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Deuteronomy 13-15
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Deuteronomy 13-15
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
13 [a]“If prophets or those who divine by dreams appear among you and show you omens or portents,(A) 2 and the omens or the portents declared by them take place, and they say, ‘Let us follow other gods’ (whom you have not known) ‘and let us serve them,’(B) 3 you must not heed the words of those prophets or those who divine by dreams, for the Lord your God is testing you, to know whether you indeed love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul.(C) 4 The Lord your God you shall follow, him alone you shall fear, his commandments you shall keep, his voice you shall obey, him you shall serve, and to him you shall hold fast.(D) 5 But those prophets or those who divine by dreams shall be put to death for having spoken treason against the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery, to turn you from the way in which the Lord your God commanded you to walk. So you shall purge the evil from your midst.(E)
6 “If anyone secretly entices you—even if it is your brother, your father’s son or[b] your mother’s son, or your own son or daughter, or the wife you embrace, or your most intimate friend—saying, ‘Let us go serve other gods,’ whom neither you nor your ancestors have known,(F) 7 any of the gods of the peoples who are around you, whether near you or far away from you, from one end of the earth to the other, 8 you must not yield to or heed any such persons. Show them no pity or compassion, and do not shield them. 9 But you shall surely kill them; your own hand shall be first against them to execute them and afterward the hand of all the people.(G) 10 Stone them to death for trying to turn you away from the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 11 Then all Israel shall hear and be afraid and never again do any such wickedness.(H)
12 “If you hear it said about one of the towns that the Lord your God is giving you to live in, 13 that scoundrels from among you have gone out and led the inhabitants of the town astray, saying, ‘Let us go and serve other gods,’ whom you have not known,(I) 14 then you shall inquire and make a thorough investigation. If the charge is established that such an abhorrent thing has been done among you, 15 you shall put the inhabitants of that town to the sword, utterly destroying it and everything in it, even putting its livestock to the sword.(J) 16 All of its spoil you shall gather into its public square, then burn the town and all its spoil with fire as a whole burnt offering to the Lord your God. It shall remain a perpetual ruin, never to be rebuilt.(K) 17 Do not let anything devoted to destruction stick to your hand, so that the Lord may turn from his fierce anger and show you compassion, and in his compassion multiply you, as he swore to your ancestors,(L) 18 if you obey the voice of the Lord your God by keeping all his commandments that I am commanding you today, doing what is right in the sight of the Lord your God.(M)
Pagan Practices Forbidden
14 “You are children of the Lord your God. You must not lacerate yourselves or shave your forelocks for the dead.(N) 2 For you are a people holy to the Lord your God; it is you the Lord has chosen out of all the peoples on earth to be his people, his treasured possession.(O)
Clean and Unclean Foods
3 “You shall not eat any abhorrent thing. 4 These are the animals you may eat: the ox, the sheep, the goat,(P) 5 the deer, the gazelle, the roebuck, the wild goat, the ibex, the antelope, and the mountain sheep. 6 Any animal that divides the hoof and has the hoof cleft in two and chews the cud, among the animals, you may eat. 7 Yet of those that chew the cud or have the hoof cleft you shall not eat these: the camel, the hare, and the rock badger because they chew the cud but do not divide the hoof; they are unclean for you. 8 And the pig, because it divides the hoof but does not chew the cud, is unclean for you. You shall not eat their meat, and you shall not touch their carcasses.(Q)
9 “Of all that live in water you may eat these: whatever has fins and scales you may eat.(R) 10 And whatever does not have fins and scales you shall not eat; it is unclean for you.
11 “You may eat any clean birds. 12 But these are the ones that you shall not eat: the eagle, the vulture, the osprey,(S) 13 the buzzard, the kite of any kind; 14 every raven of any kind; 15 the ostrich, the nighthawk, the sea gull, the hawk of any kind; 16 the little owl and the great owl, the water hen 17 and the desert owl,[c] the carrion vulture and the cormorant, 18 the stork, the heron of any kind, the hoopoe, and the bat.[d] 19 And all winged insects are unclean for you; they shall not be eaten.(T) 20 You may eat any clean winged creature.
