Teaching About Divorce

10 ^(A)And he left there and went ^(B)to the region of Judea and beyond the Jordan, and crowds gathered to him again. And again, as was his custom, he taught them.

² And Pharisees came up and in order ^(C)to test him asked, ^(D)“Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” ³ He answered them, “What did Moses command you?” ⁴ They said, ^(E)“Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of divorce and to send her away.” ⁵ And Jesus said to them, “Because of your ^(F)hardness of heart he wrote you this commandment. ⁶ But ^(G)from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them ^(H)male and female.’ ^7 (I)‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife,^{[a] 8} and ^(J)the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh. ^9 (K)What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”

¹⁰ And in the house the disciples asked him again about this matter. ¹¹ And he said to them, ^(L)“Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her, ¹² and ^(M)if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.”

Let the Children Come to Me

^13 (N)And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples ^(O)rebuked them. ¹⁴ But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, ^(P)“Let the children come to me; ^(Q)do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. ^15 (R)Truly, I say to you, whoever does not ^(S)receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” ¹⁶ And ^(T)he took them in his arms and blessed them, ^(U)laying his hands on them.

The Rich Young Man

^17 (V)And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and ^(W)knelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to ^(X)inherit eternal life?” ¹⁸ And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. ¹⁹ You know the commandments: ^(Y)‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’” ²⁰ And he said to him, “Teacher, ^(Z)all these I have kept from my youth.” ²¹ And Jesus, ^(AA)looking at him, ^(AB)loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, ^(AC)sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have ^(AD)treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” ^22 (AE)Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

²³ And Jesus ^(AF)looked around and said to his disciples, ^(AG)“How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter ^(AH)the kingdom of God!” ²⁴ And the disciples ^(AI)were amazed at his words. But Jesus said to them again, ^(AJ)“Children, ^(AK)how difficult it is^[b] to enter ^(AL)the kingdom of God! ²⁵ It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter ^(AM)the kingdom of God.” ²⁶ And they were exceedingly astonished, and said to him,^[c] “Then who can be saved?” ²⁷ Jesus ^(AN)looked at them and said, ^(AO)“With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.” ²⁸ Peter began to say to him, “See, ^(AP)we have left everything and followed you.” ²⁹ Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, ^(AQ)there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and ^(AR)for the gospel, ³⁰ who will not receive a hundredfold ^(AS)now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, ^(AT)with persecutions, and in ^(AU)the age to come eternal life. ³¹ But ^(AV)many who are first will be last, and the last first.”

Jesus Foretells His Death a Third Time

^32 (AW)And they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and ^(AX)Jesus was walking ahead of them. And ^(AY)they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. And taking the twelve again, he began to tell them what was to happen to him, ³³ saying, “See, ^(AZ)we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will ^(BA)condemn him to death and ^(BB)deliver him over to the Gentiles. ³⁴ And they will ^(BC)mock him and ^(BD)spit on him, and flog him and kill him. And ^(BE)after three days he will rise.”

The Request of James and John

^35 (BF)And James and John, ^(BG)the sons of Zebedee, came up to him and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us ^(BH)whatever we ask of you.” ³⁶ And he said to them, ^(BI)“What do you want me to do for you?” ³⁷ And they said to him, “Grant us ^(BJ)to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, ^(BK)in your glory.” ³⁸ Jesus said to them, ^(BL)“You do not know what you are asking. Are you able ^(BM)to drink the cup that I drink, or ^(BN)to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” ³⁹ And they said to him, “We are able.” And Jesus said to them, ^(BO)“The cup that I drink ^(BP)you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, ^(BQ)you will be baptized, ⁴⁰ but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, ^(BR)but it is for those for whom it has been ^(BS)prepared.” ⁴¹ And when the ten heard it, they began to be indignant at James and John. ^42 (BT)And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles ^(BU)lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. ⁴³ But ^(BV)it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant,^{[d] 44} and whoever would be first among you must be ^(BW)slave^[e] of all. ⁴⁵ For even the Son of Man came not to be served but ^(BX)to serve, and ^(BY)to give his life as a ransom for ^(BZ)many.”

