Category: DAB Readings

Bodily Discharges

15 The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron: ² “Speak to the Israelites and tell them: When any man has a discharge^(A) from his member, he is unclean. ³ This is uncleanness of his discharge: Whether his member secretes the discharge or retains it, he is unclean. All the days that his member secretes or retains anything because of his discharge,^[a] he is unclean. ⁴ Any bed the man with the discharge lies on will be unclean, and any furniture he sits on will be unclean. ⁵ Anyone who touches his bed is to wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will remain unclean until evening. ⁶ Whoever sits on furniture that the man with the discharge was sitting on is to wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will remain unclean until evening. ⁷ Whoever touches the body^[b] of the man with a discharge is to wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will remain unclean until evening. ⁸ If the man with the discharge spits on anyone who is clean, he is to wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will remain unclean until evening. ⁹ Any saddle the man with the discharge rides on will be unclean.^{(B) 10} Whoever touches anything that was under him will be unclean until evening, and whoever carries such things is to wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will remain unclean until evening. ¹¹ If the man with the discharge touches anyone without first rinsing his hands in water,^(C) the person who was touched is to wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will remain unclean until evening. ¹² Any clay pot that the man with the discharge touches must be broken, while any wooden utensil is to be rinsed with water.^(D)

¹³ “When the man with the discharge has been cured of it, he is to count seven days for his cleansing, wash his clothes, and bathe his body in fresh water; he will be clean. ¹⁴ He must take two turtledoves or two young pigeons on the eighth day, come before the Lord at the entrance to the tent of meeting, and give them to the priest. ¹⁵ The priest is to sacrifice them, one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering.^(E) In this way the priest will make atonement for him before the Lord because of his discharge.

¹⁶ “When a man has an emission of semen,^(F) he is to bathe himself completely with water, and he will remain unclean until evening. ¹⁷ Any clothing or leather on which there is an emission of semen is to be washed with water, and it will remain unclean until evening. ¹⁸ If a man sleeps with a woman and has an emission of semen, both of them are to bathe with water, and they will remain unclean until evening.^(G)

¹⁹ “When a woman has a discharge, and it consists of blood from her body, she will be unclean because of her menstruation^(H) for seven days. Everyone who touches her will be unclean until evening. ²⁰ Anything she lies on during her menstruation will become unclean, and anything she sits on will become unclean. ²¹ Everyone who touches her bed is to wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will remain unclean until evening. ²² Everyone who touches any furniture she was sitting on is to wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will remain unclean until evening. ²³ If discharge is on the bed or the furniture she was sitting on, when he touches it he will be unclean until evening. ²⁴ If a man sleeps with her, and blood from her menstruation gets on him, he will be unclean for seven days, and every bed he lies on will become unclean.^(I)

²⁵ “When a woman has a discharge of her blood for many days, though it is not the time of her menstruation, or if she has a discharge beyond her period, she will be unclean all the days of her unclean discharge, as she is during the days of her menstruation. ²⁶ Any bed she lies on during the days of her discharge will be like her bed during menstrual impurity; any furniture she sits on will be unclean as in her menstrual period. ²⁷ Everyone who touches them will be unclean; he must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will remain unclean until evening. ²⁸ When she is cured of her discharge, she is to count seven days, and after that she will be clean.^{(J) 29} On the eighth day she must take two turtledoves or two young pigeons and bring them to the priest at the entrance to the tent of meeting. ³⁰ The priest is to sacrifice one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering. In this way the priest will make atonement for her before the Lord because of her unclean discharge.

³¹ “You must keep the Israelites from their uncleanness, so that they do not die by defiling my tabernacle^(K) that is among them. ³² This is the law for someone with a discharge: a man who has an emission of semen, becoming unclean by it; ³³ a woman who is in her menstrual period; anyone who has a discharge, whether male or female; and a man who sleeps with a woman who is unclean.”

The Day of Atonement

16 The Lord spoke to Moses after the death of two of Aaron’s sons when they approached the presence^(L) of^[c] the Lord and died.^{(M) 2} The Lord said to Moses: “Tell your brother Aaron that he may not come whenever he wants into the holy place^(N) behind the curtain^(O) in front of the mercy seat^(P) on the ark or else he will die, because I appear in the cloud^(Q) above the mercy seat.^(R)

³ “Aaron is to enter the most holy place^(S) in this way: with a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering.^{(T) 4} He is to wear a holy linen tunic, and linen undergarments are to be on his body. He is to tie a linen sash around him and wrap his head with a linen turban.^(U) These are holy garments; he must bathe his body with water before he wears them. ⁵ He is to take from the Israelite community two male goats for a sin offering and one ram for a burnt offering.^(V)

⁶ “Aaron will present the bull for his sin offering and make atonement for himself and his household. ⁷ Next he will take the two goats and place them before the Lord at the entrance to the tent of meeting. ⁸ After Aaron casts lots^(W) for the two goats, one lot for the Lord and the other for an uninhabitable place,^{[d][e](X) 9} he is to present the goat chosen by lot for the Lord and sacrifice it as a sin offering.^{(Y) 10} But the goat chosen by lot for an uninhabitable place is to be presented alive before the Lord to make atonement with it by sending it into the wilderness^(Z) for an uninhabitable place.

¹¹ “When Aaron presents the bull for his sin offering and makes atonement for himself and his household, he will slaughter the bull for his sin offering. ¹² Then he is to take a firepan full of blazing coals from the altar before the Lord and two handfuls of finely ground fragrant incense,^(AA) and bring them inside the curtain.^{(AB) 13} He is to put the incense on the fire before the Lord, so that the cloud^(AC) of incense covers the mercy seat that is over the testimony,^(AD) or else he will die.^{(AE) 14} He is to take some of the bull’s blood^(AF) and sprinkle it with his finger against the east side of the mercy seat; then he will sprinkle some of the blood with his finger before the mercy seat seven times.^(AG)

¹⁵ “When he slaughters the male goat for the people’s sin offering and brings its blood inside the curtain, he will do the same with its blood as he did with the bull’s blood: He is to sprinkle it against the mercy seat and in front of it. ¹⁶ He will make atonement for the most holy place in this way for all their sins because of the Israelites’ impurities and rebellious acts.^(AH) He will do the same for the tent of meeting that remains among them, because it is surrounded by their impurities. ¹⁷ No one may be in the tent of meeting from the time he enters to make atonement in the most holy place until he leaves after he has made atonement for himself, his household, and the whole assembly of Israel.^{(AI) 18} Then he will go out to the altar that is before the Lord and make atonement for it. He is to take some of the bull’s blood and some of the goat’s blood and put it on the horns on all sides of the altar. ¹⁹ He is to sprinkle some of the blood on it with his finger seven times to cleanse and set it apart^(AJ) from the Israelites’ impurities.^(AK)

²⁰ “When he has finished making atonement for the most holy place, the tent of meeting, and the altar, he is to present the live male goat. ²¹ Aaron will lay both his hands on the head of the live goat and confess^(AL) over it all the Israelites’ iniquities^(AM) and rebellious acts—all their sins.^(AN) He is to put them on the goat’s head and send it away into the wilderness^(AO) by the man appointed for the task.^{[f] 22} The goat will carry all their iniquities into a desolate land,^(AP) and the man will release it there.

²³ “Then Aaron is to enter the tent of meeting, take off the linen garments^(AQ) he wore when he entered the most holy place, and leave them there. ²⁴ He will bathe his body with water in a holy place^(AR) and put on his clothes.^(AS) Then he must go out and sacrifice his burnt offering and the people’s burnt offering; he will make atonement for himself and for the people. ²⁵ He is to burn the fat of the sin offering on the altar. ²⁶ The man who released the goat for an uninhabitable place is to wash his clothes and bathe his body with water; afterward he may reenter the camp. ²⁷ The bull for the sin offering and the goat for the sin offering, whose blood was brought into the most holy place to make atonement, must be brought outside the camp^(AT) and their hide,^(AU) flesh, and waste burned.^{(AV) 28} The one who burns them is to wash his clothes and bathe himself with water; afterward he may reenter the camp.

The Traditions of the Elders

7 The^(A) Pharisees^(B) and some of the scribes^(C) who had come from Jerusalem^(D) gathered around him. ² They observed that some of his disciples were eating bread with unclean^(E)—that is, unwashed—hands. ³ (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they give their hands a ceremonial washing, keeping the tradition of the elders. ⁴ When they come from the marketplace,^(F) they do not eat unless they have washed.^(G) And there are many other customs they have received and keep, like the washing of cups, pitchers, kettles, and dining couches.^[a](H)) ⁵ So the Pharisees^(I) and the scribes^(J) asked him, “Why don’t your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders,^(K) instead of eating bread with ceremonially unclean^[b] hands?”

⁶ He answered them, “Isaiah^(L) prophesied^(M) correctly about you hypocrites,^(N) as it is written: ^(O)

⁸ Abandoning the command of God, you hold on to human tradition.”^{[d] 9} He also said to them, “You have a fine way of invalidating God’s command in order to set up^[e] your tradition! ¹⁰ For Moses^(T) said: Honor your father and your mother; ^[f](U) and Whoever speaks evil of father or mother must be put to death.^{(V)(W) 11} But you say, ‘If anyone tells his father or mother: Whatever benefit^(X) you might have received from me is corban’” (that is, an offering^(Y) devoted to God), ¹² “you no longer let him do anything for his father or mother. ¹³ You nullify the word of God^(Z) by your tradition that you have handed^(AA) down. And you do many other similar things.”

