Unacceptable Sacrifices

¹⁷ The Lord said to Moses, ¹⁸ “Speak to Aaron and his sons and to all the Israelites and say to them: ‘If any of you—whether an Israelite or a foreigner residing in Israel^(A)—presents a gift^(B) for a burnt offering to the Lord, either to fulfill a vow^(C) or as a freewill offering,^{(D) 19} you must present a male without defect^(E) from the cattle, sheep or goats in order that it may be accepted on your behalf.^{(F) 20} Do not bring anything with a defect,^(G) because it will not be accepted on your behalf.^{(H) 21} When anyone brings from the herd or flock^(I) a fellowship offering^(J) to the Lord to fulfill a special vow or as a freewill offering,^(K) it must be without defect or blemish^(L) to be acceptable.^{(M) 22} Do not offer to the Lord the blind, the injured or the maimed, or anything with warts or festering or running sores. Do not place any of these on the altar as a food offering presented to the Lord. ²³ You may, however, present as a freewill offering an ox^[a] or a sheep that is deformed or stunted, but it will not be accepted in fulfillment of a vow. ²⁴ You must not offer to the Lord an animal whose testicles are bruised, crushed, torn or cut.^(N) You must not do this in your own land, ²⁵ and you must not accept such animals from the hand of a foreigner and offer them as the food of your God.^(O) They will not be accepted on your behalf, because they are deformed and have defects.^(P)’”

²⁶ The Lord said to Moses, ²⁷ “When a calf, a lamb or a goat^(Q) is born, it is to remain with its mother for seven days.^(R) From the eighth day^(S) on, it will be acceptable^(T) as a food offering presented to the Lord. ²⁸ Do not slaughter a cow or a sheep and its young on the same day.^(U)

²⁹ “When you sacrifice a thank offering^(V) to the Lord, sacrifice it in such a way that it will be accepted on your behalf. ³⁰ It must be eaten that same day; leave none of it till morning.^(W) I am the Lord.^(X)

³¹ “Keep^(Y) my commands and follow them.^(Z) I am the Lord. ³² Do not profane my holy name,^(AA) for I must be acknowledged as holy by the Israelites.^(AB) I am the Lord, who made you holy^{(AC) 33} and who brought you out of Egypt^(AD) to be your God.^(AE) I am the Lord.”

The Appointed Festivals

23 The Lord said to Moses, ² “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘These are my appointed festivals,^(AF) the appointed festivals of the Lord, which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies.^(AG)

The Sabbath

³ “‘There are six days when you may work,^(AH) but the seventh day is a day of sabbath rest,^(AI) a day of sacred assembly. You are not to do any work;^(AJ) wherever you live, it is a sabbath to the Lord.

The Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread^(AK)

⁴ “‘These are the Lord’s appointed festivals, the sacred assemblies you are to proclaim at their appointed times:^{(AL) 5} The Lord’s Passover^(AM) begins at twilight on the fourteenth day of the first month.^{(AN) 6} On the fifteenth day of that month the Lord’s Festival of Unleavened Bread^(AO) begins; for seven days^(AP) you must eat bread made without yeast. ⁷ On the first day hold a sacred assembly^(AQ) and do no regular work. ⁸ For seven days present a food offering to the Lord.^(AR) And on the seventh day hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work.’”

Offering the Firstfruits

⁹ The Lord said to Moses, ¹⁰ “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When you enter the land I am going to give you^(AS) and you reap its harvest,^(AT) bring to the priest a sheaf^(AU) of the first grain you harvest.^{(AV) 11} He is to wave the sheaf before the Lord^(AW) so it will be accepted^(AX) on your behalf; the priest is to wave it on the day after the Sabbath. ¹² On the day you wave the sheaf, you must sacrifice as a burnt offering to the Lord a lamb a year old^(AY) without defect,^{(AZ) 13} together with its grain offering^(BA) of two-tenths of an ephah^[b](BB) of the finest flour mixed with olive oil—a food offering presented to the Lord, a pleasing aroma—and its drink offering^(BC) of a quarter of a hin^[c] of wine.^{(BD) 14} You must not eat any bread, or roasted or new grain,^(BE) until the very day you bring this offering to your God.^(BF) This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come,^(BG) wherever you live.^(BH)

The Festival of Weeks^(BI)

¹⁵ “‘From the day after the Sabbath, the day you brought the sheaf of the wave offering, count off seven full weeks. ¹⁶ Count off fifty days up to the day after the seventh Sabbath,^(BJ) and then present an offering of new grain to the Lord. ¹⁷ From wherever you live, bring two loaves made of two-tenths of an ephah^(BK) of the finest flour, baked with yeast, as a wave offering of firstfruits^(BL) to the Lord. ¹⁸ Present with this bread seven male lambs, each a year old and without defect, one young bull and two rams. They will be a burnt offering to the Lord, together with their grain offerings and drink offerings^(BM)—a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the Lord. ¹⁹ Then sacrifice one male goat for a sin offering^[d] and two lambs, each a year old, for a fellowship offering. ²⁰ The priest is to wave the two lambs before the Lord as a wave offering,^(BN) together with the bread of the firstfruits. They are a sacred offering to the Lord for the priest. ²¹ On that same day you are to proclaim a sacred assembly^(BO) and do no regular work.^(BP) This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live.

²² “‘When you reap the harvest^(BQ) of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest.^(BR) Leave them for the poor and for the foreigner residing among you.^(BS) I am the Lord your God.’”

