not have any land of their own, you must ask some of them to come along and celebrate with you.

Sometimes you may want to kill an animal for food and not as a sacrifice. If the Lord has blessed you and given you enough cows or sheep or goats, then you can butcher one of them where you live. You can eat it just like the meat from a deer or gazelle that you kill when you go hunting. And even those people who are unclean and unfit for worship can have some of the meat. But you must not eat the blood of any animal—let the blood drain out on the ground.

^20-21 The Lord has promised that later on he will give Israel more land, and some of you may not be able to travel all the way from your homes to the place of worship each time you are hungry for meat.^[k] But the Lord will give you cattle, sheep, and goats, and you can butcher any of those animals at home and eat as much as you want. ²² It is the same as eating the meat from a deer or a gazelle that you kill when you go hunting. And in this way, anyone who is unclean and unfit for worship can have some of the meat.^[l]

^23-24 (J) But don't eat the blood. It is the life of the animal, so let it drain out on the ground before you eat the meat. ²⁵ Do you want the Lord to make you successful? Do you want your children to be successful even after you are gone? Then do what pleases the Lord and don't eat blood.

^26-27 All sacrifices and offerings to the Lord must be taken to the place where he chooses to be worshiped. If you offer a sacrifice to please the Lord, all of its meat must be burned on the altar. You can eat the meat from certain kinds of sacrifices, but you must always pour out the animal's blood on the altar.

²⁸ If you obey these laws, you will be doing what the Lord your God says is right and good. Then he will help you and your descendants be successful.

Worship the Lord in the Right Way

Moses said:

²⁹ Israel, as you go into the land and attack the nations that are there, the Lord will get rid of them, and you can have their land.

³⁰ But that's when you must be especially careful not to ask, “How did those nations worship their gods? Shouldn't we worship the Lord in the same way?” ³¹ No, you should not! The Lord hates the disgusting way those nations worship their gods, because they even burn their sons and daughters as sacrifices.

^32 (K) Obey all the laws and teachings I am giving you. Don't add any, and don't take any away.

A Storm

(Matthew 8.23-27; Mark 4.35-41)

²² One day, Jesus and his disciples got into a boat, and he said, “Let's cross the lake.”^[a] They started out, ²³ and while they were sailing across, he went to sleep.

Suddenly a storm struck the lake, and the boat started sinking. They were in danger. ²⁴ So they went to Jesus and woke him up, “Master, Master! We are about to drown!”

Jesus got up and ordered the wind and waves to stop. They obeyed, and everything was calm. ²⁵ Then Jesus asked the disciples, “Don't you have any faith?”

But they were frightened and amazed. They said to each other, “Who is this? He can give orders to the wind and the waves, and they obey him!”

A Man with Demons in Him

(Matthew 8.28-34; Mark 5.1-20)

²⁶ Jesus and his disciples sailed across Lake Galilee and came to shore near the town of Gerasa.^{[b] 27} As Jesus was getting out of the boat, he was met by a man from this town. The man had demons in him. He had gone naked for a long time and no longer lived in a house, but in the graveyard.^[c]

²⁸ The man saw Jesus and screamed. He knelt down in front of him and shouted, “Jesus, Son of God Most High, what do you want with me? I beg you not to torture me!” ²⁹ He said this because Jesus had already told the evil spirit to go out of him.

The man had often been attacked by the demon. And even though he had been bound with chains and leg irons and kept under guard, he smashed whatever bound him. Then the demon would force him out into lonely places.

³⁰ Jesus asked the man, “What is your name?”

He answered, “My name is Lots.” He said this because there were “lots” of demons in him. ³¹ They begged Jesus not to send them to the deep pit,^[d] where they would be punished.

³² A large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside. So the demons begged Jesus to let them go into the pigs, and Jesus let them go. ³³ Then the demons left the man and went into the pigs. The whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and drowned.

³⁴ When the men taking care of the pigs saw this, they ran to spread the news in the town and on the farms. ³⁵ The people went out to see what had happened, and when they came to Jesus, they also found the man. The demons had gone out of him, and he was sitting there at the feet of Jesus. He had clothes on and was in his right mind. But the people were terrified.

³⁶ Then all who had seen the man healed told about it. ³⁷ Everyone from around Gerasa^[e] begged Jesus to leave, because they were so frightened.