¹⁴ Summoning^(AB) the crowd again, he told them, “Listen to me, all of you, and understand:^{(AC) 15} Nothing that goes into a person from outside can defile him but the things that come out of a person are what defile him.”^[g]

¹⁷ When he went into the house away from the crowd, his disciples asked him about the parable. ¹⁸ He said to them, “Are you also as lacking in understanding? Don’t you realize that nothing going into a person from the outside can defile him? ¹⁹ For it doesn’t go into his heart but into the stomach^(AD) and is eliminated” (thus he declared all foods clean^[h](AE)). ²⁰ And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. ²¹ For from within, out of people’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immoralities,^(AF) thefts, murders,^{(AG) 22} adulteries,^(AH) greed,^(AI) evil actions, deceit,^(AJ) self-indulgence,^(AK) envy,^[i] slander,^(AL) pride,^(AM) and foolishness.^{(AN) 23} All these evil things come from within and defile a person.”

Cleansing of Skin Diseases

14 The Lord spoke to Moses: ² “This is the law^(A) concerning the person afflicted with a skin disease on the day of his cleansing.^(B) He is to be brought to the priest,^{(C) 3} who will go outside the camp^(D) and examine him.^(E) If the skin disease has disappeared from the afflicted person,^{[a] 4} the priest will order that two live clean birds,^(F) cedar wood,^(G) scarlet^(H) yarn, and hyssop^(I) be brought for the one who is to be cleansed. ⁵ Then the priest will order that one of the birds be slaughtered over fresh water in a clay pot. ⁶ He is to take the live bird together with the cedar wood, scarlet yarn, and hyssop, and dip them all into the blood of the bird that was slaughtered over the fresh water. ⁷ He will then sprinkle the blood seven times on the one who is to be cleansed from the skin disease. He is to pronounce him clean and release the live bird over the open countryside.^{(J) 8} The one who is to be cleansed must wash his clothes, shave off all his hair, and bathe with water; he is clean. Afterward he may enter the camp, but he must remain outside his tent for seven days. ⁹ He is to shave off all his hair again on the seventh day: his head, his beard, his eyebrows, and the rest of his hair. He is to wash his clothes and bathe himself with water; he is clean.

¹⁰ “On the eighth day he must take two unblemished^(K) male lambs, an unblemished year-old ewe lamb, a grain offering of six quarts^[b] of fine flour mixed with olive oil, and one-third of a quart^[c] of olive oil. ¹¹ The priest who performs the cleansing will place the person who is to be cleansed, together with these offerings, before the Lord at the entrance to the tent of meeting. ¹² The priest is to take one male lamb and present it as a guilt offering,^(L) along with the one-third quart of olive oil, and he will present them as a presentation offering^(M) before the Lord. ¹³ He is to slaughter the male lamb at the place in the sanctuary area where the sin offering^(N) and burnt offering^(O) are slaughtered,^(P) for like the sin offering, the guilt offering belongs to the priest;^(Q) it is especially holy.^{(R) 14} The priest is to take some of the blood from the guilt offering and put it on the lobe of the right ear of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot.^{(S) 15} Then the priest will take some of the one-third quart of olive oil and pour it into his left palm. ¹⁶ The priest will dip his right finger into the oil in his left palm and sprinkle some of the oil with his finger seven times before the Lord. ¹⁷ From the oil remaining in his palm the priest will put some on the lobe of the right ear of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot, on top of the blood of the guilt offering.^{(T) 18} What is left of the oil in the priest’s palm he is to put on the head of the one to be cleansed. In this way the priest will make atonement for him before the Lord. ¹⁹ The priest is to sacrifice the sin offering and make atonement for the one to be cleansed from his uncleanness.^(U) Afterward he will slaughter the burnt offering. ²⁰ The priest is to offer the burnt offering and the grain offering on the altar. The priest will make atonement for him, and he will be clean.^(V)

²¹ “But if he is poor^(W) and cannot afford these,^(X) he is to take one male lamb for a guilt offering to be presented in order to make atonement for him, along with two quarts^[d] of fine flour mixed with olive oil for a grain offering, one-third of a quart of olive oil, ²² and two turtledoves or two young pigeons, whatever he can afford, one to be a sin offering and the other a burnt offering. ²³ On the eighth day he is to bring these things for his cleansing to the priest at the entrance to the tent of meeting before the Lord. ²⁴ The priest will take the male lamb for the guilt offering and the one-third quart of olive oil, and present them as a presentation offering before the Lord. ²⁵ After he slaughters the male lamb for the guilt offering, the priest is to take some of the blood of the guilt offering and put it on the right earlobe of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot. ²⁶ Then the priest will pour some of the oil into his left palm. ²⁷ With his right finger the priest will sprinkle some of the oil in his left palm seven times before the Lord. ²⁸ The priest will also put some of the oil in his palm on the right earlobe of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot, on the same place as the blood of the guilt offering. ²⁹ What is left of the oil in the priest’s palm he is to put on the head of the one to be cleansed to make atonement for him before the Lord.^{(Y) 30} He is to then sacrifice one type of what he can afford, either the turtledoves or young pigeons, ³¹ one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering, sacrificing what he can afford together with the grain offering. In this way the priest will make atonement before the Lord for the one to be cleansed. ³² This is the law for someone who has^[e] a skin disease and cannot afford the cost of his cleansing.”

Cleansing of Contaminated Objects

³³ The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron: ³⁴ “When you enter the land of Canaan^(Z) that I am giving you as a possession,^(AA) and I place a mildew contamination in a house in the land you possess,^{[f] 35} the owner of the house is to come and tell the priest: Something like mildew contamination has appeared^[g] in my house. ³⁶ The priest must order them to clear the house before he enters to examine the contamination, so that nothing in the house becomes unclean. Afterward the priest will come to examine the house. ³⁷ He will examine it, and if the contamination in the walls of the house consists of green or red indentations^[h] that appear to be beneath the surface of the wall, ³⁸ the priest is to go outside the house to its doorway and quarantine the house for seven days. ³⁹ The priest is to return on the seventh day and examine it. If the contamination has spread on the walls of the house, ⁴⁰ the priest must order that the stones with the contamination be pulled out and thrown into an unclean place outside the city. ⁴¹ He is to have the inside of the house completely scraped, and have the plaster^[i] that is scraped off dumped in an unclean place outside the city. ⁴² Then they are to take different stones to replace the former ones and take additional plaster to replaster the house.

⁴³ “If the contamination reappears in the house after the stones have been pulled out, and after the house has been scraped and replastered, ⁴⁴ the priest is to come and examine it. If the contamination has spread in the house, it is harmful mildew; the house is unclean. ⁴⁵ It must be torn down with its stones, its beams, and all its plaster, and taken outside the city to an unclean place. ⁴⁶ Whoever enters the house during any of the days the priest quarantines it will be unclean until evening. ⁴⁷ Whoever lies down in the house is to wash his clothes, and whoever eats in it is to wash his clothes.

⁴⁸ “But when the priest comes and examines it, if the contamination has not spread in the house after it was replastered, he is to pronounce the house clean because the contamination has disappeared.^{[j] 49} He is to take two birds, cedar wood, scarlet yarn, and hyssop to purify the house, ⁵⁰ and he is to slaughter one of the birds over a clay pot containing fresh water. ⁵¹ He will take the cedar wood, the hyssop, the scarlet yarn, and the live bird, dip them in the blood of the slaughtered bird and the fresh water, and sprinkle the house seven times. ⁵² He will purify the house with the blood of the bird, the fresh water, the live bird, the cedar wood, the hyssop, and the scarlet yarn. ⁵³ Then he is to release the live bird into the open countryside^(AB) outside the city. In this way he will make atonement for the house, and it will be clean.

⁵⁴ “This is the law for any skin disease or mildew, for a scaly outbreak, ⁵⁵ for mildew in clothing or on a house, ⁵⁶ and for a swelling, scab, or spot, ⁵⁷ to determine when something is unclean or clean. This is the law regarding skin disease and mildew.”

Feeding of the Five Thousand

³⁰ The^(A) apostles^(B) gathered around Jesus and reported to him all that they had done and taught. ³¹ He said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a remote place and rest for a while.” For many people were coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.

³² So they went away in the boat by themselves to a remote place, ³³ but many saw them leaving and recognized them, and they ran on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them.^[a]

³⁴ When he went ashore, he saw a large crowd and had compassion^(C) on them, because they were like sheep^(D) without a shepherd. Then he began to teach them many things.

³⁵ When it grew late, his disciples^(E) approached him and said, “This place is deserted,^(F) and it is already late. ³⁶ Send them away so that they can go into the surrounding countryside and villages to buy themselves something to eat.”

³⁷ “You give them something to eat,” he responded.

They said to him, “Should we go and buy two hundred denarii^[b] worth of bread and give them something to eat?”

