Laws for Burnt Offerings

1 ^(A)The Lord called Moses and spoke to him ^(B)from the tent of meeting, saying, ² “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, ^(C)When any one of you brings an offering to the Lord, you shall bring your offering of livestock from the herd or from the flock.

³ “If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he shall offer ^(D)a male without blemish. He shall bring it to the entrance of the tent of meeting, that he may be accepted before the Lord. ^4 (E)He shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it shall be ^(F)accepted for him ^(G)to make atonement for him. ⁵ Then he shall kill the bull before the Lord, and Aaron's sons the priests shall bring the blood ^(H)and throw the blood against the sides of the altar that is at the entrance of the tent of meeting. ⁶ Then he shall flay the burnt offering and cut it into pieces, ⁷ and the sons of Aaron the priest shall put fire on the altar and ^(I)arrange wood on the fire. ⁸ And Aaron's sons the priests shall arrange the pieces, the head, and the fat, on the wood that is on the fire on the altar; ⁹ but its entrails and its legs he shall wash with water. And the priest shall burn all of it on the altar, as ^(J)a burnt offering, a food offering^[a] with a ^(K)pleasing aroma to the Lord.

¹⁰ “If his gift for a burnt offering is from the flock, from the sheep or goats, he shall bring a male without blemish, ^11 (L)and he shall kill it on the north side of the altar before the Lord, and Aaron's sons the priests shall throw its blood against the sides of the altar. ¹² And he shall cut it into pieces, with its head and its fat, and the priest shall arrange them on the wood that is on the fire on the altar, ¹³ but the entrails and the legs he shall wash with water. And the priest shall offer all of it and burn it on the altar; it is ^(M)a burnt offering, a food offering with ^(N)a pleasing aroma to the Lord.

¹⁴ “If his offering to the Lord is a burnt offering of birds, then he shall bring his offering of ^(O)turtledoves or pigeons. ¹⁵ And the priest shall bring it to the altar and wring off its head and burn it on the altar. Its blood shall be drained out on the side of the altar. ¹⁶ He shall remove its crop with its contents^[b] and cast it ^(P)beside the altar on the east side, in the place for ashes. ¹⁷ He shall tear it open by its wings, but ^(Q)shall not sever it completely. And the priest shall burn it on the altar, on the wood that is on the fire. It is a burnt offering, a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the Lord.

Laws for Grain Offerings

2 “When anyone brings a ^(R)grain offering as an offering to the Lord, his offering shall be of fine flour. ^(S)He shall pour oil on it and put frankincense on it ² and bring it to Aaron's sons the priests. And he shall take from it a handful of the fine flour and oil, with all of its frankincense, and the priest shall burn this as its ^(T)memorial portion on the altar, a food ^(U)offering with a pleasing aroma to the Lord. ³ But the ^(V)rest of the grain offering shall be for Aaron and his sons; ^(W)it is a most holy part of the Lord's food offerings.

⁴ “When you bring a grain offering baked in the oven as an offering, it shall be ^(X)unleavened loaves of fine flour mixed with oil or unleavened wafers smeared with oil. ⁵ And if your offering is a grain offering ^(Y)baked on a griddle, it shall be of fine flour unleavened, mixed with oil. ⁶ You shall break it in pieces and pour oil on it; it is a grain offering. ⁷ And if your offering is a grain offering cooked in a pan, it shall be made of fine flour with oil. ⁸ And you shall bring the grain offering that is made of these things to the Lord, and when it is presented to the priest, he shall bring it to the altar. ⁹ And the priest shall take from the grain offering its memorial portion and burn this on the altar, a food ^(Z)offering with a ^(AA)pleasing aroma to the Lord. ¹⁰ But the ^(AB)rest of the grain offering shall be for Aaron and his sons; ^(AC)it is a most holy part of the Lord's food offerings.

¹¹ “No grain offering that you bring to the Lord shall be made with ^(AD)leaven, for you shall burn no leaven nor any honey as a food offering to the Lord. ^12 (AE)As an offering of firstfruits you may bring them to the Lord, but they shall not be offered on the altar for a pleasing aroma. ¹³ You ^(AF)shall season all your grain offerings with salt. You shall not let the ^(AG)salt of the covenant with your God be missing from your grain offering; ^(AH)with all your offerings you shall offer salt.

¹⁴ “If you offer a grain offering of firstfruits to the Lord, you shall offer for the grain offering of your firstfruits fresh ^(AI)ears, roasted with fire, crushed new grain. ¹⁵ And ^(AJ)you shall put oil on it and lay frankincense on it; it is a grain offering. ¹⁶ And the priest shall burn as its ^(AK)memorial portion some of the crushed grain and some of the oil with all of its frankincense; it is a food offering to the Lord.

Yodh

Some Will Depart from the Faith

4 Now ^(A)the Spirit expressly says that ^(B)in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to ^(C)deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, ² through the insincerity of ^(D)liars whose consciences are seared, ^3 (E)who forbid marriage and ^(F)require abstinence from foods ^(G)that God created ^(H)to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. ⁴ For ^(I)everything created by God is good, and ^(J)nothing is to be rejected if it is ^(K)received with thanksgiving, ⁵ for it is made holy ^(L)by the word of God and prayer.

A Good Servant of Christ Jesus

^6 (M)If you put these things before the brothers,^[a] you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have ^(N)followed. ⁷ Have nothing to do with irreverent, ^(O)silly myths. Rather ^(P)train yourself for godliness; ⁸ for while ^(Q)bodily training is of some value, godliness ^(R)is of value in every way, as ^(S)it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. ⁹ The saying is ^(T)trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance. ¹⁰ For to this end we toil and strive,^[b] because we have our hope set on the living God, ^(U)who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.

