Author: Powered by Bible Gateway

⁴⁷ “Someone who is a foreigner without a permanent home among you may become rich, and your relative living with him may be poor. The poor Israelite may sell himself to that foreigner or a member of his family. ⁴⁸ After he has sold himself, he has the right to be bought back. One of his brothers may buy him back. ⁴⁹ His uncle, his cousin, or some other relative could also buy him back. If he becomes rich, he could buy his own freedom. ⁵⁰ Then he and his buyer must take into account the number of years from the year he was bought until the year of jubilee. His sale price will be adjusted based on the number of years he was with his buyer, like the wages of a hired worker. ⁵¹ If there are many years left, he must refund from his purchase price an amount equal to those years. ⁵² If there are only a few years left until the year of jubilee, he must take them into account. He must refund from his purchase price an amount equal to those years. ⁵³ During those years he should serve his buyer as a hired worker. His buyer should not treat him harshly. ⁵⁴ If he cannot buy his freedom in these ways, he and his children will be released in the year of jubilee.

⁵⁵ “The Israelites belong to me as servants. They are my servants. I brought them out of Egypt. I am Yahweh your Elohim.”

God’s Promises for Those Who Keep His Laws

26 The Lord continued, “Never make worthless idols or set up a carved statue or a sacred stone for yourselves. Never cut figures in stone to worship them in your country, because I am Yahweh your Elohim. ² Observe my days of worship and respect my holy tent. I am Yahweh.

³ “This is what I will do if you will live by my laws and carefully obey my commands:

⁴ “I will give you rain at the right time. The land will produce its crops, and the trees in the field will produce their fruit. ⁵ Threshing^[a] time will last until grape gathering, and grape gathering will last until planting. You will eat all you want and live securely in your land.

⁶ “I will bring peace to your land. You will lie down with no one to scare you. I will remove dangerous animals, and there will be no war in your land. ⁷ You will chase your enemies, and you will defeat them. ⁸ Five of you will chase a hundred of them, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand of them. You will defeat your enemies, ⁹ and I will be pleased with you. Your families will be large, and I will keep my promise^[b] to you. ¹⁰ You will clear out old food supplies to make room for new ones.

¹¹ “I will put my tent among you, and I will never look at you with disgust. ¹² So I will live among you and be your Elohim, and you will be my people. ¹³ I am Yahweh your Elohim. I brought you out of Egypt so that you are no longer slaves of the Egyptians. I have broken their power over you and made you live as a free people.

God’s Curses for Those Who Break His Laws

¹⁴ “If you will not listen to me and obey all these commands, ¹⁵ if you reject my laws and look at my rules with disgust, if you reject my promise by disobeying my commands, ¹⁶ then this is what I will do to you: I will terrorize you with disease and fever. You will suffer from eye problems and depression. You will plant your crops and get nothing because your enemies will eat them. ¹⁷ I will condemn you so that you will go down in defeat in front of your enemies. Those who hate you will be your rulers. You will run away even when no one is chasing you.

¹⁸ “If you still will not listen to me, I will discipline you seven times for your sins. ¹⁹ I will crush your arrogance. You will have no rain, and your land will be as hard as cement. ²⁰ You will work hard for nothing because your land will produce no crops and the trees will produce no fruit.

²¹ “If you resist and don’t listen to me, I will increase the punishment for your sins seven times. ²² I will send wild animals among you. They will rob you of your children, destroy your cattle, and make you so few that your roads will be deserted.

²³ “If this discipline does not help and you still resist, ²⁴ then I, too, will resist you. I will punish you seven times for your sins. ²⁵ I will bring war on you to get revenge for my promise that you rejected. When you gather in your cities, I will send plagues on you and you will fall under the control of your enemy. ²⁶ I will destroy your food supply. Ten women will need only one oven to prepare your food. You will eat and go away hungry.

²⁷ “If in spite of this you do not listen to me and still resist me, ²⁸ I will fiercely resist you. I will discipline you seven times for your sins. ²⁹ You will eat the bodies of your sons and daughters. ³⁰ I will destroy your worship sites, cut down your incense altars, and pile your dead bodies on top of your dead idols. I will look at you with disgust. ³¹ I will make your cities deserted and ruin your sacred places. I will no longer accept the soothing aroma from your sacrifices. ³² I will make your land so deserted that your enemies will be shocked as they settle in it. ³³ I will scatter you among the nations. War will follow you. Your country will be in ruins. Your cities will be deserted.

³⁴ “Then the land will enjoy its time to honor the Lord while it lies deserted and you are in your enemies’ land. Then the land will joyfully celebrate its time to honor the Lord. ³⁵ All the days it lies deserted, it will celebrate the time to honor the Lord it never celebrated while you lived there. ³⁶ I will fill with despair those who are left in the land of their enemies. The sound of a windblown leaf will make them run. They will run away and fall, but no one will be chasing them. ³⁷ They will stumble over each other, but no one will be after them. They will not be able to stand up to their enemies. ³⁸ They will be destroyed among the nations. The land of their enemies will devour them. ³⁹ Those who are left will waste away in the lands of their enemies because of their sins and the sins of their ancestors.

God Will Remember His Promise

⁴⁰ “But if they confess their sins and the sins of their ancestors—the treacherous things they did to oppose me— ⁴¹ I will oppose them and bring them into the lands of their enemies. Then, if they humble their uncircumcised hearts and accept their guilt, ⁴² I will remember my promise to Jacob, Isaac, and Abraham. I will also remember the land. ⁴³ The land, abandoned by them, will enjoy its time to honor the Lord while it lies deserted without them. They must accept their guilt because they rejected my rules and looked at my laws with disgust. ⁴⁴ Even when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject them or look at them with disgust. I will not reject or cancel my promise to them, because I am Yahweh their Elohim. ⁴⁵ But for their sake, I will remember the promise to their ancestors. I brought them out of Egypt to be their Elohim while nations looked on. I am Yahweh.”

⁴⁶ These are the laws, rules, and instructions that Yahweh gave to the Israelites through Moses on Mount Sinai.

Special Vows

27 Yahweh spoke to Moses, ² “Tell the Israelites: If any of you makes a special vow to give a person to Yahweh, you may give money instead of the person. ³ The amount you must give for a man from 20 to 60 years old is 20 ounces of silver. Use the standard weight of the holy place. ⁴ If it is a woman, give 12 ounces. ⁵ For a boy from 5 to 20 years old, give 8 ounces and for a girl give 4 ounces. ⁶ For a boy from one month to five years old, give 2 ounces of silver and for a girl give about one ounce. ⁷ For a man 60 years or over, give 6 ounces and for a woman give 4 ounces. ⁸ But the person who is too poor to pay the required amount must stand in front of the priest. The priest will determine the amount based on what the person can afford.

⁹ “If the vow is to give the kind of animal that people offer to Yahweh, it will be considered holy. ¹⁰ Don’t exchange or substitute animals, a good one for a bad one or a bad one for a good one. If you do exchange one animal for another, then both animals will be holy. ¹¹ If it is an unclean animal that cannot be brought to Yahweh as an offering, bring it in front of the priest. ¹² The priest will determine what its value is. The value will be whatever the priest decides. ¹³ If you want to buy it back, you must pay its full value plus one-fifth more.

