Category: DAB Readings

Bodily Discharges from Men

15 The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, ² “Tell the Israelites: If a man has a discharge from his penis, his discharge is unclean. ³ He is unclean because of the discharge from his penis. Whether it is chronic or not makes no difference; he is still unclean.

⁴ “The man who has a discharge makes everything he lies on or sits on unclean. ⁵ Those who touch his bed must wash their clothes and their bodies. They will be unclean until evening. ⁶ Those who sit on anything he sat on must wash their clothes and their bodies. They will be unclean until evening. ⁷ Those who touch a man who has a discharge must wash their clothes and their bodies. They will be unclean until evening. ⁸ If a man who has a discharge spits on anyone who is clean, the person he spits on must wash his clothes and his body. He will be unclean until evening. ⁹ When a man who has a discharge sits on a saddle, it becomes unclean. ¹⁰ Those who carry such things must wash their clothes and their bodies. They will be unclean until evening. ¹¹ If a man who has a discharge touches anyone without first rinsing his hands, the person he touched must wash his clothes and his body. He will be unclean until evening. ¹² When a man who has a discharge touches pottery, it must be broken, and any wooden bucket he touches must be rinsed.

¹³ “When a man’s discharge stops, he must wait seven days to be cleansed. He must wash his clothes and his body in fresh water. Then he will be clean. ¹⁴ On the eighth day he must take two mourning doves or two pigeons and come into the Lord’s presence at the entrance to the tent of meeting. He will give these birds to the priest. ¹⁵ The priest will sacrifice one as an offering for sin and the other as a burnt offering. So in the Lord’s presence, the priest will make peace with the Lord for the man who had a discharge.

¹⁶ “If a man has an emission of semen, he must bathe his whole body. He will be unclean until evening. ¹⁷ Any clothes or any leather with semen on it must be washed. It will be unclean until evening.

¹⁸ “When a man has sexual intercourse with a woman and has an emission of semen, they must wash themselves. They will be unclean until evening.

Bodily Discharges from Women

¹⁹ “When a woman has her monthly period, she will be unclean for seven days. Those who touch her will be unclean until evening. ²⁰ Everything she lies on or sits on during her period will be unclean. ²¹ Those who touch her bed must wash their clothes and their bodies. They will be unclean until evening. ²² Those who touch anything she sits on must wash their clothes and their bodies. They will be unclean until evening. ²³ If her blood touches anything on the bed or anything she sits on, it will be unclean until evening. ²⁴ If a man has sexual intercourse with her while she has her period, he will be unclean for seven days. Any bed he lies on will become unclean.

²⁵ “If a woman has a discharge of blood for many days other than her monthly period, she is unclean. If her period lasts longer than usual, she will be unclean as long as she has a discharge. It is like her period. ²⁶ As long as she has a discharge, any bed she lies on or anything she sits on is unclean. It is like her period. ²⁷ Those who touch these things are unclean and must wash their clothes and their bodies. They will be unclean until evening.

²⁸ “When her discharge stops, she must wait seven days. After that, she will be clean. ²⁹ On the eighth day she must take two mourning doves or two pigeons and bring them to the priest at the entrance to the tent of meeting. ³⁰ The priest will offer one as an offering for sin and the other as a burnt offering. So in the Lord’s presence the priest will make peace with the Lord for the woman who had an unclean discharge.

³¹ “You must separate the Israelites from anything that keeps them from being presentable to me. Otherwise, they will die because they make my tent, which is among them, unclean.

³² “These are the instructions for any man who has a discharge or an emission of semen that makes him unclean, ³³ for any woman who has her period, for any man or woman who has a discharge, or for any man who has sexual intercourse with a woman when she is unclean.”

The Day for Making Peace with the Lord

16 The Lord spoke to Moses after Aaron’s two sons had come into the Lord’s presence and died. ² The Lord said, “Tell your brother Aaron that he cannot go into the holy place whenever he wants to. If he goes up to the canopy and stands in front of the throne of mercy on the ark, he will die, because I appear in the smoke above the throne of mercy.

³ “This is what Aaron must do in order to come into the holy place: He must take a bull as an offering for sin and a ram as a burnt offering. ⁴ He must put on a holy linen robe and wear linen undergarments. He must wear a linen belt and turban. These are holy clothes. He must wash his body and put them on. ⁵ He will take two male goats from the congregation of Israel as an offering for sin and a ram as a burnt offering.

⁶ “Aaron must sacrifice the bull as his own offering for sin. By doing this, he will make peace with the Lord for himself and his family. ⁷ He must take the two male goats and bring them into the Lord’s presence at the entrance to the tent of meeting. ⁸ Then Aaron must throw lots for the two goats. One lot will be for the Lord and the other for Azazel. ^{[a] 9} Aaron must sacrifice the goat chosen by lot for the Lord as an offering for sin. ¹⁰ But he must bring the goat chosen by lot for Azazel into the Lord’s presence. He will release it in the desert to Azazel in order to make peace with the Lord for himself and his family.

¹¹ “Aaron will bring the bull. He will then slaughter it as his own offering for sin. By doing this he will make peace with the Lord for himself and his family. ¹² He will take an incense burner full of burning coals from the altar, which is in the Lord’s presence, and two handfuls of finely ground, sweet-smelling incense. He will bring them up to the canopy. ¹³ Then he will put the incense on the fire in the Lord’s presence. The cloud of incense will cover the throne of mercy, which is over the words of God’s promise, so that he will not die. ¹⁴ He will take some of the bull’s blood and sprinkle it with his finger on the east side of the throne of mercy. Then he will sprinkle some of the blood with his finger seven times in front of the throne of mercy.

¹⁵ “Next, Aaron will slaughter the goat for the people’s offering for sin. He will take the blood inside, go up to the canopy, and sprinkle it on the throne of mercy and in front of it, as he did with the bull’s blood. ¹⁶ So he will make peace with the Lord for all the sins the Israelites committed against the holy place. These sins happened because the Israelites were unclean and because they committed rebellious acts. He will do the same for the tent of meeting which is among an unclean people. ¹⁷ No one may be in the tent of meeting from the time Aaron enters the holy place to do this until he comes out. Aaron will make peace with the Lord for his own sins, his family’s sins, and the sins of the entire assembly of Israel. ¹⁸ Then he will go out to the altar that is in the Lord’s presence and make peace with the Lord there for the sins committed. He will take some of the blood from the bull and some of the goat’s blood and put it all around the horns of the altar. ¹⁹ With his finger he will sprinkle some of the blood on it seven times. Because the Israelites made it unclean, he will cleanse it and declare it holy.

²⁰ “When he finishes making peace with the Lord at the holy place, the tent of meeting, and the altar, he will bring the living goat forward. ²¹ Aaron will place both hands on its head. He will confess over it all the sins, all the rebellious acts, and all the things the Israelites did wrong. He will transfer them to the goat’s head. A man will be appointed to release the goat in the desert. ²² The goat will take all their sins away to a deserted place. The man must release the goat in the desert.

²³ “Then Aaron will go to the tent of meeting, take off the linen clothes he had put on to go into the holy place, and leave them there. ²⁴ He will wash his body in the holy place and put on his other clothes. Then he will come out and sacrifice the burnt offering for himself and for the people to make peace with the Lord for his own sins and the sins of the people. ²⁵ He will burn the fat of the offering for sin on the altar.

²⁶ “The man who released the goat to Azazel must wash his clothes and his body. Then he may return to the camp. ²⁷ He must take the bull and the goat outside the camp. These animals were the offering for sin whose blood was brought into the holy place to make peace with the Lord for sins. The skin, meat, and excrement from the animals must be burned. ²⁸ Whoever burns them must wash his clothes and his body. Then he may return to the camp.

Jesus Challenges the Pharisees’ Traditions^(A)

7 The Pharisees and some experts in Moses’ Teachings who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus. ² They saw that some of his disciples were unclean^[a] because they ate without washing their hands.

³ (The Pharisees, like all other Jewish people, don’t eat unless they have properly washed their hands. They follow the traditions of their ancestors. ⁴ When they come from the marketplace, they don’t eat unless they have washed first. They have been taught to follow many other rules. For example, they must also wash their cups, jars, brass pots, and dinner tables.^[b])

⁵ The Pharisees and the experts in Moses’ Teachings asked Jesus, “Why don’t your disciples follow the traditions taught by our ancestors? They are unclean because they don’t wash their hands before they eat!”

⁶ Jesus told them, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites in Scripture:

⁸ “You abandon the commandments of God to follow human traditions.” ⁹ He added, “You have no trouble rejecting the commandments of God in order to keep your own traditions! ¹⁰ For example, Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’ and ‘Whoever curses father or mother must be put to death.’ ¹¹ But you say, ‘If a person tells his father or mother that whatever he might have used to help them is corban (that is, an offering to God), ¹² he no longer has to do anything for his father or mother.’ ¹³ Because of your traditions you have destroyed the authority of God’s word. And you do many other things like that.”

¹⁴ Then he called the crowd again and said to them, “Listen to me, all of you, and try to understand! ¹⁵ Nothing that goes into a person from the outside can make him unclean. It’s what comes out of a person that makes him unclean. ¹⁶ Let the person who has ears listen!”^[c]

¹⁷ When he had left the people and gone home, his disciples asked him about this illustration.

¹⁸ Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand? Don’t you know that whatever goes into a person from the outside can’t make him unclean? ¹⁹ It doesn’t go into his thoughts but into his stomach and then into a toilet.” (By saying this, Jesus declared all foods acceptable.) ²⁰ He continued, “It’s what comes out of a person that makes him unclean. ²¹ Evil thoughts, sexual sins, stealing, murder, ²² adultery, greed, wickedness, cheating, shameless lust, envy, cursing, arrogance, and foolishness come from within a person. ²³ All these evils come from within and make a person unclean.”

Cleansing after Skin Diseases

14 The Lord spoke to Moses, ² “These are the instructions for making a person clean after a skin disease. He must be taken to the priest. ³ The priest will go outside the camp and examine him. If the person is healed, ⁴ the priest will order someone to get two living, clean birds, some cedar wood, red yarn, and a hyssop sprig to use for the cleansing. ⁵ Then the priest will order someone to kill one bird over a clay bowl containing fresh water. ⁶ The priest will take the living bird, the cedar wood, the red yarn, and the hyssop sprig and dip them and the living bird in the blood of the bird that was killed over the fresh water. ⁷ He will sprinkle the blood seven times on the one to be cleansed and will declare that person clean. Then he will let the living bird fly away into the open country.

⁸ “The one to be cleansed must wash his clothes, shave off all his hair, and wash. Then he will be clean. After that he may go into the camp. However, for seven days he will live outside his tent. ⁹ On the seventh day he must shave off all the hair on his head, his beard, and his eyebrows, and he must wash his clothes and body. Then he will be clean.

