The Fellowship Offering

3 “‘If your offering is a fellowship offering,^(A) and you offer an animal from the herd, whether male or female, you are to present before the Lord an animal without defect.^{(B) 2} You are to lay your hand on the head^(C) of your offering and slaughter it^(D) at the entrance to the tent of meeting.^(E) Then Aaron’s sons the priests shall splash^(F) the blood against the sides^(G) of the altar.^{(H) 3} From the fellowship offering you are to bring a food offering to the Lord: the internal organs^(I) and all the fat^(J) that is connected to them, ⁴ both kidneys^(K) with the fat on them near the loins, and the long lobe of the liver, which you will remove with the kidneys. ⁵ Then Aaron’s sons^(L) are to burn it on the altar^(M) on top of the burnt offering^(N) that is lying on the burning wood;^(O) it is a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the Lord.^(P)

⁶ “‘If you offer an animal from the flock as a fellowship offering^(Q) to the Lord, you are to offer a male or female without defect. ⁷ If you offer a lamb,^(R) you are to present it before the Lord,^{(S) 8} lay your hand on its head and slaughter it^(T) in front of the tent of meeting. Then Aaron’s sons shall splash its blood against the sides of the altar. ⁹ From the fellowship offering you are to bring a food offering^(U) to the Lord: its fat, the entire fat tail cut off close to the backbone, the internal organs and all the fat that is connected to them, ¹⁰ both kidneys with the fat on them near the loins, and the long lobe of the liver, which you will remove with the kidneys. ¹¹ The priest shall burn them on the altar^(V) as a food offering^(W) presented to the Lord.^(X)

¹² “‘If your offering is a goat,^(Y) you are to present it before the Lord, ¹³ lay your hand on its head and slaughter it in front of the tent of meeting. Then Aaron’s sons shall splash^(Z) its blood against the sides of the altar.^{(AA) 14} From what you offer you are to present this food offering to the Lord: the internal organs and all the fat that is connected to them, ¹⁵ both kidneys with the fat on them near the loins, and the long lobe of the liver, which you will remove with the kidneys.^{(AB) 16} The priest shall burn them on the altar^(AC) as a food offering,^(AD) a pleasing aroma.^(AE) All the fat^(AF) is the Lord’s.^(AG)

¹⁷ “‘This is a lasting ordinance^(AH) for the generations to come,^(AI) wherever you live:^(AJ) You must not eat any fat or any blood.^(AK)’”

The Sin Offering

4 The Lord said to Moses, ² “Say to the Israelites: ‘When anyone sins unintentionally^(A) and does what is forbidden in any of the Lord’s commands^(B)—

³ “‘If the anointed priest^(C) sins,^(D) bringing guilt on the people, he must bring to the Lord a young bull^(E) without defect^(F) as a sin offering^[a](G) for the sin he has committed.^{(H) 4} He is to present the bull at the entrance to the tent of meeting before the Lord.^(I) He is to lay his hand on its head and slaughter it there before the Lord. ⁵ Then the anointed priest shall take some of the bull’s blood^(J) and carry it into the tent of meeting. ⁶ He is to dip his finger into the blood and sprinkle^(K) some of it seven times before the Lord,^(L) in front of the curtain of the sanctuary.^{(M) 7} The priest shall then put some of the blood on the horns^(N) of the altar of fragrant incense that is before the Lord in the tent of meeting. The rest of the bull’s blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar^(O) of burnt offering^(P) at the entrance to the tent of meeting. ⁸ He shall remove all the fat^(Q) from the bull of the sin offering—all the fat that is connected to the internal organs, ⁹ both kidneys with the fat on them near the loins, and the long lobe of the liver, which he will remove with the kidneys^(R)— ¹⁰ just as the fat is removed from the ox^[b](S) sacrificed as a fellowship offering.^(T) Then the priest shall burn them on the altar of burnt offering.^{(U) 11} But the hide of the bull and all its flesh, as well as the head and legs, the internal organs and the intestines^(V)— ¹² that is, all the rest of the bull—he must take outside the camp^(W) to a place ceremonially clean,^(X) where the ashes^(Y) are thrown, and burn it^(Z) there in a wood fire on the ash heap.^(AA)

¹³ “‘If the whole Israelite community sins unintentionally^(AB) and does what is forbidden in any of the Lord’s commands, even though the community is unaware of the matter, when they realize their guilt ¹⁴ and the sin they committed becomes known, the assembly must bring a young bull^(AC) as a sin offering^(AD) and present it before the tent of meeting. ¹⁵ The elders^(AE) of the community are to lay their hands^(AF) on the bull’s head^(AG) before the Lord, and the bull shall be slaughtered before the Lord.^{(AH) 16} Then the anointed priest is to take some of the bull’s blood^(AI) into the tent of meeting. ¹⁷ He shall dip his finger into the blood and sprinkle^(AJ) it before the Lord^(AK) seven times in front of the curtain. ¹⁸ He is to put some of the blood^(AL) on the horns of the altar that is before the Lord^(AM) in the tent of meeting. The rest of the blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar^(AN) of burnt offering at the entrance to the tent of meeting. ¹⁹ He shall remove all the fat^(AO) from it and burn it on the altar,^{(AP) 20} and do with this bull just as he did with the bull for the sin offering. In this way the priest will make atonement^(AQ) for the community, and they will be forgiven.^{(AR) 21} Then he shall take the bull outside the camp^(AS) and burn it as he burned the first bull. This is the sin offering for the community.^(AT)