When Jesus got into the boat to start back, ³⁸ the man who had been healed begged to go with him. But Jesus sent him off and said, ³⁹ “Go back home and tell everyone how much God has done for you.” The man then went all over town, telling everything that Jesus had done for him.

(By David for the music leader. To be used when an offering is made.)

God Is Wonderful

Why the Lord Will Help Israel

Moses said:

9 Israel, listen to me! You will soon cross the Jordan River and go into the land to force out the nations that live there. They are more powerful than you are, and the walls around their cities reach to the sky. ² Some of these nations are descendants of the Anakim.^[a] You know how tall and strong they are, and you've heard that no one can defeat them in battle. ³ But the Lord your God has promised to go ahead of you, like a raging fire burning everything in its path. So when you attack your enemies, it will be easy for you to destroy them and take their land.

^4-6 After the Lord helps you wipe out these nations and conquer their land, don't think he did it because you are such good people. You aren't good—you are stubborn! No, the Lord is going to help you, because the nations that live there are evil, and because he wants to keep the promise he made to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

When Israel Made an Idol

(Exodus 32)

Moses said to Israel:

⁷ Don't ever forget how you kept rebelling and making the Lord angry the whole time you were in the desert. You rebelled from the day you left Egypt until the day you arrived here.

⁸ At Mount Sinai^[b] you made the Lord so angry that he was going to destroy you. ^9-11 (A) It happened during those 40 days and nights that I was on the mountain, without anything to eat or drink. He had told me to come up there so he could give me the agreement he made with us. And this agreement was actually the same Ten Commandments^[c] he had announced to you when he spoke from the fire on the mountain. The Lord had written them on two flat stones with his own hand. But after giving me the two stones, ¹² he said:

Moses, hurry down the mountain to those people you led out of Egypt. They have already disobeyed me and committed the terrible sin of making an idol.

¹³ I've been watching the Israelites, and I've seen how stubborn and rebellious they are. ¹⁴ So don't try to stop me! I am going to wipe them out, and no one on earth will remember they ever lived. Then I will let your descendants become an even bigger and more powerful nation than Israel.

Moses said:

¹⁵ Fire was raging on the mountaintop as I went back down, carrying the two stones with the commandments on them. ¹⁶ I saw how quickly you had sinned and disobeyed the Lord your God. There you were, worshiping the metal idol you had made in the shape of a calf. ¹⁷ So I threw down the two stones and smashed them before your very eyes.

^18-20 I bowed down at the place of worship and prayed to the Lord, without eating or drinking for 40 days and nights. You had committed a terrible sin by making that idol, and the Lord hated what you had done. He was angry enough to destroy all of you and Aaron as well. So I prayed for you and Aaron as I had done before, and this time the Lord answered my prayers.^[d]

²¹ It was a sin for you to make that idol, so I threw it into the fire to melt it down. Then I took the lump of gold, ground it into powder, and threw the powder into the stream flowing down the mountain.

^22 (B) You also made the Lord angry when you were staying at Taberah,^[e] at Massah,^[f] and at Kibroth-Hattaavah.^{[g] 23 (C)} Then at Kadesh-Barnea the Lord said, “I am giving you the land, so go ahead and take it!” But since you didn't trust the Lord, you rebelled and disobeyed his command.^{[h] 24} In fact, you've rebelled against the Lord for as long as he has^[i] known you.

²⁵ After you had made the idol in the shape of a calf, the Lord said he was going to destroy you. So I lay face down in front of the Lord for 40 days and nights ²⁶ and prayed:

Our Lord, please don't wipe out your people. You used your great power to rescue them from Egypt and to make them your very own. ²⁷ Israel's ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob obeyed you faithfully. Think about them, and not about Israel's stubbornness, evil, and sin. ²⁸ If you destroy your people, the Egyptians will say, “The Lord promised to give Israel land, but he wasn't powerful enough to keep his promise. In fact, he hated them so much that he took them into the desert and killed them.” ²⁹ But you, our Lord, chose the people of Israel to be your own, and with your mighty power you rescued them from Egypt.

The Second Set of Commandments

(Exodus 34.1-10)

Moses said to the people:

10 The Lord told me to chisel out two flat stones, just like the ones he had given me earlier. He also commanded me to make a wooden chest, then come up the mountain and meet with him. ² He told me that he would write on the new stones the same words he had written on the ones I broke, and that I could put these stones in this sacred chest.