For the Third Time Jesus Foretells That He Will Die and Come Back to Life^(A)

³² Yeshua and his disciples were on their way to Jerusalem. Yeshua was walking ahead of them. His disciples were shocked that he was going to Jerusalem. The others who followed were afraid. Once again he took the twelve apostles aside. He began to tell them what was going to happen to him. ³³ “We’re going to Jerusalem. There the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and the experts in Moses’ Teachings. They will condemn him to death and hand him over to foreigners. ³⁴ They will make fun of him, spit on him, whip him, and kill him. But after three days he will come back to life.”

James and John Make a Request^(B)

³⁵ James and John, sons of Zebedee, went to Yeshua. They said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do us a favor.”

³⁶ “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked them.

³⁷ They said to him, “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.”

³⁸ Yeshua said, “You don’t realize what you’re asking. Can you drink the cup that I’m going to drink? Can you be baptized with the baptism that I’m going to receive?”

³⁹ “We can,” they told him.

Yeshua told them, “You will drink the cup that I’m going to drink. You will be baptized with the baptism that I’m going to receive. ⁴⁰ But I don’t have the authority to grant you a seat at my right or left. Those positions have already been prepared for certain people.”

⁴¹ When the other ten apostles heard about it, they were irritated with James and John. ⁴² Yeshua called the apostles and said, “You know that the acknowledged rulers of nations have absolute power over people and their officials have absolute authority over people. ⁴³ But that’s not the way it’s going to be among you. Whoever wants to become great among you will be your servant. ⁴⁴ Whoever wants to be most important among you will be a slave for everyone. ⁴⁵ It’s the same way with the Son of Man. He didn’t come so that others could serve him. He came to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many people.”

Jesus Gives Sight to Bartimaeus^(C)

⁴⁶ Then they came to Jericho. As Yeshua, his disciples, and many people were leaving Jericho, a blind beggar named Bartimaeus, son of Timaeus, was sitting by the road. ⁴⁷ When he heard that Yeshua from Nazareth was passing by, he began to shout, “Yeshua, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

⁴⁸ The people told him to be quiet. But he shouted even louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

⁴⁹ Yeshua stopped and said, “Call him!” They called the blind man and told him, “Cheer up! Get up! He’s calling you.” ⁵⁰ The blind man threw off his coat, jumped up, and went to Yeshua.

⁵¹ Yeshua asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?”

The blind man said, “Teacher, I want to see again.”

⁵² Yeshua told him, “Go, your faith has made you well.”

At once he could see again, and he followed Yeshua on the road.

Psalm 45

For the choir director; according to shoshannim;^[a] a maskil by Korah’s descendants; a love song.

Duties in the Tent of Meeting^(A)

24 Yahweh spoke to Moses, ² “Command the Israelites to bring you pure, virgin olive oil for the lamp stand so that the lamps won’t go out. ³ In the tent of meeting, outside the canopy where the words of my promise are, Aaron must keep the lamps lit in Yahweh’s presence from evening until morning. It is a permanent law for generations to come. ⁴ Aaron must keep the lamps on the pure gold lamp stand lit in Yahweh’s presence.

⁵ “Also take flour and bake twelve rings of bread. Each ring will contain four quarts of flour. ⁶ Put them in two stacks of six each on the gold table in Yahweh’s presence. ⁷ Lay pure incense on top of each stack. The incense on the bread will be a reminder, an offering by fire to Yahweh. ⁸ Every day of worship a priest must arrange the bread in Yahweh’s presence. It is a continual reminder of my promise^[a] to the Israelites. ⁹ The bread will belong to Aaron and his sons. They will eat it in a holy place. It is very holy, set apart from Yahweh’s offering by fire. This is a permanent law.”

The Man Who Cursed the Lord’s Name

¹⁰ A man, whose mother was Shelomith (daughter of Dibri, from the tribe of Dan in Israel) and whose father was from Egypt, got into a quarrel with an Israelite in the camp. ¹¹ The Israelite woman’s son began cursing Ha-shem and treating it with contempt. So they brought him to Moses.^{[b] 12} They kept him in custody until Yahweh told them what to do.

¹³ Yahweh spoke to Moses, ¹⁴ “The man who cursed my name must be taken outside the camp. All who heard him curse my name must lay their hands on his head. Then the whole congregation must stone him to death.

¹⁵ “Also tell the Israelites: Those who treat their Elohim with contempt will be punished for their sin. ¹⁶ But those who curse Yahweh’s name must be put to death. The whole congregation must stone them to death. It makes no difference whether they are Israelites or foreigners. Whoever curses Ha-shem must die.

¹⁷ “Whoever kills another person must be put to death. ¹⁸ Whoever kills an animal must replace it, life for life. ¹⁹ Whoever injures a neighbor must receive the same injury in return— ²⁰ a broken bone for a broken bone, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. Whoever injures another person must receive the same injury in return. ²¹ Whoever kills an animal must replace it. Whoever kills a person must be put to death. ²² The same rule applies to every one of you. It makes no difference whether you are a foreigner or an Israelite, because I am Yahweh your Elohim.”

²³ Moses spoke to the people of Israel. So the man who had cursed Yahweh’s name was taken outside the camp. There they stoned him to death. The Israelites did as Yahweh commanded Moses.

The Year to Honor the Lord

25 Yahweh spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai, ² “Tell the Israelites: When you come into the land I’m giving you, the land will celebrate a year to honor Yahweh. ³ Then, for six years you may plant crops in your fields, prune your vineyards, and gather what they produce. ⁴ However, the seventh year will be a festival year for the land. It will be a year to honor Yahweh. Don’t plant crops in your fields or prune your vineyards. ⁵ Don’t harvest what grows by itself or harvest grapes from your vines. That year will be a festival for the land. ⁶ Whatever the land produces during that year is for all of you to eat—for you, your male and female slaves, your hired workers, foreigners among you, ⁷ your animals and the wild animals in your land. Everything the land produces will be yours to eat.

The Jubilee for the Land

⁸ “Count seven of these years seven times for a total of 49 years. ⁹ On the tenth day of the seventh month, the special day for the payment for sin, sound rams’ horns throughout the country. ¹⁰ Set apart the fiftieth year as holy, and proclaim liberty to everyone living in the land. This is your jubilee year. Every slave will be freed in order to return to his property and to his family. ¹¹ That fiftieth year will be your jubilee year. Don’t plant or harvest what grows by itself or pick grapes from the vines in the land. ¹² The jubilee year will be holy to you. You will eat what the field itself produces.

¹³ “In this jubilee year every slave will be freed in order to return to his property. ¹⁴ If you sell anything to your neighbor or buy anything from him, don’t take advantage of him. ¹⁵ When you buy property from your neighbor, take into account the number of years since the jubilee. Your neighbor must sell it to you taking into account the number of crops until the next jubilee. ¹⁶ If there are still many years until the jubilee, you will pay more for it. If there are only a few years until the jubilee, you will pay less for it because he is selling you only the number of crops. ¹⁷ Never take advantage of each other. Fear your Elohim, because I am Yahweh your Elohim.

