22 The Lord said to Moses, ² “Tell Aaron and his sons to treat with respect the sacred offerings^(A) the Israelites consecrate to me, so they will not profane my holy name.^(B) I am the Lord.^(C)

³ “Say to them: ‘For the generations to come, if any of your descendants is ceremonially unclean and yet comes near the sacred offerings that the Israelites consecrate to the Lord,^(D) that person must be cut off from my presence.^(E) I am the Lord.

⁴ “‘If a descendant of Aaron has a defiling skin disease^[a] or a bodily discharge,^(F) he may not eat the sacred offerings until he is cleansed. He will also be unclean if he touches something defiled by a corpse^(G) or by anyone who has an emission of semen, ⁵ or if he touches any crawling thing^(H) that makes him unclean, or any person^(I) who makes him unclean, whatever the uncleanness may be. ⁶ The one who touches any such thing will be unclean^(J) till evening.^(K) He must not eat any of the sacred offerings unless he has bathed himself with water.^{(L) 7} When the sun goes down, he will be clean, and after that he may eat the sacred offerings, for they are his food.^{(M) 8} He must not eat anything found dead^(N) or torn by wild animals,^(O) and so become unclean^(P) through it. I am the Lord.^(Q)

⁹ “‘The priests are to perform my service^(R) in such a way that they do not become guilty^(S) and die^(T) for treating it with contempt. I am the Lord, who makes them holy.^(U)

¹⁰ “‘No one outside a priest’s family may eat the sacred offering, nor may the guest of a priest or his hired worker eat it.^{(V) 11} But if a priest buys a slave with money, or if slaves are born in his household, they may eat his food.^{(W) 12} If a priest’s daughter marries anyone other than a priest, she may not eat any of the sacred contributions. ¹³ But if a priest’s daughter becomes a widow or is divorced, yet has no children, and she returns to live in her father’s household as in her youth, she may eat her father’s food. No unauthorized person, however, may eat it.

¹⁴ “‘Anyone who eats a sacred offering by mistake^(X) must make restitution to the priest for the offering and add a fifth of the value^(Y) to it. ¹⁵ The priests must not desecrate the sacred offerings^(Z) the Israelites present to the Lord^{(AA) 16} by allowing them to eat^(AB) the sacred offerings and so bring upon them guilt^(AC) requiring payment.^(AD) I am the Lord, who makes them holy.^(AE)’”

¹⁴ Now Elisha had been suffering from the illness from which he died. Jehoash king of Israel went down to see him and wept over him. “My father! My father!” he cried. “The chariots^(A) and horsemen of Israel!”

¹⁵ Elisha said, “Get a bow and some arrows,”^(B) and he did so. ¹⁶ “Take the bow in your hands,” he said to the king of Israel. When he had taken it, Elisha put his hands on the king’s hands.

¹⁷ “Open the east window,” he said, and he opened it. “Shoot!”^(C) Elisha said, and he shot. “The Lord’s arrow of victory, the arrow of victory over Aram!” Elisha declared. “You will completely destroy the Arameans at Aphek.”^(D)

¹⁸ Then he said, “Take the arrows,” and the king took them. Elisha told him, “Strike the ground.” He struck it three times and stopped. ¹⁹ The man of God was angry with him and said, “You should have struck the ground five or six times; then you would have defeated Aram and completely destroyed it. But now you will defeat it only three times.”^(E)

²⁰ Elisha died and was buried.

Now Moabite raiders^(F) used to enter the country every spring. ²¹ Once while some Israelites were burying a man, suddenly they saw a band of raiders; so they threw the man’s body into Elisha’s tomb. When the body touched Elisha’s bones, the man came to life^(G) and stood up on his feet.

²² Hazael king of Aram oppressed^(H) Israel throughout the reign of Jehoahaz. ²³ But the Lord was gracious to them and had compassion and showed concern for them because of his covenant^(I) with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. To this day he has been unwilling to destroy^(J) them or banish them from his presence.^(K)

²⁴ Hazael king of Aram died, and Ben-Hadad^(L) his son succeeded him as king. ²⁵ Then Jehoash son of Jehoahaz recaptured from Ben-Hadad son of Hazael the towns he had taken in battle from his father Jehoahaz. Three times^(M) Jehoash defeated him, and so he recovered^(N) the Israelite towns.