³ So I made a chest out of acacia wood, and I chiseled two flat stones like the ones I broke. Then I carried the stones up the mountain, ⁴ where the Lord wrote the Ten Commandments on them, just as he had done the first time. The commandments were exactly what he had announced from the fire, when you were gathered at the mountain.

After the Lord returned the stones to me, ⁵ I took them down the mountainside and put them in the chest, just as he had commanded. And they are still there.

Aaron Died

(Numbers 20.22-29)

Moses said to Israel:

^6 (D) Later we set up camp at the wells belonging to the descendants of Jaakan.^[j] Then we moved on and camped at Moserah, where Aaron died and was buried, and his son Eleazar became the priest. ⁷ Next, we camped at Gudgodah and then at Jotbathah, where there are flowing streams.

The Levites Were Appointed To Carry the Chest

Moses said to Israel:

^8 (E) After I put the two stones in the sacred chest,^[k] the Lord chose the tribe of Levi, not only to carry the chest, but also to serve as his priests at the place of worship and to bless the other tribes in his name. And they still do these things. ⁹ The Lord promised that he would always provide for the tribe of Levi, and that's why he won't give them any land, when he divides it among the other tribes.

The Lord Answered the Prayers of Moses

(Exodus 34.9,10,27-29)

Moses said to Israel:

^10 (F) When I had taken the second set of stones up the mountain, I spent 40 days and nights there, just as I had done before. Once again, the Lord answered my prayer and did not destroy you. ¹¹ Instead, he told me, “Moses, get ready to lead the people into the land that I promised their ancestors.”^[l]

What the Lord Wants

Moses said:

¹² People of Israel, what does the Lord your God want from you? The Lord wants you to respect and follow him, to love and serve him with all your heart and soul, ¹³ and to obey his laws and teachings that I am giving you today. Do this, and all will go well for you.

¹⁴ Everything belongs to the Lord your God, not only the earth and everything on it, but also the sky and the highest heavens. ¹⁵ Yet the Lord loved your ancestors and wanted them to belong to him. So he chose them and their descendants rather than any other nation, and today you are still his people.

¹⁶ Remember your agreement with the Lord and stop being so stubborn. ^17 (G) The Lord your God is more powerful than all other gods and lords, and his tremendous power is to be feared. His decisions are always fair, and you cannot bribe him to change his mind. ^18 (H) The Lord defends the rights of orphans and widows. He cares for foreigners and gives them food and clothing. ¹⁹ And you should also care for them, because you were foreigners in Egypt.

²⁰ Respect the Lord your God, be faithful, and serve only him, making promises in his name. ²¹ Offer your praises to him, because you have seen him work such terrifying miracles for you.

^22 (I) When your ancestors went to live in Egypt, there were only 70 of them. But the Lord has blessed you, and now there are more of you than there are stars in the sky.

A Story about a Farmer

(Matthew 13.1-9; Mark 4.1-9)

⁴ When a large crowd from several towns had gathered around Jesus, he told them this story:

⁵ A farmer went out to scatter seed in a field. While the farmer was doing this, some of the seeds fell along the road and were stepped on or eaten by birds. ⁶ Other seeds fell on rocky ground and started growing. But the plants did not have enough water and soon dried up. ⁷ Some other seeds fell where thornbushes grew up and choked the plants. ⁸ The rest of the seeds fell on good ground where they grew and produced a hundred times as many seeds.

When Jesus had finished speaking, he said, “If you have ears, pay attention!”

Why Jesus Used Stories

(Matthew 13.10-17; Mark 4.10-12)

⁹ Jesus' disciples asked him what the story meant. ^10 (A) So he answered:

I have explained the secrets about God's kingdom to you. But for others I use stories, so they will look, but not see, and they will hear, but not understand.

Jesus Explains the Story about a Farmer

(Matthew 13.18-23; Mark 4.13-20)

¹¹ This is what the story means: The seed is God's message, ¹² and the seeds that fell along the road are the people who hear the message. But the devil comes and snatches the message out of their hearts, so they will not believe and be saved. ¹³ The seeds that fell on rocky ground are the people who gladly hear the message and accept it. But they don't have deep roots, and they believe only for a little while. As soon as life gets hard, they give up.