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

When they found out they said, “Five, and two fish.” ³⁹ Then he instructed them to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass. ⁴⁰ So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties. ⁴¹ He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he blessed and broke the loaves. He kept giving them to his disciples to set before the people. He also divided the two fish among them all. ⁴² Everyone ate and was satisfied.^{(G) 43} They picked up twelve baskets full of pieces of bread and fish. ⁴⁴ Now those who had eaten the loaves were five thousand men.

Walking on the Water

⁴⁵ Immediately^(H) he made his disciples get into the boat and go ahead of him to the other side, to Bethsaida,^(I) while he dismissed the crowd. ⁴⁶ After he said good-bye to them, he went away to the mountain^(J) to pray.^{(K) 47} Well into the night, the boat was in the middle of the sea, and he was alone on the land. ⁴⁸ He saw them straining^(L) at the oars,^[c] because the wind was against them. Very early in the morning^[d] he came toward them walking on the sea and wanted to pass by them. ⁴⁹ When they saw him walking on the sea, they thought it was a ghost^(M) and cried out, ⁵⁰ because they all saw him and were terrified.^(N) Immediately he spoke with them and said, “Have courage!^(O) It is I.^(P) Don’t be afraid.”^{(Q) 51} Then he got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. They were completely astounded, ⁵² because they had not understood about the loaves. Instead, their hearts were hardened.^(R)

Miraculous Healings

⁵³ When they had crossed over, they came to shore at Gennesaret^(S) and anchored there.

⁵⁴ As they got out of the boat, people immediately recognized him. ⁵⁵ They hurried throughout that region and began to carry the sick^(T) on mats to wherever they heard he was. ⁵⁶ Wherever he went, into villages, towns, or the country, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and begged him that they might touch just the end^(U) of his robe.^(V) And everyone who touched it was healed.

Psalm 40

Thanksgiving and a Cry for Help

For the choir director. A psalm of David.

Regulations About Defiling Skin Diseases

13 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, ² “When anyone has a swelling^(A) or a rash or a shiny spot^(B) on their skin that may be a defiling skin disease,^[a](C) they must be brought to Aaron the priest^(D) or to one of his sons^[b] who is a priest. ³ The priest is to examine the sore on the skin, and if the hair in the sore has turned white and the sore appears to be more than skin deep, it is a defiling skin disease. When the priest examines that person, he shall pronounce them ceremonially unclean.^{(E) 4} If the shiny spot^(F) on the skin is white but does not appear to be more than skin deep and the hair in it has not turned white, the priest is to isolate the affected person for seven days.^{(G) 5} On the seventh day^(H) the priest is to examine them,^(I) and if he sees that the sore is unchanged and has not spread in the skin, he is to isolate them for another seven days. ⁶ On the seventh day the priest is to examine them again, and if the sore has faded and has not spread in the skin, the priest shall pronounce them clean;^(J) it is only a rash. They must wash their clothes,^(K) and they will be clean.^{(L) 7} But if the rash does spread in their skin after they have shown themselves to the priest to be pronounced clean, they must appear before the priest again.^{(M) 8} The priest is to examine that person, and if the rash has spread in the skin, he shall pronounce them unclean; it is a defiling skin disease.

⁹ “When anyone has a defiling skin disease, they must be brought to the priest. ¹⁰ The priest is to examine them, and if there is a white swelling in the skin that has turned the hair white and if there is raw flesh in the swelling, ¹¹ it is a chronic skin disease^(N) and the priest shall pronounce them unclean. He is not to isolate them, because they are already unclean.

¹² “If the disease breaks out all over their skin and, so far as the priest can see, it covers all the skin of the affected person from head to foot, ¹³ the priest is to examine them, and if the disease has covered their whole body, he shall pronounce them clean. Since it has all turned white, they are clean. ¹⁴ But whenever raw flesh appears on them, they will be unclean. ¹⁵ When the priest sees the raw flesh, he shall pronounce them unclean. The raw flesh is unclean; they have a defiling disease.^{(O) 16} If the raw flesh changes and turns white, they must go to the priest. ¹⁷ The priest is to examine them, and if the sores have turned white, the priest shall pronounce the affected person clean;^(P) then they will be clean.

¹⁸ “When someone has a boil^(Q) on their skin and it heals, ¹⁹ and in the place where the boil was, a white swelling or reddish-white^(R) spot^(S) appears, they must present themselves to the priest. ²⁰ The priest is to examine it, and if it appears to be more than skin deep and the hair in it has turned white, the priest shall pronounce that person unclean. It is a defiling skin disease^(T) that has broken out where the boil was. ²¹ But if, when the priest examines it, there is no white hair in it and it is not more than skin deep and has faded, then the priest is to isolate them for seven days. ²² If it is spreading in the skin, the priest shall pronounce them unclean; it is a defiling disease. ²³ But if the spot is unchanged and has not spread, it is only a scar from the boil, and the priest shall pronounce them clean.^(U)

²⁴ “When someone has a burn on their skin and a reddish-white or white spot appears in the raw flesh of the burn, ²⁵ the priest is to examine the spot, and if the hair in it has turned white, and it appears to be more than skin deep, it is a defiling disease that has broken out in the burn. The priest shall pronounce them unclean; it is a defiling skin disease.^{(V) 26} But if the priest examines it and there is no white hair in the spot and if it is not more than skin deep and has faded, then the priest is to isolate them for seven days.^{(W) 27} On the seventh day the priest is to examine that person,^(X) and if it is spreading in the skin, the priest shall pronounce them unclean; it is a defiling skin disease. ²⁸ If, however, the spot is unchanged and has not spread in the skin but has faded, it is a swelling from the burn, and the priest shall pronounce them clean; it is only a scar from the burn.^(Y)

²⁹ “If a man or woman has a sore on their head^(Z) or chin, ³⁰ the priest is to examine the sore, and if it appears to be more than skin deep and the hair in it is yellow and thin, the priest shall pronounce them unclean; it is a defiling skin disease on the head or chin. ³¹ But if, when the priest examines the sore, it does not seem to be more than skin deep and there is no black hair in it, then the priest is to isolate the affected person for seven days.^{(AA) 32} On the seventh day the priest is to examine the sore,^(AB) and if it has not spread and there is no yellow hair in it and it does not appear to be more than skin deep, ³³ then the man or woman must shave themselves, except for the affected area, and the priest is to keep them isolated another seven days. ³⁴ On the seventh day the priest is to examine the sore,^(AC) and if it has not spread in the skin and appears to be no more than skin deep, the priest shall pronounce them clean. They must wash their clothes, and they will be clean.^{(AD) 35} But if the sore does spread in the skin after they are pronounced clean, ³⁶ the priest is to examine them, and if he finds that the sore has spread in the skin, he does not need to look for yellow hair; they are unclean.^{(AE) 37} If, however, the sore is unchanged so far as the priest can see, and if black hair has grown in it, the affected person is healed. They are clean, and the priest shall pronounce them clean.

³⁸ “When a man or woman has white spots on the skin, ³⁹ the priest is to examine them, and if the spots are dull white, it is a harmless rash that has broken out on the skin; they are clean.

⁴⁰ “A man who has lost his hair and is bald^(AF) is clean. ⁴¹ If he has lost his hair from the front of his scalp and has a bald forehead, he is clean. ⁴² But if he has a reddish-white sore on his bald head or forehead, it is a defiling disease breaking out on his head or forehead. ⁴³ The priest is to examine him, and if the swollen sore on his head or forehead is reddish-white like a defiling skin disease, ⁴⁴ the man is diseased and is unclean. The priest shall pronounce him unclean because of the sore on his head.

⁴⁵ “Anyone with such a defiling disease must wear torn clothes,^(AG) let their hair be unkempt,^[c] cover the lower part of their face^(AH) and cry out, ‘Unclean! Unclean!’^{(AI) 46} As long as they have the disease they remain unclean. They must live alone; they must live outside the camp.^(AJ)

Regulations About Defiling Molds

⁴⁷ “As for any fabric that is spoiled with a defiling mold—any woolen or linen clothing, ⁴⁸ any woven or knitted material of linen or wool, any leather or anything made of leather— ⁴⁹ if the affected area in the fabric, the leather, the woven or knitted material, or any leather article, is greenish or reddish, it is a defiling mold and must be shown to the priest.^{(AK) 50} The priest is to examine the affected area^(AL) and isolate the article for seven days. ⁵¹ On the seventh day he is to examine it,^(AM) and if the mold has spread in the fabric, the woven or knitted material, or the leather, whatever its use, it is a persistent defiling mold; the article is unclean.^{(AN) 52} He must burn the fabric, the woven or knitted material of wool or linen, or any leather article that has been spoiled; because the defiling mold is persistent, the article must be burned.^(AO)

⁵³ “But if, when the priest examines it, the mold has not spread in the fabric, the woven or knitted material, or the leather article, ⁵⁴ he shall order that the spoiled article be washed. Then he is to isolate it for another seven days. ⁵⁵ After the article has been washed, the priest is to examine it again, and if the mold has not changed its appearance, even though it has not spread, it is unclean. Burn it, no matter which side of the fabric has been spoiled. ⁵⁶ If, when the priest examines it, the mold has faded after the article has been washed, he is to tear the spoiled part out of the fabric, the leather, or the woven or knitted material. ⁵⁷ But if it reappears in the fabric, in the woven or knitted material, or in the leather article, it is a spreading mold; whatever has the mold must be burned. ⁵⁸ Any fabric, woven or knitted material, or any leather article that has been washed and is rid of the mold, must be washed again. Then it will be clean.”