¹⁸ “Obey my laws, and carefully follow my rules. Then you will live securely in the land. ¹⁹ The land will give you its products, and you will eat all you want and live there securely. ²⁰ You may ask, ‘What will we eat in the seventh year if we do not plant or bring in our crops?’ ²¹ I will give you my blessing in the sixth year so that the land will produce enough for three years. ²² You will plant again in the eighth year but live on what the land already produced. You will eat it, even in the ninth year, until the land produces more.

²³ “Land must never be sold permanently, because the land is mine. To me you are strangers without permanent homes. ²⁴ People must always have the right to buy their property back. ²⁵ If your brother becomes poor and sells some of his property, then the one who can assume responsibility, his nearest relative, must buy back what he sold. ²⁶ If a man doesn’t have anyone to buy it back for him, but if he prospers and earns enough to buy it back himself, ²⁷ he must count the years from its sale. Then he will pay what is left to the man to whom he sold it, and it will be his property again. ²⁸ However, if he cannot earn enough to buy it back, what he sold stays in the hands of the buyer until the year of jubilee. In the jubilee it will be released, and he will own it again.

²⁹ “If anyone sells a home in a walled city, for one year after selling it he has the right to buy it back. He may buy it back only within that time. ³⁰ If he does not buy it back during that year, the house in the city belongs to the buyer for generations to come. It will not be released in the jubilee. ³¹ However, houses in villages without walls are regarded as belonging to the fields of the land. They can be bought back. They will be released in the jubilee.

³² “The Levites always have the right to buy back their property in the cities they own. ³³ If any Levite buys back a house, in the jubilee the purchased house in the city will be released, because the houses in the Levite cities are their property among the Israelites. ³⁴ But a field that belongs to their cities must not be sold, because it is their permanent property.

The Jubilee for the People

³⁵ “If an Israelite becomes poor and cannot support himself, help him. He must live with you as a stranger without a permanent home. ³⁶ Don’t collect interest or make any profit from him. Fear your Elohim by respecting other Israelites’ lives. ³⁷ Never collect any kind of interest on your money or on the food you give them. ³⁸ I am Yahweh your Elohim, who brought you out of Egypt to give you Canaan and to be your Elohim.

³⁹ “If an Israelite becomes poor and sells himself to you, don’t work him like a slave. ⁴⁰ He will be like a hired worker or a visitor to you. He may work with you until the year of jubilee. ⁴¹ Then you will release him and his children to go back to their family and the property of their ancestors. ⁴² They are my servants. I brought them out of Egypt. They must never be sold as slaves. ⁴³ Do not treat them harshly. Fear your Elohim.

⁴⁴ “You may have male and female slaves, but buy them from the nations around you. ⁴⁵ You may also buy them from the foreigners living among you and from their families born in your country. They will be your property. ⁴⁶ You may acquire them for yourselves and for your descendants as permanent property. You may work them as slaves. However, do not treat the Israelites harshly. They are your relatives.

Jesus Blesses Children^(A)

¹³ Some people brought little children to Yeshua to have him hold them. But the disciples told the people not to do that.

¹⁴ When Yeshua saw this, he became irritated. He told them, “Don’t stop the children from coming to me. Children like these are part of the kingdom of God. ¹⁵ I can guarantee this truth: Whoever doesn’t receive the kingdom of God as a little child receives it will never enter it.”

¹⁶ Yeshua put his arms around the children and blessed them by placing his hands on them.

Eternal Life in the Kingdom^(B)

¹⁷ As Yeshua was coming out to the road, a man came running to him and knelt in front of him. He asked Yeshua, “Good Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?”

¹⁸ Yeshua said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. ¹⁹ You know the commandments: Never murder. Never commit adultery. Never steal. Never give false testimony. Never cheat. Honor your father and mother.”

²⁰ The man replied, “Teacher, I’ve obeyed all these commandments since I was a boy.”

²¹ Yeshua looked at him and loved him. He told him, “You’re still missing one thing. Sell everything you have. Give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then follow me!”

²² When the man heard that, he looked unhappy and went away sad, because he owned a lot of property.

²³ Yeshua looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it will be for rich people to enter the kingdom of God!”

²⁴ The disciples were stunned by his words. But Yeshua said to them again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! ²⁵ It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”

²⁶ This amazed his disciples more than ever. They asked each other, “Who, then, can be saved?”

²⁷ Yeshua looked at them and said, “It’s impossible for people to save themselves, but it’s not impossible for God to save them. Everything is possible for God.”

²⁸ Then Peter spoke up, “We’ve given up everything to follow you.”

²⁹ Yeshua said, “I can guarantee this truth: Anyone who gave up his home, brothers, sisters, mother, father, children, or fields because of me and the Good News ³⁰ will certainly receive a hundred times as much here in this life. They will certainly receive homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields, along with persecutions. But in the world to come they will receive eternal life. ³¹ But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.”

Animals Accepted for Sacrifice

¹⁷ Yahweh spoke to Moses, ¹⁸ “Tell Aaron, his sons, and all the Israelites: Israelites or foreigners may bring burnt offerings to Yahweh for anything they vowed or as freewill offerings. ¹⁹ The offering must be a male that has no defects from your cattle, sheep, or goats in order to be accepted. ²⁰ Never bring any animal with a physical defect, because it will not be accepted on your behalf. ²¹ A person may bring Yahweh a fellowship offering to fulfill a vow or for a freewill offering. Whether it is from the cattle, sheep, or goats, it must be an animal that has no defects in order to be accepted. It must never be an animal that has defects. ²² Never bring Yahweh an animal that is blind, has broken bones, cuts, warts, scabs, or ringworm. Never give Yahweh any of these in a sacrifice by fire on the altar. ²³ You may use a bull or a sheep with a deformity or one that is stunted in growth as a freewill offering. However, it will not be accepted for a vow. ²⁴ Never bring Yahweh an animal that has bruised, crushed, torn out, or cut out testicles. Never do any of these things to an animal in your land. ²⁵ Never bring any kind of castrated animal received from a foreigner as a food offering for your Elohim. A castrated animal will not be accepted on your behalf because castration is a physical defect.”

²⁶ Yahweh spoke to Moses, ²⁷ “When a calf, a lamb, or a goat is born, it must stay with its mother for seven days. From the eighth day on it may be accepted as a sacrifice by fire to Yahweh. ²⁸ Never slaughter a cow or a sheep and its young the same day.

²⁹ “When you sacrifice a thank offering to Yahweh, do it in the proper way. ³⁰ Eat it the same day. Never leave any of it until morning. I am Yahweh.

³¹ “Carefully obey my commands. I am Yahweh. ³² Never dishonor my holy name. I will show my holiness among the Israelites. I am Yahweh, who sets you apart as holy. ³³ I brought you out of Egypt to be your Elohim. I am Yahweh.”