¹⁴ The seeds that fell among the thornbushes are also people who hear the message. But they are so eager for riches and pleasures that they never produce anything. ¹⁵ Those seeds that fell on good ground are the people who listen to the message and keep it in good and honest hearts. They last and produce a harvest.

Light

(Mark 4.21-25)

^16 (B) No one lights a lamp and puts it under a bowl or under a bed. A lamp is always put on a lampstand, so people who come into a house will see the light. ^17 (C) There is nothing hidden that will not be found. There is no secret that will not be well known. ^18 (D) Pay attention to how you listen! Everyone who has something will be given more, but people who have nothing will lose what little they think they have.

Jesus' Mother and Brothers

(Matthew 12.46-50; Mark 3.31-35)

¹⁹ Jesus' mother and brothers went to see him, but because of the crowd they could not get near him. ²⁰ Someone told Jesus, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside and want to see you.”

²¹ Jesus answered, “My mother and my brothers are those people who hear and obey God's message.”

A Chosen People

7 “When the ^(A)Lord your God brings you into the land that you are entering to take possession of it, and clears away many nations before you, ^(B)the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations ^(C)more numerous and mightier than you, ^2 (D)and when the Lord your God gives them over to you, and you defeat them, then you must ^(E)devote them to complete destruction.^{[a] (F)}You shall make no covenant with them and show no mercy to them. ^3 (G)You shall not intermarry with them, giving your daughters to their sons or taking their daughters for your sons, ⁴ for they would turn away your sons from following me, to serve other gods. ^(H)Then the anger of the Lord would be kindled against you, and he would destroy you ^(I)quickly. ⁵ But thus shall you deal with them: ^(J)you shall break down their altars and dash in pieces their ^(K)pillars and chop down their ^(L)Asherim and ^(M)burn their carved images with fire.

⁶ “For ^(N)you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be ^(O)a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. ⁷ It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, ⁸ but ^(P)it is because the Lord loves you and is keeping ^(Q)the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. ⁹ Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, ^(R)the faithful God ^(S)who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations, ¹⁰ and ^(T)repays to their face those who hate him, by destroying them. ^(U)He will not be slack with one who hates him. He will repay him to his face. ^11 (V)You shall therefore be careful to do the commandment and the statutes and the rules that I command you today.

^12 (W)“And because you listen to these rules and keep and do them, the Lord your God will keep with you ^(X)the covenant and the steadfast love that he swore to your fathers. ¹³ He will ^(Y)love you, bless you, and multiply you. ^(Z)He will also bless the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground, your grain and your wine and your oil, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock, in the land that he swore to your fathers to give you. ¹⁴ You shall be blessed above all peoples. ^(AA)There shall not be male or female barren among you or among your livestock. ¹⁵ And the Lord will take away from you all sickness, and none of the evil ^(AB)diseases of Egypt, which you knew, will he inflict on you, but he will lay them on all who hate you. ¹⁶ And ^(AC)you shall consume all the peoples that the Lord your God will give over to you. ^(AD)Your eye shall not pity them, neither shall you serve their gods, for that would be ^(AE)a snare to you.

¹⁷ “If you say in your heart, ‘These nations are greater than I. How can I dispossess them?’ ^18 (AF)you shall not be afraid of them but you shall ^(AG)remember what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt, ¹⁹ the great trials that your eyes saw, ^(AH)the signs, the wonders, the mighty hand, and the outstretched arm, by which the Lord your God brought you out. So will the Lord your God do to all the peoples of whom you are afraid. ²⁰ Moreover, ^(AI)the Lord your God will send hornets among them, until those who are left and hide themselves from you are destroyed. ²¹ You shall not be in dread of them, for the Lord your God is ^(AJ)in your midst, ^(AK)a great and awesome God. ^22 (AL)The Lord your God will clear away these nations before you little by little. You may not make an end of them at once,^[b] lest the wild beasts grow too numerous for you. ^23 (AM)But the Lord your God will give them over to you and throw them into great confusion, until they are destroyed. ²⁴ And ^(AN)he will give their kings into your hand, and you shall ^(AO)make their name perish from under heaven. ^(AP)No one shall be able to stand against you until you have destroyed them. ²⁵ The carved images of their gods ^(AQ)you shall burn with fire. You ^(AR)shall not covet the silver or the gold that is on them or take it for yourselves, lest you be ^(AS)ensnared by it, for it is an abomination to the Lord your God. ²⁶ And you shall not bring an abominable thing into your house and become devoted to destruction^[c] like it. You shall utterly detest and abhor it, ^(AT)for it is devoted to destruction.