¹⁰ “On the eighth day he must take two male lambs that have no defects and a one-year-old female lamb that has no defects. He must also take eight cups of flour mixed with olive oil for a grain offering along with a quart of olive oil. ¹¹ The priest who will declare him clean must bring the person and his offerings into the Lord’s presence at the entrance to the tent of meeting. ¹² The priest will take one of the male lambs and the quart of olive oil and present them to the Lord as a guilt offering. ¹³ He will slaughter the lamb in the holy place where he slaughters the offering for sin and the burnt offering. He will do this because the guilt offering, like the offering for sin, belongs to the priest. It is very holy. ¹⁴ Then the priest will take some of the blood from the guilt offering and put it on the right ear lobe, on the right thumb, and on the big toe of the right foot of the one to be cleansed. ¹⁵ The priest will also take some of the olive oil and pour it into his own left hand. ¹⁶ He will dip his right finger in the oil in his left hand, and with his finger sprinkle some of the oil seven times in the Lord’s presence. ¹⁷ The priest will put some of the oil that is still in his hand on the right ear lobe, on the right thumb, and on the big toe of the right foot of the one to be cleansed. These are the same places he had put the blood of the guilt offering. ¹⁸ The priest will put the rest of the oil in his hand on the head of the one to be cleansed. So he will make peace with the Lord for that person in the Lord’s presence. ¹⁹ The priest will also sacrifice the offering for sin to make peace with the Lord for the one who is being cleansed from his impurity. After that, he will slaughter the burnt offering. ²⁰ The priest will sacrifice the burnt offering and the grain offering on the altar. So the priest will make peace with the Lord for that person, and the person who had the skin disease will be clean.

Cleansing for a Poor Person after a Skin Disease

²¹ “But if the one to be cleansed is poor and cannot afford that much, he must take one male lamb, present it to make peace with the Lord for himself, and use it for his guilt offering. He will take only eight cups of flour mixed with olive oil as a grain offering, a quart of olive oil, ²² and two mourning doves or two pigeons (whatever he can afford). The one will be an offering for sin and the other a burnt offering. ²³ On the eighth day he will take them to the priest for his cleansing at the entrance to the tent of meeting in the Lord’s presence. ²⁴ The priest will take the lamb for the guilt offering and the quart of olive oil and present them to the Lord. ²⁵ He will slaughter the lamb as a guilt offering. Then the priest will take some of the blood of the guilt offering and put it on the right ear lobe, on the right thumb, and on the big toe of the right foot of the one to be cleansed. ²⁶ The priest will pour some of the olive oil into his own left hand. ²⁷ With his right finger he will sprinkle some of the oil seven times in the Lord’s presence. ²⁸ The priest will put some of the oil that is in his hand on the right ear lobe, on the right thumb, and on the big toe of the right foot of the one to be cleansed. These are the same places he had put the blood of the guilt offering. ²⁹ In the Lord’s presence, the priest will pour the rest of the oil in his hand on the head of the one to be cleansed in order to make a payment for him. ³⁰ Then the one to be cleansed must take one of the mourning doves or pigeons (whichever he can afford), ^{[a] 31} and sacrifice it as an offering for sin. He will take the other and sacrifice it as a burnt offering together with the grain offering. So in the Lord’s presence the priest will make peace with the Lord for the one who is being cleansed. ³² These are the instructions for one who has an infectious skin disease but cannot afford what is needed for his cleansing.”

Mildew in Houses

³³ The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, ³⁴ “When you come to Canaan that I am going to give to you, mildew may appear in a house. ³⁵ The owner of that house must come and tell the priest that there is something that looks like mildew in his house.

³⁶ “Before the priest examines the house, he will order everything taken out of it so that nothing in the house will become unclean. Then the priest will go inside to examine the house. ³⁷ He will examine the mildew area on the walls. If it is green and red in sunken areas that are deeper than the rest of the wall, ³⁸ the priest will go out to the door of the house and close up the house for seven days. ³⁹ On the seventh day the priest will go back and examine it again. If the mildew in the walls of the house has spread, ⁴⁰ the priest must order the stones that have the mildew to be torn out and thrown outside the city in an unclean place. ⁴¹ He must have the entire inside of the house scraped. The plaster dust scraped off the walls must be dumped in an unclean place outside the city. ⁴² The stones must be replaced, and the house must be plastered again. ⁴³ If the mildew develops again in the house after all this, ⁴⁴ the priest will examine it one more time. If it is a spreading type of mildew, the house is unclean. ⁴⁵ The house—stones, wood, and all the plaster—must be torn down and taken to an unclean place outside the city. ⁴⁶ Whoever goes into the house any time it is closed up will be unclean until evening. ⁴⁷ Whoever sleeps or eats in the house must wash his clothes. ⁴⁸ But if the priest comes and makes an examination and the mildew has not spread in the house after it is plastered again, the priest must declare the house clean. The mildew is gone.

⁴⁹ “The priest must take two birds, cedar wood, red yarn, and a hyssop sprig and use them to make the house clean. ⁵⁰ He must kill the one bird over a clay bowl containing fresh water. ⁵¹ He must take the cedar wood, the hyssop sprig, the red yarn, and the living bird and dip them in the fresh water containing the blood of the bird that was killed. He must sprinkle the house seven times. ⁵² So he must use the bird’s blood, the fresh water, the living bird, the cedar wood, the hyssop, and the red yarn to make the house clean. ⁵³ Then he will let the living bird fly from the city into the open country. He will make peace with the Lord for the house, and it will be clean.

⁵⁴ “These are the instructions for any kind of mildew or fungus ⁵⁵ that infects clothing or houses ⁵⁶ and for skin diseases where there is a sore, a rash, or an irritated area. ⁵⁷ These instructions for skin diseases and mildew help you distinguish between what is clean and what is unclean.”

Jesus Feeds Five Thousand^(A)

³⁰ The apostles gathered around Jesus. They reported to him everything they had done and taught. ³¹ So he said to them, “Let’s go to a place where we can be alone to rest for a while.” Many people were coming and going, and Jesus and the apostles didn’t even have a chance to eat.

³² So they went away in a boat to a place where they could be alone. ³³ But many people saw them leave and recognized them. The people ran from all the cities and arrived ahead of them. ³⁴ When Jesus got out of the boat, he saw a large crowd and felt sorry for them. They were like sheep without a shepherd. So he spent a lot of time teaching them.

³⁵ When it was late, his disciples came to him. They said, “No one lives around here, and it’s already late. ³⁶ Send the people to the closest farms and villages to buy themselves something to eat.”

³⁷ Jesus replied, “You give them something to eat.”

They said to him, “Should we go and spend about a year’s wages on bread to feed them?”

³⁸ He said to them, “How many loaves do you have? Go and see.”

When they found out, they told him, “Five loaves of bread and two fish.”

³⁹ Then he ordered all of them to sit down in groups on the green grass. ⁴⁰ They sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties.

⁴¹ After he took the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and blessed the food. He broke the loaves apart and kept giving them to the disciples to give to the people. He also gave pieces of the two fish to everyone. ⁴² All of them ate as much as they wanted. ⁴³ When they picked up the leftover pieces, they filled twelve baskets with bread and fish. ⁴⁴ There were 5,000 men who had eaten the bread.

Jesus Walks on the Sea^(B)

⁴⁵ Jesus quickly made his disciples get into a boat and cross to Bethsaida ahead of him while he sent the people away. ⁴⁶ After saying goodbye to them, he went up a mountain to pray. ⁴⁷ When evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea, and he was alone on the land.

⁴⁸ Jesus saw that they were in a lot of trouble as they rowed, because they were going against the wind. Between three and six o’clock in the morning, he came to them. He was walking on the sea. He wanted to pass by them. ⁴⁹ When they saw him walking on the sea, they thought, “It’s a ghost!” and they began to scream. ⁵⁰ All of them saw him and were terrified.

Immediately, he said, “Calm down! It’s me. Don’t be afraid!” ⁵¹ He got into the boat with them, and the wind stopped blowing. The disciples were astounded. ⁵² (They didn’t understand what had happened with the loaves of bread. Instead, their minds were closed.)

⁵³ They crossed the sea, came to shore at Gennesaret, and anchored there.

⁵⁴ As soon as they stepped out of the boat, the people recognized Jesus. ⁵⁵ They ran all over the countryside and began to carry the sick on cots to any place where they heard he was. ⁵⁶ Whenever he would go into villages, cities, or farms, people would put their sick in the marketplaces. They begged him to let them touch the edge of his clothes. Everyone who touched his clothes was made well.

Psalm 40

For the choir director; a psalm by David.

Skin Diseases

13 The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, ² “If anyone has a sore, a rash, or an irritated area on his skin that turns into an infectious skin disease, he must be taken to the priest Aaron or to one of his sons who are also priests. ³ The priest will examine the disease. If the hair in the diseased area has turned white, and the diseased area looks deeper than the rest of his skin, it is an infectious skin disease. When the priest has examined him, he must declare him unclean. ⁴ But if the irritated area is white and does not look deeper than the rest of the skin, and the hair has not turned white, the priest must put him in isolation for seven days. ⁵ On the seventh day the priest will examine him again. If the disease looks the same and has not spread, the priest must put him in isolation for another seven days. ⁶ On the seventh day the priest will examine him again. If the diseased area has faded and not spread, the priest must declare him clean. It is only a rash. The person must wash his clothes and will be clean. ⁷ But if the rash has spread after he has shown himself to the priest to be declared clean, he must show himself to the priest again. ⁸ The priest will examine him one more time, and if the rash has spread, the priest must declare him unclean. It is an infectious skin disease.

⁹ “If anyone has an infectious skin disease, he must be taken to the priest. ¹⁰ The priest will examine him. If there is a white sore that has turned the hair white, and if there is raw flesh in the sore, ¹¹ he has a chronic skin disease. Without putting him in isolation, the priest must declare him unclean because he is unclean. ¹² If skin disease develops and covers the whole person from head to foot (so far as the priest can see), ¹³ the priest will examine him. If the disease does cover his whole body, the priest must declare the diseased person clean. His body has turned white. The person is clean. ¹⁴ But if raw flesh appears, he will be unclean. ¹⁵ The priest will examine the raw flesh and declare him unclean. The raw flesh is unclean. It is an infectious skin disease. ¹⁶ But if the raw flesh turns white again, he must go to the priest. ¹⁷ The priest will examine him again, and if the diseased area has turned white, the priest must declare the diseased person clean. He is clean.

¹⁸ “If a boil on the skin has healed ¹⁹ and in its place there is a white sore or a pink area, it must be shown to the priest. ²⁰ The priest will examine it. If it looks deeper than the rest of the skin and its hair has turned white, the priest must declare the person unclean. An infectious skin disease has developed in the boil. ²¹ But if the priest examines the affected area and the hair in it is not white or the affected area is not deeper than the rest of the skin but has faded, the priest must put him in isolation for seven days. ²² If the area has spread, the priest must declare him unclean. It is a skin disease. ²³ But if the irritated area has not spread, it is a scar caused by the boil. The priest must declare him clean.

²⁴ “If anyone has a burn on his skin and the raw flesh of the burn turns into a pink or bright white area, ²⁵ the priest will examine it. If the hair on the affected area has turned white and the affected area looks deeper than the rest of the skin, an infectious skin disease has developed in the burn. The priest must declare him unclean. It is an infectious skin disease. ²⁶ But if the priest examines it and the hair in it is not white and the affected area is not deeper than the rest of the skin but has faded, the priest must put him in isolation for seven days. ²⁷ On the seventh day the priest will examine him again. If the area has spread, the priest must declare him unclean. It is an infectious skin disease. ²⁸ If the irritated area does not spread but has faded, it is only a sore caused by the burn. The priest must declare him clean, because it is a scar caused by the burn.