Jesus Heals Blind Bartimaeus

^46 (CA)And they came to Jericho. And ^(CB)as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great crowd, Bartimaeus, ^(CC)a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside. ⁴⁷ And when he heard that it was ^(CD)Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” ⁴⁸ And many ^(CE)rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” ⁴⁹ And Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, ^(CF)“Take heart. Get up; he is calling you.” ⁵⁰ And throwing off his ^(CG)cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. ⁵¹ And Jesus said to him, ^(CH)“What do you want me to do for you?” And the blind man said to him, ^(CI)“Rabbi, let me recover my sight.” ⁵² And Jesus said to him, “Go your way; ^(CJ)your faith has ^(CK)made you well.” And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him on the way.

5 “If anyone sins in that he hears a public ^(A)adjuration to testify, and though he is a witness, whether he has seen or come to know the matter, yet does not speak, he shall ^(B)bear his iniquity; ² or ^(C)if anyone touches an unclean thing, whether a carcass of an unclean wild animal or a carcass of unclean livestock or a carcass of unclean swarming things, and it is hidden from him and he has become unclean, and he realizes his guilt; ³ or if he touches ^(D)human uncleanness, of whatever sort the uncleanness may be with which one becomes unclean, and it is hidden from him, when he comes to know it, and realizes his guilt; ⁴ or if anyone utters with his lips a ^(E)rash oath to do evil or to do good, any sort of rash oath that people ^(F)swear, and it is hidden from him, when he comes to know it, and he realizes his guilt in any of these; ⁵ when he realizes his guilt in any of these and ^(G)confesses the sin he has committed, ⁶ he shall bring to the Lord as his compensation^[a] for the sin that he has committed, a female from the flock, a lamb or a goat, for a sin offering. And the priest shall make atonement for him for his sin.

⁷ “But ^(H)if he cannot afford a lamb, then he shall bring to the Lord as his compensation for the sin that he has committed two ^(I)turtledoves or two pigeons,^[b] one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. ⁸ He shall bring them to the priest, who shall offer first the one for the sin offering. He shall ^(J)wring its head from its neck ^(K)but shall not sever it completely, ⁹ and he shall sprinkle some of the blood of the sin offering on the side of the altar, while ^(L)the rest of the blood shall be drained out ^(M)at the base of the altar; it is a sin offering. ¹⁰ Then he shall offer the second for a burnt offering according to the rule. ^(N)And the priest shall make atonement for him for the sin that he has committed, and he shall be forgiven.

¹¹ “But if he cannot afford two turtledoves or two pigeons, then he shall bring as his offering for the sin that he has committed a ^(O)tenth of an ephah^[c] of fine flour for a sin offering. He ^(P)shall put no oil on it and shall put no frankincense on it, for it is a sin offering. ¹² And he shall bring it to ^(Q)the priest, and the priest shall take a handful of it as its memorial portion and ^(R)burn this on the altar, on the Lord's food offerings; it is a sin offering. ¹³ Thus ^(S)the priest shall make atonement for him for the sin which he has committed in any one of these things, and he shall be forgiven. And the remainder^[d] shall be for the priest, as in the grain offering.”

Laws for Guilt Offerings

¹⁴ The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ^15 (T)“If anyone commits a breach of faith and sins unintentionally in any of the holy things of the Lord, ^(U)he shall bring to the Lord as his compensation, a ram without blemish out of the flock, valued^[e] in silver shekels,^[f] according to the ^(V)shekel of the sanctuary, for a guilt offering. ¹⁶ He shall also make restitution for what he has done amiss in the holy thing and ^(W)shall add a fifth to it and give it to the priest. ^(X)And the priest shall make atonement for him with the ram of the guilt offering, and he shall be forgiven.

^17 (Y)“If anyone sins, doing any of the things that by the Lord's commandments ought not to be done, ^(Z)though he did not know it, then realizes his guilt, he shall bear his iniquity. ^18 (AA)He shall bring to the priest a ram without blemish out of the flock, or its equivalent, for a guilt offering, and ^(AB)the priest shall make atonement for him for the mistake that he made unintentionally, and he shall be forgiven. ¹⁹ It is a guilt offering; he has indeed incurred guilt before^[g] the Lord.”

