The Water of Cleansing

19 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron: ² “This is a requirement of the law that the Lord has commanded: Tell the Israelites to bring you a red heifer^(A) without defect or blemish^(B) and that has never been under a yoke.^{(C) 3} Give it to Eleazar^(D) the priest; it is to be taken outside the camp^(E) and slaughtered in his presence. ⁴ Then Eleazar the priest is to take some of its blood on his finger and sprinkle^(F) it seven times toward the front of the tent of meeting. ⁵ While he watches, the heifer is to be burned—its hide, flesh, blood and intestines.^{(G) 6} The priest is to take some cedar wood, hyssop^(H) and scarlet wool^(I) and throw them onto the burning heifer. ⁷ After that, the priest must wash his clothes and bathe himself with water.^(J) He may then come into the camp, but he will be ceremonially unclean till evening. ⁸ The man who burns it must also wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he too will be unclean till evening.

⁹ “A man who is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer^(K) and put them in a ceremonially clean place^(L) outside the camp. They are to be kept by the Israelite community for use in the water of cleansing;^(M) it is for purification from sin.^{(N) 10} The man who gathers up^(O) the ashes of the heifer must also wash his clothes, and he too will be unclean till evening.^(P) This will be a lasting ordinance^(Q) both for the Israelites and for the foreigners residing among them.^(R)

¹¹ “Whoever touches a human corpse^(S) will be unclean for seven days.^{(T) 12} They must purify themselves with the water on the third day and on the seventh day;^(U) then they will be clean. But if they do not purify themselves on the third and seventh days, they will not be clean.^{(V) 13} If they fail to purify themselves after touching a human corpse,^(W) they defile the Lord’s tabernacle.^(X) They must be cut off from Israel.^(Y) Because the water of cleansing has not been sprinkled on them, they are unclean;^(Z) their uncleanness remains on them.

¹⁴ “This is the law that applies when a person dies in a tent: Anyone who enters the tent and anyone who is in it will be unclean for seven days, ¹⁵ and every open container^(AA) without a lid fastened on it will be unclean.

¹⁶ “Anyone out in the open who touches someone who has been killed with a sword or someone who has died a natural death,^(AB) or anyone who touches a human bone^(AC) or a grave,^(AD) will be unclean for seven days.^(AE)

¹⁷ “For the unclean person, put some ashes^(AF) from the burned purification offering into a jar and pour fresh water^(AG) over them. ¹⁸ Then a man who is ceremonially clean is to take some hyssop,^(AH) dip it in the water and sprinkle^(AI) the tent and all the furnishings and the people who were there. He must also sprinkle anyone who has touched a human bone or a grave^(AJ) or anyone who has been killed or anyone who has died a natural death. ¹⁹ The man who is clean is to sprinkle^(AK) those who are unclean on the third and seventh days, and on the seventh day he is to purify them.^(AL) Those who are being cleansed must wash their clothes^(AM) and bathe with water, and that evening they will be clean. ²⁰ But if those who are unclean do not purify themselves, they must be cut off from the community, because they have defiled^(AN) the sanctuary of the Lord.^(AO) The water of cleansing has not been sprinkled on them, and they are unclean.^{(AP) 21} This is a lasting ordinance^(AQ) for them.

“The man who sprinkles the water of cleansing must also wash his clothes, and anyone who touches the water of cleansing will be unclean till evening. ²² Anything that an unclean^(AR) person touches becomes unclean, and anyone who touches it becomes unclean till evening.”

Water From the Rock

20 In the first month the whole Israelite community arrived at the Desert of Zin,^(AS) and they stayed at Kadesh.^(AT) There Miriam^(AU) died and was buried.

² Now there was no water^(AV) for the community,^(AW) and the people gathered in opposition^(AX) to Moses and Aaron. ³ They quarreled^(AY) with Moses and said, “If only we had died when our brothers fell dead^(AZ) before the Lord!^{(BA) 4} Why did you bring the Lord’s community into this wilderness,^(BB) that we and our livestock should die here?^{(BC) 5} Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to this terrible place? It has no grain or figs, grapevines or pomegranates.^(BD) And there is no water to drink!^(BE)”

⁶ Moses and Aaron went from the assembly to the entrance to the tent of meeting^(BF) and fell facedown,^(BG) and the glory of the Lord^(BH) appeared to them. ⁷ The Lord said to Moses, ⁸ “Take the staff,^(BI) and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water.^(BJ) You will bring water out of the rock for the community so they and their livestock can drink.”

⁹ So Moses took the staff^(BK) from the Lord’s presence,^(BL) just as he commanded him. ¹⁰ He and Aaron gathered the assembly together^(BM) in front of the rock and Moses said to them, “Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?”^{(BN) 11} Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water^(BO) gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank.

¹² But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy^(BP) in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.”^(BQ)

¹³ These were the waters of Meribah,^[a](BR) where the Israelites quarreled^(BS) with the Lord and where he was proved holy among them.^(BT)

Edom Denies Israel Passage

¹⁴ Moses sent messengers from Kadesh^(BU) to the king of Edom,^(BV) saying:

¹⁸ But Edom^(CG) answered:

¹⁹ The Israelites replied:

²⁰ Again they answered:

Then Edom^(CL) came out against them with a large and powerful army. ²¹ Since Edom refused to let them go through their territory,^(CM) Israel turned away from them.^(CN)

The Death of Aaron

²² The whole Israelite community set out from Kadesh^(CO) and came to Mount Hor.^{(CP) 23} At Mount Hor, near the border of Edom,^(CQ) the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, ²⁴ “Aaron will be gathered to his people.^(CR) He will not enter the land I give the Israelites, because both of you rebelled against my command^(CS) at the waters of Meribah.^{(CT) 25} Get Aaron and his son Eleazar and take them up Mount Hor.^{(CU) 26} Remove Aaron’s garments^(CV) and put them on his son Eleazar, for Aaron will be gathered to his people;^(CW) he will die there.”

²⁷ Moses did as the Lord commanded: They went up Mount Hor^(CX) in the sight of the whole community. ²⁸ Moses removed Aaron’s garments and put them on his son Eleazar.^(CY) And Aaron died there^(CZ) on top of the mountain. Then Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain, ²⁹ and when the whole community learned that Aaron had died,^(DA) all the Israelites mourned for him^(DB) thirty days.

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)

Wisdom’s Call