²⁹ “If a man or a woman has some disease on the head or chin, ³⁰ the priest will examine the disease. If it looks deeper than the rest of the skin and there is thin yellow hair on it, the priest must declare the person unclean. It is a scab, a disease on the head or the chin. ³¹ But if the priest examines the scabby disease and it does not look deeper than the rest of the skin and there is no black hair in it, the priest must put the person with the scabby disease in isolation for seven days. ³² On the seventh day the priest will examine the disease. If the scab has not spread, there is no yellow hair on it, and the scab does not look deeper than the rest of the skin, ³³ the person will shave everything except the scab. The priest will put the person with the scab in isolation for another seven days. ³⁴ On the seventh day the priest will examine the scab again. If the scab has not spread on the skin and does not look deeper than the rest of the skin, the priest must declare him clean. When he has washed his clothes, he will be clean. ³⁵ But if the scab spreads after the person has been declared clean, ³⁶ the priest will make another examination. If the scab has spread on the skin, the priest does not have to look for yellow hair. The person is unclean. ³⁷ But if he sees that the scab hasn’t spread and black hair grows on it, the scab is healed. The person is clean, so the priest must declare him clean.

³⁸ “If a man or a woman has white irritated areas of skin, ³⁹ the priest will make an examination. If the irritated areas on the skin are pale white, a rash has developed on the skin. The person is clean.

⁴⁰ “If a man loses his hair, he is clean, even though he is bald. ⁴¹ If he loses the hair on the front of his head, he is clean, even though he is bald on the forehead. ⁴² But if there is a pink patch on the bald places in back or in front, a skin disease is developing in those places. ⁴³ The priest will examine him. If the sore from the disease in the bald places in back or in front is pink like a skin disease somewhere else on the body, ⁴⁴ the man has come down with an infectious skin disease. He is unclean. The priest must declare him unclean because of the skin disease on his head.

⁴⁵ “People who come down with a skin disease must wear torn clothes and leave their hair uncombed. They must cover their upper lips and call out, ‘Unclean, unclean!’ ⁴⁶ As long as they have the skin disease, they are unclean. They must live outside the camp.

Mildew in Clothing or Leather Articles

⁴⁷ “Now about clothing—if there is a green or red area on a piece of clothing ⁴⁸ that is woven or knitted from linen or wool or on any leather article, ⁴⁹ it is mildew. It must be shown to the priest. ⁵⁰ The priest will examine the mildew and will put the clothing in a separate place for seven days. ⁵¹ On the seventh day he will examine the area again. If the spot is spreading, it is unclean. ⁵² He must burn the piece of clothing or the leather article because the mildew is growing. ⁵³ But if the priest sees that the area has not spread, ⁵⁴ he must order the area to be washed and put the clothing in a separate place for seven more days. ⁵⁵ The priest will examine the area again after it is washed. If it doesn’t look any different and the mildew has not spread, it is still unclean. It must be burned, whether the area is on the outside or the inside. ⁵⁶ If the priest sees that the area is pale after washing, he will tear it out of the clothing or the leather. ⁵⁷ However, if it shows up again, you must burn the clothing or the leather article. ⁵⁸ But if the area disappears from the woven or knitted clothing or any leather article when it is washed, wash it again, and it will be clean.

⁵⁹ “These are the instructions for deciding whether mildew in clothing that is woven or knitted from linen or wool or in any leather article is clean or unclean.”

Nazareth Rejects Jesus^(A)

6 Jesus left that place and went to his hometown. His disciples followed him. ² When the day of rest—a holy day came, he began to teach in the synagogue. He amazed many who heard him. They asked, “Where did this man get these ideas? Who gave him this kind of wisdom and the ability to do such great miracles? ³ Isn’t this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” So they took offense at him.

⁴ But Jesus told them, “The only place a prophet isn’t honored is in his hometown, among his relatives, and in his own house.” ⁵ He couldn’t work any miracles there except to lay his hands on a few sick people and cure them. ⁶ Their unbelief amazed him.

Jesus Sends Out the Twelve^(B)

Then Jesus went around to the villages and taught.

⁷ He called the twelve apostles, sent them out two by two, and gave them authority over evil spirits. ⁸ He instructed them to take nothing along on the trip except a walking stick. They were not to take any food, a traveling bag, or money in their pockets. ⁹ They could wear sandals but could not take along a change of clothes.

¹⁰ He told them, “Whenever you go into a home, stay there until you’re ready to leave that place. ¹¹ Wherever people don’t welcome you or listen to you, leave and shake the dust from your feet as a warning to them.”

¹² So the apostles went and told people that they should turn to God and change the way they think and act. ¹³ They also forced many demons out of people and poured oil on many who were sick to cure them.

Recalling John’s Death^(C)

¹⁴ King Herod heard about Jesus, because Jesus’ name had become well-known. Some people were saying, “John the Baptizer has come back to life. That’s why he has the power to perform these miracles.” ¹⁵ Others said, “He is Elijah.” Still others said, “He is a prophet like one of the other prophets.” ¹⁶ But when Herod heard about it, he said, “I had John’s head cut off, and he has come back to life!”

¹⁷ Herod had sent men who had arrested John, tied him up, and put him in prison. Herod did that for Herodias, whom he had married. (She used to be his brother Philip’s wife.) ¹⁸ John had been telling Herod, “It’s not right for you to be married to your brother’s wife.”

¹⁹ So Herodias held a grudge against John and wanted to kill him. But she wasn’t allowed to do it ²⁰ because Herod was afraid of John. Herod knew that John was a fair and holy man, so he protected him. When he listened to John, he would become very disturbed, and yet he liked to listen to him.

²¹ An opportunity finally came on Herod’s birthday. Herod gave a dinner for his top officials, army officers, and the most important people of Galilee. ²² His daughter, that is, Herodias’ daughter, came in and danced. Herod and his guests were delighted with her. The king told the girl, “Ask me for anything you want, and I’ll give it to you.” ²³ He swore an oath to her: “I’ll give you anything you ask for, up to half of my kingdom.”

²⁴ So she went out and asked her mother, “What should I ask for?”

Her mother said, “Ask for the head of John the Baptizer.”

²⁵ So the girl hurried back to the king with her request. She said, “I want you to give me the head of John the Baptizer on a platter at once.”

²⁶ The king deeply regretted his promise. But because of his oath and his guests, he didn’t want to refuse her. ²⁷ Immediately, the king sent a guard and ordered him to bring John’s head. The guard cut off John’s head in prison. ²⁸ Then he brought the head on a platter and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother.

²⁹ When John’s disciples heard about this, they came for his body and laid it in a tomb.

Psalm 39

For the choir director; for Jeduthun; a psalm by David.

Laws about Animals the Israelites May and May Not Eat^(A)

11 The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, ² “Tell the Israelites: Here are the kinds of land animals you may eat: ³ all animals that have completely divided hoofs and that also chew their cud. ⁴ However, from those that either chew their cud or have divided hoofs, these are the kinds you must never eat: You must never eat camels. (Camels are unclean because they chew their cud but do not have divided hoofs.) ⁵ You must never eat rock badgers. (Rock badgers are unclean because they chew their cud but do not have divided hoofs.) ⁶ You must never eat rabbits. (Rabbits are unclean because they chew their cud but do not have divided hoofs.) ⁷ You must never eat pigs. (Because pigs have completely divided hoofs but do not chew their cud, they are also unclean.) ⁸ Never eat the meat of these animals or touch their dead bodies. They are unclean for you.

⁹ “Here are the kinds of creatures that live in the water which you may eat—anything in the seas and streams that has fins and scales. ¹⁰ However, you must consider all swarming creatures living in the seas or the streams that have no fins or scales disgusting. ¹¹ They must remain disgusting to you. Never eat their meat. Consider their dead bodies disgusting. ¹² Every creature in the water without fins or scales is disgusting to you.

¹³ “Here are the kinds of birds you must consider disgusting and must not eat. They are eagles, bearded vultures, black vultures, ¹⁴ kites, all types of buzzards, ¹⁵ all types of crows, ¹⁶ ostriches, nighthawks, seagulls, all types of falcons, ¹⁷ little owls, cormorants, great owls, ¹⁸ barn owls, pelicans, ospreys, ¹⁹ storks, all types of herons, hoopoes, and bats.

²⁰ “Every swarming, winged insect that walks across the ground like a four-legged animal is disgusting to you. ²¹ However, you may eat winged insects that swarm if they use their legs to hop on the ground. ²² You may eat any kind of locust, cricket, katydid, or grasshopper. ²³ Every kind of winged insect that walks across the ground like a four-legged animal is disgusting to you.

²⁴ “Regarding the creatures mentioned above, this is how you would become unclean: Whoever touches their dead bodies will be unclean until evening. ²⁵ Whoever carries any part of their dead bodies must wash his clothes. He will be unclean until evening. ²⁶ All animals whose hoofs are not completely divided or that don’t chew their cud are unclean for you. Whoever touches them is unclean. ²⁷ All four-legged animals that walk on their paws are unclean for you. Whoever touches their dead bodies will be unclean until evening. ²⁸ Those who carry the dead body of any of these animals must wash their clothes and will be unclean until evening. These animals are unclean for you.

²⁹ “The following swarming creatures that move on the ground are unclean for you—moles, mice, and all types of lizards: ³⁰ geckos, monitors, lizards, skinks, and chameleons. ³¹ Among all the swarming creatures that move on the ground, these are unclean for you. Whoever touches their dead bodies will be unclean until evening. ³² When the dead body of one of these creatures falls on something, that thing will be unclean. It may be a wooden article, clothing, leather, a sack, or anything used for any purpose. It should be put in water and will be unclean until evening. Then it will be clean again.

³³ “If any of these creatures falls into a piece of pottery, break the pottery because everything in it is unclean. ³⁴ If water from that pottery touches any food, the food is unclean. Any liquid that you drink from that pottery is unclean. ³⁵ Anything on which their dead bodies fall is unclean. If it is an oven or a stove, smash it. It is unclean and will remain unclean for you. ³⁶ However, a spring or a cistern holding water will remain clean. But anyone who touches their dead bodies will be unclean. ³⁷ If their dead bodies fall on seed that is to be planted, the seed is clean. ³⁸ But if water is poured on the seed and their dead bodies fall on it, the seed is unclean for you.

³⁹ “When any animal that you are allowed to eat dies, whoever touches its dead body will be unclean until evening. ⁴⁰ Those who eat any of its dead body must wash their clothes and will be unclean until evening. Those who carry its dead body away will wash their clothes and will be unclean until evening.

⁴¹ “Any creature that swarms on the ground is disgusting and must not be eaten. ⁴² Don’t eat any creature with many legs that goes on its belly or on the ground like a four-legged animal, or any creature that swarms on the ground. Consider them disgusting. ⁴³ Don’t become disgusting by eating anything that swarms on the ground. Never allow yourselves to become unclean because of them.

⁴⁴ “Here is the reason: I am the Lord your God. You must live holy lives. Be holy because I am holy. Never become unclean by touching anything that swarms or crawls on the ground. ⁴⁵ Here is the reason again: I am the Lord. I brought you out of Egypt to be your God. Be holy because I am holy.