⁵⁹ These are the regulations concerning defiling molds in woolen or linen clothing, woven or knitted material, or any leather article, for pronouncing them clean or unclean.

A Prophet Without Honor^(A)

6 Jesus left there and went to his hometown,^(B) accompanied by his disciples. ² When the Sabbath came,^(C) he began to teach in the synagogue,^(D) and many who heard him were amazed.^(E)

“Where did this man get these things?” they asked. “What’s this wisdom that has been given him? What are these remarkable miracles he is performing? ³ Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph,^[a] Judas and Simon?^(F) Aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.^(G)

⁴ Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home.”^{(H) 5} He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on^(I) a few sick people and heal them. ⁶ He was amazed at their lack of faith.

Jesus Sends Out the Twelve^(J)

Then Jesus went around teaching from village to village.^{(K) 7} Calling the Twelve to him,^(L) he began to send them out two by two^(M) and gave them authority over impure spirits.^(N)

⁸ These were his instructions: “Take nothing for the journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in your belts. ⁹ Wear sandals but not an extra shirt. ¹⁰ Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town. ¹¹ And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, leave that place and shake the dust off your feet^(O) as a testimony against them.”

¹² They went out and preached that people should repent.^{(P) 13} They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil^(Q) and healed them.

John the Baptist Beheaded^(R)(S)

¹⁴ King Herod heard about this, for Jesus’ name had become well known. Some were saying,^[b] “John the Baptist^(T) has been raised from the dead, and that is why miraculous powers are at work in him.”

¹⁵ Others said, “He is Elijah.”^(U)

And still others claimed, “He is a prophet,^(V) like one of the prophets of long ago.”^(W)

¹⁶ But when Herod heard this, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised from the dead!”

¹⁷ For Herod himself had given orders to have John arrested, and he had him bound and put in prison.^(X) He did this because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, whom he had married. ¹⁸ For John had been saying to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.”^{(Y) 19} So Herodias nursed a grudge against John and wanted to kill him. But she was not able to, ²⁰ because Herod feared John and protected him, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man.^(Z) When Herod heard John, he was greatly puzzled^[c]; yet he liked to listen to him.

²¹ Finally the opportune time came. On his birthday Herod gave a banquet^(AA) for his high officials and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee.^{(AB) 22} When the daughter of^[d] Herodias came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his dinner guests.

The king said to the girl, “Ask me for anything you want, and I’ll give it to you.” ²³ And he promised her with an oath, “Whatever you ask I will give you, up to half my kingdom.”^(AC)

²⁴ She went out and said to her mother, “What shall I ask for?”

“The head of John the Baptist,” she answered.

²⁵ At once the girl hurried in to the king with the request: “I want you to give me right now the head of John the Baptist on a platter.”

²⁶ The king was greatly distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he did not want to refuse her. ²⁷ So he immediately sent an executioner with orders to bring John’s head. The man went, beheaded John in the prison, ²⁸ and brought back his head on a platter. He presented it to the girl, and she gave it to her mother. ²⁹ On hearing of this, John’s disciples came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.

Psalm 39^[a]

For the director of music. For Jeduthun. A psalm of David.

Clean and Unclean Food^(A)

11 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, ² “Say to the Israelites: ‘Of all the animals that live on land, these are the ones you may eat:^{(B) 3} You may eat any animal that has a divided hoof and that chews the cud.

⁴ “‘There are some that only chew the cud or only have a divided hoof, but you must not eat them.^(C) The camel, though it chews the cud, does not have a divided hoof; it is ceremonially unclean for you. ⁵ The hyrax, though it chews the cud, does not have a divided hoof; it is unclean for you. ⁶ The rabbit, though it chews the cud, does not have a divided hoof; it is unclean for you. ⁷ And the pig,^(D) though it has a divided hoof, does not chew the cud; it is unclean for you. ⁸ You must not eat their meat or touch their carcasses; they are unclean for you.^(E)

⁹ “‘Of all the creatures living in the water of the seas and the streams you may eat any that have fins and scales. ¹⁰ But all creatures in the seas or streams that do not have fins and scales—whether among all the swarming things or among all the other living creatures in the water—you are to regard as unclean.^{(F) 11} And since you are to regard them as unclean, you must not eat their meat; you must regard their carcasses as unclean.^{(G) 12} Anything living in the water that does not have fins and scales is to be regarded as unclean by you.^(H)

¹³ “‘These are the birds you are to regard as unclean and not eat because they are unclean: the eagle,^[a] the vulture, the black vulture, ¹⁴ the red kite, any kind^(I) of black kite, ¹⁵ any kind of raven,^{(J) 16} the horned owl, the screech owl, the gull, any kind of hawk, ¹⁷ the little owl, the cormorant, the great owl, ¹⁸ the white owl,^(K) the desert owl, the osprey, ¹⁹ the stork,^(L) any kind^(M) of heron, the hoopoe and the bat.^(N)

²⁰ “‘All flying insects that walk on all fours are to be regarded as unclean by you.^{(O) 21} There are, however, some flying insects that walk on all fours that you may eat: those that have jointed legs for hopping on the ground. ²² Of these you may eat any kind of locust,^(P) katydid, cricket or grasshopper. ²³ But all other flying insects that have four legs you are to regard as unclean.

²⁴ “‘You will make yourselves unclean by these;^(Q) whoever touches their carcasses will be unclean till evening.^{(R) 25} Whoever picks up one of their carcasses must wash their clothes,^(S) and they will be unclean till evening.^(T)

²⁶ “‘Every animal that does not have a divided hoof or that does not chew the cud is unclean for you; whoever touches the carcass of any of them will be unclean. ²⁷ Of all the animals that walk on all fours, those that walk on their paws are unclean for you; whoever touches their carcasses will be unclean till evening. ²⁸ Anyone who picks up their carcasses must wash their clothes, and they will be unclean till evening.^(U) These animals are unclean for you.

²⁹ “‘Of the animals that move along the ground, these are unclean for you:^(V) the weasel, the rat,^(W) any kind of great lizard, ³⁰ the gecko, the monitor lizard, the wall lizard, the skink and the chameleon. ³¹ Of all those that move along the ground, these are unclean for you. Whoever touches them when they are dead will be unclean till evening. ³² When one of them dies and falls on something, that article, whatever its use, will be unclean, whether it is made of wood, cloth, hide or sackcloth.^(X) Put it in water; it will be unclean till evening, and then it will be clean. ³³ If one of them falls into a clay pot, everything in it will be unclean, and you must break the pot.^{(Y) 34} Any food you are allowed to eat that has come into contact with water from any such pot is unclean, and any liquid that is drunk from such a pot is unclean. ³⁵ Anything that one of their carcasses falls on becomes unclean; an oven or cooking pot must be broken up. They are unclean, and you are to regard them as unclean. ³⁶ A spring, however, or a cistern for collecting water remains clean, but anyone who touches one of these carcasses is unclean. ³⁷ If a carcass falls on any seeds that are to be planted, they remain clean. ³⁸ But if water has been put on the seed and a carcass falls on it, it is unclean for you.

³⁹ “‘If an animal that you are allowed to eat dies,^(Z) anyone who touches its carcass^(AA) will be unclean till evening. ⁴⁰ Anyone who eats some of its carcass^(AB) must wash their clothes, and they will be unclean till evening.^(AC) Anyone who picks up the carcass must wash their clothes, and they will be unclean till evening.

⁴¹ “‘Every creature that moves along the ground is to be regarded as unclean; it is not to be eaten. ⁴² You are not to eat any creature that moves along the ground, whether it moves on its belly or walks on all fours or on many feet; it is unclean. ⁴³ Do not defile yourselves by any of these creatures.^(AD) Do not make yourselves unclean by means of them or be made unclean by them. ⁴⁴ I am the Lord your God;^(AE) consecrate yourselves^(AF) and be holy,^(AG) because I am holy.^(AH) Do not make yourselves unclean by any creature that moves along the ground.^{(AI) 45} I am the Lord, who brought you up out of Egypt^(AJ) to be your God;^(AK) therefore be holy, because I am holy.^(AL)

⁴⁶ “‘These are the regulations concerning animals, birds, every living thing that moves about in the water and every creature that moves along the ground. ⁴⁷ You must distinguish between the unclean and the clean, between living creatures that may be eaten and those that may not be eaten.^(AM)’”

Purification After Childbirth

12 The Lord said to Moses, ² “Say to the Israelites: ‘A woman who becomes pregnant and gives birth to a son will be ceremonially unclean for seven days, just as she is unclean during her monthly period.^{(AN) 3} On the eighth day^(AO) the boy is to be circumcised.^{(AP) 4} Then the woman must wait thirty-three days to be purified from her bleeding. She must not touch anything sacred or go to the sanctuary until the days of her purification are over. ⁵ If she gives birth to a daughter, for two weeks the woman will be unclean, as during her period. Then she must wait sixty-six days to be purified from her bleeding.

