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Leviticus 21-22
Contemporary English Version
Leviticus 21-22
Contemporary English Version
Instructions for Priests
21 The Lord gave Moses these instructions for Aaron's sons, the priests:
Touching a dead body will make you unclean. So don't go near a dead relative, 2 except your mother, father, son, daughter, brother, 3 or an unmarried sister, who has no husband to take care of her. 4 Don't make yourself unclean by attending the funeral of someone related to you by marriage.[a] 5 (A) Don't shave any part of your head or trim your beard or cut yourself to show that you are mourning. 6 I am the Lord your God, and I have chosen you alone to offer sacrifices of food to me on the altar. That's why you must keep yourselves holy. 7 Don't marry a divorced woman or a woman who has served as a temple prostitute. You are holy, 8 because I am holy. And so, you must be treated with proper respect, since you offer food sacrifices to me, the God of holiness.
9 If any of you priests has a daughter who disgraces you by serving as a temple prostitute, she must be burned to death.
10 If you are the high priest, you must not mess up your hair or tear your clothes in order to mourn for the dead. 11 Don't make yourself unclean by going near a dead body, not even that of your own father or mother. 12 If you leave the sacred place to attend a funeral, both you and the sacred place become unclean, because you are the high priest.
13 If you are the high priest, you must marry only a virgin 14 from your own tribe. Don't marry a divorced woman or any other woman who has already had sex, including a temple prostitute. 15 In this way, your descendants will be qualified to serve me. Remember—I am the Lord, and I have chosen you.
16 The Lord told Moses 17-18 to say to Aaron:
No descendant of yours can ever serve as my priest if he is blind or lame, if his face is disfigured, if one leg is shorter than the other, 19 if either a foot or a hand is paralyzed, 20 if he is a hunchback or a dwarf, if an eye or his skin is diseased, or if his testicles have been damaged. 21 These men may not serve as my priests and burn sacrifices to me. 22 They may eat the food offerings presented to me, 23 but they may not enter the sacred place or serve me at the altar. Remember—I am the Lord, the one who makes a priest holy.
24 Moses told all of this to Aaron, his sons, and the people of Israel.
The Offerings Are Holy
22 The Lord told Moses 2 to say to Aaron and his sons:
I am the Lord God, and I demand that you honor my holy name by showing proper respect for the offerings brought to me by the people of Israel. 3 If any of you are unclean when you accept an offering for me, I will no longer let you serve as a priest. 4 None of you may take part in the sacred meals while you have a skin disease or an infected penis, or after you have been near a dead body or have had a flow of semen, 5 or if you have touched an unclean creature of any sort, including an unclean person. 6-7 Once you are unclean, you must take a bath, but you still cannot eat any of the sacred food until evening. 8 I command you not to eat anything that is killed by a wild animal or dies a natural death. This would make you unclean. 9 Obey me, or you will die on duty for disgracing the place of worship. Remember—I am the Lord, the one who makes a priest holy.
10 Only you priests and your families may eat the food offerings; these are too sacred for any of your servants. 11 However, any slave that you own, including those born into your household, may eat this food. 12 If your daughter marries someone who isn't a priest, she can no longer have any of this food. 13 But if she returns to your home, either widowed or divorced, and has no children, she may join in the meal. Only members of a priestly family can eat this food, 14 and anyone else who accidentally does so, must pay for the food plus a fine of 20 percent.
15 I warn you not to treat lightly the offerings that are brought by the people of Israel. 16 Don't let them become guilty of eating this sacred food. Remember—I am the Lord, the one who makes these offerings holy.
Acceptable Sacrifices
17 The Lord told Moses 18 to tell Aaron and his sons and everyone else the rules for offering sacrifices. He said:
The animals that are to be completely burned on the altar 19-20 (B) must have nothing wrong with them, or else I won't accept them. Bulls or rams or goats[b] are the animals to be used for these sacrifices.
21 When you offer a sacrifice to ask my blessing,[c] there must be nothing wrong with the animal. This is true, whether the sacrifice is part of a promise or something you do voluntarily. 22 Don't offer an animal that is blind or injured or that has an infection or a skin disease. 23 If one of your cattle or lambs has a leg that is longer or shorter than the others, you may offer it voluntarily, but not as part of a promise. 24 As long as you live in this land, don't offer an animal with injured testicles. 25 And don't bring me animals you bought from a foreigner. I won't accept them, because they are no better than one that has something wrong with it.