⁴⁶ “These are the instructions about animals, birds, and every living creature that swims in the water and every creature that swarms on the ground. ⁴⁷ These instructions help you distinguish between clean and unclean, the animals you may eat and those you may not eat.”

Instructions for Women after Childbirth

12 The Lord spoke to Moses, ² “Tell the Israelites: When a woman gives birth to a boy, she will be unclean for seven days. This is the same number of days she is unclean for her monthly period. ³ The boy must be circumcised when he is eight days old. ⁴ Then she must stay at home for 33 days in order to be made clean from her bleeding. She must not touch anything holy or go into the holy place until the days needed to make her clean are over.

⁵ “When a woman gives birth to a girl, she will be unclean as in her monthly period. However, she will be unclean for two weeks. Then she must stay at home for 66 days in order to be made clean from her bleeding.

⁶ “When the days needed to make her clean are over, she must bring a one-year-old lamb for a burnt offering and a pigeon or a mourning dove as an offering for sin. She must bring them to the priest at the entrance to the tent of meeting. ⁷ The priest will offer them in the Lord’s presence to make peace with the Lord for her. Then she will be clean from her flow of blood.

“These are the instructions for the woman who gives birth to a boy or a girl. ⁸ If she cannot afford a lamb, she must use two mourning doves or two pigeons. One will be the burnt offering and the other the offering for sin. So the priest will make peace with the Lord for her, and she will be clean.”

Jairus’ Daughter and a Woman with Chronic Bleeding^(A)

²¹ Jesus again crossed to the other side of the Sea of Galilee in a boat. A large crowd gathered around him by the seashore.

²² A synagogue leader named Jairus also arrived. When he saw Jesus, he quickly bowed down in front of him. ²³ He begged Jesus, “My little daughter is dying. Come, lay your hands on her so that she may get well and live.”

²⁴ Jesus went with the man. A huge crowd followed Jesus and pressed him on every side.

²⁵ In the crowd was a woman who had been suffering from chronic bleeding for twelve years. ²⁶ Although she had been under the care of many doctors and had spent all her money, she had not been helped at all. Actually, she had become worse. ²⁷ Since she had heard about Jesus, she came from behind in the crowd and touched his clothes. ²⁸ She said, “If I can just touch his clothes, I’ll get well.” ²⁹ Her bleeding stopped immediately. She felt cured from her illness.

³⁰ At that moment Jesus felt power had gone out of him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?”

³¹ His disciples said to him, “How can you ask, ‘Who touched me,’ when you see the crowd pressing you on all sides?”

³² But he kept looking around to see the woman who had done this. ³³ The woman trembled with fear. She knew what had happened to her. So she quickly bowed in front of him and told him the whole truth.

³⁴ Jesus told her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace! Be cured from your illness.”

³⁵ While Jesus was still speaking to her, some people came from the synagogue leader’s home. They told the synagogue leader, “Your daughter has died. Why bother the teacher anymore?”

³⁶ When Jesus overheard what they said, he told the synagogue leader, “Don’t be afraid! Just believe.”

³⁷ Jesus allowed no one to go with him except Peter and the two brothers James and John. ³⁸ When they came to the home of the synagogue leader, Jesus saw a noisy crowd there. People were crying and sobbing loudly. ³⁹ When he came into the house, he asked them, “Why are you making so much noise and crying? The child isn’t dead. She’s just sleeping.”

⁴⁰ They laughed at him. So he made all of them go outside. Then he took the child’s father, mother, and his three disciples and went to the child. ⁴¹ Jesus took the child’s hand and said to her, “Talitha, koum!” which means, “Little girl, I’m telling you to get up!”

⁴² The girl got up at once and started to walk. (She was twelve years old.) They were astonished.

⁴³ Jesus ordered them not to let anyone know about this. He also told them to give the little girl something to eat.

Psalm 38

A psalm by David; to be kept in mind.^[a]

Proverbs Concerning the Mouth

⁷ Moses told Aaron, “Come to the altar and sacrifice an offering for sin and a burnt offering to make peace with the Lord for your sins and the sins of the people. Also make an offering for the people, to make peace with the Lord for them as the Lord commanded.”

⁸ Aaron came to the altar and slaughtered the calf as his own offering for sin. ⁹ Aaron’s sons brought him the blood. He dipped his finger in the blood and put it on the horns of the altar. Then he poured out the blood at the bottom of the altar. ¹⁰ On the altar he burned the fat, kidneys, and lobe of the liver from the offering for sin as the Lord had commanded Moses. ¹¹ He burned the meat and the skin outside the camp.

¹² He slaughtered the animal for the burnt offering. Aaron’s sons gave him the blood, and he threw it against the altar on all sides. ¹³ They also gave him the burnt offering, which was cut in pieces and included the head. He burned it on the altar. ¹⁴ He washed the internal organs and the legs and laid them on top of the burnt offering on the altar.

¹⁵ He brought the people’s offerings. He took the male goat for the people’s offering for sin and slaughtered it. He sacrificed it to take away sins as he had done before. ¹⁶ Following the proper procedures, he brought forward the burnt offering and sacrificed it. ¹⁷ He also brought the grain offering. He took a handful of grain and burned it on the altar in addition to the morning burnt offering. ¹⁸ He slaughtered the bull and the ram for the people’s fellowship offering. Aaron’s sons gave him the blood, which he threw against the altar on all sides. ¹⁹ However, the fat from the bull and the ram (the fat from the tail, the layer of fat, the kidneys, and the lobe of the liver) ²⁰ they placed on the breasts. Aaron burned them all on the altar. ²¹ However, he first took the breasts and the right thighs and presented them to the Lord as Moses commanded.

²² Then Aaron raised his hands toward the people and blessed them. He sacrificed the offering for sin, the burnt offering, and the fellowship offering. Then he came down from the altar. ²³ Moses and Aaron went into the tent of meeting. When they came out, they blessed the people. Then the Lord’s glory appeared to all the people. ²⁴ Fire came out from the Lord’s presence and consumed the burnt offering and the pieces of fat on the altar. When all the people saw this, they shouted and bowed with their faces touching the ground.

Improper Conduct for Priests

10 Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu each took an incense burner and put burning coals and incense in it. Then in the Lord’s presence they offered this unauthorized fire. ² A fire flashed from the Lord and burned them, and they died in the presence of the Lord.

³ Moses said to Aaron, “This is exactly what the Lord said:

Aaron was speechless.

⁴ Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Aaron’s uncle, Uzziel. He told them, “Come and take your relatives away from in front of the holy place. Take them outside the camp.” ⁵ So they came and took them away to a place outside the camp, as Moses told them. The dead men were still in their linen robes.

⁶ Moses told Aaron and his sons Eleazar and Ithamar: “Do not mourn by leaving your hair uncombed or tearing your clothes. If you do, you will die and the Lord will become angry with the whole congregation. All the other Israelites may cry over the fire the Lord sent, but you may not. ⁷ You must not leave the entrance to the tent of meeting or else you, too, will die, because the Lord has anointed you with his oil.” They obeyed Moses.

Proper Conduct for Priests

⁸ The Lord spoke to Aaron, ⁹ “You and your sons must not drink any wine or liquor when you go into the tent of meeting, or you will die. This is a permanent law for generations to come. ¹⁰ Teach them the difference between what is holy and what is unholy, what is clean and what is unclean. ^{[a] 11} Also teach the Israelites all the laws that I gave them through Moses.”

¹² Moses told Aaron and his surviving sons Eleazar and Ithamar, “Take the grain offering left over from the offering by fire to the Lord. Make unleavened bread, and eat it next to the altar because it is very holy. ¹³ Eat it in a holy place because it is the part of the offering by fire to the Lord that belongs to you and your children. That is the command I received. ¹⁴ Also eat the breast presented to the Lord and the thigh that was given as a contribution. You and your sons and daughters may eat them in a clean place because they are your part of the fellowship offerings from the Israelites. ¹⁵ They will bring the thigh given as a contribution, the breast presented to the Lord, and the fat that is to be burned and present them to the Lord. These parts will belong to you and your children. This will be a permanent law, as the Lord has commanded.”

Eleazar and Ithamar Sacrifice the Offering for Sin

¹⁶ Moses tried to find out what had happened to the male goat that was supposed to be the offering for sin. To his surprise, it had already been burned. So he became angry with Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s surviving sons. ¹⁷ He asked them, “Why didn’t you eat the offering for sin in the holy place? It is very holy and was given to you to take away the sins of the congregation and to make peace with the Lord for them. ¹⁸ Since its blood was not brought inside the holy place, you certainly should have eaten it there, as I commanded.”

¹⁹ Aaron answered Moses, “Today they sacrificed their offering for sin and their burnt offering in the Lord’s presence, and look what happened to me. If I had eaten the offering for sin today, would the Lord have approved?”

²⁰ When Moses heard this, he was satisfied.

A Story about Seeds That Grow

²⁶ Jesus said, “The kingdom of God is like a man who scatters seeds on the ground. ²⁷ He sleeps at night and is awake during the day. The seeds sprout and grow, although the man doesn’t know how. ²⁸ The ground produces grain by itself. First the green blade appears, then the head, then the head full of grain. ²⁹ As soon as the grain is ready, he cuts it with a sickle, because harvest time has come.”

A Story about a Mustard Seed^(A)

³⁰ Jesus asked, “How can we show what God’s kingdom is like? To what can we compare it? ³¹ It’s like a mustard seed planted in the ground. The mustard seed is one of the smallest seeds on earth. ³² However, when planted, it comes up and becomes taller than all the garden plants. It grows such large branches that birds can nest in its shade.”

³³ Jesus spoke God’s word to them using many illustrations like these. In this way people could understand what he taught. ³⁴ He did not speak to them without using an illustration. But when he was alone with his disciples, he explained everything to them.

Jesus Calms the Sea^(B)

³⁵ That evening, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s cross to the other side.”

³⁶ Leaving the crowd, they took Jesus along in a boat just as he was. Other boats were with him.

³⁷ A violent windstorm came up. The waves were breaking into the boat so that it was quickly filling up. ³⁸ But he was sleeping on a cushion in the back of the boat.

So they woke him up and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to die?”

³⁹ Then he got up, ordered the wind to stop, and said to the sea, “Be still, absolutely still!” The wind stopped blowing, and the sea became very calm.

⁴⁰ He asked them, “Why are you such cowards? Don’t you have any faith yet?”

⁴¹ They were overcome with fear and asked each other, “Who is this man? Even the wind and the sea obey him!”

Jesus Cures a Demon-Possessed Man^(C)

5 They arrived in the territory of the Gerasenes on the other side of the Sea of Galilee. ² As Jesus stepped out of the boat, a man came out of the tombs and met him. The man was controlled by an evil spirit ³ and lived among the tombs. No one could restrain him any longer, not even with a chain. ⁴ He had often been chained hand and foot. However, he snapped the chains off his hands and broke the chains from his feet. No one could control him. ⁵ Night and day he was among the tombs and on the mountainsides screaming and cutting himself with stones.

⁶ The man saw Jesus at a distance. So he ran to Jesus, bowed down in front of him, ⁷ and shouted, “Why are you bothering me now, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? Swear to God that you won’t torture me.” ⁸ He shouted this because Jesus said, “You evil spirit, come out of the man.”

⁹ Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”

He told Jesus, “My name is Legion [Six Thousand], because there are many of us.” ¹⁰ He begged Jesus not to send them out of the territory.