⁶ “‘When the days of her purification for a son or daughter are over,^(AQ) she is to bring to the priest at the entrance to the tent of meeting a year-old lamb^(AR) for a burnt offering and a young pigeon or a dove for a sin offering.^{[b](AS) 7} He shall offer them before the Lord to make atonement for her, and then she will be ceremonially clean from her flow of blood.

“‘These are the regulations for the woman who gives birth to a boy or a girl. ⁸ But if she cannot afford a lamb, she is to bring two doves or two young pigeons,^(AT) one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering.^(AU) In this way the priest will make atonement for her, and she will be clean.^(AV)’”

Jesus Raises a Dead Girl and Heals a Sick Woman^(A)

²¹ When Jesus had again crossed over by boat to the other side of the lake,^(B) a large crowd gathered around him while he was by the lake.^{(C) 22} Then one of the synagogue leaders,^(D) named Jairus, came, and when he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet. ²³ He pleaded earnestly with him, “My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on^(E) her so that she will be healed and live.” ²⁴ So Jesus went with him.

A large crowd followed and pressed around him. ²⁵ And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding^(F) for twelve years. ²⁶ She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. ²⁷ When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, ²⁸ because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes,^(G) I will be healed.” ²⁹ Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.^(H)

³⁰ At once Jesus realized that power^(I) had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?”

³¹ “You see the people crowding against you,” his disciples answered, “and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?’ ”

³² But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. ³³ Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. ³⁴ He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you.^(J) Go in peace^(K) and be freed from your suffering.”

³⁵ While Jesus was still speaking, some people came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader.^(L) “Your daughter is dead,” they said. “Why bother the teacher anymore?”

³⁶ Overhearing^[a] what they said, Jesus told him, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.”

³⁷ He did not let anyone follow him except Peter, James and John the brother of James.^{(M) 38} When they came to the home of the synagogue leader,^(N) Jesus saw a commotion, with people crying and wailing loudly. ³⁹ He went in and said to them, “Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep.”^{(O) 40} But they laughed at him.

After he put them all out, he took the child’s father and mother and the disciples who were with him, and went in where the child was. ⁴¹ He took her by the hand^(P) and said to her, “Talitha koum!” (which means “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”).^{(Q) 42} Immediately the girl stood up and began to walk around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished. ⁴³ He gave strict orders not to let anyone know about this,^(R) and told them to give her something to eat.

Psalm 38^[a]

A psalm of David. A petition.

⁷ Moses said to Aaron, “Come to the altar and sacrifice your sin offering and your burnt offering and make atonement for yourself and the people;^(A) sacrifice the offering that is for the people and make atonement for them, as the Lord has commanded.^(B)”

⁸ So Aaron came to the altar and slaughtered the calf as a sin offering^(C) for himself. ⁹ His sons brought the blood to him,^(D) and he dipped his finger into the blood and put it on the horns of the altar; the rest of the blood he poured out at the base of the altar.^{(E) 10} On the altar he burned the fat, the kidneys and the long lobe of the liver from the sin offering, as the Lord commanded Moses; ¹¹ the flesh and the hide^(F) he burned up outside the camp.^(G)

¹² Then he slaughtered the burnt offering.^(H) His sons handed him the blood,^(I) and he splashed it against the sides of the altar. ¹³ They handed him the burnt offering piece by piece, including the head, and he burned them on the altar.^{(J) 14} He washed the internal organs and the legs and burned them on top of the burnt offering on the altar.^(K)

¹⁵ Aaron then brought the offering that was for the people.^(L) He took the goat for the people’s sin offering and slaughtered it and offered it for a sin offering as he did with the first one.

¹⁶ He brought the burnt offering and offered it in the prescribed way.^{(M) 17} He also brought the grain offering, took a handful of it and burned it on the altar in addition to the morning’s burnt offering.^(N)

¹⁸ He slaughtered the ox and the ram as the fellowship offering for the people.^(O) His sons handed him the blood, and he splashed it against the sides of the altar. ¹⁹ But the fat portions of the ox and the ram—the fat tail, the layer of fat, the kidneys and the long lobe of the liver— ²⁰ these they laid on the breasts, and then Aaron burned the fat on the altar. ²¹ Aaron waved the breasts and the right thigh before the Lord as a wave offering,^(P) as Moses commanded.

²² Then Aaron lifted his hands toward the people and blessed them.^(Q) And having sacrificed the sin offering, the burnt offering and the fellowship offering, he stepped down.

²³ Moses and Aaron then went into the tent of meeting.^(R) When they came out, they blessed the people; and the glory of the Lord^(S) appeared to all the people. ²⁴ Fire^(T) came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and the fat portions on the altar. And when all the people saw it, they shouted for joy and fell facedown.^(U)

The Death of Nadab and Abihu

10 Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu^(V) took their censers,^(W) put fire in them^(X) and added incense;^(Y) and they offered unauthorized fire before the Lord,^(Z) contrary to his command.^{(AA) 2} So fire came out^(AB) from the presence of the Lord and consumed them,^(AC) and they died before the Lord.^{(AD) 3} Moses then said to Aaron, “This is what the Lord spoke of when he said:

Aaron remained silent.

⁴ Moses summoned Mishael and Elzaphan,^(AH) sons of Aaron’s uncle Uzziel,^(AI) and said to them, “Come here; carry your cousins outside the camp,^(AJ) away from the front of the sanctuary.^(AK)” ⁵ So they came and carried them, still in their tunics,^(AL) outside the camp, as Moses ordered.

⁶ Then Moses said to Aaron and his sons Eleazar and Ithamar,^(AM) “Do not let your hair become unkempt^[a](AN) and do not tear your clothes,^(AO) or you will die and the Lord will be angry with the whole community.^(AP) But your relatives, all the Israelites, may mourn^(AQ) for those the Lord has destroyed by fire. ⁷ Do not leave the entrance to the tent of meeting^(AR) or you will die, because the Lord’s anointing oil^(AS) is on you.” So they did as Moses said.

⁸ Then the Lord said to Aaron, ⁹ “You and your sons are not to drink wine^(AT) or other fermented drink^(AU) whenever you go into the tent of meeting, or you will die. This is a lasting ordinance^(AV) for the generations to come, ¹⁰ so that you can distinguish between the holy and the common, between the unclean and the clean,^{(AW) 11} and so you can teach^(AX) the Israelites all the decrees the Lord has given them through Moses.^(AY)”

¹² Moses said to Aaron and his remaining sons, Eleazar and Ithamar, “Take the grain offering^(AZ) left over from the food offerings prepared without yeast and presented to the Lord and eat it beside the altar,^(BA) for it is most holy. ¹³ Eat it in the sanctuary area,^(BB) because it is your share and your sons’ share of the food offerings presented to the Lord; for so I have been commanded.^{(BC) 14} But you and your sons and your daughters may eat the breast^(BD) that was waved and the thigh that was presented. Eat them in a ceremonially clean place;^(BE) they have been given to you and your children as your share of the Israelites’ fellowship offerings. ¹⁵ The thigh^(BF) that was presented and the breast that was waved must be brought with the fat portions of the food offerings, to be waved before the Lord as a wave offering.^(BG) This will be the perpetual share for you and your children, as the Lord has commanded.”

¹⁶ When Moses inquired about the goat of the sin offering^[b](BH) and found that it had been burned up, he was angry with Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s remaining sons, and asked, ¹⁷ “Why didn’t you eat the sin offering^(BI) in the sanctuary area? It is most holy; it was given to you to take away the guilt^(BJ) of the community by making atonement for them before the Lord. ¹⁸ Since its blood was not taken into the Holy Place,^(BK) you should have eaten the goat in the sanctuary area, as I commanded.^(BL)”

¹⁹ Aaron replied to Moses, “Today they sacrificed their sin offering and their burnt offering^(BM) before the Lord, but such things as this have happened to me. Would the Lord have been pleased if I had eaten the sin offering today?” ²⁰ When Moses heard this, he was satisfied.

The Parable of the Growing Seed

²⁶ He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like.^(A) A man scatters seed on the ground. ²⁷ Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. ²⁸ All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. ²⁹ As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”^(B)

The Parable of the Mustard Seed^(C)

³⁰ Again he said, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like,^(D) or what parable shall we use to describe it? ³¹ It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. ³² Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade.”

³³ With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand.^{(E) 34} He did not say anything to them without using a parable.^(F) But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything.

Jesus Calms the Storm^(G)

³⁵ That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” ³⁶ Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat.^(H) There were also other boats with him. ³⁷ A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. ³⁸ Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”

³⁹ He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

⁴⁰ He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”^(I)

⁴¹ They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

Jesus Restores a Demon-Possessed Man^(J)(K)

5 They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes.^{[a] 2} When Jesus got out of the boat,^(L) a man with an impure spirit^(M) came from the tombs to meet him. ³ This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain. ⁴ For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. ⁵ Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones.

⁶ When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him. ⁷ He shouted at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me,^(N) Jesus, Son of the Most High God?^(O) In God’s name don’t torture me!” ⁸ For Jesus had said to him, “Come out of this man, you impure spirit!”