21 “You shall not eat anything that dies of itself; you may give it to aliens residing in your towns for them to eat, or you may sell it to a foreigner. For you are a people holy to the Lord your God.
“You shall not boil a kid in its mother’s milk.(U)
Regulations concerning Tithes
22 “Set apart a tithe of all the yield of your seed that is brought in yearly from the field.(V) 23 In the presence of the Lord your God, in the place that he will choose as a dwelling for his name, you shall eat the tithe of your grain, your wine, and your oil, as well as the firstlings of your herd and flock, so that you may learn to fear the Lord your God always.(W) 24 But if, when the Lord your God has blessed you, the distance is so great that you are unable to transport it, because the place where the Lord your God will choose to set his name is too far away from you,(X) 25 then you may turn it into money. With the money secure in hand, go to the place that the Lord your God will choose; 26 spend the money for whatever you wish: oxen, sheep, wine, strong drink, or whatever you desire. And you shall eat there in the presence of the Lord your God, you and your household rejoicing together.(Y) 27 As for the Levites resident in your towns, do not neglect them, because they have no allotment or inheritance with you.(Z)
28 “Every third year you shall bring out the full tithe of your produce for that year and store it within your towns;(AA) 29 the Levites, because they have no allotment or inheritance with you, as well as the resident aliens, the orphans, and the widows in your towns, may come and eat their fill so that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work that you undertake.(AB)
Laws concerning the Sabbatical Year
15 “Every seventh year you shall grant a remission of debts.(AC) 2 And this is the manner of the remission: every creditor shall remit the claim that is held against a neighbor, not exacting it,[e] because the Lord’s remission has been proclaimed. 3 Of a foreigner you may exact it, but you must remit your claim on whatever any member of your community owes you. 4 There will, however, be no one in need among you, because the Lord is sure to bless you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you as a possession to occupy, 5 if only you will obey the Lord your God by diligently observing this entire commandment that I command you today.(AD) 6 When the Lord your God has blessed you, as he promised you, you will lend to many nations, but you will not borrow; you will rule over many nations, but they will not rule over you.(AE)
7 “If there is among you anyone in need, a member of your community in any of your towns within the land that the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hard-hearted or tight-fisted toward your needy neighbor.(AF) 8 You should rather open your hand, willingly lending enough to meet the need, whatever it may be.(AG) 9 Be careful that you do not entertain a mean thought, thinking, ‘The seventh year, the year of remission, is near,’ and therefore view your needy neighbor with hostility and give nothing; your neighbor[f] might cry to the Lord against you, and you would incur guilt.(AH) 10 Give liberally and be ungrudging when you do so, for on this account the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake.(AI) 11 Since there will never cease to be some in need on the earth, I therefore command you, ‘Open your hand to the poor and needy neighbor in your land.’(AJ)
12 “If a member of your community, whether a Hebrew man or a Hebrew woman, is sold[g] to you and works for you six years, in the seventh year you shall set that person free.(AK) 13 And when you send a male slave[h] out from you a free person, you shall not send him out empty-handed. 14 Provide for him liberally out of your flock, your threshing floor, and your winepress, thus giving to him some of the bounty with which the Lord your God has blessed you. 15 Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God redeemed you; for this reason I lay this command upon you today.(AL) 16 But if he says to you, ‘I will not go out from you,’ because he loves you and your household, since he is well off with you,(AM) 17 then you shall take an awl and thrust it through his earlobe into the door, and he shall be your slave forever.
“You shall do the same with regard to your female slave.
18 “Do not consider it a hardship when you send them out from you free persons, because for six years they have given you services worth the wages of hired laborers, and the Lord your God will bless you in all that you do.
