The Priests Begin Their Ministry

9 On the eighth day^(A) Moses summoned Aaron and his sons and the elders^(B) of Israel. ² He said to Aaron, “Take a bull calf for your sin offering^[a] 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^(C) for a sin offering,^(D) a calf^(E) and a lamb^(F)—both a year old and without defect—for a burnt offering, ⁴ and an ox^[b](G) and a ram for a fellowship offering^(H) to sacrifice before the Lord, together with a grain offering mixed with olive oil. For today the Lord will appear to you.^(I)’”

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^(J) may appear to you.”

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;^(K) sacrifice the offering that is for the people and make atonement for them, as the Lord has commanded.^(L)”

⁸ So Aaron came to the altar and slaughtered the calf as a sin offering^(M) for himself. ⁹ His sons brought the blood to him,^(N) 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.^{(O) 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^(P) he burned up outside the camp.^(Q)

¹² Then he slaughtered the burnt offering.^(R) His sons handed him the blood,^(S) 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.^{(T) 14} He washed the internal organs and the legs and burned them on top of the burnt offering on the altar.^(U)

¹⁵ Aaron then brought the offering that was for the people.^(V) 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.^{(W) 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.^(X)

¹⁸ He slaughtered the ox and the ram as the fellowship offering for the people.^(Y) 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,^(Z) as Moses commanded.

²² Then Aaron lifted his hands toward the people and blessed them.^(AA) 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.^(AB) When they came out, they blessed the people; and the glory of the Lord^(AC) appeared to all the people. ²⁴ Fire^(AD) 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.^(AE)

The Death of Nadab and Abihu

10 Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu^(AF) took their censers,^(AG) put fire in them^(AH) and added incense;^(AI) and they offered unauthorized fire before the Lord,^(AJ) contrary to his command.^{(AK) 2} So fire came out^(AL) from the presence of the Lord and consumed them,^(AM) and they died before the Lord.^{(AN) 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,^(AR) sons of Aaron’s uncle Uzziel,^(AS) and said to them, “Come here; carry your cousins outside the camp,^(AT) away from the front of the sanctuary.^(AU)” ⁵ So they came and carried them, still in their tunics,^(AV) outside the camp, as Moses ordered.

⁶ Then Moses said to Aaron and his sons Eleazar and Ithamar,^(AW) “Do not let your hair become unkempt^[c](AX) and do not tear your clothes,^(AY) or you will die and the Lord will be angry with the whole community.^(AZ) But your relatives, all the Israelites, may mourn^(BA) for those the Lord has destroyed by fire. ⁷ Do not leave the entrance to the tent of meeting^(BB) or you will die, because the Lord’s anointing oil^(BC) 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^(BD) or other fermented drink^(BE) whenever you go into the tent of meeting, or you will die. This is a lasting ordinance^(BF) for the generations to come, ¹⁰ so that you can distinguish between the holy and the common, between the unclean and the clean,^{(BG) 11} and so you can teach^(BH) the Israelites all the decrees the Lord has given them through Moses.^(BI)”

¹² Moses said to Aaron and his remaining sons, Eleazar and Ithamar, “Take the grain offering^(BJ) left over from the food offerings prepared without yeast and presented to the Lord and eat it beside the altar,^(BK) for it is most holy. ¹³ Eat it in the sanctuary area,^(BL) because it is your share and your sons’ share of the food offerings presented to the Lord; for so I have been commanded.^{(BM) 14} But you and your sons and your daughters may eat the breast^(BN) that was waved and the thigh that was presented. Eat them in a ceremonially clean place;^(BO) they have been given to you and your children as your share of the Israelites’ fellowship offerings. ¹⁵ The thigh^(BP) 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.^(BQ) 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^[d](BR) 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^(BS) in the sanctuary area? It is most holy; it was given to you to take away the guilt^(BT) of the community by making atonement for them before the Lord. ¹⁸ Since its blood was not taken into the Holy Place,^(BU) you should have eaten the goat in the sanctuary area, as I commanded.^(BV)”

¹⁹ Aaron replied to Moses, “Today they sacrificed their sin offering and their burnt offering^(BW) 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.

Psalm 36^[a]

For the director of music. Of David the servant of the Lord.

Jesus Feeds the Four Thousand^(A)(B)(C)

8 During those days another large crowd gathered. Since they had nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples to him and said, ² “I have compassion for these people;^(D) they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. ³ If I send them home hungry, they will collapse on the way, because some of them have come a long distance.”

⁴ His disciples answered, “But where in this remote place can anyone get enough bread to feed them?”

⁵ “How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked.

“Seven,” they replied.

⁶ He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. When he had taken the seven loaves and given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to distribute to the people, and they did so. ⁷ They had a few small fish as well; he gave thanks for them also and told the disciples to distribute them.^{(E) 8} The people ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.^{(F) 9} About four thousand were present. After he had sent them away, ¹⁰ he got into the boat with his disciples and went to the region of Dalmanutha.

¹¹ The Pharisees came and began to question Jesus. To test him, they asked him for a sign from heaven.^{(G) 12} He sighed deeply^(H) and said, “Why does this generation ask for a sign? Truly I tell you, no sign will be given to it.” ¹³ Then he left them, got back into the boat and crossed to the other side.

The Yeast of the Pharisees and Herod

¹⁴ The disciples had forgotten to bring bread, except for one loaf they had with them in the boat. ¹⁵ “Be careful,” Jesus warned them. “Watch out for the yeast^(I) of the Pharisees^(J) and that of Herod.”^(K)

¹⁶ They discussed this with one another and said, “It is because we have no bread.”

¹⁷ Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked them: “Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened?^{(L) 18} Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don’t you remember? ¹⁹ When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?”

“Twelve,”^(M) they replied.

²⁰ “And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?”

They answered, “Seven.”^(N)

²¹ He said to them, “Do you still not understand?”^(O)

Jesus Heals a Blind Man at Bethsaida

²² They came to Bethsaida,^(P) and some people brought a blind man^(Q) and begged Jesus to touch him. ²³ He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit^(R) on the man’s eyes and put his hands on^(S) him, Jesus asked, “Do you see anything?”

²⁴ He looked up and said, “I see people; they look like trees walking around.”

²⁵ Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. ²⁶ Jesus sent him home, saying, “Don’t even go into^[a] the village.”

Peter Declares That Jesus Is the Messiah^(T)

²⁷ Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, “Who do people say I am?”

²⁸ They replied, “Some say John the Baptist;^(U) others say Elijah;^(V) and still others, one of the prophets.”

²⁹ “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

Peter answered, “You are the Messiah.”^(W)

³⁰ Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him.^(X)

Jesus Predicts His Death^(Y)

³¹ He then began to teach them that the Son of Man^(Z) must suffer many things^(AA) and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law,^(AB) and that he must be killed^(AC) and after three days^(AD) rise again.^{(AE) 32} He spoke plainly^(AF) about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.

³³ But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!”^(AG) he said. “You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”

The Way of the Cross

³⁴ Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.^{(AH) 35} For whoever wants to save their life^[b] will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it.^{(AI) 36} What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? ³⁷ Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? ³⁸ If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man^(AJ) will be ashamed of them^(AK) when he comes^(AL) in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.”