John the Baptist

(Luke 7.18-35)

11 After Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he left and began teaching and preaching in the towns.^[a]

² John was in prison when he heard what Christ was doing. So John sent some of his followers ³ to ask Jesus, “Are you the one we should be looking for? Or must we wait for someone else?”

⁴ Jesus answered, “Go and tell John what you have heard and seen. ^5 (A) The blind are now able to see, and the lame can walk. People with leprosy^[b] are being healed, and the deaf can hear. The dead are raised to life, and the poor are hearing the good news. ⁶ God will bless everyone who doesn't reject me because of what I do.”

⁷ As John's followers were going away, Jesus spoke to the crowds about John:

What sort of person did you go out into the desert to see? Was he like tall grass blown about by the wind? ⁸ What kind of man did you go out to see? Was he someone dressed in fine clothes? People who dress like that live in the king's palace. ⁹ What did you really go out to see? Was he a prophet? He certainly was. I tell you that he was more than a prophet. ^10 (B) In the Scriptures God says about him, “I am sending my messenger ahead to get things ready for you.” ¹¹ I tell you no one ever born on this earth is greater than John the Baptist. But whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than John.

^12 (C) From the time of John the Baptist until now, violent people have been trying to take over the kingdom of heaven by force. ¹³ All the Books of the Prophets and the Law of Moses^[c] told what was going to happen up to the time of John. ^14 (D) And if you believe them, John is Elijah, the prophet you are waiting for. ¹⁵ If you have ears, pay attention!

¹⁶ You people are like children sitting in the market and shouting to each other,

¹⁸ John the Baptist did not go around eating and drinking, and you said, “That man has a demon in him!” ¹⁹ But the Son of Man goes around eating and drinking, and you say, “That man eats and drinks too much! He is even a friend of tax collectors^[d] and sinners.” Yet Wisdom is shown to be right by what it does.

Clean and Unclean Animals

(Deuteronomy 14.3-21)

11 ^(A)(B) The Lord told Moses and Aaron ² to say to the community of Israel:

You may eat ³ any animal that has divided hoofs and chews the cud.^{[a] 4-8} But you must not eat animals such as camels, rock badgers, and rabbits that chew the cud but don't have divided hoofs. And you must not eat pigs—they have divided hoofs, but don't chew the cud. All of these animals are unclean,^[b] and you are forbidden even to touch their dead bodies.

^9-12 You may eat anything that lives in water and has fins and scales. But it would be disgusting for you to eat anything else that lives in water, and you must not even touch their dead bodies.

^13-19 Eagles, vultures, buzzards, crows, ostriches, hawks, sea gulls, owls, pelicans, storks, herons, hoopoes,^[c] and bats are also disgusting, and you are forbidden to eat any of them.

^20-23 The only winged insects you may eat are locusts, grasshoppers, and crickets. All other winged insects that crawl are too disgusting for you to eat.

^24-28 Don't even touch the dead bodies of animals that have divided hoofs but don't chew the cud. And don't touch the dead bodies of animals that have paws. If you do, you must wash your clothes, but you are still unclean until evening.

^29-30 Moles, rats, mice, and all kinds of lizards are unclean. ³¹ Anyone who touches their dead bodies or anything touched by their dead bodies becomes unclean until evening. ³² If something made of wood, cloth, or leather touches one of their dead bodies, it must be washed, but it is still unclean until evening. ³³ If any of these animals is found dead in a clay pot, the pot must be broken to pieces, and everything in it becomes unclean. ³⁴ If you pour water from this pot on any food, that food becomes unclean, and anything drinkable in the pot becomes unclean.

³⁵ If the dead body of one of these animals touches anything else, including ovens and stoves, that thing becomes unclean and must be destroyed. ³⁶ A spring or a cistern where one of these dead animals is found is still clean, but anyone who touches the animal becomes unclean. ³⁷ If the dead body of one of these animals is found lying on seeds that have been set aside for planting, the seeds remain clean. ³⁸ But seeds that are soaking in water become unclean, if the dead animal is found in the water.

³⁹ If an animal that may be eaten happens to die, and you touch it, you become unclean until evening. ⁴⁰ If you eat any of its meat or carry its body away, you must wash your clothes, but you are still unclean until evening.

^41-42 Don't eat any of those disgusting little creatures that crawl or walk close to the ground. ⁴³ If you eat any of them, you will become just as disgusting and unclean as they are. ^44 (C) I am the Lord your God, and you must dedicate yourselves to me and be holy, just as I am holy. Don't become disgusting by eating any of these unclean creatures. ⁴⁵ I brought you out of Egypt so that I could be your God. Now you must become holy, because I am holy!

^46-47 I have given these laws so that you will know what animals, birds, and fish are clean and may be eaten, and which ones are unclean and may not be eaten.

What Women Must Do after Giving Birth

12 The Lord told Moses ² to say to the community of Israel:

If a woman gives birth to a son, she is unclean for seven days, just as she is during her monthly period. ^3 (D) Her son must be circumcised on the eighth day, ⁴ but her loss of blood keeps her from being completely clean for another 33 days. During this time she must not touch anything holy or go to the place of worship. ⁵ Any woman who gives birth to a daughter is unclean for two weeks, just as she is during her period. And she won't be completely clean for another 66 days.

⁶ When the mother has completed her time of cleansing, she must come to the front of the sacred tent and bring to the priest a year-old lamb as a sacrifice to please me^[d] and a dove or a pigeon as a sacrifice for sin. ⁷ After the priest offers the sacrifices to me, the mother will become completely clean from her loss of blood, whether her child is a boy or a girl. ^8 (E) If she cannot afford a lamb, she can offer two doves or two pigeons, one as a sacrifice to please me and the other as a sacrifice for sin.

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