¹¹ Command and teach ^(V)these things. ^12 (W)Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers ^(X)an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. ¹³ Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching. ^14 (Y)Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you ^(Z)by prophecy when the council of elders ^(AA)laid their hands on you. ¹⁵ Practice these things, immerse yourself in them,^[c] so that ^(AB)all may see your progress. ^16 (AC)Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save ^(AD)both yourself and ^(AE)your hearers.

Instructions for the Church

5 ^(AF)Do not rebuke an older man but encourage him as you would a father, ^(AG)younger men as brothers, ² older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, in all purity.

³ Honor widows ^(AH)who are truly widows. ⁴ But if a widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn ^(AI)to show godliness to their own household and to make some return to their parents, for ^(AJ)this is pleasing in the sight of God. ⁵ She ^(AK)who is truly a widow, left all alone, has set her hope on God and ^(AL)continues in supplications and prayers night and day, ⁶ but ^(AM)she who is self-indulgent is ^(AN)dead even while she lives. ^7 (AO)Command these things as well, so that they may be without reproach. ⁸ But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for ^(AP)members of his household, he has ^(AQ)denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

⁹ Let a widow be enrolled if she is not less than sixty years of age, having been ^(AR)the wife of one husband,^{[d] 10} and having a reputation for good works: if she has brought up children, has ^(AS)shown hospitality, ^(AT)has washed the feet of the saints, has ^(AU)cared for the afflicted, and has ^(AV)devoted herself to every good work. ¹¹ But refuse to enroll younger widows, for when ^(AW)their passions draw them away from Christ, they desire to marry ¹² and so incur condemnation for having abandoned their former faith. ¹³ Besides that, they learn to be idlers, going about from house to house, and not only idlers, but also ^(AX)gossips and ^(AY)busybodies, saying what they should not. ¹⁴ So I would have ^(AZ)younger widows marry, bear children, ^(BA)manage their households, and ^(BB)give the adversary no occasion for slander. ^15 (BC)For some have already strayed after Satan. ¹⁶ If any believing woman has relatives who are widows, let her care for them. Let the church not be burdened, so that it may care for those ^(BD)who are truly widows.

¹⁷ Let the elders ^(BE)who rule well be considered worthy of ^(BF)double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching. ¹⁸ For the Scripture says, ^(BG)“You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain,” and, ^(BH)“The laborer deserves his wages.” ¹⁹ Do not admit a charge against an elder except ^(BI)on the evidence of two or three witnesses. ²⁰ As for those who persist in sin, ^(BJ)rebuke them in the presence of all, ^(BK)so that the rest may stand in fear. ²¹ In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of the elect angels ^(BL)I charge you to keep these rules without prejudging, ^(BM)doing nothing from partiality. ^22 (BN)Do not be hasty in the ^(BO)laying on of hands, nor ^(BP)take part in the sins of others; keep yourself pure. ²³ No longer drink only water, but ^(BQ)use a little wine ^(BR)for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments. ²⁴ The sins of some people are conspicuous, going before them to judgment, but the sins of others appear later. ²⁵ So also good works are conspicuous, and ^(BS)even those that are not cannot remain hidden.

6 ^(BT)Let all who are under a yoke as bondservants^[e] regard their own masters as worthy of all honor, ^(BU)so that the name of God and the teaching may not be reviled. ² Those who have believing masters must not be disrespectful on the ground that they are ^(BV)brothers; rather they must serve all the better since those who benefit by their good service are believers and beloved.

False Teachers and True Contentment

^(BW)Teach and urge these things. ³ If anyone ^(BX)teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with ^(BY)the sound^[f] words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching ^(BZ)that accords with godliness, ^4 (CA)he is puffed up with conceit and ^(CB)understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for ^(CC)controversy and for ^(CD)quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, ⁵ and constant friction among people ^(CE)who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, ^(CF)imagining that godliness is a means of gain. ⁶ But ^(CG)godliness ^(CH)with contentment is great gain, ⁷ for ^(CI)we brought nothing into the world, and^[g] we cannot take anything out of the world. ⁸ But ^(CJ)if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. ⁹ But ^(CK)those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, ^(CL)into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that ^(CM)plunge people into ruin and destruction. ¹⁰ For the love of money is a root of ^(CN)all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.

Fight the Good Fight of Faith

¹¹ But as for you, ^(CO)O man of God, ^(CP)flee these things. ^(CQ)Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. ^12 (CR)Fight the good fight of the faith. ^(CS)Take hold of the eternal life ^(CT)to which you were called and about which you made ^(CU)the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. ^13 (CV)I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, ^(CW)who in his testimony before^[h] Pontius Pilate made ^(CX)the good confession, ¹⁴ to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until ^(CY)the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, ¹⁵ which he will display ^(CZ)at the proper time—he who is ^(DA)the blessed and only Sovereign, ^(DB)the King of kings and Lord of lords, ^16 (DC)who alone has immortality, ^(DD)who dwells in ^(DE)unapproachable light, ^(DF)whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.

¹⁷ As for the rich in ^(DG)this present age, charge them ^(DH)not to be haughty, nor ^(DI)to set their hopes on ^(DJ)the uncertainty of riches, but on God, ^(DK)who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. ¹⁸ They are to do good, ^(DL)to be rich in good works, to be generous and ^(DM)ready to share, ¹⁹ thus ^(DN)storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may ^(DO)take hold of ^(DP)that which is truly life.

²⁰ O Timothy, guard the deposit entrusted to you. ^(DQ)Avoid the ^(DR)irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called “knowledge,” ²¹ for by professing it some have swerved from the faith.

^(DS)Grace be with you.^[i]