The Firstborn of Livestock
19 “Every firstling male born of your herd and flock you shall consecrate to the Lord your God; you shall not do work with your firstling ox nor shear the firstling of your flock.(AN) 20 You shall eat it, you together with your household, in the presence of the Lord your God year by year at the place that the Lord will choose.(AO) 21 But if it has any defect—any serious defect, such as lameness or blindness—you shall not sacrifice it to the Lord your God;(AP) 22 within your towns you may eat it, the unclean and the clean alike, as you would a gazelle or deer.(AQ) 23 Its blood, however, you must not eat; you shall pour it out on the ground like water.(AR)
Deuteronomy 13-15
New International Version
Deuteronomy 13-15
New International Version
Worshiping Other Gods
13 [a]If a prophet,(A) or one who foretells by dreams,(B) appears among you and announces to you a sign or wonder, 2 and if the sign(C) or wonder spoken of takes place, and the prophet says, “Let us follow other gods”(D) (gods you have not known) “and let us worship them,” 3 you must not listen to the words of that prophet(E) or dreamer.(F) The Lord your God is testing(G) you to find out whether you love(H) him with all your heart and with all your soul. 4 It is the Lord your God you must follow,(I) and him you must revere.(J) Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast(K) to him. 5 That prophet or dreamer must be put to death(L) for inciting rebellion against the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt and redeemed you from the land of slavery. That prophet or dreamer tried to turn(M) you from the way the Lord your God commanded you to follow. You must purge the evil(N) from among you.
6 If your very own brother, or your son or daughter, or the wife you love, or your closest friend secretly entices(O) you, saying, “Let us go and worship other gods”(P) (gods that neither you nor your ancestors have known, 7 gods of the peoples around you, whether near or far, from one end of the land to the other), 8 do not yield(Q) to them or listen to them. Show them no pity.(R) Do not spare them or shield them. 9 You must certainly put them to death.(S) Your hand(T) must be the first in putting them to death, and then the hands of all the people. 10 Stone them to death, because they tried to turn you away(U) from the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 11 Then all Israel will hear and be afraid,(V) and no one among you will do such an evil thing again.
12 If you hear it said about one of the towns the Lord your God is giving you to live in 13 that troublemakers(W) have arisen among you and have led the people of their town astray, saying, “Let us go and worship other gods” (gods you have not known), 14 then you must inquire, probe and investigate it thoroughly.(X) And if it is true and it has been proved that this detestable thing has been done among you,(Y) 15 you must certainly put to the sword all who live in that town. You must destroy it completely,[b](Z) both its people and its livestock.(AA) 16 You are to gather all the plunder of the town into the middle of the public square and completely burn the town(AB) and all its plunder as a whole burnt offering to the Lord your God.(AC) That town is to remain a ruin(AD) forever, never to be rebuilt, 17 and none of the condemned things[c] are to be found in your hands. Then the Lord will turn from his fierce anger,(AE) will show you mercy,(AF) and will have compassion(AG) on you. He will increase your numbers,(AH) as he promised(AI) on oath to your ancestors— 18 because you obey the Lord your God by keeping all his commands that I am giving you today and doing what is right(AJ) in his eyes.
Clean and Unclean Food(AK)
14 You are the children(AL) of the Lord your God. Do not cut yourselves or shave the front of your heads for the dead, 2 for you are a people holy(AM) to the Lord your God.(AN) Out of all the peoples on the face of the earth, the Lord has chosen you to be his treasured possession.(AO)
3 Do not eat any detestable thing.(AP) 4 These are the animals you may eat:(AQ) the ox, the sheep, the goat,(AR) 5 the deer,(AS) the gazelle, the roe deer, the wild goat,(AT) the ibex, the antelope and the mountain sheep.[d] 6 You may eat any animal that has a divided hoof and that chews the cud. 7 However, of those that chew the cud or that have a divided hoof you may not eat the camel, the rabbit or the hyrax. Although they chew the cud, they do not have a divided hoof; they are ceremonially unclean for you. 8 The pig is also unclean; although it has a divided hoof, it does not chew the cud. You are not to eat their meat or touch their carcasses.(AU)
9 Of all the creatures living in the water, you may eat any that has fins and scales. 10 But anything that does not have fins and scales you may not eat; for you it is unclean.