Remember the Lord Your God

8 “The whole commandment that I command you today ^(AU)you shall be careful to do, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land that the Lord swore to give to your fathers. ² And you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you ^(AV)these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, ^(AW)testing you ^(AX)to know what was in your heart, ^(AY)whether you would keep his commandments or not. ³ And he humbled you and ^(AZ)let you hunger and ^(BA)fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that ^(BB)man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word^[d] that comes from the mouth of the Lord. ^4 (BC)Your clothing did not wear out on you and your foot did not swell these forty years. ⁵ Know then in your heart that, ^(BD)as a man disciplines his son, the Lord your God disciplines you. ⁶ So you shall 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, ^(BE)a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, flowing out in the valleys and hills, ⁸ a land of wheat and barley, ^(BF)of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey, ⁹ a land in which you will eat bread without scarcity, in which you will lack nothing, a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills you can dig copper. ¹⁰ And you shall eat and be full, and you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land he has given you.

¹¹ “Take care lest you forget the Lord your God by not keeping his commandments and his rules and his statutes, which I command you today, ^12 (BG)lest, when you have eaten and are full and have built good houses and live in them, ¹³ and when your herds and flocks multiply and your silver and gold is multiplied and all that you have is multiplied, ^14 (BH)then your heart be lifted up, and you ^(BI)forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, ¹⁵ who ^(BJ)led you through the great and terrifying wilderness, ^(BK)with its fiery serpents and scorpions ^(BL)and thirsty ground where there was no water, ^(BM)who brought you water out of the flinty rock, ¹⁶ who fed you in the wilderness with ^(BN)manna that your fathers did not know, that he might humble you and test you, ^(BO)to do you good in the end. ¹⁷ Beware ^(BP)lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’ ¹⁸ You shall remember the Lord your God, for ^(BQ)it is he who gives you power to get wealth, ^(BR)that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day. ¹⁹ And if you forget the Lord your God and go after other gods and serve them and worship them, ^(BS)I solemnly warn you today that you shall surely perish. ²⁰ Like the nations that the Lord makes to perish before you, ^(BT)so shall you perish, because you would not obey the voice of the Lord your God.

A Sinful Woman Forgiven

^36 (A)One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee's house and reclined at table. ^37 (B)And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, ³⁸ and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and ^(C)wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment. ³⁹ Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If ^(D)this man were ^(E)a prophet, he ^(F)would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner.” ⁴⁰ And Jesus answering said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he answered, “Say it, Teacher.”

⁴¹ “A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred ^(G)denarii, and the other fifty. ^42 (H)When they could not pay, he ^(I)cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?” ⁴³ Simon answered, “The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt.” And he said to him, “You have judged rightly.” ⁴⁴ Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; ^(J)you gave me no water for my feet, but ^(K)she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. ^45 (L)You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to ^(M)kiss my feet. ^46 (N)You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. ⁴⁷ Therefore I tell you, her sins, ^(O)which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.” ⁴⁸ And he said to her, ^(P)“Your sins are forgiven.” ⁴⁹ Then those who were at table with him began to say among^[a] themselves, ^(Q)“Who is this, who even forgives sins?” ⁵⁰ And he said to the woman, ^(R)“Your faith has saved you; ^(S)go in peace.”

Women Accompanying Jesus

8 Soon afterward he went on ^(T)through cities and villages, proclaiming and ^(U)bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with him, ² and also ^(V)some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: ^(W)Mary, called Magdalene, ^(X)from whom seven demons had gone out, ³ and ^(Y)Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod's household manager, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them^[b] out of their means.

Save Me, O God

To the choirmaster: according to ^(A)Lilies. Of David.

The Ten Commandments

5 And Moses summoned all Israel and said to them, “Hear, O Israel, the statutes and the rules that I speak in your hearing today, and you shall learn them and be careful to do them. ^2 (A)The Lord our God made a covenant with us in Horeb. ^3 (B)Not with our fathers did the Lord make this covenant, but with us, who are all of us here alive today. ⁴ The Lord spoke with you ^(C)face to face at the mountain, out of the midst of the fire, ^5 (D)while I stood between the Lord and you at that time, to declare to you the word of the Lord. For ^(E)you were afraid because of the fire, and you did not go up into the mountain. He said:

^6 (F)“‘I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

⁷ “‘You shall have no other gods before^[a] me.