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

“My name is Legion,”^(P) he replied, “for we are many.” ¹⁰ And he begged Jesus again and again not to send them out of the area.

¹¹ A large herd of pigs was feeding on the nearby hillside. ¹² The demons begged Jesus, “Send us among the pigs; allow us to go into them.” ¹³ He gave them permission, and the impure spirits came out and went into the pigs. The herd, about two thousand in number, rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned.

¹⁴ Those tending the pigs ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened. ¹⁵ When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion^(Q) of demons,^(R) sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. ¹⁶ Those who had seen it told the people what had happened to the demon-possessed man—and told about the pigs as well. ¹⁷ Then the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their region.

¹⁸ As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. ¹⁹ Jesus did not let him, but said, “Go home to your own people and tell them^(S) how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” ²⁰ So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis^[b](T) how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed.

The Priests’ Share

²⁸ The Lord said to Moses, ²⁹ “Say to the Israelites: ‘Anyone who brings a fellowship offering to the Lord is to bring part of it as their sacrifice to the Lord. ³⁰ With their own hands they are to present the food offering to the Lord; they are to bring the fat, together with the breast, and wave the breast before the Lord as a wave offering.^{(A) 31} The priest shall burn the fat on the altar,^(B) but the breast belongs to Aaron and his sons.^{(C) 32} You are to give the right thigh of your fellowship offerings to the priest as a contribution.^{(D) 33} The son of Aaron who offers the blood and the fat of the fellowship offering shall have the right thigh as his share. ³⁴ From the fellowship offerings of the Israelites, I have taken the breast that is waved and the thigh^(E) that is presented and have given them to Aaron the priest and his sons^(F) as their perpetual share from the Israelites.’”

³⁵ This is the portion of the food offerings presented to the Lord that were allotted to Aaron and his sons on the day they were presented to serve the Lord as priests. ³⁶ On the day they were anointed,^(G) the Lord commanded that the Israelites give this to them as their perpetual share for the generations to come.

³⁷ These, then, are the regulations for the burnt offering,^(H) the grain offering,^(I) the sin offering, the guilt offering, the ordination offering^(J) and the fellowship offering, ³⁸ which the Lord gave Moses^(K) at Mount Sinai^(L) in the Desert of Sinai on the day he commanded the Israelites to bring their offerings to the Lord.^(M)

The Ordination of Aaron and His Sons^(N)

8 The Lord said to Moses, ² “Bring Aaron and his sons,^(O) their garments,^(P) the anointing oil,^(Q) the bull for the sin offering,^[a](R) the two rams^(S) and the basket containing bread made without yeast,^{(T) 3} and gather the entire assembly^(U) at the entrance to the tent of meeting.” ⁴ Moses did as the Lord commanded him, and the assembly gathered at the entrance to the tent of meeting.

⁵ Moses said to the assembly, “This is what the Lord has commanded to be done.^(V)” ⁶ Then Moses brought Aaron and his sons forward and washed them with water.^{(W) 7} He put the tunic on Aaron, tied the sash around him, clothed him with the robe and put the ephod on him. He also fastened the ephod with a decorative waistband, which he tied around him.^{(X) 8} He placed the breastpiece^(Y) on him and put the Urim and Thummim^(Z) in the breastpiece. ⁹ Then he placed the turban^(AA) on Aaron’s head and set the gold plate, the sacred emblem,^(AB) on the front of it, as the Lord commanded Moses.^(AC)

¹⁰ Then Moses took the anointing oil^(AD) and anointed^(AE) the tabernacle^(AF) and everything in it, and so consecrated them. ¹¹ He sprinkled some of the oil on the altar seven times, anointing the altar and all its utensils and the basin with its stand, to consecrate them.^{(AG) 12} He poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron’s head and anointed^(AH) him to consecrate him.^{(AI) 13} Then he brought Aaron’s sons^(AJ) forward, put tunics^(AK) on them, tied sashes around them and fastened caps on them, as the Lord commanded Moses.^(AL)

¹⁴ He then presented the bull^(AM) for the sin offering,^(AN) and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on its head.^{(AO) 15} Moses slaughtered the bull and took some of the blood,^(AP) and with his finger he put it on all the horns of the altar^(AQ) to purify the altar.^(AR) He poured out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar. So he consecrated it to make atonement for it.^{(AS) 16} Moses also took all the fat around the internal organs, the long lobe of the liver, and both kidneys and their fat, and burned it on the altar. ¹⁷ But the bull with its hide and its flesh and its intestines^(AT) he burned up outside the camp,^(AU) as the Lord commanded Moses.

¹⁸ He then presented the ram^(AV) for the burnt offering, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on its head. ¹⁹ Then Moses slaughtered the ram and splashed the blood against the sides of the altar. ²⁰ He cut the ram into pieces and burned the head, the pieces and the fat.^{(AW) 21} He washed the internal organs and the legs with water and burned the whole ram on the altar. It was a burnt offering, a pleasing aroma, a food offering presented to the Lord, as the Lord commanded Moses.

²² He then presented the other ram, the ram for the ordination,^(AX) and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on its head.^{(AY) 23} Moses slaughtered the ram and took some of its blood and put it on the lobe of Aaron’s right ear, on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot.^{(AZ) 24} Moses also brought Aaron’s sons forward and put some of the blood on the lobes of their right ears, on the thumbs of their right hands and on the big toes of their right feet. Then he splashed blood against the sides of the altar.^{(BA) 25} After that, he took the fat^(BB), the fat tail, all the fat around the internal organs, the long lobe of the liver, both kidneys and their fat and the right thigh. ²⁶ And from the basket of bread made without yeast, which was before the Lord, he took one thick loaf, one thick loaf with olive oil mixed in, and one thin loaf,^(BC) and he put these on the fat portions and on the right thigh. ²⁷ He put all these in the hands of Aaron and his sons, and they waved them before the Lord^(BD) as a wave offering. ²⁸ Then Moses took them from their hands and burned them on the altar on top of the burnt offering as an ordination offering, a pleasing aroma, a food offering presented to the Lord. ²⁹ Moses also took the breast, which was his share of the ordination ram,^(BE) and waved it before the Lord as a wave offering, as the Lord commanded Moses.

³⁰ Then Moses^(BF) took some of the anointing oil and some of the blood from the altar and sprinkled them on Aaron and his garments^(BG) and on his sons and their garments. So he consecrated^(BH) Aaron and his garments and his sons and their garments.

³¹ Moses then said to Aaron and his sons, “Cook the meat at the entrance to the tent of meeting^(BI) and eat it there with the bread from the basket of ordination offerings, as I was commanded: ‘Aaron and his sons are to eat it.’ ³² Then burn up the rest of the meat and the bread. ³³ Do not leave the entrance to the tent of meeting for seven days, until the days of your ordination are completed, for your ordination will last seven days.^{(BJ) 34} What has been done today was commanded by the Lord^(BK) to make atonement for you. ³⁵ You must stay at the entrance to the tent of meeting day and night for seven days and do what the Lord requires,^(BL) so you will not die; for that is what I have been commanded.”

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

The Priests Begin Their Ministry

9 On the eighth day^(BM) Moses summoned Aaron and his sons and the elders^(BN) of Israel. ² He said to Aaron, “Take a bull calf for your sin offering^[b] and a ram for your burnt offering, both without defect, and present them before the Lord. ³ Then say to the Israelites: ‘Take a male goat^(BO) for a sin offering,^(BP) a calf^(BQ) and a lamb^(BR)—both a year old and without defect—for a burnt offering, ⁴ and an ox^[c](BS) and a ram for a fellowship offering^(BT) to sacrifice before the Lord, together with a grain offering mixed with olive oil. For today the Lord will appear to you.^(BU)’”

⁵ They took the things Moses commanded to the front of the tent of meeting, and the entire assembly came near and stood before the Lord. ⁶ Then Moses said, “This is what the Lord has commanded you to do, so that the glory of the Lord^(BV) may appear to you.”

³¹ Then Jesus’ mother and brothers arrived.^(A) Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. ³² A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, “Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you.”

³³ “Who are my mother and my brothers?” he asked.

³⁴ Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! ³⁵ Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”

The Parable of the Sower^(B)(C)

4 Again Jesus began to teach by the lake.^(D) The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water’s edge. ² He taught them many things by parables,^(E) and in his teaching said: ³ “Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed.^{(F) 4} As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. ⁵ Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. ⁶ But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. ⁷ Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. ⁸ Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.”^(G)

⁹ Then Jesus said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”^(H)

¹⁰ When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. ¹¹ He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God^(I) has been given to you. But to those on the outside^(J) everything is said in parables ¹² so that,

¹³ Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? ¹⁴ The farmer sows the word.^{(L) 15} Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan^(M) comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. ¹⁶ Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. ¹⁷ But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. ¹⁸ Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; ¹⁹ but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth^(N) and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. ²⁰ Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.”