¹¹ A large herd of pigs was feeding on a mountainside nearby. ¹² The demons begged him, “Send us into the pigs! Let us enter them!”

¹³ Jesus let them do this. The evil spirits came out of the man and went into the pigs. The herd of about two thousand pigs rushed down the cliff into the sea and drowned.

¹⁴ Those who took care of the pigs ran away. In the city and countryside they reported everything that had happened. So the people came to see what had happened. ¹⁵ They came to Jesus and saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons. The man was sitting there dressed and in his right mind. The people were frightened. ¹⁶ Those who saw this told what had happened to the demon-possessed man and the pigs. ¹⁷ Then the people began to beg Jesus to leave their territory.

¹⁸ As Jesus stepped into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged him, “Let me stay with you.” ¹⁹ But Jesus would not allow it. Instead, he told the man, “Go home to your family, and tell them how much the Lord has done for you and how merciful he has been to you.”

²⁰ So the man left. He began to tell how much Jesus had done for him in the Ten Cities.^[a] Everyone was amazed.

Dividing the Fellowship Offering between the People and the Priests

²⁸ The Lord spoke to Moses, ²⁹ “Tell the Israelites: Anyone who offers the Lord a fellowship offering must bring a part of that sacrifice as a gift to the Lord. ³⁰ Bring the sacrifices by fire made to the Lord yourself. Bring the fat with the breast. Take the breast and present it to the Lord.

³¹ “The priest will burn the fat on the altar. However, the breast will belong to Aaron and his sons. ³² You will also give the priest the right thigh as a contribution. ³³ When any of Aaron’s sons offer the blood and fat of the fellowship offering, the right thigh will belong to him as his share. ³⁴ From the fellowship offerings of the Israelites, I have taken the breast that was presented to me and the thigh from the contribution offering. I have given them to the priest Aaron and his sons. This is a permanent law for generations to come.

³⁵ “This is the share for Aaron and his sons from the sacrifices by fire made to the Lord. It was given to them on the day Moses ordained them to serve the Lord as priests. ³⁶ The Lord commanded the Israelites to give it to them on the day he anointed them. This is a permanent law for generations to come.”

Summary of Offerings

³⁷ These are the instructions for the burnt offering, the grain offering, the offering for sin, the guilt offering, the ordination offering, and the fellowship offering. ³⁸ On Mount Sinai the Lord gave Moses commands about these offerings at the same time that he commanded the Israelites to bring their offerings to him in the Sinai Desert.

Aaron and His Sons Made Priests^(A)

8 The Lord spoke to Moses, ² “Take Aaron and his sons, the priests’ clothes, the anointing oil, the bull that will be the offering for sin, the two rams, and the basket of unleavened bread. ³ Gather the whole congregation at the entrance to the tent of meeting.”

⁴ Moses did as the Lord commanded him, and the congregation gathered at the entrance to the tent of meeting. ⁵ Moses told the congregation, “The Lord has commanded that this is what you must do.”

⁶ Moses had Aaron and his sons come forward, and he washed them. ⁷ He put the linen robe on Aaron and fastened the belt around him. He also dressed him in the robe that is worn with the ephod.^[a] He fastened the ephod to it. ⁸ Then he put the breastplate on him, and into it he placed the Urim and Thummim. ^{[b] 9} He put the turban on him and fastened the gold medallion (the holy crown) to the front of the turban as the Lord had commanded Moses.

¹⁰ Moses took the anointing oil to anoint the tent and everything in it and dedicate them. ¹¹ He sprinkled some of the oil on the altar seven times and anointed the altar, all the utensils, and the basin with its stand to dedicate them.

¹² He also poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron’s head and anointed him to set him apart for his holy duties.

¹³ Moses had Aaron’s sons come forward. He put linen robes on them, fastened their belts around them, and put turbans on them as the Lord had commanded Moses.

¹⁴ He brought the bull that was the offering for sin. Aaron and his sons placed their hands on its head. ¹⁵ When it was slaughtered, Moses took the blood and put it on the horns of the altar all around with his finger and cleansed the altar from sins. He poured the rest of the blood at the bottom of the altar and declared it holy so that priests could use it to make peace with the Lord. ¹⁶ Moses took all the fat that was on the internal organs, the lobe of the liver, and the two kidneys with their fat, and he burned them on the altar. ¹⁷ He burned the rest of the bull, its skin, meat, and excrement outside the camp, as the Lord commanded him.

¹⁸ He brought forward the ram for the burnt offering. Aaron and his sons placed their hands on the ram’s head. ¹⁹ Moses slaughtered it and threw the blood against the altar on all sides. ²⁰ When the ram was cut into pieces, Moses burned the head with the other pieces and the fat. ²¹ He washed the internal organs and the legs. Then Moses burned the whole ram on the altar as the Lord commanded him. It was a burnt offering, a soothing aroma, an offering by fire to the Lord.

²² He brought forward the second ram for the ordination offering. Aaron and his sons placed their hands on the ram’s head. ²³ Moses slaughtered it, took some of the blood, and put it on Aaron’s right ear lobe, on his right thumb, and on the big toe of his right foot. ²⁴ Moses also brought Aaron’s sons forward. He put some of the blood on their right ear lobes, on their right thumbs, and on the big toes of their right feet. Moses threw the rest of the blood against all the sides of the altar. ²⁵ He took the fat, the fat from the tail, all the fat on the internal organs, the lobe of the liver, the two kidneys with their fat, and the right thigh. ²⁶ He took a loaf of unleavened bread, a ring of bread made with olive oil, and a wafer from the basket of unleavened bread which was in the Lord’s presence. He put them on the fat and the right thigh. ²⁷ Then he placed all these things in the hands of Aaron and his sons. Moses presented all these things to the Lord as an offering. ²⁸ Then he took them from their hands and burned them on top of the burnt offering on the altar. These were ordination offerings, offerings by fire, a soothing aroma to the Lord. ²⁹ Moses also took the breast from the ram of the ordination offering and presented it to the Lord. It was Moses’ share, as the Lord had commanded.

³⁰ Moses took some of the anointing oil and some of the blood that was on the altar, sprinkled it on Aaron and his clothes and on his sons and their clothes. In this way he dedicated Aaron, his clothes, his sons, and their clothes.

³¹ Moses told Aaron and his sons: “Cook the meat at the entrance to the tent of meeting. Take the meat and the bread in the basket of the ordination offering. Eat them there as I commanded when I said, ‘Aaron and his sons will eat it.’ ³² You must burn any meat or bread that is left over. ³³ You will not leave the entrance to the tent of meeting for seven days, not until the last day of your ordination is over. It will take seven days to ordain you. ³⁴ I did today what the Lord commanded me to make peace with the Lord for you. ³⁵ You will stay at the entrance to the tent of meeting day and night for seven days and serve as the Lord tells you. Then you will not die. This is what I was commanded.”

³⁶ So Aaron and his sons did everything the Lord commanded through Moses.

Aaron’s First Sacrifices

9 On the eighth day Moses summoned Aaron and his sons and the leaders of Israel. ² He told Aaron, “Take a calf that has no defects for yourself as an offering for sin and a ram that has no defects as a burnt offering. Sacrifice them in the Lord’s presence. ³ Also tell the Israelites: ‘Take a male goat as an offering for sin, a calf and a lamb (each one year old and without defects) as a burnt offering, ⁴ a bull and a ram as a fellowship offering, and a grain offering mixed with olive oil to sacrifice in the Lord’s presence. The Lord will appear to you today.’”

⁵ So they took the things Moses commanded and brought them in front of the tent of meeting. The whole congregation came and stood in the Lord’s presence.

⁶ Moses said, “The Lord has commanded you to offer these sacrifices so that you may see the Lord’s glory.”

The True Family of Jesus^(A)

³¹ Then his mother and his brothers arrived. They stood outside and sent someone to ask him to come out. ³² The crowd sitting around Jesus told him, “Your mother and your brothers are outside looking for you.”

³³ He replied to them, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” ³⁴ Then looking at those who sat in a circle around him, he said, “Look, here are my mother and my brothers. ³⁵ Whoever does what God wants is my brother and sister and mother.”

A Story about a Farmer^(B)

4 Jesus began to teach again by the Sea of Galilee. A very large crowd gathered around him, so he got into a boat and sat in it. The boat was in the water while the entire crowd lined the shore. ² He used stories as illustrations to teach them many things.

While he was teaching them, he said, ³ “Listen! A farmer went to plant seed. ⁴ Some seeds were planted along the road, and birds came and devoured them. ⁵ Other seeds were planted on rocky ground, where there wasn’t much soil. The plants sprouted quickly because the soil wasn’t deep. ⁶ When the sun came up, they were scorched. They didn’t have any roots, so they withered. ⁷ Other seeds were planted among thornbushes. The thornbushes grew up and choked them, and they didn’t produce anything. ⁸ But other seeds were planted on good ground, sprouted, and produced thirty, sixty, or one hundred times as much as was planted.” ⁹ He added, “Let the person who has ears listen!”

¹⁰ When he was alone with his followers and the twelve apostles, they asked him about the stories.

¹¹ Jesus replied to them, “The mystery about God’s kingdom has been given directly to you. To those on the outside, it is given in stories:

¹³ Jesus asked them, “Don’t you understand this story? How, then, will you understand any of the stories I use as illustrations?

¹⁴ “The farmer plants the word. ¹⁵ Some people are like seeds that were planted along the road. Whenever they hear the word, Satan comes at once and takes away the word that was planted in them. ¹⁶ Other people are like seeds that were planted on rocky ground. Whenever they hear the word, they accept it at once with joy. ¹⁷ But they don’t develop any roots. They last for a short time. When suffering or persecution comes along because of the word, they immediately fall from faith. ¹⁸ Other people are like seeds planted among thornbushes. They hear the word, ¹⁹ but the worries of life, the deceitful pleasures of riches, and the desires for other things take over. They choke the word so that it can’t produce anything. ²⁰ Others are like seeds planted on good ground. They hear the word, accept it, and produce crops—thirty, sixty, or one hundred times as much as was planted.”

A Story about a Lamp

²¹ Jesus said to them, “Does anyone bring a lamp into a room to put it under a basket or under a bed? Isn’t it put on a lamp stand? ²² There is nothing hidden that will not be revealed. There is nothing kept secret that will not come to light. ²³ Let the person who has ears listen!”

²⁴ He went on to say, “Pay attention to what you’re listening to! Knowledge will be measured out to you by the measure of attention you give. This is the way knowledge increases. ²⁵ Those who understand these mysteries will be given more knowledge. However, some people don’t understand these mysteries. Even what they understand will be taken away from them.”

For Sins against the Lord’s People

6 ^[a]The Lord spoke to Moses, ² “If any of you sin against the Lord by failing to do your duty, if you lie to your neighbor about something you were supposed to take care of or if you lie about something stolen or seized from your neighbor, you are sinning and will be guilty. ³ If you find something that someone lost and lie about it under oath, or commit any other sin like this, ⁴ you are sinning and will be guilty. Return what you stole or seized, what you were supposed to take care of, the lost item you found, ⁵ or whatever it was that you swore falsely about. Pay it back in full plus one-fifth more. Give it back to its owner on the day you bring your guilt offering. ⁶ Then bring the Lord your guilt offering, a ram that has no defects or its value in money. Bring it to the priest. ⁷ So the priest will make peace with the Lord. Then you will be forgiven for whatever you did that made you guilty.”