The Festival of Trumpets^(BT)

²³ The Lord said to Moses, ²⁴ “Say to the Israelites: ‘On the first day of the seventh month you are to have a day of sabbath rest, a sacred assembly^(BU) commemorated with trumpet blasts.^{(BV) 25} Do no regular work,^(BW) but present a food offering to the Lord.^(BX)’”

The Day of Atonement^(BY)

²⁶ The Lord said to Moses, ²⁷ “The tenth day of this seventh month^(BZ) is the Day of Atonement.^(CA) Hold a sacred assembly^(CB) and deny yourselves,^[e] and present a food offering to the Lord. ²⁸ Do not do any work^(CC) on that day, because it is the Day of Atonement, when atonement is made for you before the Lord your God. ²⁹ Those who do not deny themselves on that day must be cut off from their people.^{(CD) 30} I will destroy from among their people^(CE) anyone who does any work on that day. ³¹ You shall do no work at all. This is to be a lasting ordinance^(CF) for the generations to come, wherever you live. ³² It is a day of sabbath rest^(CG) for you, and you must deny yourselves. From the evening of the ninth day of the month until the following evening you are to observe your sabbath.”^(CH)

The Festival of Tabernacles^(CI)

³³ The Lord said to Moses, ³⁴ “Say to the Israelites: ‘On the fifteenth day of the seventh^(CJ) month the Lord’s Festival of Tabernacles^(CK) begins, and it lasts for seven days. ³⁵ The first day is a sacred assembly;^(CL) do no regular work.^{(CM) 36} For seven days present food offerings to the Lord, and on the eighth day hold a sacred assembly^(CN) and present a food offering to the Lord.^(CO) It is the closing special assembly; do no regular work.

³⁷ (“‘These are the Lord’s appointed festivals, which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies for bringing food offerings to the Lord—the burnt offerings and grain offerings, sacrifices and drink offerings^(CP) required for each day. ³⁸ These offerings^(CQ) are in addition to those for the Lord’s Sabbaths^(CR) and^[f] in addition to your gifts and whatever you have vowed and all the freewill offerings^(CS) you give to the Lord.)

³⁹ “‘So beginning with the fifteenth day of the seventh month, after you have gathered the crops of the land, celebrate the festival^(CT) to the Lord for seven days;^(CU) the first day is a day of sabbath rest, and the eighth day also is a day of sabbath rest. ⁴⁰ On the first day you are to take branches^(CV) from luxuriant trees—from palms, willows and other leafy trees^(CW)—and rejoice^(CX) before the Lord your God for seven days. ⁴¹ Celebrate this as a festival to the Lord for seven days each year. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come; celebrate it in the seventh month. ⁴² Live in temporary shelters^(CY) for seven days: All native-born Israelites are to live in such shelters ⁴³ so your descendants will know^(CZ) that I had the Israelites live in temporary shelters when I brought them out of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.’”

⁴⁴ So Moses announced to the Israelites the appointed festivals of the Lord.

Jesus Predicts His Death a Second Time^(A)

³⁰ They left that place and passed through Galilee. Jesus did not want anyone to know where they were, ³¹ because he was teaching his disciples. He said to them, “The Son of Man^(B) is going to be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill him,^(C) and after three days^(D) he will rise.”^{(E) 32} But they did not understand what he meant^(F) and were afraid to ask him about it.

³³ They came to Capernaum.^(G) When he was in the house,^(H) he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the road?” ³⁴ But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest.^(I)

³⁵ Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.”^(J)

³⁶ He took a little child whom he placed among them. Taking the child in his arms,^(K) he said to them, ³⁷ “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.”^(L)

Whoever Is Not Against Us Is for Us^(M)

³⁸ “Teacher,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.”^(N)

³⁹ “Do not stop him,” Jesus said. “For no one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, ⁴⁰ for whoever is not against us is for us.^{(O) 41} Truly I tell you, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to the Messiah will certainly not lose their reward.^(P)

Causing to Stumble

⁴² “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble,^(Q) it would be better for them if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were thrown into the sea.^{(R) 43} If your hand causes you to stumble,^(S) cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell,^(T) where the fire never goes out.^{(U) [44] [a] 45} And if your foot causes you to stumble,^(V) cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell.^{(W) [46] [b] 47} And if your eye causes you to stumble,^(X) pluck 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,^{(Y) 48} where

⁴⁹ Everyone will be salted^(AA) with fire.

⁵⁰ “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again?^(AB) Have salt among yourselves,^(AC) and be at peace with each other.”^(AD)

Divorce^(AE)

10 Jesus then left that place and went into the region of Judea and across the Jordan.^(AF) Again crowds of people came to him, and as was his custom, he taught them.^(AG)

² Some Pharisees^(AH) came and tested him by asking, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?”

³ “What did Moses command you?” he replied.

⁴ They said, “Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce and send her away.”^(AI)

⁵ “It was because your hearts were hard^(AJ) that Moses wrote you this law,” Jesus replied. ⁶ “But at the beginning of creation God ‘made them male and female.’^{[d](AK) 7} ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife,^{[e] 8} and the two will become one flesh.’^[f](AL) So they are no longer two, but one flesh. ⁹ Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”

¹⁰ When they were in the house again, the disciples asked Jesus about this. ¹¹ He answered, “Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her.^{(AM) 12} And if she divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery.”^(AN)

Psalm 44^[a]

For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A maskil.^[b]