11 You may eat any clean bird. 12 But these you may not eat: the eagle, the vulture, the black vulture, 13 the red kite, the black kite, any kind(AV) of falcon,(AW) 14 any kind of raven,(AX) 15 the horned owl, the screech owl, the gull, any kind of hawk, 16 the little owl, the great owl, the white owl, 17 the desert owl,(AY) the osprey, the cormorant, 18 the stork, any kind of heron, the hoopoe and the bat.
19 All flying insects are unclean to you; do not eat them. 20 But any winged creature that is clean you may eat.(AZ)
21 Do not eat anything you find already dead.(BA) You may give it to the foreigner residing in any of your towns, and they may eat it, or you may sell it to any other foreigner. But you are a people holy to the Lord your God.(BB)
Do not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.(BC)
Tithes
22 Be sure to set aside a tenth(BD) of all that your fields produce each year. 23 Eat(BE) the tithe of your grain, new wine(BF) and olive oil, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks in the presence of the Lord your God at the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name,(BG) so that you may learn(BH) to revere(BI) the Lord your God always. 24 But if that place is too distant and you have been blessed by the Lord your God and cannot carry your tithe (because the place where the Lord will choose to put his Name is so far away), 25 then exchange(BJ) your tithe for silver, and take the silver with you and go to the place the Lord your God will choose. 26 Use the silver to buy whatever you like: cattle, sheep, wine or other fermented drink,(BK) or anything you wish. Then you and your household shall eat there in the presence of the Lord your God and rejoice.(BL) 27 And do not neglect the Levites(BM) living in your towns, for they have no allotment or inheritance of their own.(BN)
28 At the end of every three years, bring all the tithes(BO) of that year’s produce and store it in your towns,(BP) 29 so that the Levites (who have no allotment(BQ) or inheritance(BR) of their own) and the foreigners,(BS) the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns may come and eat and be satisfied,(BT) and so that the Lord your God may bless(BU) you in all the work of your hands.
The Year for Canceling Debts(BV)
15 At the end of every seven years you must cancel debts.(BW) 2 This is how it is to be done: Every creditor shall cancel any loan they have made to a fellow Israelite. They shall not require payment from anyone among their own people, because the Lord’s time for canceling debts has been proclaimed. 3 You may require payment from a foreigner,(BX) but you must cancel any debt your fellow Israelite owes you. 4 However, there need be no poor people among you, for in the land the Lord your God is giving you to possess as your inheritance, he will richly bless(BY) you, 5 if only you fully obey the Lord your God and are careful to follow(BZ) all these commands I am giving you today. 6 For the Lord your God will bless you as he has promised, and you will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. You will rule over many nations but none will rule over you.(CA)
7 If anyone is poor(CB) among your fellow Israelites in any of the towns of the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted(CC) toward them. 8 Rather, be openhanded(CD) and freely lend them whatever they need. 9 Be careful not to harbor this wicked thought: “The seventh year, the year for canceling debts,(CE) is near,” so that you do not show ill will(CF) toward the needy among your fellow Israelites and give them nothing. They may then appeal to the Lord against you, and you will be found guilty of sin.(CG) 10 Give generously to them and do so without a grudging heart;(CH) then because of this the Lord your God will bless(CI) you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to. 11 There will always be poor people(CJ) in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your land.(CK)
Freeing Servants(CL)(CM)
12 If any of your people—Hebrew men or women—sell themselves to you and serve you six years, in the seventh year you must let them go free.(CN) 13 And when you release them, do not send them away empty-handed. 14 Supply them liberally from your flock, your threshing floor(CO) and your winepress. Give to them as the Lord your God has blessed you. 15 Remember that you were slaves(CP) in Egypt and the Lord your God redeemed you.(CQ) That is why I give you this command today.