6 ^[h] The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ² “If anyone sins and ^(AC)commits a breach of faith against the Lord by ^(AD)deceiving his neighbor in ^(AE)a matter of deposit or security, or through robbery, or ^(AF)if he has oppressed his neighbor ³ or ^(AG)has found something lost and lied about it, ^(AH)swearing falsely—in any of all the things that people do and sin thereby— ⁴ if he has sinned and has realized his guilt and will restore ^(AI)what he took by robbery or what he got by oppression or the deposit that was committed to him or the lost thing that he found ⁵ or anything about which he has sworn falsely, he shall ^(AJ)restore it in full and shall add a fifth to it, and give it to him to whom it belongs on the day he realizes his guilt. ⁶ And he shall bring to the priest as his compensation to the Lord ^(AK)a ram without blemish out of the flock, or its equivalent, for a guilt offering. ^7 (AL)And the priest shall make atonement for him before the Lord, and he shall be forgiven for any of the things that one may do and thereby become guilty.”

The Priests and the Offerings

^8 [i] The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ⁹ “Command Aaron and his sons, saying, This is the law of the burnt offering. The burnt offering shall be on the hearth on the altar all night until the morning, and the fire of the altar shall be kept burning on it. ¹⁰ And ^(AM)the priest shall put on his linen garment and put his linen undergarment on his body, and he shall take up the ashes to which the fire has reduced the burnt offering on the altar and put them ^(AN)beside the altar. ¹¹ Then ^(AO)he shall take off his garments and put on other garments and carry the ashes ^(AP)outside the camp to a clean place. ¹² The fire on the altar shall be kept burning on it; it shall not go out. The priest shall burn wood on it every morning, and he shall arrange the burnt offering on it and shall burn on it ^(AQ)the fat of the peace offerings. ¹³ Fire shall be kept burning on the altar continually; it shall not go out.

¹⁴ “And this is the law of ^(AR)the grain offering. The sons of Aaron shall offer it before the Lord in front of the altar. ¹⁵ And one shall take from it a handful of the fine flour of the grain offering and its oil and all the frankincense that is on the grain offering and burn this as its ^(AS)memorial portion on the altar, a pleasing aroma to the Lord. ¹⁶ And ^(AT)the rest of it Aaron and his sons shall eat. It shall be eaten unleavened ^(AU)in a holy place. In the court of the tent of meeting they shall eat it. ^17 (AV)It shall not be baked with leaven. ^(AW)I have given it as their portion of my food offerings. ^(AX)It is a thing most holy, like the sin offering and the guilt offering. ¹⁸ Every male among the children of Aaron may eat of it, as decreed forever throughout your generations, from the Lord's food offerings. Whatever touches them shall become holy.”

¹⁹ The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ^20 (AY)“This is the offering that Aaron and his sons shall offer to the Lord on the day when he is anointed: a ^(AZ)tenth of an ephah^[j] of fine flour as a regular grain offering, half of it in the morning and half in the evening. ²¹ It shall be made with oil ^(BA)on a griddle. You shall bring it ^(BB)well mixed, in baked^[k] pieces like a grain offering, and offer it for a pleasing aroma to the Lord. ²² The priest from among Aaron's sons, who is anointed to succeed him, shall offer it to the Lord as decreed forever. ^(BC)The whole of it shall be burned. ²³ Every grain offering of a priest shall be wholly burned. It shall not be eaten.”

²⁴ The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ²⁵ “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, ^(BD)This is the law of the sin offering. ^(BE)In the place where the burnt offering is killed shall the sin offering be killed before the Lord; ^(BF)it is most holy. ^26 (BG)The priest who offers it for sin shall eat it. ^(BH)In a holy place it shall be eaten, in the court of the tent of meeting. ²⁷ Whatever touches its flesh shall be holy, and when any of its blood is splashed on a garment, you shall wash that on which it was splashed in a holy place. ²⁸ And ^(BI)the earthenware vessel in which it is boiled ^(BJ)shall be broken. But if it is boiled in a bronze vessel, that shall be scoured and rinsed in water. ²⁹ Every male among the priests may eat of it; ^(BK)it is most holy. ^30 (BL)But no sin offering shall be eaten from which any blood is brought into the tent of meeting to make atonement in the Holy Place; it shall be burned up with fire.

Joy Comes with the Morning

A Psalm of David. A song at the dedication of ^(A)the temple.