¹⁵ “He shall then slaughter the goat for the sin offering for the people^(A) and take its blood behind the curtain^(B) and do with it as he did with the bull’s blood: He shall sprinkle^(C) it on the atonement cover and in front of it. ¹⁶ In this way he will make atonement^(D) for the Most Holy Place^(E) because of the uncleanness and rebellion of the Israelites, whatever their sins have been. He is to do the same for the tent of meeting,^(F) which is among them in the midst of their uncleanness. ¹⁷ No one is to be in the tent of meeting from the time Aaron goes in to make atonement in the Most Holy Place until he comes out, having made atonement for himself, his household and the whole community of Israel.

¹⁸ “Then he shall come out to the altar^(G) that is before the Lord and make atonement for it. He shall take some of the bull’s blood and some of the goat’s blood and put it on all the horns of the altar.^{(H) 19} He shall sprinkle some of the blood on it with his finger seven times to cleanse it and to consecrate it from the uncleanness of the Israelites.^(I)

²⁰ “When Aaron has finished making atonement for the Most Holy Place, the tent of meeting and the altar, he shall bring forward the live goat.^{(J) 21} He is to lay both hands on the head of the live goat^(K) and confess^(L) over it all the wickedness and rebellion of the Israelites—all their sins—and put them on the goat’s head. He shall send the goat away into the wilderness in the care of someone appointed for the task. ²² The goat will carry on itself all their sins^(M) to a remote place; and the man shall release it in the wilderness.

²³ “Then Aaron is to go into the tent of meeting and take off the linen garments^(N) he put on before he entered the Most Holy Place, and he is to leave them there.^{(O) 24} He shall bathe himself with water in the sanctuary area^(P) and put on his regular garments.^(Q) Then he shall come out and sacrifice the burnt offering for himself and the burnt offering for the people,^(R) to make atonement for himself and for the people.^{(S) 25} He shall also burn the fat of the sin offering on the altar.

²⁶ “The man who releases the goat as a scapegoat^(T) must wash his clothes^(U) and bathe himself with water;^(V) afterward he may come into the camp. ²⁷ The bull and the goat for the sin offerings, whose blood was brought into the Most Holy Place to make atonement, must be taken outside the camp;^(W) their hides, flesh and intestines are to be burned up. ²⁸ The man who burns them must wash his clothes and bathe himself with water; afterward he may come into the camp.^(X)

²⁹ “This is to be a lasting ordinance^(Y) for you: On the tenth day of the seventh month^(Z) you must deny yourselves^[a](AA) and not do any work^(AB)—whether native-born^(AC) or a foreigner residing among you— ³⁰ because on this day atonement will be made^(AD) for you, to cleanse you. Then, before the Lord, you will be clean from all your sins.^{(AE) 31} It is a day of sabbath rest, and you must deny yourselves;^(AF) it is a lasting ordinance.^{(AG) 32} The priest who is anointed and ordained^(AH) to succeed his father as high priest is to make atonement. He is to put on the sacred linen garments^{(AI) 33} and make atonement for the Most Holy Place, for the tent of meeting and the altar, and for the priests and all the members of the community.^(AJ)

³⁴ “This is to be a lasting ordinance^(AK) for you: Atonement is to be made once a year^(AL) for all the sins of the Israelites.”

And it was done, as the Lord commanded Moses.

The Siege Lifted

³ Now there were four men with leprosy^[a](A) at the entrance of the city gate. They said to each other, “Why stay here until we die? ⁴ If we say, ‘We’ll go into the city’—the famine is there, and we will die. And if we stay here, we will die. So let’s go over to the camp of the Arameans and surrender. If they spare us, we live; if they kill us, then we die.”

⁵ At dusk they got up and went to the camp of the Arameans. When they reached the edge of the camp, no one was there, ⁶ for the Lord had caused the Arameans to hear the sound^(B) of chariots and horses and a great army, so that they said to one another, “Look, the king of Israel has hired^(C) the Hittite^(D) and Egyptian kings to attack us!” ⁷ So they got up and fled^(E) in the dusk and abandoned their tents and their horses and donkeys. They left the camp as it was and ran for their lives.

⁸ The men who had leprosy^(F) reached the edge of the camp, entered one of the tents and ate and drank. Then they took silver, gold and clothes, and went off and hid them. They returned and entered another tent and took some things from it and hid them also.

⁹ Then they said to each other, “What we’re doing is not right. This is a day of good news and we are keeping it to ourselves. If we wait until daylight, punishment will overtake us. Let’s go at once and report this to the royal palace.”

¹⁰ So they went and called out to the city gatekeepers and told them, “We went into the Aramean camp and no one was there—not a sound of anyone—only tethered horses and donkeys, and the tents left just as they were.” ¹¹ The gatekeepers shouted the news, and it was reported within the palace.