Instructions for Taking Care of the Fire

⁸ The Lord spoke to Moses, ⁹ “Command Aaron and his sons: These are the instructions for the burnt offering that stays on the altar overnight while the altar fire is kept burning.

¹⁰ “The priest must put on his linen clothes, including his linen undergarments. Then he will remove the ashes left on the altar from the fire that consumed the burnt offering and will put them next to the altar. ¹¹ Then he will take off these clothes and put on some others. He will take the ashes to a clean place outside the camp. ¹² The fire must always be burning on the altar. It must never go out. The priest will burn wood on it every morning. He will lay the burnt offering on the fire and burn the fat of the fellowship offering. ¹³ The fire must always be burning on the altar. It must never go out.

The Grain Offering from the People

¹⁴ “These are the instructions for the grain offering. Aaron’s sons must bring it into the Lord’s presence in front of the altar. ¹⁵ One of them will remove a handful of flour from the grain offering, together with the olive oil and all the incense. He will burn it on the altar as a reminder. It is a soothing aroma to the Lord. ¹⁶ Aaron and his sons will eat the rest of it. They will eat unleavened bread in a holy place, in the courtyard of the tent of meeting. ¹⁷ Don’t use yeast in baking the bread. I have given it to them as their share from the offerings by fire made to me. It is very holy like the offering for sin and the guilt offering. ¹⁸ Every male descendant of Aaron may eat it. It is a permanent law for generations to come regarding the offering by fire to the Lord. Everyone who touches it will become holy.”

Special Grain Offerings from the Priests

¹⁹ The Lord spoke to Moses, ²⁰ “This is the offering that Aaron and his sons must bring to the Lord on the day he is anointed—eight cups of flour. They must do this every day. He must offer half of it in the morning and half in the evening. ²¹ Prepare it in a frying pan with olive oil, mixing it well. Offer baked pieces of the grain offering as a soothing aroma to the Lord. ²² Aaron’s son who is anointed to take his place as priest will prepare it. This is a permanent law of the Lord: It must be completely burned. ²³ Every grain offering made by a priest must be completely burned. It must not be eaten.”

Instructions for the Offering for Sin

²⁴ The Lord spoke to Moses, ²⁵ “Tell Aaron and his sons: These are the instructions for the offering for sin. The offering for sin must be slaughtered in the Lord’s presence in the same place where the burnt offering is slaughtered. It is very holy. ²⁶ The priest who makes the offering for sin will eat it in a holy place, in the courtyard of the tent of meeting. ²⁷ Anything that touches its meat will be holy. If blood gets on someone’s clothes, he must wash them in a holy place. ²⁸ Any piece of pottery in which the offering for sin is cooked must be broken into pieces. Any copper kettle in which the offering for sin is cooked must be scoured and rinsed with water. ²⁹ Any male among the priests may eat the offering for sin. It is very holy. ³⁰ Any offering for sin must not be eaten if some of the blood was brought into the holy place in the tent of meeting to make peace with the Lord. It must be burned.”

Instructions for the Guilt Offering

7 The Lord continued, “These are the instructions for the guilt offering. It is very holy. ² It must be slaughtered in the same place where the burnt offering is slaughtered. A priest will throw the blood against the altar on all sides. ³ He will offer all the fat, the fat from the tail, the fat covering the internal organs, ⁴ and the two kidneys with the fat on them. He will also remove the lobe of the liver along with the kidneys. ⁵ The priest will burn them on the altar. It is a guilt offering by fire to the Lord. ⁶ Any male among the priests may eat it. It will be eaten in a holy place. It is very holy.

⁷ “The same instructions apply to the offering for sin and the guilt offering. Both offerings belong to the priest to make peace with the Lord. ⁸ The skin of the burnt offering belongs to the priest who sacrifices it. ⁹ Every grain offering, whether baked in an oven or prepared in a skillet or a frying pan, belongs to the priest who offers it. ¹⁰ Every grain offering, whether mixed with olive oil or dry, will be shared equally by all of Aaron’s sons.

Instructions for the Fellowship Offering of Thanksgiving

¹¹ “These are the instructions for the fellowship offering that you must bring to the Lord. ¹² If you offer it as a thank offering, you must also bring rings of unleavened bread mixed with olive oil, wafers of unleavened bread brushed with olive oil, and loaves made from flour mixed well with olive oil. ¹³ In addition to these rings of bread, you must bring bread with yeast along with your fellowship offering of thanksgiving. ¹⁴ From every offering you must bring one loaf to the Lord as a special contribution. It will belong to the priest who throws the blood of the fellowship offering.

¹⁵ “The meat from your fellowship offering of thanksgiving must be eaten on the day it is offered. Never leave any of it until morning.

Instructions for Other Fellowship Offerings

¹⁶ “If your sacrificial offering is something you vowed or a freewill offering, it must be eaten the day you offer it or the next day. ¹⁷ However, on the third day any meat left over from the sacrifice must be burned. ¹⁸ You will not be accepted if any meat from the fellowship offering is eaten on the third day. You will not receive credit for it. It is repulsive to God. The person who eats any of it must be punished.

¹⁹ “Meat that touches anything unclean must not be eaten. It must be burned. Anyone who is clean may eat from these sacrifices. ²⁰ Those who eat meat from the Lord’s fellowship offering while unclean must be excluded from the people. ²¹ Those who touch anything unclean, human or animal, or any other disgusting uncleanness and still eat the Lord’s fellowship offering must be excluded from the people.”

No Fat or Blood May Be Eaten

²² The Lord spoke to Moses, ²³ “Tell the Israelites: Never eat any fat from bulls, sheep, or goats. ²⁴ The fat from an animal that dies naturally or is killed by wild animals you may use for any other purpose, but you must never eat it. ²⁵ Those who eat the fat from an animal which they sacrificed by fire to the Lord must be excluded from the people.

²⁶ “Never eat the blood of any bird or animal no matter where you live. ²⁷ Those who eat any blood must be excluded from the people.”

Many People Are Cured^(A)

⁷ Jesus left with his disciples for the Sea of Galilee. A large crowd from Galilee, Judea, ⁸ Jerusalem, Idumea, and from across the Jordan River, and from around Tyre and Sidon followed him. They came to him because they had heard about everything he was doing. ⁹ Jesus told his disciples to have a boat ready so that the crowd would not crush him. ¹⁰ He had cured so many that everyone with a disease rushed up to him in order to touch him. ¹¹ Whenever people with evil spirits saw him, they would fall down in front of him and shout, “You are the Son of God!” ¹² He gave them orders not to tell people who he was.

Jesus Appoints Twelve Apostles^(B)

¹³ Jesus went up a mountain, called those whom he wanted, and they came to him. ¹⁴ He appointed twelve whom he called apostles.^[a] They were to accompany him and to be sent out by him to spread the Good News. ¹⁵ They also had the authority to force demons out of people.

¹⁶ He appointed these twelve: Simon (whom Jesus named Peter), ¹⁷ James and his brother John (Zebedee’s sons whom Jesus named Boanerges, which means “Thunderbolts”), ¹⁸ Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James (son of Alphaeus), Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot, ¹⁹ and Judas Iscariot (who later betrayed Jesus).

Jesus Is Accused of Working with Beelzebul^(C)

²⁰ Then Jesus went home. Another crowd gathered so that Jesus and his disciples could not even eat. ²¹ When his family heard about it, they went to get him. They said, “He’s out of his mind!”

²² The experts in Moses’ Teachings who had come from Jerusalem said, “Beelzebul is in him,” and “He forces demons out of people with the help of the ruler of demons.”

²³ Jesus called them together and used this illustration: “How can Satan force out Satan? ²⁴ If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot last. ²⁵ And if a household is divided against itself, that household will not last. ²⁶ So if Satan rebels against himself and is divided, he cannot last. That will be the end of him.

²⁷ “No one can go into a strong man’s house and steal his property. First he must tie up the strong man. Then he can go through the strong man’s house and steal his property.

²⁸ “I can guarantee this truth: People will be forgiven for any sin or curse. ²⁹ But whoever curses the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven. He is guilty of an everlasting sin.” ³⁰ Jesus said this because the experts in Moses’ Teachings had said that he had an evil spirit.

Sacrifices for Sin

4 The Lord told Moses ² to say to the community of Israel:

Offer a sacrifice to ask forgiveness when you sin by accidentally doing something I have told you not to do.

When the High Priest Sins

The Lord said:

³ When the high priest sins, he makes everyone else guilty too. And so, he must sacrifice a young bull that has nothing wrong with it. ⁴ The priest will lead the bull to the entrance of the sacred tent, lay his hand on its head, and kill it there. ⁵ He will take a bowl of the blood inside the tent, ⁶ dip a finger in the blood, and sprinkle some of it seven times toward the sacred chest behind the curtain. ⁷ Then, in my presence, he will smear some of the blood on each of the four corners of the incense altar, before pouring out the rest at the foot of the bronze altar^[a] near the entrance to the tent.

^8-10 The priest will remove the fat from the bull, just as he does when he sacrifices a bull to ask my blessing.^[b] This includes the fat on the insides, as well as the lower part of the liver and the two kidneys with their fat. He will then send it all up in smoke.

^11-12 The skin and flesh of the bull, together with its legs, insides, and the food still in its stomach, are to be taken outside the camp and burned on a wood fire near the ash heap.^[c]

When the Whole Nation Sins

The Lord said:

¹³ When the nation of Israel disobeys me without meaning to, the whole nation is still guilty. ¹⁴ Once you realize what has happened, you must sacrifice a young bull to ask my forgiveness. Lead the bull to the entrance of the sacred tent, ¹⁵ where your tribal leaders will lay their hands on its head, before having it killed in my presence.

¹⁶ The priest will take a bowl of the animal’s blood inside the sacred tent, ¹⁷ dip a finger in the blood, and sprinkle some of it seven times toward the sacred chest behind the curtain. ¹⁸ Then, in my presence, he must smear some of the blood on each of the four corners of the incense altar, before pouring out the rest at the foot of the bronze altar^[d] near the entrance to the tent. ^19-21 After this, the priest will remove the fat from the bull and send it up in smoke on the altar. Finally, he will burn its remains outside the camp, just as he did with the other bull. By this sacrifice the sin of the whole nation will be forgiven.

When a Tribal Leader Sins

The Lord God said:

²² Any tribal leader who disobeys me without meaning to is still guilty. ²³ As soon as the leader realizes what has happened, he must sacrifice a goat^[e] that has nothing wrong with it. ²⁴ This is a sacrifice for sin. So he will lay his hand on the animal’s head, before having it killed in my presence at the north side of the bronze altar. ²⁵ The priest will dip a finger in the blood, smear some of it on each of the four corners of the altar, and pour out the rest at the foot of the altar. ²⁶ Then he must send all of the fat up in smoke, just as he does when a sacrifice is offered to ask my blessing.^[f] By this sacrifice the leader’s sin will be forgiven.