A Lamp on a Stand

²¹ He said to them, “Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead, don’t you put it on its stand?^{(O) 22} For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open.^{(P) 23} If anyone has ears to hear, let them hear.”^(Q)

²⁴ “Consider carefully what you hear,” he continued. “With the measure you use, it will be measured to you—and even more.^{(R) 25} Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.”^(S)

6 ^[a]The Lord said to Moses: ² “If anyone sins and is unfaithful to the Lord^(A) by deceiving a neighbor^(B) about something entrusted to them or left in their care^(C) or about something stolen, or if they cheat^(D) their neighbor, ³ or if they find lost property and lie about it,^(E) or if they swear falsely^(F) about any such sin that people may commit— ⁴ when they sin in any of these ways and realize their guilt, they must return^(G) what they have stolen or taken by extortion, or what was entrusted to them, or the lost property they found, ⁵ or whatever it was they swore falsely about. They must make restitution^(H) in full, add a fifth of the value to it and give it all to the owner on the day they present their guilt offering.^{(I) 6} And as a penalty they must bring to the priest, that is, to the Lord, their guilt offering,^(J) a ram from the flock, one without defect and of the proper value.^{(K) 7} In this way the priest will make atonement^(L) for them before the Lord, and they will be forgiven for any of the things they did that made them guilty.”

The Burnt Offering

⁸ The Lord said to Moses: ⁹ “Give Aaron and his sons this command: ‘These are the regulations for the burnt offering^(M): The burnt offering is to remain on the altar hearth throughout the night, till morning, and the fire must be kept burning on the altar.^{(N) 10} The priest shall then put on his linen clothes,^(O) with linen undergarments next to his body,^(P) and shall remove the ashes^(Q) of the burnt offering that the fire has consumed on the altar and place them beside the altar. ¹¹ Then he is to take off these clothes and put on others, and carry the ashes outside the camp to a place that is ceremonially clean.^{(R) 12} The fire on the altar must be kept burning; it must not go out. Every morning the priest is to add firewood^(S) and arrange the burnt offering on the fire and burn the fat^(T) of the fellowship offerings^(U) on it. ¹³ The fire must be kept burning on the altar continuously; it must not go out.

The Grain Offering

¹⁴ “‘These are the regulations for the grain offering:^(V) Aaron’s sons are to bring it before the Lord, in front of the altar. ¹⁵ The priest is to take a handful of the finest flour and some olive oil, together with all the incense^(W) on the grain offering,^(X) and burn the memorial^[b] portion^(Y) on the altar as an aroma pleasing to the Lord. ¹⁶ Aaron and his sons^(Z) shall eat the rest^(AA) of it, but it is to be eaten without yeast^(AB) in the sanctuary area;^(AC) they are to eat it in the courtyard^(AD) of the tent of meeting.^{(AE) 17} It must not be baked with yeast; I have given it as their share^(AF) of the food offerings presented to me.^(AG) Like the sin offering^[c] and the guilt offering, it is most holy.^{(AH) 18} Any male descendant of Aaron may eat it.^(AI) For all generations to come^(AJ) it is his perpetual share^(AK) of the food offerings presented to the Lord. Whatever touches them will become holy.^[d](AL)’”

¹⁹ The Lord also said to Moses, ²⁰ “This is the offering Aaron and his sons are to bring to the Lord on the day he^[e] is anointed:^(AM) a tenth of an ephah^[f](AN) of the finest flour^(AO) as a regular grain offering,^(AP) half of it in the morning and half in the evening. ²¹ It must be prepared with oil on a griddle;^(AQ) bring it well-mixed and present the grain offering broken^[g] in pieces as an aroma pleasing to the Lord. ²² The son who is to succeed him as anointed priest^(AR) shall prepare it. It is the Lord’s perpetual share and is to be burned completely.^{(AS) 23} Every grain offering of a priest shall be burned completely; it must not be eaten.”

The Sin Offering

²⁴ The Lord said to Moses, ²⁵ “Say to Aaron and his sons: ‘These are the regulations for the sin offering:^(AT) The sin offering is to be slaughtered before the Lord^(AU) in the place^(AV) the burnt offering is slaughtered; it is most holy. ²⁶ The priest who offers it shall eat it; it is to be eaten in the sanctuary area,^(AW) in the courtyard^(AX) of the tent of meeting.^{(AY) 27} Whatever touches any of the flesh will become holy,^(AZ) and if any of the blood is spattered on a garment, you must wash it in the sanctuary area. ²⁸ The clay pot^(BA) the meat is cooked in must be broken; but if it is cooked in a bronze pot, the pot is to be scoured and rinsed with water. ²⁹ Any male in a priest’s family may eat it;^(BB) it is most holy.^{(BC) 30} But any sin offering whose blood is brought into the tent of meeting to make atonement^(BD) in the Holy Place^(BE) must not be eaten; it must be burned up.^(BF)

The Guilt Offering

7 “‘These are the regulations for the guilt offering,^(BG) which is most holy: ² The guilt offering is to be slaughtered in the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered, and its blood is to be splashed against the sides of the altar. ³ All its fat^(BH) shall be offered: the fat tail and the fat that covers the internal organs, ⁴ both kidneys with the fat on them near the loins, and the long lobe of the liver, which is to be removed with the kidneys.^{(BI) 5} The priest shall burn them on the altar^(BJ) as a food offering presented to the Lord. It is a guilt offering. ⁶ Any male in a priest’s family may eat it,^(BK) but it must be eaten in the sanctuary area; it is most holy.^(BL)

⁷ “‘The same law applies to both the sin offering^[h](BM) and the guilt offering:^(BN) They belong to the priest^(BO) who makes atonement with them.^{(BP) 8} The priest who offers a burnt offering for anyone may keep its hide^(BQ) for himself. ⁹ Every grain offering baked in an oven^(BR) or cooked in a pan^(BS) or on a griddle^(BT) belongs to the priest who offers it, ¹⁰ and every grain offering, whether mixed with olive oil or dry, belongs equally to all the sons of Aaron.

The Fellowship Offering

¹¹ “‘These are the regulations for the fellowship offering anyone may present to the Lord:

¹² “‘If they offer it as an expression of thankfulness, then along with this thank offering^(BU) they are to offer thick loaves^(BV) made without yeast^(BW) and with olive oil mixed in, thin loaves^(BX) made without yeast and brushed with oil,^(BY) and thick loaves of the finest flour well-kneaded and with oil mixed in. ¹³ Along with their fellowship offering of thanksgiving^(BZ) they are to present an offering with thick loaves of bread made with yeast.^{(CA) 14} They are to bring one of each kind as an offering, a contribution to the Lord; it belongs to the priest who splashes the blood of the fellowship offering against the altar. ¹⁵ The meat of their fellowship offering of thanksgiving must be eaten on the day it is offered; they must leave none of it till morning.^(CB)

¹⁶ “‘If, however, their offering is the result of a vow^(CC) or is a freewill offering,^(CD) the sacrifice shall be eaten on the day they offer it, but anything left over may be eaten on the next day.^{(CE) 17} Any meat of the sacrifice left over till the third day must be burned up.^{(CF) 18} If any meat of the fellowship offering^(CG) is eaten on the third day, the one who offered it will not be accepted.^(CH) It will not be reckoned^(CI) to their credit, for it has become impure; the person who eats any of it will be held responsible.^(CJ)

¹⁹ “‘Meat that touches anything ceremonially unclean must not be eaten; it must be burned up. As for other meat, anyone ceremonially clean may eat it. ²⁰ But if anyone who is unclean^(CK) eats any meat of the fellowship offering belonging to the Lord, they must be cut off from their people.^{(CL) 21} Anyone who touches something unclean^(CM)—whether human uncleanness or an unclean animal or any unclean creature that moves along the ground^[i]—and then eats any of the meat of the fellowship offering belonging to the Lord must be cut off from their people.’”

Eating Fat and Blood Forbidden

²² The Lord said to Moses, ²³ “Say to the Israelites: ‘Do not eat any of the fat of cattle, sheep or goats.^{(CN) 24} The fat of an animal found dead or torn by wild animals^(CO) may be used for any other purpose, but you must not eat it. ²⁵ Anyone who eats the fat of an animal from which a food offering may be^[j] presented to the Lord must be cut off from their people. ²⁶ And wherever you live, you must not eat the blood^(CP) of any bird or animal. ²⁷ Anyone who eats blood^(CQ) must be cut off from their people.’”

Crowds Follow Jesus^(A)

⁷ Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the lake, and a large crowd from Galilee followed.^{(B) 8} When they heard about all he was doing, many people came to him from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, and the regions across the Jordan and around Tyre and Sidon.^{(C) 9} Because of the crowd he told his disciples to have a small boat ready for him, to keep the people from crowding him. ¹⁰ For he had healed many,^(D) so that those with diseases were pushing forward to touch him.^{(E) 11} Whenever the impure spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, “You are the Son of God.”^{(F) 12} But he gave them strict orders not to tell others about him.^(G)

Jesus Appoints the Twelve^(H)

¹³ Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him.^{(I) 14} He appointed twelve^[a](J) that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach ¹⁵ and to have authority to drive out demons.^{(K) 16} These are the twelve he appointed: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter),^{(L) 17} James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them he gave the name Boanerges, which means “sons of thunder”), ¹⁸ Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot ¹⁹ and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.