The Day of Worship

23 Yahweh spoke to Moses, ² “Tell the Israelites: These are the appointed festivals with Yahweh, which you must announce as holy assemblies. ³ You may work for six days. But the seventh day is a day of worship, a day when you don’t work, a holy assembly. Don’t do any work. It is Yahweh’s day of worship wherever you live.

⁴ “The following are Yahweh’s appointed festivals with holy assemblies, which you must announce at their appointed times.

The Spring Festivals

⁵ “The fourteenth day of the first month, in the evening, is Yahweh’s Passover. ⁶ The fifteenth day of this same month is Yahweh’s Festival of Unleavened Bread. For seven days you must eat unleavened bread. ⁷ On the first day there will be a holy assembly. Don’t do any regular work. ⁸ Bring Yahweh a sacrifice by fire for seven days. On the seventh day there will be a holy assembly. Don’t do any regular work.”

⁹ Yahweh spoke to Moses, ¹⁰ “Tell the Israelites: When you come to the land I am going to give you and you harvest grain, bring the priest a bundle of the first grain you harvest. ¹¹ He will present it to Yahweh so that you will be accepted. He will present it on the day after Passover. ¹² On the day you present the bundle, you must sacrifice a one-year-old male lamb that has no defects as a burnt offering to Yahweh. ¹³ Bring a grain offering of four quarts of flour mixed with olive oil with it. This will be a sacrifice by fire made to Yahweh, a soothing aroma. Use one quart of wine for the wine offering. ¹⁴ Don’t eat bread, roasted grain, or fresh grain until this same day, when you bring the offering to your Elohim. It is a permanent law for generations to come wherever you live.

¹⁵ “Count seven full weeks from the day after Passover (the day you bring the bundle of grain as an offering presented to the Lord) ¹⁶ until the day after the seventh week. This is a total of fifty days. Then bring a new grain offering to Yahweh. ¹⁷ Bring two loaves of bread from your homes to present to the Lord. Bake them with four quarts of flour. They are the first harvested grain for Yahweh. ¹⁸ With the bread bring seven one-year-old lambs that have no defects, one bull, and two rams. They will be a burnt offering to Yahweh. With these offerings also bring grain and wine offerings. They will be a sacrifice by fire, a soothing aroma to Yahweh. ¹⁹ Also sacrifice one male goat as an offering for sin and two one-year-old lambs as a fellowship offering. ²⁰ The priest must present them along with the bread of the first harvested grain as an offering to Yahweh. All this, along with the two lambs, will be holy and will belong to Yahweh’s priests. ²¹ Make an announcement that there will be a holy assembly on that same day. Don’t do any regular work. It is a permanent law for generations to come wherever you live.

²² “When you harvest the grain in your land, don’t harvest the grain in the corners of your fields or gather what is left after you’re finished. Leave it for poor people and foreigners. I am Yahweh your Elohim.”

The Fall Festivals

²³ Yahweh spoke to Moses, ²⁴ “Tell the Israelites: On the first day of the seventh month hold a worship festival. It will be a memorial day, a holy assembly announced by the blowing of rams’ horns. ²⁵ Don’t do any regular work. Bring a sacrifice by fire to Yahweh.”

²⁶ Yahweh spoke to Moses, ²⁷ “In addition, the tenth day of this seventh month is a special day for the payment for sins. There will be a holy assembly. Humble yourselves, and bring Yahweh a sacrifice by fire. ²⁸ Don’t do any work that day. It is a special day for the payment for sins. It is a time when you make peace with Yahweh your Elohim. ²⁹ Those who do not humble themselves on that day will be excluded from the people. ³⁰ I will kill those who do any work on that day. ³¹ Don’t do any work. It is a permanent law for generations to come wherever you live. ³² It is a day of worship, a day when you don’t work. Humble yourselves starting on the evening of the ninth day of the month. From that evening to the next, observe the day of worship.”

³³ Yahweh spoke to Moses, ³⁴ “Tell the Israelites: The fifteenth day of this seventh month is the Festival of Booths to Yahweh. It will last seven days. ³⁵ On the first day there will be a holy assembly. Don’t do any regular work. ³⁶ For seven consecutive days bring a sacrifice by fire to Yahweh. On the eighth day there will be a holy assembly. Bring Yahweh a sacrifice by fire. This is the last festival of the year. Don’t do any regular work.

³⁷ “These are Yahweh’s appointed festivals. Announce them as holy assemblies for bringing sacrifices by fire to Yahweh. Bring burnt offerings, grain offerings, other sacrifices, and wine offerings—each one on its special day. ³⁸ This is in addition to Yahweh’s days of worship, your gifts, all your vows, and your freewill offerings to Yahweh.

³⁹ “However, on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered what the land produces, celebrate Yahweh’s festival for seven days. The first and the eighth days will be worship festivals. ⁴⁰ On the first day take the best fruits, palm branches, the branches of leafy trees and poplars, and celebrate in the presence of Yahweh your Elohim for seven days. ⁴¹ It is Yahweh’s festival. Celebrate it for seven days each year. This is a permanent law for generations to come. Celebrate this festival in the seventh month. ⁴² Live in booths for seven days. Everyone born in Israel must live in booths ⁴³ so that generations to come may learn how I made the people of Israel live in booths when I brought them out of Egypt. I am Yahweh your Elohim.”

⁴⁴ So Moses told the Israelites about Yahweh’s appointed festivals.

Jesus Again Foretells That He Will Die and Come Back to Life^(A)

³⁰ They left that place and were passing through Galilee. Yeshua did not want anyone to know where he was ³¹ because he was teaching his disciples. He taught them, “The Son of Man will be betrayed and handed over to people. They will kill him, but on the third day he will come back to life.”

³² The disciples didn’t understand what he meant and were afraid to ask him.

Greatness in the Kingdom^(B)

³³ Then they came to Capernaum. While Yeshua was at home, he asked the disciples, “What were you arguing about on the road?” ³⁴ They were silent. On the road they had argued about who was the greatest.

³⁵ He sat down and called the twelve apostles. He told them, “Whoever wants to be the most important person must take the last place and be a servant to everyone else.” ³⁶ Then he took a little child and had him stand among them. He put his arms around the child and said to them, ³⁷ “Whoever welcomes a child like this in my name welcomes me. Whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.”

Using the Name of Jesus^(C)

³⁸ John said to Yeshua, “Teacher, we saw someone forcing demons out of a person by using the power and authority of your name. We tried to stop him because he was not one of us.”

³⁹ Yeshua said, “Don’t stop him! No one who works a miracle in my name can turn around and speak evil of me. ⁴⁰ Whoever isn’t against us is for us. ⁴¹ I can guarantee this truth: Whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ will certainly not lose his reward.”

Causing Others to Lose Faith^(D)

⁴² “These little ones believe in me. It would be best for the person who causes one of them to lose faith to be thrown into the sea with a large stone hung around his neck.