When Ordinary People Sin

The Lord said:

²⁷ When any of you ordinary people disobey me without meaning to, you are still guilty. ²⁸ As soon as you realize what you have done, you must sacrifice a female goat that has nothing wrong with it. ²⁹ Lead the goat to the north side of the bronze altar and lay your hand on its head, before having it killed. ³⁰ Then a priest will dip a finger in the blood; he will smear some of it on each of the four corners of the altar and pour out the rest at the foot of the altar. ³¹ After this, the priest will remove all of the fat, just as he does when an animal is sacrificed to ask my blessing.^[g] The priest will then send the fat up in smoke with a smell that pleases me. This animal is sacrificed so that I will forgive you ordinary people when you sin.

³² If you offer a lamb instead of a goat as a sacrifice for sin, it must be a female that has nothing wrong with it. ³³ Lead the lamb to the altar and lay your hand on its head, before having it killed. ³⁴ The priest will dip a finger in the blood, smear some of it on each of the four corners of the altar, and pour out the rest at the foot of the altar. ³⁵ After this, all of the fat must be removed, just as when an animal is sacrificed to ask my blessing. Then the priest will send it up in smoke to me, together with a food offering, and your sin will be forgiven.

The Lord said:

5 If you refuse to testify in court about something you saw or know has happened, you have sinned and can be punished.

² You are guilty and unfit to worship me, if you accidentally touch the dead body of any kind of unclean animal.

³ You are guilty if you find out that you have accidentally touched any waste that comes from a human body.

⁴ You are guilty the moment you realize that you have made a hasty promise to do something good or bad.

⁵ As soon as you discover that you have committed any of these sins, you must confess what you have done. ⁶ Then you must bring a female sheep or goat to me as the price for your sin. A priest will sacrifice the animal, and you will be forgiven.

⁷ If you are poor and cannot afford to bring an animal, you may bring two doves or two pigeons. One of these will be a sacrifice to ask my forgiveness, and the other will be a sacrifice to please me.

⁸ Give both birds to the priest, who will offer one as a sacrifice to ask my forgiveness. He will wring its neck without tearing off its head, ⁹ splatter some of its blood on one side of the bronze altar, and drain out the rest at the foot of the altar. ¹⁰ Then he will follow the proper rules for offering the other bird as a sacrifice to please me.

You will be forgiven when the priest offers these sacrifices as the price for your sin.

¹¹ If you are so poor that you cannot afford doves or pigeons, you may bring two pounds of your finest flour. This is a sacrifice to ask my forgiveness, so don’t sprinkle olive oil or sweet-smelling incense on it. ¹² Give the flour to a priest, who will scoop up a handful and send it up in smoke together with the other offerings. This is a reminder that all of the flour belongs to me. ¹³ By offering this sacrifice, the priest pays the price for any of these sins you may have committed. The priest gets the rest of the flour, just as he does with grain sacrifices.

Sacrifices To Make Things Right

^14-15 The Lord told Moses what the people must do to make things right when they find out they have cheated the Lord without meaning to:

If this happens, you must either sacrifice a ram that has nothing wrong with it or else pay the price of a ram with the official money used by the priests. ¹⁶ In addition, you must pay what you owe plus a fine of twenty percent. Then the priest will offer the ram as a sacrifice to make things right, and you will be forgiven.

^17-19 If you break any of my commands without meaning to, you are still guilty, and you can be punished. When you realize what you have done, you must either bring to the priest a ram that has nothing wrong with it or else pay him for one. The priest will then offer it as a sacrifice to make things right, and you will be forgiven.

Jesus Chooses Levi

¹³ Once again, Jesus went to the shore of Lake Galilee. A large crowd gathered around him, and he taught them. ¹⁴ As he walked along, he saw Levi, the son of Alphaeus. Levi was sitting at the place for paying taxes, and Jesus said to him, “Come with me!” So he got up and went with Jesus.

¹⁵ Later, Jesus and his disciples were having dinner at Levi’s house.^[a] Many tax collectors^[b] and other sinners had become followers of Jesus, and they were also guests at the dinner.

¹⁶ Some of the teachers of the Law of Moses were Pharisees, and they saw that Jesus was eating with sinners and tax collectors. So they asked his disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

¹⁷ Jesus heard them and answered, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor, but sick people do. I didn’t come to invite good people to be my followers. I came to invite sinners.”

People Ask about Going without Eating

¹⁸ The followers of John the Baptist and the Pharisees often went without eating.^[c] Some people came and asked Jesus, “Why do the followers of John and those of the Pharisees often go without eating, while your disciples never do?”

¹⁹ Jesus answered:

A Question about the Sabbath

²³ One Sabbath Jesus and his disciples were walking through some wheat fields. His disciples were picking grains of wheat as they went along.^{[e] 24} Some Pharisees asked Jesus, “Why are your disciples picking grain on the Sabbath? They are not supposed to do that!”

²⁵ Jesus answered, “Haven’t you read what David did when he and his followers were hungry and in need? ²⁶ It was during the time of Abiathar the high priest. David went into the house of God and ate the sacred loaves of bread that only priests are allowed to eat. He also gave some to his followers.”

²⁷ Jesus finished by saying, “People were not made for the good of the Sabbath. The Sabbath was made for the good of people. ²⁸ So the Son of Man is Lord over the Sabbath.”

A Man with a Crippled Hand

3 The next time that Jesus went into the meeting place, a man with a crippled hand was there. ² The Pharisees^[f] wanted to accuse Jesus of doing something wrong, and they kept watching to see if Jesus would heal him on the Sabbath.

³ Jesus told the man to stand up where everyone could see him. ⁴ Then he asked, “On the Sabbath should we do good deeds or evil deeds? Should we save someone’s life or destroy it?” But no one said a word.

⁵ Jesus was angry as he looked around at the people. Yet he felt sorry for them because they were so stubborn. Then he told the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He did, and his bad hand was healed.

⁶ The Pharisees left. And right away they started making plans with Herod’s followers^[g] to kill Jesus.

(For the music leader by David, the Lord’s servant.)

Human Sin and God’s Goodness

Solomon’s Wise Sayings

1 ^1-3 The Lord spoke to Moses from the sacred tent and gave him instructions for the community of Israel to follow when they offered sacrifices.

Sacrifices To Please the Lord

The Lord said:

Sacrifices to please me^[a] must be completely burned on the bronze altar.^[b]

Bulls or rams or goats^[c] are the animals to be used for these sacrifices. If the animal is a bull, it must not have anything wrong with it. Lead it to the entrance of the sacred tent, and I will let you know if it is^[d] acceptable to me. ⁴ Lay your hand on its head, and I will accept the animal as a sacrifice for taking away your sins.

⁵ After the bull is killed in my presence, some priests from Aaron’s family will offer its blood to me by splattering it against the four sides of the altar.

⁶ Skin the bull and cut it up, ⁷ while the priests pile wood on the altar fire to make it start blazing. ^8-9 Wash the bull’s insides and hind legs, so the priests can lay them on the altar with the head, the fat, and the rest of the animal. A priest will then send all of it up in smoke with a smell that pleases me.

¹⁰ If you sacrifice a ram or a goat, it must not have anything wrong with it. ¹¹ Lead the animal to the north side of the altar, where it is to be killed in my presence. Then some of the priests will splatter its blood against the four sides of the altar.

^12-13 Cut up the animal and wash its insides and hind legs. A priest will put these parts on the altar with the head, the fat, and the rest of the animal. Then he will send all of it up in smoke with a smell that pleases me.

¹⁴ If you offer a bird for this kind of sacrifice, it must be a dove or a pigeon. ¹⁵ A priest will take the bird to the bronze altar, where he will wring its neck and put its head on the fire. Then he will drain out its blood on one side of the altar, ¹⁶ remove the bird’s craw with what is in it,^[e] and throw them on the ash heap at the east side of the altar.^{[f] 17} Finally, he will take the bird by its wings, tear it partially open,^[g] and send it up in smoke with a smell that pleases me.

Sacrifices To Give Thanks to the Lord

The Lord said:

2 When you offer sacrifices to give thanks to me,^[h] you must use only your finest flour. Put it in a dish, sprinkle olive oil and incense on the flour, ² and take it to the priests from Aaron’s family. One of them will scoop up the incense together with a handful of the flour and oil. Then, to show that the whole offering belongs to me, the priest will lay this part on the bronze altar and send it up in smoke with a smell that pleases me. ³ The rest of this sacrifice is for the priests; it is very holy because it was offered to me.

⁴ If you bake bread in an oven for this sacrifice, use only your finest flour, but without any yeast. You may make the flour into a loaf mixed with olive oil, or you may make it into thin wafers and brush them with oil.

⁵ If you cook bread in a shallow pan for this sacrifice, use only your finest flour. Mix it with olive oil, but do not use any yeast. ⁶ Then break the bread into small pieces and sprinkle them with oil. ⁷ If you cook your bread in a pan with a lid on it, you must also use the finest flour mixed with oil.

⁸ You may prepare sacrifices to give thanks in any of these three ways. Bring your sacrifice to a priest, and he will take it to the bronze altar. ⁹ Then, to show that the whole offering belongs to me, the priest will lay part of it on the altar and send it up in smoke with a smell that pleases me. ¹⁰ The rest of this sacrifice is for the priests; it is very holy because it was offered to me.

¹¹ Yeast and honey must never be burned on the altar, so don’t ever mix either of these in a grain sacrifice. ¹² You may offer either of them separately,^[i] when you present the first part of your harvest to me, but they must never be burned on the altar.

¹³ Salt is offered when you make an agreement with me, so sprinkle salt on these sacrifices.

¹⁴ Freshly cut grain, either roasted or coarsely ground,^[j] must be used when you offer the first part of your grain harvest. ¹⁵ You must mix in some olive oil and put incense on top, because this is a grain sacrifice. ¹⁶ A priest will sprinkle all of the incense and some of the grain and oil on the altar and send them up in smoke to show that the whole offering belongs to me.

Sacrifices To Ask the Lord’s Blessing

The Lord said:

3 When you offer sacrifices to ask my blessing,^[k] you may offer either a bull or a cow, but there must be nothing wrong with the animal. ² Lead it to the entrance of the sacred tent, lay your hand on its head, and have it killed there. A priest from Aaron’s family will splatter its blood against the four sides of the altar.

³ Offer all of the fat on the animal’s insides, ⁴ as well as the lower part of the liver and the two kidneys with their fat. ⁵ Some of the priests will lay these pieces on the altar and send them up in smoke with a smell that pleases me, together with the sacrifice that is offered to please me.^[l]

⁶ Instead of a bull or a cow, you may offer any sheep or goat that has nothing wrong with it. ⁷ If you offer a sheep, you must present it to me at the entrance to the sacred tent. ⁸ Lay your hand on its head and have it killed there. A priest will then splatter its blood against the four sides of the altar.

⁹ Offer the fat on the tail, the tailbone, and the insides, ¹⁰ as well as the lower part of the liver and the two kidneys with their fat. ¹¹ One of the priests will lay these pieces on the altar and send them up in smoke as a food offering for me.

¹² If you offer a goat, you must also present it to me ¹³ at the entrance to the sacred tent. Lay your hand on its head and have it killed there. A priest will then splatter its blood against the four sides of the altar.

¹⁴ Offer all of the fat on the animal’s insides, ¹⁵ as well as the lower part of the liver and the two kidneys with their fat. ¹⁶ One of the priests will put these pieces on the altar and send them up in smoke as a food offering with a smell that pleases me.