Jesus Accused by His Family and by Teachers of the Law^(M)(N)

²⁰ Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered,^(O) so that he and his disciples were not even able to eat.^{(P) 21} When his family^[b] heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.”^(Q)

²² And the teachers of the law who came down from Jerusalem^(R) said, “He is possessed by Beelzebul!^(S) By the prince of demons he is driving out demons.”^(T)

²³ So Jesus called them over to him and began to speak to them in parables:^(U) “How can Satan^(V) drive out Satan? ²⁴ If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. ²⁵ If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. ²⁶ And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come. ²⁷ In fact, no one can enter a strong man’s house without first tying him up. Then he can plunder the strong man’s house.^{(W) 28} Truly I tell you, people can be forgiven all their sins and every slander they utter, ²⁹ but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin.”^(X)

³⁰ He said this because they were saying, “He has an impure spirit.”

Psalm 37^[a]

Of David.

The Sin Offering

4 The Lord said to Moses, ² “Say to the Israelites: ‘When anyone sins unintentionally^(A) and does what is forbidden in any of the Lord’s commands^(B)—

³ “‘If the anointed priest^(C) sins,^(D) bringing guilt on the people, he must bring to the Lord a young bull^(E) without defect^(F) as a sin offering^[a](G) for the sin he has committed.^{(H) 4} He is to present the bull at the entrance to the tent of meeting before the Lord.^(I) He is to lay his hand on its head and slaughter it there before the Lord. ⁵ Then the anointed priest shall take some of the bull’s blood^(J) and carry it into the tent of meeting. ⁶ He is to dip his finger into the blood and sprinkle^(K) some of it seven times before the Lord,^(L) in front of the curtain of the sanctuary.^{(M) 7} The priest shall then put some of the blood on the horns^(N) of the altar of fragrant incense that is before the Lord in the tent of meeting. The rest of the bull’s blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar^(O) of burnt offering^(P) at the entrance to the tent of meeting. ⁸ He shall remove all the fat^(Q) from the bull of the sin offering—all the fat that is connected to the internal organs, ⁹ both kidneys with the fat on them near the loins, and the long lobe of the liver, which he will remove with the kidneys^(R)— ¹⁰ just as the fat is removed from the ox^[b](S) sacrificed as a fellowship offering.^(T) Then the priest shall burn them on the altar of burnt offering.^{(U) 11} But the hide of the bull and all its flesh, as well as the head and legs, the internal organs and the intestines^(V)— ¹² that is, all the rest of the bull—he must take outside the camp^(W) to a place ceremonially clean,^(X) where the ashes^(Y) are thrown, and burn it^(Z) there in a wood fire on the ash heap.^(AA)

¹³ “‘If the whole Israelite community sins unintentionally^(AB) and does what is forbidden in any of the Lord’s commands, even though the community is unaware of the matter, when they realize their guilt ¹⁴ and the sin they committed becomes known, the assembly must bring a young bull^(AC) as a sin offering^(AD) and present it before the tent of meeting. ¹⁵ The elders^(AE) of the community are to lay their hands^(AF) on the bull’s head^(AG) before the Lord, and the bull shall be slaughtered before the Lord.^{(AH) 16} Then the anointed priest is to take some of the bull’s blood^(AI) into the tent of meeting. ¹⁷ He shall dip his finger into the blood and sprinkle^(AJ) it before the Lord^(AK) seven times in front of the curtain. ¹⁸ He is to put some of the blood^(AL) on the horns of the altar that is before the Lord^(AM) in the tent of meeting. The rest of the blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar^(AN) of burnt offering at the entrance to the tent of meeting. ¹⁹ He shall remove all the fat^(AO) from it and burn it on the altar,^{(AP) 20} and do with this bull just as he did with the bull for the sin offering. In this way the priest will make atonement^(AQ) for the community, and they will be forgiven.^{(AR) 21} Then he shall take the bull outside the camp^(AS) and burn it as he burned the first bull. This is the sin offering for the community.^(AT)

²² “‘When a leader^(AU) sins unintentionally^(AV) and does what is forbidden in any of the commands of the Lord his God, when he realizes his guilt ²³ and the sin he has committed becomes known, he must bring as his offering a male goat^(AW) without defect. ²⁴ He is to lay his hand on the goat’s head and slaughter it at the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered before the Lord.^(AX) It is a sin offering.^{(AY) 25} Then the priest shall take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar^(AZ) of burnt offering and pour out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar.^{(BA) 26} He shall burn all the fat on the altar as he burned the fat of the fellowship offering. In this way the priest will make atonement^(BB) for the leader’s sin, and he will be forgiven.^(BC)

²⁷ “‘If any member of the community sins unintentionally^(BD) and does what is forbidden in any of the Lord’s commands, when they realize their guilt ²⁸ and the sin they have committed becomes known, they must bring as their offering^(BE) for the sin they committed a female goat^(BF) without defect. ²⁹ They are to lay their hand on the head^(BG) of the sin offering^(BH) and slaughter it at the place of the burnt offering.^{(BI) 30} Then the priest is to take some of the blood with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering^(BJ) and pour out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar. ³¹ They shall remove all the fat, just as the fat is removed from the fellowship offering, and the priest shall burn it on the altar^(BK) as an aroma pleasing to the Lord.^(BL) In this way the priest will make atonement^(BM) for them, and they will be forgiven.^(BN)

³² “‘If someone brings a lamb^(BO) as their sin offering, they are to bring a female without defect.^{(BP) 33} They are to lay their hand on its head and slaughter it^(BQ) for a sin offering^(BR) at the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered.^{(BS) 34} Then the priest shall take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering and pour out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar.^{(BT) 35} They shall remove all the fat, just as the fat is removed from the lamb of the fellowship offering, and the priest shall burn it on the altar^(BU) on top of the food offerings presented to the Lord. In this way the priest will make atonement for them for the sin they have committed, and they will be forgiven.

5 “‘If anyone sins because they do not speak up when they hear a public charge to testify^(BV) regarding something they have seen or learned about, they will be held responsible.^(BW)

² “‘If anyone becomes aware that they are guilty—if they unwittingly touch anything ceremonially unclean (whether the carcass of an unclean animal, wild or domestic, or of any unclean creature that moves along the ground)^(BX) and they are unaware that they have become unclean,^(BY) but then they come to realize their guilt; ³ or if they touch human uncleanness^(BZ) (anything that would make them unclean)^(CA) even though they are unaware of it, but then they learn of it and realize their guilt; ⁴ or if anyone thoughtlessly takes an oath^(CB) to do anything, whether good or evil^(CC) (in any matter one might carelessly swear about) even though they are unaware of it, but then they learn of it and realize their guilt— ⁵ when anyone becomes aware that they are guilty in any of these matters, they must confess^(CD) in what way they have sinned. ⁶ As a penalty for the sin they have committed, they must bring to the Lord a female lamb or goat^(CE) from the flock as a sin offering^[c];^(CF) and the priest shall make atonement^(CG) for them for their sin.

⁷ “‘Anyone who cannot afford^(CH) a lamb^(CI) is to bring two doves or two young pigeons^(CJ) to the Lord as a penalty for their sin—one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. ⁸ They are to bring them to the priest, who shall first offer the one for the sin offering. He is to wring its head from its neck,^(CK) not dividing it completely,^{(CL) 9} and is to splash^(CM) some of the blood of the sin offering against the side of the altar;^(CN) the rest of the blood must be drained out at the base of the altar.^(CO) It is a sin offering. ¹⁰ The priest shall then offer the other as a burnt offering in the prescribed way^(CP) and make atonement^(CQ) for them for the sin they have committed, and they will be forgiven.^(CR)

¹¹ “‘If, however, they cannot afford^(CS) two doves or two young pigeons,^(CT) they are to bring as an offering for their sin a tenth of an ephah^[d](CU) of the finest flour^(CV) for a sin offering. They must not put olive oil or incense on it, because it is a sin offering. ¹² They are to bring it to the priest, who shall take a handful of it as a memorial^[e] portion^(CW) and burn it on the altar^(CX) on top of the food offerings presented to the Lord. It is a sin offering. ¹³ In this way the priest will make atonement^(CY) for them for any of these sins they have committed, and they will be forgiven. The rest of the offering will belong to the priest,^(CZ) as in the case of the grain offering.^(DA)’”

The Guilt Offering

¹⁴ The Lord said to Moses: ¹⁵ “When anyone is unfaithful to the Lord by sinning unintentionally^(DB) in regard to any of the Lord’s holy things, they are to bring to the Lord as a penalty^(DC) a ram^(DD) from the flock, one without defect and of the proper value in silver, according to the sanctuary shekel.^[f](DE) It is a guilt offering.^{(DF) 16} They must make restitution^(DG) for what they have failed to do in regard to the holy things, pay an additional penalty of a fifth of its value^(DH) and give it all to the priest. The priest will make atonement for them with the ram as a guilt offering, and they will be forgiven.

¹⁷ “If anyone sins and does what is forbidden in any of the Lord’s commands, even though they do not know it,^(DI) they are guilty and will be held responsible.^{(DJ) 18} They are to bring to the priest as a guilt offering^(DK) a ram from the flock, one without defect and of the proper value. In this way the priest will make atonement for them for the wrong they have committed unintentionally, and they will be forgiven.^{(DL) 19} It is a guilt offering; they have been guilty of^[g] wrongdoing against the Lord.”^(DM)