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^(A): 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.^{(B) 10} The priest shall then put on his linen clothes,^(C) with linen undergarments next to his body,^(D) and shall remove the ashes^(E) 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.^{(F) 12} The fire on the altar must be kept burning; it must not go out. Every morning the priest is to add firewood^(G) and arrange the burnt offering on the fire and burn the fat^(H) of the fellowship offerings^(I) 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:^(J) 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^(K) on the grain offering,^(L) and burn the memorial^[a] portion^(M) on the altar as an aroma pleasing to the Lord. ¹⁶ Aaron and his sons^(N) shall eat the rest^(O) of it, but it is to be eaten without yeast^(P) in the sanctuary area;^(Q) they are to eat it in the courtyard^(R) of the tent of meeting.^{(S) 17} It must not be baked with yeast; I have given it as their share^(T) of the food offerings presented to me.^(U) Like the sin offering^[b] and the guilt offering, it is most holy.^{(V) 18} Any male descendant of Aaron may eat it.^(W) For all generations to come^(X) it is his perpetual share^(Y) of the food offerings presented to the Lord. Whatever touches them will become holy.^[c](Z)’”

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^[d] is anointed:^(AA) a tenth of an ephah^[e](AB) of the finest flour^(AC) as a regular grain offering,^(AD) half of it in the morning and half in the evening. ²¹ It must be prepared with oil on a griddle;^(AE) bring it well-mixed and present the grain offering broken^[f] in pieces as an aroma pleasing to the Lord. ²² The son who is to succeed him as anointed priest^(AF) shall prepare it. It is the Lord’s perpetual share and is to be burned completely.^{(AG) 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:^(AH) The sin offering is to be slaughtered before the Lord^(AI) in the place^(AJ) 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,^(AK) in the courtyard^(AL) of the tent of meeting.^{(AM) 27} Whatever touches any of the flesh will become holy,^(AN) and if any of the blood is spattered on a garment, you must wash it in the sanctuary area. ²⁸ The clay pot^(AO) 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;^(AP) it is most holy.^{(AQ) 30} But any sin offering whose blood is brought into the tent of meeting to make atonement^(AR) in the Holy Place^(AS) must not be eaten; it must be burned up.^(AT)

Asa King of Judah^(A)(B)

⁹ In the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Asa became king of Judah, ¹⁰ and he reigned in Jerusalem forty-one years. His grandmother’s name was Maakah^(C) daughter of Abishalom.

¹¹ Asa did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, as his father David^(D) had done. ¹² He expelled the male shrine prostitutes^(E) from the land and got rid of all the idols^(F) his ancestors had made. ¹³ He even deposed his grandmother Maakah^(G) from her position as queen mother,^(H) because she had made a repulsive image for the worship of Asherah. Asa cut it down^(I) and burned it in the Kidron Valley. ¹⁴ Although he did not remove^(J) the high places, Asa’s heart was fully committed^(K) to the Lord all his life. ¹⁵ He brought into the temple of the Lord the silver and gold and the articles that he and his father had dedicated.^(L)

¹⁶ There was war^(M) between Asa and Baasha king of Israel throughout their reigns. ¹⁷ Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah and fortified Ramah^(N) to prevent anyone from leaving or entering the territory of Asa king of Judah.

¹⁸ Asa then took all the silver and gold that was left in the treasuries of the Lord’s temple^(O) and of his own palace. He entrusted it to his officials and sent^(P) them to Ben-Hadad^(Q) son of Tabrimmon, the son of Hezion, the king of Aram, who was ruling in Damascus. ¹⁹ “Let there be a treaty^(R) between me and you,” he said, “as there was between my father and your father. See, I am sending you a gift of silver and gold. Now break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel so he will withdraw from me.”

²⁰ Ben-Hadad agreed with King Asa and sent the commanders of his forces against the towns of Israel. He conquered^(S) Ijon, Dan, Abel Beth Maakah and all Kinnereth in addition to Naphtali. ²¹ When Baasha heard this, he stopped building Ramah^(T) and withdrew to Tirzah.^{(U) 22} Then King Asa issued an order to all Judah—no one was exempt—and they carried away from Ramah^(V) the stones and timber Baasha had been using there. With them King Asa^(W) built up Geba^(X) in Benjamin, and also Mizpah.^(Y)

²³ As for all the other events of Asa’s reign, all his achievements, all he did and the cities he built, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? In his old age, however, his feet became diseased. ²⁴ Then Asa rested with his ancestors and was buried with them in the city of his father David. And Jehoshaphat^(Z) his son succeeded him as king.

Nadab King of Israel

²⁵ Nadab son of Jeroboam became king of Israel in the second year of Asa king of Judah, and he reigned over Israel two years. ²⁶ He did evil^(AA) in the eyes of the Lord, following the ways of his father^(AB) and committing the same sin his father had caused Israel to commit.

²⁷ Baasha son of Ahijah from the tribe of Issachar plotted against him, and he struck him down^(AC) at Gibbethon,^(AD) a Philistine town, while Nadab and all Israel were besieging it. ²⁸ Baasha killed Nadab in the third year of Asa king of Judah and succeeded him as king.

²⁹ As soon as he began to reign, he killed Jeroboam’s whole family.^(AE) He did not leave Jeroboam anyone that breathed, but destroyed them all, according to the word of the Lord given through his servant Ahijah the Shilonite. ³⁰ This happened because of the sins^(AF) Jeroboam had committed and had caused^(AG) Israel to commit, and because he aroused the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel.

³¹ As for the other events of Nadab’s reign, and all he did, are they not written in the book of the annals^(AH) of the kings of Israel? ³² There was war^(AI) between Asa and Baasha king of Israel throughout their reigns.

Psalm 79

A psalm of Asaph.

²¹ On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise the child,^(A) he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived.^(B)

Jesus Presented in the Temple

²² When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses,^(C) Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord ²³ (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord”^[a]),^{(D) 24} and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.”^[b](E)

²⁵ Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout.^(F) He was waiting for the consolation of Israel,^(G) and the Holy Spirit was on him. ²⁶ It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. ²⁷ Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required,^{(H) 28} Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:

Concerning Food Sacrificed to Idols

8 Now about food sacrificed to idols:^(A) We know that “We all possess knowledge.”^(B) But knowledge puffs up while love builds up. ² Those who think they know something^(C) do not yet know as they ought to know.^{(D) 3} But whoever loves God is known by God.^[a](E)

⁴ So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols:^(F) We know that “An idol is nothing at all in the world”^(G) and that “There is no God but one.”^{(H) 5} For even if there are so-called gods,^(I) whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”), ⁶ yet for us there is but one God,^(J) the Father,^(K) from whom all things came^(L) and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord,^(M) Jesus Christ, through whom all things came^(N) and through whom we live.

⁷ But not everyone possesses this knowledge.^(O) Some people are still so accustomed to idols that when they eat sacrificial food they think of it as having been sacrificed to a god, and since their conscience is weak,^(P) it is defiled. ⁸ But food does not bring us near to God;^(Q) we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do.

⁹ Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block^(R) to the weak.^{(S) 10} For if someone with a weak conscience sees you, with all your knowledge, eating in an idol’s temple, won’t that person be emboldened to eat what is sacrificed to idols?^{(T) 11} So this weak brother or sister, for whom Christ died, is destroyed^(U) by your knowledge. ¹² When you sin against them^(V) in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ.^{(W) 13} Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother or sister to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause them to fall.^(X)