⁴³ “So if your hand causes you to lose your faith, cut it off! It is better for you to enter life disabled than to have two hands and go to hell, to the fire that cannot be put out.^{[a] 45} If your foot causes you to lose your faith, cut it off! It is better for you to enter life lame than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. ⁴⁷ If your eye causes you to lose your faith, tear it out! It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell. ⁴⁸ In hell worms that eat the body never die, and the fire is never put out. ⁴⁹ Everyone will be salted with fire. ⁵⁰ Salt is good. But if salt loses its taste, how will you restore its flavor? Have salt within you, and live in peace with one another.”

A Discussion about Divorce^(E)

10 Yeshua left there and went into the territory of Judea along the other side of the Jordan River. Crowds gathered around him again, and he taught them as he usually did.

² Some Pharisees came to test him. They asked, “Can a husband divorce his wife?”

³ Yeshua answered them, “What command did Moses give you?”

⁴ They said, “Moses allowed a man to give his wife a written notice to divorce her.”

⁵ Yeshua said to them, “He wrote this command for you because you’re heartless. ⁶ But God made them male and female in the beginning, at creation. ⁷ That’s why a man will leave his father and mother and will remain united with his wife, ⁸ and the two will be one. So they are no longer two but one. ⁹ Therefore, don’t let anyone separate what God has joined together.”

¹⁰ When they were in a house, the disciples asked him about this. ¹¹ He answered them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another woman is committing adultery. ¹² If a wife divorces her husband and marries another man, she is committing adultery.”

Psalm 44

For the choir director; a maskil by Korah’s descendants.

²² “If you carefully obey all my laws and my rules, the land I am bringing you to live in will not vomit you out. ²³ Never follow the practices of the people I am forcing out of your way. I cannot stand them because they did all these things. ²⁴ I have told you that you will take their land. I will give it to you as your own. It is a land flowing with milk and honey. I am Yahweh your Elohim who separated you from other people. ²⁵ Separate clean and unclean^[a] animals and birds. Never become disgusting by eating any animal or bird or anything that crawls on the ground. I have separated you from every unclean thing. ²⁶ Be my holy people because I, Yahweh, am holy. I have separated you from other people to be my very own.

²⁷ “Every man or woman who is a medium or a psychic must be put to death. They must be stoned to death because they deserve to die.”

Holiness for All the Priests

21 Yahweh spoke to Moses, “Tell the priests, Aaron’s sons: None of you should become unclean by touching one of your relatives who has died. ² However, you are allowed to become unclean when one of your nearest relatives dies. These relatives include your mother, father, son, daughter, or brother, ³ and especially an unmarried virgin sister who is still close to you. ⁴ As the head of your people, you should never become unclean. That would make you unholy.

⁵ “You should never mourn by shaving bald spots on your heads, shaving the edges of your beards, or slashing your bodies.

⁶ “Be Elohim’s holy men, and don’t dishonor the name of your Elohim. Be holy because you bring sacrifices by fire to Yahweh. It is the food of your Elohim. ⁷ You should never marry prostitutes, those who have lost their virginity, or divorced women because a priest is Elohim’s holy man. ⁸ Be holy because you offer the food of your Elohim. Be holy because I, Yahweh, am holy. I set you apart as holy. ⁹ When a priest’s daughter dishonors herself by becoming a prostitute, she dishonors her father. She must be burned.

Holiness for the Chief Priest

¹⁰ “The priest who is anointed with oil and wears the chief priest’s clothes is chief over his brothers. He must never mourn by leaving his hair uncombed or by tearing his clothes. ¹¹ He must never go near any dead bodies or become unclean, even for his father or mother. ¹² He must not leave the holy tent of his Elohim. If he does, he will be dishonoring it, because he is dedicated with the anointing oil of his Elohim. I am Yahweh.

¹³ “The anointed priest must marry a virgin. ¹⁴ He must never marry a widow, a divorced woman, a woman who has lost her virginity, or a prostitute. He may only marry a virgin from his own people. ¹⁵ He must not dishonor his children among his people because I, Yahweh, set him apart as holy.”

¹⁶ Yahweh spoke to Moses, ¹⁷ “Tell Aaron: If any of your descendants (now or in future generations) has a physical defect, he must never bring food to offer to Elohim. ¹⁸ Indeed, no one who has a physical defect may ever come near the altar. That means anyone who is blind or lame, who has a disfigured face, a deformity, ¹⁹ or a crippled hand or foot, ²⁰ who is a hunchback or dwarf, who has defective sight, skin diseases, or crushed testicles. ²¹ If a descendant of the priest Aaron has a physical defect, he must never bring sacrifices by fire to Yahweh. He has a defect. He must never bring food to offer to Elohim. ²² He may eat the food of his Elohim—what is holy and what is very holy. ²³ However, he must never come up to the canopy or to the altar, since he has a physical defect. He must never dishonor the holy places because I, Yahweh, set them apart as holy.”

²⁴ So Moses spoke to Aaron and his sons and to all the Israelites.

Eating the Priests’ Share of the Sacrifice

22 Yahweh spoke to Moses, ² “Tell Aaron and his sons that they must respect the holy offerings which the Israelites set apart for me. In this way they will not dishonor my holy name. I am Yahweh.

³ “Tell them: In future generations if any of your descendants, while unclean, comes near the holy offerings the Israelites set apart for Yahweh, that person must be excluded from my presence. I am Yahweh.

⁴ “No descendant of Aaron who has a skin disease or a discharge may eat any of the holy offerings until he is clean. Any person who has an emission of semen or touches a dead body, ⁵ an unclean swarming creature or an unclean person ⁶ will be unclean until evening. He must not eat any of the holy offerings unless he has washed himself. ⁷ When the sun has set, he will be clean. Then he may eat the holy offerings because they are his food. ⁸ He must never eat the meat of an animal that dies naturally or is killed by wild animals. It will make him unclean. I am Yahweh. ⁹ The priests must do what I order, or their sin will bring them death because they dishonored a holy offering. I am Yahweh, who sets them apart as holy.

¹⁰ “Laypeople must never eat any holy offering, even if they are visiting a priest or are working for him. ¹¹ But if a priest buys a slave, the slave and anyone born in his household may eat the priest’s food. ¹² However, if a priest’s daughter marries a layman, she must never eat the food taken from the holy contributions. ¹³ If a priest’s daughter is widowed or divorced, doesn’t have any children, and comes back to live in her father’s home, she may eat her father’s food. But a layperson must never eat it.

¹⁴ “Those who eat a holy offering by mistake must give another holy offering to the priest and add one-fifth more to it. ¹⁵ Priests must not dishonor the holy offerings that the Israelites contribute to Yahweh. ¹⁶ They must make those people pay the penalty for their guilt because they have eaten the priests’ holy offerings. I am Yahweh, who sets them apart as holy.”

9 He said to them, “I can guarantee this truth: Some people who are standing here will not die until they see the kingdom of God arrive with power.”

Moses and Elijah Appear with Jesus^(A)

² After six days Yeshua took only Peter, James, and John and led them up a high mountain where they could be alone.