16 But if your servant says to you, “I do not want to leave you,” because he loves you and your family and is well off with you, 17 then take an awl and push it through his earlobe into the door, and he will become your servant for life. Do the same for your female servant.
18 Do not consider it a hardship to set your servant free, because their service to you these six years has been worth twice as much as that of a hired hand. And the Lord your God will bless you in everything you do.
The Firstborn Animals
19 Set apart for the Lord(CR) your God every firstborn male(CS) of your herds and flocks.(CT) Do not put the firstborn of your cows to work, and do not shear the firstborn of your sheep.(CU) 20 Each year you and your family are to eat them in the presence of the Lord your God at the place he will choose.(CV) 21 If an animal has a defect,(CW) is lame or blind, or has any serious flaw, you must not sacrifice it to the Lord your God.(CX) 22 You are to eat it in your own towns. Both the ceremonially unclean and the clean may eat it, as if it were gazelle or deer.(CY) 23 But you must not eat the blood; pour it out on the ground like water.(CZ)
Footnotes
- Deuteronomy 13:1 In Hebrew texts 13:1-18 is numbered 13:2-19.
- Deuteronomy 13:15 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them.
- Deuteronomy 13:17 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them.
- Deuteronomy 14:5 The precise identification of some of the birds and animals in this chapter is uncertain.
Mark 12:28-44
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Mark 12:28-44
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
The First Commandment
28 One of the scribes came near and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well he asked him, “Which commandment is the first of all?”(A) 29 Jesus answered, “The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one;(B) 30 you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”(C) 32 Then the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher; you have truly said that ‘he is one, and besides him there is no other’;(D) 33 and ‘to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength’ and ‘to love one’s neighbor as oneself’—this is much more important than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”(E) 34 When Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” After that no one dared to ask him any question.(F)
The Question about David’s Son
35 While Jesus was teaching in the temple, he said, “How can the scribes say that the Messiah[a] is the son of David?(G) 36 David himself, by the Holy Spirit, declared,
‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at my right hand,
until I put your enemies under your feet.” ’(H)
37 “David himself calls him Lord, so how can he be his son?” And the large crowd was listening to him with delight.(I)
Jesus Denounces the Scribes
38 As he taught, he said, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces(J) 39 and to have the best seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets! 40 They devour widows’ houses and for the sake of appearance say long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.”
The Widow’s Offering
41 He sat down opposite the treasury and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums.(K) 42 A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny. 43 Then he called his disciples and said to them, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury.(L) 44 For all of them have contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 12.35 Or the Christ
Mark 12:28-44
New International Version
Mark 12:28-44
New International Version
The Greatest Commandment(A)
28 One of the teachers of the law(B) came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”
29 “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.[a] 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’[b](C) 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[c](D) There is no commandment greater than these.”
32 “Well said, teacher,” the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him.(E) 33 To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”(F)
34 When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”(G) And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions.(H)
Whose Son Is the Messiah?(I)(J)
35 While Jesus was teaching in the temple courts,(K) he asked, “Why do the teachers of the law say that the Messiah is the son of David?(L) 36 David himself, speaking by the Holy Spirit,(M) declared:
37 David himself calls him ‘Lord.’ How then can he be his son?”
The large crowd(O) listened to him with delight.
Warning Against the Teachers of the Law
38 As he taught, Jesus said, “Watch out for the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, 39 and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets.(P) 40 They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will be punished most severely.”
The Widow’s Offering(Q)
41 Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put(R) and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. 42 But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents.
43 Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. 44 They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”(S)
Footnotes
- Mark 12:29 Or The Lord our God is one Lord
- Mark 12:30 Deut. 6:4,5
- Mark 12:31 Lev. 19:18
- Mark 12:36 Psalm 110:1
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