⁸ “‘You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. ⁹ You shall not bow down to them or serve them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, ¹⁰ but showing steadfast love to ^(G)thousands^[b] of those who love me and keep my commandments.

¹¹ “‘You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.

¹² “‘Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the Lord your God commanded you. ¹³ Six days you shall labor and do all your work, ¹⁴ but ^(H)the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter or your male servant or your female servant, or your ox or your donkey or any of your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates, ^(I)that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you. ^15 (J)You shall remember that you were a slave^[c] in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there ^(K)with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.

¹⁶ “‘Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God commanded you, ^(L)that your days may be long, and that it may go well with you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.

^17 (M)“‘You shall not murder.^[d]

^18 (N)“‘And you shall not commit adultery.

¹⁹ “‘And you shall not steal.

²⁰ “‘And you shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

²¹ “‘And you shall not covet your neighbor's wife. And you shall not desire your neighbor's house, his field, or his male servant, or his female servant, his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor's.’

²² “These words the Lord spoke to all your assembly ^(O)at the mountain out of the midst of the fire, the cloud, and the thick darkness, with a loud voice; and he added no more. And ^(P)he wrote them on two tablets of stone and gave them to me. ²³ And ^(Q)as soon as you heard the voice out of the midst of the darkness, while the mountain was burning with fire, you came near to me, all the heads of your tribes, and your elders. ²⁴ And you said, ‘Behold, the Lord our God has shown us his glory and ^(R)greatness, and ^(S)we have heard his voice out of the midst of the fire. This day we have seen God speak with man, and man ^(T)still live. ²⁵ Now therefore why should we die? For this great fire will consume us. ^(U)If we hear the voice of the Lord our God any more, we shall die. ^26 (V)For who is there of all flesh, that has heard the voice of the living God speaking out of the midst of fire as we have, and has still lived? ²⁷ Go near and hear all that the Lord our God will say, and ^(W)speak to us all that the Lord our God will speak to you, and we will hear and do it.’

²⁸ “And the Lord heard your words, when you spoke to me. And the Lord said to me, ‘I have heard the words of this people, which they have spoken to you. ^(X)They are right in all that they have spoken. ^29 (Y)Oh that they had such a heart as this always, to fear me and to keep all my commandments, ^(Z)that it might go well with them and with their descendants^[e] forever! ³⁰ Go and say to them, “Return to your tents.” ³¹ But you, stand here by me, and ^(AA)I will tell you the whole commandment and the statutes and the rules that you shall teach them, that they may do them in the land that I am giving them to possess.’ ³² You shall be careful therefore to do as the Lord your God has commanded you. ^(AB)You shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left. ^33 (AC)You shall walk in all the way that the Lord your God has commanded you, that you may live, and ^(AD)that it may go well with you, and that you may live long in the land that you shall possess.

The Greatest Commandment

6 “Now this is ^(AE)the commandment—the statutes and the rules^[f]—that the Lord your God commanded me to teach you, that you may do them in the land to which you are going over, to possess it, ² that ^(AF)you may fear the Lord your God, you and your son and your son's son, by keeping all his statutes and his commandments, which I command you, all the days of your life, and ^(AG)that your days may be long. ³ Hear therefore, O Israel, and be careful to do them, that it may go well with you, and that you may multiply greatly, ^(AH)as the Lord, the God of your fathers, has promised you, in a land flowing with milk and honey.

⁴ “Hear, O Israel: ^(AI)The Lord our God, the Lord is one.^{[g] 5} You ^(AJ)shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. ⁶ And ^(AK)these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. ^7 (AL)You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. ^8 (AM)You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. ^9 (AN)You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

¹⁰ “And when the Lord your God brings you into the land that he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give you—with great and good cities ^(AO)that you did not build, ¹¹ and houses full of all good things that you did not fill, and cisterns that you did not dig, and vineyards and olive trees that you did not plant—and when you eat and are full, ^12 (AP)then take care lest you forget the Lord, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. ¹³ It is ^(AQ)the Lord your God you shall fear. Him you shall serve and ^(AR)by his name you shall swear. ¹⁴ You shall not ^(AS)go after other gods, ^(AT)the gods of the peoples who are around you— ¹⁵ for ^(AU)the Lord your God in your midst ^(AV)is a jealous God—^(AW)lest the anger of the Lord your God be kindled against you, and he destroy you from off the face of the earth.