Yeshua’s appearance changed in front of them. ³ His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone on earth could bleach them. ⁴ Then Elijah and Moses appeared to them and were talking with Yeshua.

⁵ Peter said to Yeshua, “Rabbi, it’s good that we’re here. Let’s put up three tents—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” ⁶ (Peter didn’t know how to respond. He and the others were terrified.)

⁷ Then a cloud overshadowed them. A voice came out of the cloud and said, “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!”

⁸ Suddenly, as they looked around, they saw no one with them but Yeshua.

⁹ On their way down the mountain, Yeshua ordered them not to tell anyone what they had seen. They were to wait until the Son of Man had come back to life. ¹⁰ They kept in mind what he said but argued among themselves what he meant by “come back to life.” ¹¹ So they asked him, “Don’t the experts in Moses’ Teachings say that Elijah must come first?”

¹² Yeshua said to them, “Elijah is coming first and will put everything in order again. But in what sense was it written that the Son of Man must suffer a lot and be treated shamefully? ¹³ Indeed, I can guarantee that Elijah has come. Yet, people treated him as they pleased, as Scripture says about him.”

Jesus Cures a Demon-Possessed Boy^(B)

¹⁴ When they came to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd around them. Some experts in Moses’ Teachings were arguing with them. ¹⁵ All the people were very surprised to see Yeshua and ran to welcome him.

¹⁶ Yeshua asked the experts in Moses’ Teachings, “What are you arguing about with them?”

¹⁷ A man in the crowd answered, “Teacher, I brought you my son. He is possessed by a spirit that won’t let him talk. ¹⁸ Whenever the spirit brings on a seizure, it throws him to the ground. Then he foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and becomes exhausted. I asked your disciples to force the spirit out, but they didn’t have the power to do it.”

¹⁹ Yeshua said to them, “You unbelieving generation! How long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring him to me!”

²⁰ They brought the boy to him. As soon as the spirit saw Yeshua, it threw the boy into convulsions. He fell on the ground, rolled around, and foamed at the mouth.

²¹ Yeshua asked his father, “How long has he been like this?”

The father replied, “He has been this way since he was a child. ²² The demon has often thrown him into fire or into water to destroy him. If it’s possible for you, put yourself in our place, and help us!”

²³ Yeshua said to him, “As far as possibilities go, everything is possible for the person who believes.”

²⁴ The child’s father cried out at once, “I believe! Help my lack of faith.”

²⁵ When Yeshua saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he gave an order to the evil spirit. He said, “You spirit that won’t let him talk, I command you to come out of him and never enter him again.”

²⁶ The evil spirit screamed, shook the child violently, and came out. The boy looked as if he were dead, and everyone said, “He’s dead!”

²⁷ Yeshua took his hand and helped him to stand up.

²⁸ When Yeshua went into a house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why couldn’t we force the spirit out of the boy?”

²⁹ He told them, “This kind of spirit can be forced out only by prayer.”^[a]

Psalm 43

Duties of the People Toward God

19 Yahweh spoke to Moses, ² “Tell the whole congregation of Israel: Be holy because I, Yahweh your Elohim, am holy.

³ “Respect your mother and father. Observe my days of worship. I am Yahweh your Elohim.

⁴ “Don’t turn to worthless gods or cast metal idols. Never make any gods for yourselves. I am Yahweh your Elohim.

⁵ “When you bring a fellowship offering to Yahweh, sacrifice it properly so that you will be accepted. ⁶ Eat your sacrifice on the day you bring it and on the next day. On the third day burn whatever is left over. ⁷ If you eat any of it on the third day, it is repulsive and will not be accepted. ⁸ Those who eat it will be punished because they have dishonored what is holy to Yahweh. They must be excluded from the people.

Duties of the People Toward Each Other

⁹ “When you harvest the grain in your land, don’t harvest the grain in the corners of your fields or gather what is left after you’re finished. ¹⁰ Don’t harvest your vineyard a second time or pick up fallen grapes. Leave them for poor people and foreigners. I am Yahweh your Elohim.

¹¹ “Never steal, lie, or deceive your neighbor.

¹² “Never swear by my name in order to deceive anyone. This dishonors the name of your Elohim. I am Yahweh.

¹³ “Never oppress or rob your neighbor. Never keep the pay you owe a hired worker overnight. ¹⁴ Never curse deaf people or put anything in the way of blind people to make them stumble. Instead, fear your Elohim. I am Yahweh.

¹⁵ “Don’t be corrupt when administering justice. Never give special favors to poor people, and never show preference to important people. Judge your neighbor fairly. ¹⁶ Never gossip. Never endanger your neighbor’s life. I am Yahweh.

¹⁷ “Never hate another Israelite. Be sure to correct your neighbor so that you will not be guilty of sinning along with him. ¹⁸ Never get revenge. Never hold a grudge against any of your people. Instead, love your neighbor as you love yourself. I am Yahweh.

Other Duties

¹⁹ “Obey my laws. Never crossbreed different kinds of animals. Never plant two kinds of crops in your field. Never wear clothes made from two kinds of material.

²⁰ “If a man has sexual intercourse with a female slave who is engaged to another man and if her freedom was never bought or given to her, they should not be put to death. He will only pay a fine because she is a slave. ²¹ He must bring a ram for his guilt offering to Yahweh at the entrance to the tent of meeting. ²² In Yahweh’s presence the priest will use them to make peace with the Lord for this sin. The man will be forgiven for this sin.

²³ “When you come into the land and plant all kinds of fruit trees, you must not eat the fruit for the first three years. ²⁴ In the fourth year all the fruit will be a holy offering of praise to Yahweh. ²⁵ In the fifth year you may eat the fruit. Do this to make the trees produce more for you. I am Yahweh your Elohim.

²⁶ “Never eat any meat with blood still in it.

“Never cast evil spells, and never consult fortunetellers.

²⁷ “Never shave the hair on your foreheads, and never cut the edges of your beard. ²⁸ Never slash your body to mourn the dead, and never get a tattoo. I am Yahweh.

²⁹ “Never dishonor your daughter by making her a prostitute, or the country will turn to prostitution and be filled with people who are perverted.

³⁰ “Observe my days of worship and respect my holy tent. I am Yahweh.

³¹ “Don’t turn to psychics or mediums to get help. That will make you unclean. I am Yahweh your Elohim.

³² “Show respect to the elderly, and honor older people. In this way you show respect for your Elohim. I am Yahweh.

³³ “Never mistreat a foreigner living in your land. ³⁴ Foreigners living among you will be like your own people. Love them as you love yourself, because you were foreigners living in Egypt. I am Yahweh your Elohim.

³⁵ “Don’t be corrupt when administering justice concerning length, weight, or measuring liquid. ³⁶ Use honest scales, honest weights, and honest measures. I am Yahweh your Elohim who brought you out of Egypt.

³⁷ “Obey all my laws and all my rules, and live by them. I am Yahweh.”