¹² The king got up in the night and said to his officers, “I will tell you what the Arameans have done to us. They know we are starving; so they have left the camp to hide^(G) in the countryside, thinking, ‘They will surely come out, and then we will take them alive and get into the city.’”

¹³ One of his officers answered, “Have some men take five of the horses that are left in the city. Their plight will be like that of all the Israelites left here—yes, they will only be like all these Israelites who are doomed. So let us send them to find out what happened.”

¹⁴ So they selected two chariots with their horses, and the king sent them after the Aramean army. He commanded the drivers, “Go and find out what has happened.” ¹⁵ They followed them as far as the Jordan, and they found the whole road strewn with the clothing and equipment the Arameans had thrown away in their headlong flight.^(H) So the messengers returned and reported to the king. ¹⁶ Then the people went out and plundered^(I) the camp of the Arameans. So a seah of the finest flour sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley sold for a shekel,^(J) as the Lord had said.

¹⁷ Now the king had put the officer on whose arm he leaned in charge of the gate, and the people trampled him in the gateway, and he died,^(K) just as the man of God had foretold when the king came down to his house. ¹⁸ It happened as the man of God had said to the king: “About this time tomorrow, a seah of the finest flour will sell for a shekel and two seahs of barley for a shekel at the gate of Samaria.”

¹⁹ The officer had said to the man of God, “Look, even if the Lord should open the floodgates^(L) of the heavens, could this happen?” The man of God had replied, “You will see it with your own eyes, but you will not eat any of it!” ²⁰ And that is exactly what happened to him, for the people trampled him in the gateway, and he died.

The Promise of Israel’s Return

¹⁴ The word of the Lord came to me: ¹⁵ “Son of man, the people of Jerusalem have said of your fellow exiles and all the other Israelites, ‘They are far away from the Lord; this land was given to us as our possession.’^(A)

¹⁶ “Therefore say: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Although I sent them far away among the nations and scattered them among the countries, yet for a little while I have been a sanctuary^(B) for them in the countries where they have gone.’

¹⁷ “Therefore say: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will gather you from the nations and bring you back from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you back the land of Israel again.’^(C)

¹⁸ “They will return to it and remove all its vile images^(D) and detestable idols.^{(E) 19} I will give them an undivided heart^(F) and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone^(G) and give them a heart of flesh.^{(H) 20} Then they will follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.^(I) They will be my people,^(J) and I will be their God.^{(K) 21} But as for those whose hearts are devoted to their vile images and detestable idols,^(L) I will bring down on their own heads what they have done, declares the Sovereign Lord.^(M)”

²² Then the cherubim, with the wheels beside them, spread their wings, and the glory^(N) of the God of Israel was above them.^{(O) 23} The glory^(P) of the Lord went up from within the city and stopped above the mountain^(Q) east of it. ²⁴ The Spirit^(R) lifted me up and brought me to the exiles in Babylonia^[a] in the vision^(S) given by the Spirit of God.

Then the vision I had seen went up from me, ²⁵ and I told the exiles everything the Lord had shown me.^(T)

Psalm 97

Jesus Anointed by a Sinful Woman^(A)(B)

³⁶ When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. ³⁷ A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. ³⁸ As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.

³⁹ When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet,^(C) he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.”

⁴⁰ Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.”

“Tell me, teacher,” he said.

⁴¹ “Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii,^[a] and the other fifty. ⁴² Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?”

⁴³ Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.”

“You have judged correctly,” Jesus said.

⁴⁴ Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet,^(D) but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. ⁴⁵ You did not give me a kiss,^(E) but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. ⁴⁶ You did not put oil on my head,^(F) but she has poured perfume on my feet. ⁴⁷ Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”

⁴⁸ Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”^(G)

⁴⁹ The other guests began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”

⁵⁰ Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you;^(H) go in peace.”^(I)

1 Paul, an apostle^(A) of Christ Jesus by the will of God,^(B) and Timothy^(C) our brother,

To the church of God^(D) in Corinth,^(E) together with all his holy people throughout Achaia:^(F)

² Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.^(G)

Praise to the God of All Comfort

³ Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,^(H) the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, ⁴ who comforts us^(I) in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. ⁵ For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ,^(J) so also our comfort abounds through Christ. ⁶ If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation;^(K) if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. ⁷ And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings,^(L) so also you share in our comfort.

⁸ We do not want you to be uninformed,^(M) brothers and sisters,^[a] about the troubles we experienced^(N) in the province of Asia.^(O) We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. ⁹ Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God,^(P) who raises the dead.^{(Q) 10} He has delivered us from such a deadly peril,^(R) and he will deliver us again. On him we have set our hope^(S) that he will continue to deliver us, ¹¹ as you help us by your prayers.^(T) Then many will give thanks^(U) on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many.