^16 (AX)“You shall not put the Lord your God to the test, ^(AY)as you tested him at Massah. ¹⁷ You shall ^(AZ)diligently keep the commandments of the Lord your God, and his testimonies and his statutes, which he has commanded you. ^18 (BA)And you shall do what is right and good in the sight of the Lord, that it may go well with you, and that you may go in and take possession of the good land that the Lord swore to give to your fathers ^19 (BB)by thrusting out all your enemies from before you, as the Lord has promised.

^20 (BC)“When your son asks you in time to come, ‘What is the meaning of the testimonies and the statutes and the rules that the Lord our God has commanded you?’ ²¹ then you shall say to your son, ^(BD)‘We were Pharaoh's slaves in Egypt. And the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand. ²² And ^(BE)the Lord showed signs and wonders, great and grievous, against Egypt and against Pharaoh and all his household, before our eyes. ²³ And he brought us out from there, that he might bring us in and give us the land that he swore to give to our fathers. ²⁴ And the Lord commanded us to do all these statutes, ^(BF)to fear the Lord our God, ^(BG)for our good always, that ^(BH)he might preserve us alive, as we are this day. ²⁵ And ^(BI)it will be righteousness for us, if we are careful to do all this commandment before the Lord our God, as he has commanded us.’

Jesus Raises a Widow's Son

¹¹ Soon afterward^[a] he went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a great crowd went with him. ¹² As he drew near to the gate of the town, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, ^(A)the only son of his mother, and she was a widow, and a considerable crowd from the town was with her. ¹³ And when the Lord saw her, ^(B)he had compassion on her and ^(C)said to her, “Do not weep.” ¹⁴ Then he came up and touched ^(D)the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, “Young man, I say to you, ^(E)arise.” ¹⁵ And the dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus^{[b] (F)}gave him to his mother. ¹⁶ Fear seized them all, and ^(G)they glorified God, saying, ^(H)“A great prophet has arisen among us!” and ^(I)“God has visited his people!” ¹⁷ And this report about him spread through the whole of Judea and all the surrounding country.

Messengers from John the Baptist

^18 (J)(K)The disciples of John reported all these things to him. And John, ¹⁹ calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to the Lord, saying, “Are you the one ^(L)who is to come, or ^(M)shall we look for another?” ²⁰ And when the men had come to him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to you, saying, ‘Are you the one ^(N)who is to come, or ^(O)shall we look for another?’” ²¹ In that hour ^(P)he healed many people of diseases and plagues and evil spirits, and ^(Q)on many who were blind he bestowed sight. ²² And he answered them, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: ^(R)the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, ^(S)lepers^[c] are cleansed, and ^(T)the deaf hear, ^(U)the dead are raised up, ^(V)the poor have good news preached to them. ²³ And blessed is the one who is ^(W)not offended by me.”

²⁴ When John's messengers had gone, Jesus^[d] began to speak to the crowds concerning John: “What did you go out ^(X)into the wilderness to see? ^(Y)A reed shaken by the wind? ²⁵ What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who are dressed in splendid clothing and live in luxury are in kings' courts. ²⁶ What then did you go out to see? ^(Z)A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. ²⁷ This is he of whom it is written,

²⁸ I tell you, among those born of women none is greater than John. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.” ²⁹ (^(AB)When all the people heard this, and ^(AC)the tax collectors too, they declared God just,^{[e] (AD)}having been baptized with ^(AE)the baptism of John, ^30 (AF)but the Pharisees and ^(AG)the lawyers ^(AH)rejected ^(AI)the purpose of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him.)

³¹ “To what then shall I compare the people of this generation, and what are they like? ³² They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another,

³³ For John the Baptist has come ^(AJ)eating no bread and ^(AK)drinking no wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ ³⁴ The Son of Man has come ^(AL)eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, ^(AM)a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ ³⁵ Yet ^(AN)wisdom is justified by all her children.”