Punishment for Serious Crimes

20 Yahweh spoke to Moses, ² “Tell the Israelites: If Israelites or foreigners living among you give one of their children as a sacrifice to the god Molech, they must be put to death. The common people must stone them to death. ³ I will condemn them and exclude them from the people. They gave one of their children to Molech, made my holy tent unclean, and dishonored my holy name. ⁴ If the common people ignore those who give their children to Molech and do not put them to death, ⁵ I will condemn them and their families. I will exclude them from the people. I will exclude from the people everyone who chases after Molech as if he were a prostitute.

⁶ “I will condemn people who turn to mediums and psychics and chase after them as though they were prostitutes. I will exclude them from the people.

⁷ “Live holy lives. Be holy because I am Yahweh your Elohim. ⁸ Obey my laws, and live by them. I am Yahweh who sets you apart as holy.

⁹ “Whoever curses his father or mother must be put to death. He has cursed his father or mother and deserves to die.

¹⁰ “If a man commits adultery with another man’s wife or with his neighbor’s wife, both he and the woman must be put to death for their adultery. ¹¹ Whoever has sexual intercourse with his father’s wife has violated his father’s marriage. Both he and his father’s wife must be put to death. They deserve to die. ¹² If a man has sexual intercourse with his daughter-in-law, both of them must be put to death. They have done a disgusting thing and deserve to die. ¹³ When a man has sexual intercourse with another man as with a woman, both men are doing something disgusting and must be put to death. They deserve to die. ¹⁴ When a man marries a woman and her mother, they have done a perverted thing. The man and the two women must be burned. Never do this perverted thing. ¹⁵ A man who has sexual intercourse with an animal must be put to death. You must kill the animal, too. ¹⁶ When a woman offers herself sexually to any animal, you must kill both the woman and the animal. They must be put to death. They deserve to die. ¹⁷ Whoever takes his sister, his father’s daughter or his mother’s daughter, and has sexual intercourse does a shameful thing. They both must be publicly excluded from the people. He has had sexual intercourse with his sister and must be punished. ¹⁸ If a man has sexual intercourse with a woman while she has her monthly period, both of them have had sexual intercourse in blood. They must be excluded from the people. ¹⁹ Never have sexual intercourse with your mother’s sister or your father’s sister. Whoever has sexual intercourse with a close relative must be punished. ²⁰ Whoever has sexual intercourse with his uncle’s wife violates his uncle’s marriage. That man and woman are guilty of sin. They will die without children. ²¹ Whoever marries his brother’s wife violates his brother’s marriage and does an unclean thing. That man and woman will have no children.

The Pharisees Ask for a Sign from Heaven^(A)

¹¹ The Pharisees went to Yeshua and began to argue with him. They tested him by demanding that he perform a miraculous sign from heaven.

¹² With a deep sigh he asked, “Why do these people demand a sign? I can guarantee this truth: If these people are given a sign, it will be far different than what they want!”

¹³ Then he left them there.

The Yeast of the Pharisees^(B)

He got into a boat again and crossed to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. ¹⁴ The disciples had forgotten to take any bread along and had only one loaf with them in the boat.

¹⁵ Yeshua warned them, “Be careful! Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod!”

¹⁶ They had been discussing with one another that they didn’t have any bread.

¹⁷ Yeshua knew what they were saying and asked them, “Why are you discussing the fact that you don’t have any bread? Don’t you understand yet? Don’t you catch on? Are your minds closed? ¹⁸ Are you blind and deaf? Don’t you remember? ¹⁹ When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets did you fill with leftover pieces?”

They told him, “Twelve.”

²⁰ “When I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many large baskets did you fill with leftover pieces?”

They answered him, “Seven.”

²¹ He asked them, “Don’t you catch on yet?”

Jesus Gives Sight to a Blind Man

²² As they came to Bethsaida, some people brought a blind man to Yeshua. They begged Yeshua to touch him. ²³ Yeshua took the blind man’s hand and led him out of the village. He spit into the man’s eyes and placed his hands on him. Yeshua asked him, “Can you see anything?”

²⁴ The man looked up and said, “I see people. They look like trees walking around.”

²⁵ Then Yeshua placed his hands on the man’s eyes a second time, and the man saw clearly. His sight was normal again. He could see everything clearly even at a distance. ²⁶ Yeshua told him when he sent him home, “Don’t go into the village.”

Peter Declares His Belief about Jesus^(C)

²⁷ Then Yeshua and his disciples went to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say I am?”

²⁸ They answered him, “Some say you are John the Baptizer, others Elijah, still others one of the prophets.”

²⁹ He asked them, “But who do you say I am?”

Peter answered him, “You are the Messiah!”

³⁰ He ordered them not to tell anyone about him.

Jesus Foretells That He Will Die and Come Back to Life^(D)

³¹ Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man would have to suffer a lot. He taught them that he would be rejected by the leaders, the chief priests, and the experts in Moses’ Teachings. He would be killed, but after three days he would come back to life. ³² He told them very clearly what he meant.

Peter took him aside and objected to this. ³³ Yeshua turned, looked at his disciples, and objected to what Peter said. Yeshua said, “Get out of my way, Satan! You aren’t thinking the way God thinks but the way humans think.”

What It Means to Follow Jesus^(E)

³⁴ Then Yeshua called the crowd to himself along with his disciples. He said to them, “Those who want to follow me must say no to the things they want, pick up their crosses, and follow me. ³⁵ Those who want to save their lives will lose them. But those who lose their lives for me and for the Good News will save them. ³⁶ What good does it do for people to win the whole world yet lose their lives? ³⁷ Or what should a person give in exchange for life? ³⁸ If people are ashamed of me and what I say in this unfaithful and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of those people when he comes with the holy angels in his Father’s glory.”

BOOK TWO

(Psalms 42–72)

Psalm 42

For the choir director; a maskil^[a] by Korah’s descendants.

²⁹ “This will be a permanent law for you: On the tenth day of the seventh month both native Israelites and foreigners must humble themselves. They must do no work. ³⁰ On this day Aaron will make peace with the Lord to make you clean. Then you will be clean from all your sins in the Lord’s presence. ³¹ This is the most important worship festival there is for you. You will humble yourselves. It is a permanent law. ³² The priest who is anointed and ordained to serve as chief priest in his father’s place will pay for sins. He will put on the holy linen clothes ³³ and will make peace with the Lord at the holy place, the tent of meeting, and the altar. He will make peace with the Lord for the priests and all the worshipers.

³⁴ “This permanent law tells you how to make peace with the Lord once a year for all the sins the Israelites committed.”

Aaron did as the Lord had commanded Moses.

Eating Sacrifices

17 The Lord spoke to Moses, ² “Tell Aaron, his sons, and all the Israelites that this is what the Lord has commanded: ³ Any Israelite who slaughters a bull, sheep, or goat inside or outside the camp ⁴ is guilty of bloodshed. He has shed blood and must be excluded from the people. Bring the animal to the entrance of the tent of meeting. Offer it to the Lord in front of the Lord’s tent. ⁵ This means that the people of Israel must take the sacrifices they have been making in the open fields and bring them to the Lord. They must bring them to the priest at the entrance to the tent of meeting. The people will sacrifice them as fellowship offerings to the Lord. ⁶ The priest will pour the blood against the Lord’s altar at the entrance to the tent of meeting. He will burn the fat as a soothing aroma to the Lord. ⁷ The people must stop sacrificing to goat idols and chasing after them as though they were prostitutes. This is a permanent law for the people and for future generations.