⁴¹ They will burn down^(A) your houses and inflict punishment on you in the sight of many women.^(B) I will put a stop^(C) to your prostitution, and you will no longer pay your lovers. ⁴² Then my wrath against you will subside and my jealous anger will turn away from you; I will be calm and no longer angry.^(D)

⁴³ “‘Because you did not remember^(E) the days of your youth but enraged me with all these things, I will surely bring down^(F) on your head what you have done, declares the Sovereign Lord. Did you not add lewdness to all your other detestable practices?^(G)

⁴⁴ “‘Everyone who quotes proverbs^(H) will quote this proverb about you: “Like mother, like daughter.” ⁴⁵ You are a true daughter of your mother, who despised^(I) her husband^(J) and her children; and you are a true sister of your sisters, who despised their husbands and their children. Your mother was a Hittite and your father an Amorite.^{(K) 46} Your older sister^(L) was Samaria, who lived to the north of you with her daughters; and your younger sister, who lived to the south of you with her daughters, was Sodom.^{(M) 47} You not only followed their ways and copied their detestable practices, but in all your ways you soon became more depraved than they.^{(N) 48} As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign^(O) Lord, your sister Sodom^(P) and her daughters never did what you and your daughters have done.^(Q)

⁴⁹ “‘Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom:^(R) She and her daughters were arrogant,^(S) overfed and unconcerned;^(T) they did not help the poor and needy.^{(U) 50} They were haughty^(V) and did detestable things before me. Therefore I did away with them as you have seen.^{(W) 51} Samaria did not commit half the sins you did. You have done more detestable things than they, and have made your sisters seem righteous by all these things you have done.^{(X) 52} Bear your disgrace, for you have furnished some justification for your sisters. Because your sins were more vile than theirs, they appear more righteous^(Y) than you. So then, be ashamed and bear^(Z) your disgrace, for you have made your sisters appear righteous.

⁵³ “‘However, I will restore^(AA) the fortunes of Sodom and her daughters and of Samaria and her daughters, and your fortunes along with them,^{(AB) 54} so that you may bear your disgrace^(AC) and be ashamed of all you have done in giving them comfort. ⁵⁵ And your sisters, Sodom with her daughters and Samaria with her daughters, will return to what they were before; and you and your daughters will return to what you were before.^{(AD) 56} You would not even mention your sister Sodom in the day of your pride, ⁵⁷ before your wickedness was uncovered. Even so, you are now scorned^(AE) by the daughters of Edom^[a](AF) and all her neighbors and the daughters of the Philistines—all those around you who despise you. ⁵⁸ You will bear the consequences of your lewdness and your detestable practices, declares the Lord.^(AG)

Jesus Predicts His Death

²¹ Jesus strictly warned them not to tell this to anyone.^{(A) 22} And he said, “The Son of Man^(B) must suffer many things^(C) and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law,^(D) and he must be killed^(E) and on the third day^(F) be raised to life.”^(G)

²³ Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.^{(H) 24} For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.^{(I) 25} What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self? ²⁶ Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them^(J) when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.^(K)

²⁷ “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God.”

The Transfiguration^(L)

²⁸ About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James^(M) with him and went up onto a mountain to pray.^{(N) 29} As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. ³⁰ Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus. ³¹ They spoke about his departure,^[a](O) which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem. ³² Peter and his companions were very sleepy,^(P) but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. ³³ As the men were leaving Jesus, Peter said to him, “Master,^(Q) it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” (He did not know what he was saying.)

³⁴ While he was speaking, a cloud appeared and covered them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. ³⁵ A voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen;^(R) listen to him.”^{(S) 36} When the voice had spoken, they found that Jesus was alone. The disciples kept this to themselves and did not tell anyone at that time what they had seen.^(T)

6 As God’s co-workers^(A) we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain.^{(B) 2} For he says,

I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.

Paul’s Hardships

³ We put no stumbling block in anyone’s path,^(D) so that our ministry will not be discredited. ⁴ Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; ⁵ in beatings, imprisonments^(E) and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger;^{(F) 6} in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit^(G) and in sincere love;^{(H) 7} in truthful speech^(I) and in the power of God;^(J) with weapons of righteousness^(K) in the right hand and in the left; ⁸ through glory and dishonor,^(L) bad report^(M) and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors;^{(N) 9} known, yet regarded as unknown; dying,^(O) and yet we live on;^(P) beaten, and yet not killed; ¹⁰ sorrowful, yet always rejoicing;^(Q) poor, yet making many rich;^(R) having nothing,^(S) and yet possessing everything.^(T)

¹¹ We have spoken freely to you, Corinthians, and opened wide our hearts to you.^{(U) 12} We are not withholding our affection from you, but you are withholding yours from us. ¹³ As a fair exchange—I speak as to my children^(V)—open wide your hearts^(W) also.