²² “‘When a leader^(AU) sins unintentionally^(AV) and does what is forbidden in any of the commands of the Lord his God, when he realizes his guilt ²³ and the sin he has committed becomes known, he must bring as his offering a male goat^(AW) without defect. ²⁴ He is to lay his hand on the goat’s head and slaughter it at the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered before the Lord.^(AX) It is a sin offering.^{(AY) 25} Then the priest shall take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar^(AZ) of burnt offering and pour out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar.^{(BA) 26} He shall burn all the fat on the altar as he burned the fat of the fellowship offering. In this way the priest will make atonement^(BB) for the leader’s sin, and he will be forgiven.^(BC)

²⁷ “‘If any member of the community sins unintentionally^(BD) and does what is forbidden in any of the Lord’s commands, when they realize their guilt ²⁸ and the sin they have committed becomes known, they must bring as their offering^(BE) for the sin they committed a female goat^(BF) without defect. ²⁹ They are to lay their hand on the head^(BG) of the sin offering^(BH) and slaughter it at the place of the burnt offering.^{(BI) 30} Then the priest is to take some of the blood with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering^(BJ) and pour out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar. ³¹ They shall remove all the fat, just as the fat is removed from the fellowship offering, and the priest shall burn it on the altar^(BK) as an aroma pleasing to the Lord.^(BL) In this way the priest will make atonement^(BM) for them, and they will be forgiven.^(BN)

³² “‘If someone brings a lamb^(BO) as their sin offering, they are to bring a female without defect.^{(BP) 33} They are to lay their hand on its head and slaughter it^(BQ) for a sin offering^(BR) at the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered.^{(BS) 34} Then the priest shall take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering and pour out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar.^{(BT) 35} They shall remove all the fat, just as the fat is removed from the lamb of the fellowship offering, and the priest shall burn it on the altar^(BU) on top of the food offerings presented to the Lord. In this way the priest will make atonement for them for the sin they have committed, and they will be forgiven.

The Parable of the Wedding Banquet^(A)

22 Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: ² “The kingdom of heaven is like^(B) a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. ³ He sent his servants^(C) to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come.

⁴ “Then he sent some more servants^(D) and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’

⁵ “But they paid no attention and went off—one to his field, another to his business. ⁶ The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them. ⁷ The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers^(E) and burned their city.

⁸ “Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. ⁹ So go to the street corners^(F) and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’ ¹⁰ So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, the bad as well as the good,^(G) and the wedding hall was filled with guests.

¹¹ “But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. ¹² He asked, ‘How did you get in here without wedding clothes, friend^(H)?’ The man was speechless.

¹³ “Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’^(I)

¹⁴ “For many are invited, but few are chosen.”^(J)

Paying the Imperial Tax to Caesar^(K)

¹⁵ Then the Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap him in his words. ¹⁶ They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians.^(L) “Teacher,” they said, “we know that you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are. ¹⁷ Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay the imperial tax^[a](M) to Caesar or not?”

¹⁸ But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, “You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? ¹⁹ Show me the coin used for paying the tax.” They brought him a denarius, ²⁰ and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?”

²¹ “Caesar’s,” they replied.

Then he said to them, “So give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s,^(N) and to God what is God’s.”

²² When they heard this, they were amazed. So they left him and went away.^(O)

Marriage at the Resurrection^(P)

²³ That same day the Sadducees,^(Q) who say there is no resurrection,^(R) came to him with a question. ²⁴ “Teacher,” they said, “Moses told us that if a man dies without having children, his brother must marry the widow and raise up offspring for him.^{(S) 25} Now there were seven brothers among us. The first one married and died, and since he had no children, he left his wife to his brother. ²⁶ The same thing happened to the second and third brother, right on down to the seventh. ²⁷ Finally, the woman died. ²⁸ Now then, at the resurrection, whose wife will she be of the seven, since all of them were married to her?”

²⁹ Jesus replied, “You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures^(T) or the power of God. ³⁰ At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage;^(U) they will be like the angels in heaven. ³¹ But about the resurrection of the dead—have you not read what God said to you, ³² ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’^[b]?^(V) He is not the God of the dead but of the living.”

³³ When the crowds heard this, they were astonished at his teaching.^(W)

The Greatest Commandment^(X)

³⁴ Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees,^(Y) the Pharisees got together. ³⁵ One of them, an expert in the law,^(Z) tested him with this question: ³⁶ “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

³⁷ Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’^{[c](AA) 38} This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹ And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’^{[d](AB) 40} All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”^(AC)

Whose Son Is the Messiah?^(AD)

⁴¹ While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, ⁴² “What do you think about the Messiah? Whose son is he?”

“The son of David,”^(AE) they replied.

⁴³ He said to them, “How is it then that David, speaking by the Spirit, calls him ‘Lord’? For he says,

⁴⁵ If then David calls him ‘Lord,’ how can he be his son?” ⁴⁶ No one could say a word in reply, and from that day on no one dared to ask him any more questions.^(AG)