⁸ “Tell them: If Israelites or foreigners make burnt offerings or sacrifices ⁹ but do not bring them to the entrance of the tent of meeting to offer them to the Lord, they must be excluded from the people.

Eating Blood

¹⁰ “If Israelites or foreigners eat any blood, I will condemn them and exclude them from the people, ¹¹ because blood contains life. I have given this blood to you to make peace with me on the altar. Blood is needed to make peace with me. ¹² That is why I have said to the people of Israel: Neither you nor foreigners should ever eat blood.

¹³ “If Israelites or foreigners hunt any animal or bird that may be eaten, they must pour out the animal’s blood and cover it with dirt. ¹⁴ This is because the life of any creature is in its blood. So I have said to the people of Israel: Never eat any blood, because the life of any creature is in its blood. Whoever eats blood must be excluded from the people.

¹⁵ “Native Israelites or foreigners who eat the body of an animal that dies naturally or is killed by another animal must wash their clothes and their bodies. They will be unclean until evening. Then they will be clean. ¹⁶ If they don’t wash their clothes and their bodies, they will be guilty of sin.”

Forbidden Sexual Practices

18 The Lord spoke to Moses, ² “Tell the Israelites: I am the Lord your God. ³ You used to live in Egypt. Don’t live the way the Egyptians do. I am bringing you to Canaan. Don’t live the way the Canaanites do. Never live by their standards. ⁴ Follow my rules, and live by my standards. I am the Lord your God. ⁵ Live by my standards, and obey my rules. You will have life through them. I am the Lord.

⁶ “Never have sexual intercourse with anyone related to you by blood. I am the Lord.

⁷ “Never have sexual intercourse with your mother. She is your own mother. Never have sexual intercourse with her. ⁸ Never have sexual intercourse with your stepmother. She is related to you through your father. ⁹ Never have sexual intercourse with your stepsister, whether she is your father’s daughter or your mother’s daughter. It makes no difference whether or not she was born in your house. ¹⁰ Never have sexual intercourse with your granddaughter, whether she is your son’s daughter or your daughter’s daughter, because she is related to you. ¹¹ Never have sexual intercourse with a daughter of your father and his wife. She is your own sister. ¹² Never have sexual intercourse with your father’s sister. She is your paternal aunt. ¹³ Never have sexual intercourse with your mother’s sister. She is your maternal aunt. ¹⁴ Never have sexual intercourse with the wife of your father’s brother. She, too, is your aunt. ¹⁵ Never have sexual intercourse with your daughter-in-law. She is your son’s wife. Never have sexual intercourse with her. ¹⁶ Never have sexual intercourse with your sister-in-law. She is your brother’s wife. ¹⁷ Never have sexual intercourse with a woman and her daughter or a woman and her granddaughter. They are related. Doing this is perverted. ¹⁸ While your wife is living, never marry her sister as a rival wife and have sexual intercourse with her.

¹⁹ “Never have sexual intercourse with a woman while she is unclean during her monthly period. ²⁰ Never have sexual intercourse with your neighbor’s wife and become unclean with her. ²¹ Never give your children as sacrifices to the god Molech by burning them alive. If you do, you are dishonoring the name of your God. I am the Lord. ²² Never have sexual intercourse with a man as with a woman. It is disgusting. ²³ Never have sexual intercourse with any animal and become unclean with it. A woman must never offer herself to an animal for sexual intercourse. It is unnatural.

Punishment for Sexual Sins

²⁴ “Do not become unclean in any of these ways. By these practices all the nations which I am forcing out of your way have become unclean. ²⁵ The land has become unclean. I will punish it for its sins. The land will vomit out those who live in it. ²⁶ Live by my standards, and obey my rules. Neither you nor any foreigner should ever do any of these disgusting things. ²⁷ The people of the land who were there before you did all these disgusting things. As a result, the land has become unclean. ²⁸ If you make the land unclean, it will vomit you out as it has vomited out the people who were there before you. ²⁹ Whoever does any of these disgusting things must be excluded from the people. ³⁰ So you must follow my instructions. Don’t live by the standards of the people who lived there before you. What they do is disgusting. Never become unclean that way. I am the Lord your God.”

The Faith of a Greek Woman^(A)

²⁴ Jesus left that place and went to the territory of Tyre. He didn’t want anyone to know that he was staying in a house there. However, it couldn’t be kept a secret.

²⁵ A woman whose little daughter had an evil spirit heard about Jesus. She went to him and bowed down. ²⁶ The woman happened to be Greek, born in Phoenicia in Syria. She asked him to force the demon out of her daughter.

²⁷ Jesus said to her, “First, let the children eat all they want. It’s not right to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.”

²⁸ She answered him, “Lord, even the dogs under the table eat some of the children’s scraps.”

²⁹ Jesus said to her, “Because you have said this, go! The demon has left your daughter.”

³⁰ The woman went home and found the little child lying on her bed, and the demon was gone.

Jesus Cures a Deaf Man

³¹ Jesus then left the neighborhood of Tyre. He went through Sidon and the territory of the Ten Cities^[a] to the Sea of Galilee.

³² Some people brought to him a man who was deaf and who also had a speech defect. They begged Jesus to lay his hand on him. ³³ Jesus took him away from the crowd to be alone with him. He put his fingers into the man’s ears, and after spitting, he touched the man’s tongue. ³⁴ Then he looked up to heaven, sighed, and said to the man, “Ephphatha!” which means, “Be opened!” ³⁵ At once the man could hear and talk normally.

³⁶ Jesus ordered the people not to tell anyone. But the more he ordered them, the more they spread the news. ³⁷ Jesus completely amazed the people. They said, “He has done everything well. He makes the deaf hear and the mute talk.”

Jesus Feeds Four Thousand^(B)

8 About that time there was once again a large crowd with nothing to eat. Jesus called his disciples and said to them, ² “I feel sorry for the people. They have been with me three days now and have nothing to eat. ³ If I send them home before they’ve eaten, they will become exhausted on the road. Some of them have come a long distance.”

⁴ His disciples asked him, “Where could anyone get enough bread to feed these people in this place where no one lives?”

⁵ Jesus asked them, “How many loaves of bread do you have?”

They answered, “Seven.”

⁶ He ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground. He took the seven loaves and gave thanks to God. Then he broke the bread and gave it to his disciples to serve to the people. ⁷ They also had a few small fish. He blessed them and said that the fish should also be served to the people. ⁸ The people ate as much as they wanted. The disciples picked up the leftover pieces and filled seven large baskets. ⁹ About four thousand people were there. Then he sent the people on their way.

¹⁰ After that, Jesus and his disciples got into a boat and went into the region of Dalmanutha.

Psalm 41

For the choir director; a psalm by David.

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