All fat belongs to me. ¹⁷ So you and your descendants must never eat any fat or any blood, not even in the privacy of your own homes.^[m] This law will never change.

Jesus Heals Many People

²⁹ As soon as Jesus left the meeting place with James and John, they went home with Simon and Andrew. ³⁰ When they got there, Jesus was told that Simon’s mother-in-law was sick in bed with fever. ³¹ Jesus went to her. He took hold of her hand and helped her up. The fever left her, and she served them a meal.

³² That evening after sunset,^[a] all who were sick or had demons in them were brought to Jesus. ³³ In fact, the whole town gathered around the door of the house. ³⁴ Jesus healed all kinds of terrible diseases and forced out a lot of demons. But the demons knew who he was, and he did not let them speak.

³⁵ Very early the next morning, Jesus got up and went to a place where he could be alone and pray. ³⁶ Simon and the others started looking for him. ³⁷ And when they found him, they said, “Everyone is looking for you!”

³⁸ Jesus replied, “We must go to the nearby towns, so that I can tell the good news to those people. This is why I have come.” ³⁹ Then Jesus went to Jewish meeting places everywhere in Galilee, where he preached and forced out demons.

Jesus Heals a Man

⁴⁰ A man with leprosy^[b] came to Jesus and knelt down.^[c] He begged, “You have the power to make me well, if only you wanted to.”

⁴¹ Jesus felt sorry for^[d] the man. So he put his hand on him and said, “I want to! Now you are well.” ⁴² At once the man’s leprosy disappeared, and he was well.

⁴³ After Jesus strictly warned the man, he sent him on his way. ⁴⁴ He said, “Don’t tell anyone about this. Just go and show the priest that you are well. Then take a gift to the temple as Moses commanded, and everyone will know that you have been healed.”^[e]

⁴⁵ The man talked about it so much and told so many people, that Jesus could no longer go openly into a town. He had to stay away from the towns, but people still came to him from everywhere.

Jesus Heals a Crippled Man

2 Jesus went back to Capernaum, and a few days later people heard that he was at home.^{[f] 2} Then so many of them came to the house that there wasn’t even standing room left in front of the door.

Jesus was still teaching ³ when four people came up, carrying a crippled man on a mat. ⁴ But because of the crowd, they could not get him to Jesus. So they made a hole in the roof^[g] above him and let the man down in front of everyone.

⁵ When Jesus saw how much faith they had, he said to the crippled man, “My friend, your sins are forgiven.”

⁶ Some of the teachers of the Law of Moses were sitting there. They started wondering, ⁷ “Why would he say such a thing? He must think he is God! Only God can forgive sins.”

⁸ Right away, Jesus knew what they were thinking, and he said, “Why are you thinking such things? ⁹ Is it easier for me to tell this crippled man that his sins are forgiven or to tell him to get up and pick up his mat and go on home? ¹⁰ I will show you that the Son of Man has the right to forgive sins here on earth.” So Jesus said to the man, ¹¹ “Get up! Pick up your mat and go on home.”

¹² The man got right up. He picked up his mat and went out while everyone watched in amazement. They praised God and said, “We have never seen anything like this!”

A Foolish Invitation

Making the Priestly Clothes

39 Beautiful priestly clothes were made of blue, purple, and red wool for Aaron to wear when he performed his duties in the holy place. This was done exactly as the Lord had commanded Moses.

^2-3 The entire priestly vest was made of fine linen, woven with blue, purple, and red wool. Thin sheets of gold were hammered out and cut into threads that were skillfully woven into the vest. ^4-5 It had two shoulder straps to support it and a sash that fastened around the waist. ⁶ Onyx^[a] stones were placed in gold settings, and each one was engraved with the name of one of Israel’s sons. ⁷ Then these were attached to the shoulder straps of the vest, so the Lord would never forget his people. Everything was done exactly as the Lord had commanded Moses.

The Breastpiece

⁸ The breastpiece was made with the same materials and designs as the priestly vest. ⁹ It was nine inches square and folded double ¹⁰ with four rows of three precious stones: A carnelian, a chrysolite, and an emerald were in the first row; ¹¹ a turquoise, a sapphire, and a diamond were in the second row; ¹² a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst were in the third row; ¹³ and a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper^[b] were in the fourth row. They were mounted in a delicate gold setting, ¹⁴ and on each of them was engraved the name of one of the twelve tribes of Israel.

^15-18 Two gold rings were attached to the upper front corners of the breastpiece and fastened with two braided gold chains to gold settings on the shoulder straps. ¹⁹ Two other gold rings were attached to the lower inside corners next to the vest, ²⁰ and two more near the bottom of the shoulder straps right above the sash. ²¹ To keep the breastpiece in place, a blue cord was used to tie the two lower rings on the breastpiece to those on the vest. These things were done exactly as the Lord had commanded Moses.

The Clothes for the Priests

²² The priestly robe was made of blue wool ²³ with an opening in the center for the head. The material around the collar was bound so as to keep it from raveling. ^24-26 Along the hem of the robe were woven pomegranates^[c] of blue, purple, and red wool with a bell of pure gold between each of them. This robe was to be worn by Aaron when he performed his duties.

^27-29 Everything that Aaron and his sons wore was made of fine linen woven with blue, purple, and red wool, including their robes and turbans, their fancy caps and underwear, and even their sashes that were embroidered with needlework.

³⁰ “Dedicated to the Lord” was engraved on a narrow strip of pure gold, ³¹ which was fastened to Aaron’s turban. These things were done exactly as the Lord had commanded Moses.

The Work Is Completed

³² So the people of Israel finished making everything the Lord had told Moses to make. ³³ Then they brought it all to Moses: the sacred tent and its equipment, including the hooks, the framework and crossbars, and its posts and stands; ³⁴ the covering of tanned ram skins and fine leather; the inside curtain; ³⁵ the sacred chest with its carrying poles and the place of mercy; ³⁶ the table with all that goes on it, including the sacred bread; ³⁷ the lampstand of pure gold, together with its equipment and oil; ³⁸ the gold-covered incense altar; the ordination oil and the sweet-smelling incense; the curtain for the entrance to the tent; ³⁹ the bronze altar for sacrifices with its bronze grating, its carrying poles, and its equipment; the large bronze bowl with its stand; ⁴⁰ the curtain with its posts and cords, and its pegs and stands that go around the courtyard; everything needed for the sacred tent; ⁴¹ and the finely woven priestly clothes for Aaron and his sons.

^42-43 When Moses saw that the people had done everything exactly as the Lord had commanded, he gave them his blessing.

The Lord’s Tent Is Set Up

40 The Lord said to Moses:

¹⁶ Moses followed the Lord’s instructions. ¹⁷ And on the first day of the first month^[f] of the second year, the sacred tent was set up. ¹⁸ The posts, stands, and framework were put in place, ¹⁹ then the two layers of coverings were hung over them. ²⁰ The stones with the Ten Commandments written on them were stored in the sacred chest, the place of mercy^[g] was put on top of it, and the carrying poles were attached. ²¹ The chest was brought into the tent and set behind the curtain in the most holy place. These things were done exactly as the Lord had commanded Moses.

²² The table for the sacred bread was put along the north wall of the holy place, ²³ after which the bread was set on the table. ²⁴ The lampstand was put along the south wall, ²⁵ then the lamps were attached to it there in the presence of the Lord. ²⁶ The gold incense altar was set up in front of the curtain, ²⁷ and sweet-smelling incense was burned on it. These things were done exactly as the Lord had commanded Moses.

²⁸ The curtain was hung at the entrance to the sacred tent. ²⁹ Then the altar for offering sacrifices was put in front of the tent, and animal sacrifices and gifts of grain were offered there. ³⁰ The large bronze bowl was placed between the altar and the entrance to the tent. It was filled with water, ³¹ then Moses and Aaron, together with Aaron’s sons, washed their hands and feet. ³² In fact, they washed each time before entering the tent or offering sacrifices at the altar. These things were done exactly as the Lord had commanded Moses.

³³ Finally, Moses had the curtain hung around the courtyard.

The Glory of the Lord

³⁴ Suddenly the sacred tent was covered by a thick cloud and filled with the glory of the Lord. ³⁵ And so, Moses could not enter the tent. ³⁶ Whenever the cloud moved from the tent, the people would break camp and follow; ³⁷ then they would set up camp and stay there, until it moved again. ³⁸ No matter where the people traveled, the Lord was with them. Each day his cloud was over the tent, and each night a fire could be seen in the cloud.

The Preaching of John the Baptist

1 This is the good news about Jesus Christ, the Son of God.^{[a] 2} It began just as God had said in the book written by Isaiah the prophet,

⁴ So John the Baptist showed up in the desert and told everyone, “Turn back to God and be baptized! Then your sins will be forgiven.”

⁵ From all Judea and Jerusalem crowds of people went to John. They told how sorry they were for their sins, and he baptized them in the Jordan River.

⁶ John wore clothes made of camel’s hair. He had a leather strap around his waist and ate grasshoppers and wild honey.

⁷ John also told the people, “Someone more powerful is going to come. And I am not good enough even to stoop down and untie his sandals.^{[b] 8} I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit!”

The Baptism of Jesus

⁹ About that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee, and John baptized him in the Jordan River. ¹⁰ As soon as Jesus came out of the water, he saw the sky open and the Holy Spirit coming down to him like a dove. ¹¹ A voice from heaven said, “You are my own dear Son, and I am pleased with you.”

Jesus and Satan

¹² Right away God’s Spirit made Jesus go into the desert. ¹³ He stayed there for forty days while Satan tested him. Jesus was with the wild animals, but angels took care of him.

Jesus Begins His Work

¹⁴ After John was arrested, Jesus went to Galilee and told the good news that comes from God.^{[c] 15} He said, “The time has come! God’s kingdom will soon be here.^[d] Turn back to God and believe the good news!”

Jesus Chooses Four Fishermen

¹⁶ As Jesus was walking along the shore of Lake Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew. They were fishermen and were casting their nets into the lake. ¹⁷ Jesus said to them, “Come with me! I will teach you how to bring in people instead of fish.” ¹⁸ Right then the two brothers dropped their nets and went with him.

¹⁹ Jesus walked on and soon saw James and John, the sons of Zebedee. They were in a boat, mending their nets. ²⁰ At once Jesus asked them to come with him. They left their father in the boat with the hired workers and went with him.

A Man with an Evil Spirit

²¹ Jesus and his disciples went to the town of Capernaum. Then on the next Sabbath he went into the Jewish meeting place and started teaching. ²² Everyone was amazed at his teaching. He taught with authority, and not like the teachers of the Law of Moses. ²³ Suddenly a man with an evil spirit^[e] in him entered the meeting place and yelled, ²⁴ “Jesus from Nazareth, what do you want with us? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are! You are God’s Holy One.”

²⁵ Jesus told the evil spirit, “Be quiet and come out of the man!” ²⁶ The spirit shook him. Then it gave a loud shout and left.

²⁷ Everyone was completely surprised and kept saying to each other, “What is this? It must be some new kind of powerful teaching! Even the evil spirits obey him.” ²⁸ News about Jesus quickly spread all over Galilee.

(A psalm by David.)

A Prayer for Protection from Enemies