Psalm 140

Prayer for Rescue

For the choir director. A psalm of David.

Demons Driven Out by Jesus

²⁸ When he had come to the other side,^(A) to the region of the Gadarenes,^[a] two demon-possessed men met him as they came out of the tombs. They were so violent that no one could pass that way. ²⁹ Suddenly they shouted, “What do you have to do with us,^[b] Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?” ^(B)

³⁰ A long way off from them, a large herd of pigs was feeding. ³¹ “If you drive us out,” the demons begged him, “send us into the herd of pigs.”

³² “Go!” he told them. So when they had come out, they entered the pigs, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and perished in the water. ³³ Then the men who tended them fled. They went into the city and reported everything, especially what had happened to those who were demon-possessed. ³⁴ At that, the whole town went out to meet Jesus. When they saw him, they begged him to leave their region.^(C)

Laws about Offerings

15 The Lord instructed Moses, ² “Speak to the Israelites and tell them: When you enter the land I am giving you to settle in,^{(A) 3} and you make a food offering^(B) to the Lord from the herd or flock—either a burnt offering or a sacrifice, to fulfill a vow,^(C) or as a freewill offering, or at your appointed festivals—to produce a pleasing aroma for the Lord,^{(D) 4} the one presenting his offering to the Lord is also to present a grain offering of two quarts^[a] of fine flour mixed with a quart^[b] of oil. ⁵ Prepare a quart of wine as a drink offering^(E) with the burnt offering or sacrifice of each lamb.

⁶ “If you prepare a grain offering with a ram, it is to be four quarts^[c] of fine flour mixed with a third of a gallon^[d] of oil.^{(F) 7} Also present a third of a gallon of wine for a drink offering as a pleasing aroma to the Lord.

⁸ “If you prepare a young bull as a burnt offering or as a sacrifice, to fulfill a vow, or as a fellowship offering to the Lord, ⁹ a grain offering of six quarts^[e] of fine flour mixed with two quarts^[f] of oil is to be presented with the bull.^{(G) 10} Also present two quarts of wine as a drink offering. It is a food offering, a pleasing aroma to the Lord. ¹¹ This is to be done for each ox, ram, lamb, or goat. ¹² This is how you are to prepare each of them, no matter how many.

¹³ “Every Israelite is to prepare these things in this way when he presents a food offering as a pleasing aroma to the Lord. ¹⁴ When an alien resides with you or someone else is among you and wants to prepare a food offering as a pleasing aroma to the Lord, he is to do exactly as you do throughout your generations. ¹⁵ The assembly is to have the same statute for both you and the resident alien as a permanent statute throughout your generations.^(H) You and the alien will be alike before the Lord. ¹⁶ The same law and the same ordinance will apply to both you and the alien who resides with you.”^(I)

¹⁷ The Lord instructed Moses, ¹⁸ “Speak to the Israelites and tell them: After you enter the land where I am bringing you, ¹⁹ you are to offer a contribution to the Lord when you eat from the food of the land. ²⁰ You are to offer a loaf from your first batch of dough^(J) as a contribution; offer it just like a contribution from the threshing floor.^{(K) 21} Throughout your generations, you are to give the Lord a contribution from the first batch of your dough.

²² “When you sin unintentionally and do not obey all these commands that the Lord spoke to Moses^(L)— ²³ all that the Lord has commanded you through Moses, from the day the Lord issued the commands and onward throughout your generations— ²⁴ and if it was done unintentionally without the community’s awareness, the entire community is to prepare one young bull for a burnt offering as a pleasing aroma to the Lord, with its grain offering and drink offering according to the regulation, and one male goat as a sin offering. ²⁵ The priest will then make atonement for the entire Israelite community so that they may be forgiven,^(M) for the sin was unintentional. They are to bring their offering, a food offering to the Lord, and their sin offering before the Lord for their unintentional sin. ²⁶ The entire Israelite community and the alien who resides among them will be forgiven, since it happened to all the people unintentionally.

²⁷ “If one person sins unintentionally,^(N) he is to present a year-old female goat as a sin offering. ²⁸ The priest will then make atonement before the Lord on behalf of the person who acts in error sinning unintentionally, and when he makes atonement for him, he will be forgiven. ²⁹ You are to have the same law for the person who acts in error, whether he is an Israelite or an alien who resides among you.

³⁰ “But the person who acts defiantly,^[g] whether native or resident alien, blasphemes the Lord.^(O) That person is to be cut off from his people. ³¹ He will certainly be cut off, because he has despised the Lord’s word and broken his command; his guilt remains on him.”

Sabbath Violation

³² While the Israelites were in the wilderness, they found a man gathering wood on the Sabbath day.^{(P) 33} Those who found him gathering wood brought him to Moses, Aaron, and the entire community. ³⁴ They placed him in custody because it had not been decided what should be done to him. ³⁵ Then the Lord told Moses, “The man is to be put to death. The entire community is to stone him outside the camp.”^{(Q) 36} So the entire community brought him outside the camp and stoned him to death, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

Tassels for Remembrance

³⁷ The Lord said to Moses, ³⁸ “Speak to the Israelites and tell them that throughout their generations they are to make tassels^(R) for the corners of their garments, and put a blue cord on the tassel at each corner. ³⁹ These will serve as tassels for you to look at, so that you may remember all the Lord’s commands and obey them and not prostitute yourselves by following your own heart^(S) and your own eyes.^{(T) 40} This way you will remember and obey all my commands and be holy to your God. ⁴¹ I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God; I am the Lord your God.”^(U)