26 The Lord told Moses to say:
27 Newborn cattle, sheep, or goats must remain with their mothers for seven days, but on the eighth day, you may send them up in smoke to me, and I will accept the offering. 28 Don't sacrifice a newborn animal and its mother on the same day.
29 When you offer a sacrifice to give thanks[d] to me, you must do it in a way that is acceptable. 30 Eat all of the meat that same day and don't save any for the next day. I am the Lord your God!
31 Obey my laws and teachings—I am the Lord. 32-33 I demand respect from the people of Israel, so don't disgrace my holy name. Remember—I am the one who chose you to be priests and rescued all of you from Egypt, so that I would be your Lord.
Leviticus 21-22
New International Version
Leviticus 21-22
New International Version
Rules for Priests
21 The Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron,(A) and say to them: ‘A priest must not make himself ceremonially unclean(B) for any of his people who die,(C) 2 except for a close relative, such as his mother or father,(D) his son or daughter, his brother, 3 or an unmarried sister who is dependent on him since she has no husband—for her he may make himself unclean.(E) 4 He must not make himself unclean for people related to him by marriage,[a] and so defile himself.
5 “‘Priests must not shave(F) their heads or shave off the edges of their beards(G) or cut their bodies.(H) 6 They must be holy to their God(I) and must not profane the name of their God.(J) Because they present the food offerings to the Lord,(K) the food of their God,(L) they are to be holy.(M)
7 “‘They must not marry women defiled by prostitution or divorced from their husbands,(N) because priests are holy to their God.(O) 8 Regard them as holy,(P) because they offer up the food of your God.(Q) Consider them holy, because I the Lord am holy—I who make you holy.(R)
9 “‘If a priest’s daughter defiles herself by becoming a prostitute, she disgraces her father; she must be burned in the fire.(S)
10 “‘The high priest, the one among his brothers who has had the anointing oil poured on his head(T) and who has been ordained to wear the priestly garments,(U) must not let his hair become unkempt[b] or tear his clothes.(V) 11 He must not enter a place where there is a dead body.(W) He must not make himself unclean,(X) even for his father or mother,(Y) 12 nor leave the sanctuary(Z) of his God or desecrate it, because he has been dedicated by the anointing oil(AA) of his God. I am the Lord.
13 “‘The woman he marries must be a virgin.(AB) 14 He must not marry a widow, a divorced woman, or a woman defiled by prostitution, but only a virgin from his own people, 15 so that he will not defile his offspring among his people. I am the Lord, who makes him holy.’”
16 The Lord said to Moses, 17 “Say to Aaron: ‘For the generations to come none of your descendants who has a defect(AC) may come near to offer the food of his God.(AD) 18 No man who has any defect(AE) may come near: no man who is blind(AF) or lame,(AG) disfigured or deformed; 19 no man with a crippled foot or hand, 20 or who is a hunchback or a dwarf, or who has any eye defect, or who has festering or running sores or damaged testicles.(AH) 21 No descendant of Aaron the priest who has any defect(AI) is to come near to present the food offerings to the Lord.(AJ) He has a defect; he must not come near to offer the food of his God.(AK) 22 He may eat the most holy food of his God,(AL) as well as the holy food; 23 yet because of his defect,(AM) he must not go near the curtain or approach the altar, and so desecrate my sanctuary.(AN) I am the Lord, who makes them holy.(AO)’”
24 So Moses told this to Aaron and his sons and to all the Israelites.
22 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Tell Aaron and his sons to treat with respect the sacred offerings(AP) the Israelites consecrate to me, so they will not profane my holy name.(AQ) I am the Lord.(AR)
3 “Say to them: ‘For the generations to come, if any of your descendants is ceremonially unclean and yet comes near the sacred offerings that the Israelites consecrate to the Lord,(AS) that person must be cut off from my presence.(AT) I am the Lord.
4 “‘If a descendant of Aaron has a defiling skin disease[c] or a bodily discharge,(AU) he may not eat the sacred offerings until he is cleansed. He will also be unclean if he touches something defiled by a corpse(AV) or by anyone who has an emission of semen, 5 or if he touches any crawling thing(AW) that makes him unclean, or any person(AX) who makes him unclean, whatever the uncleanness may be. 6 The one who touches any such thing will be unclean(AY) till evening.(AZ) He must not eat any of the sacred offerings unless he has bathed himself with water.(BA) 7 When the sun goes down, he will be clean, and after that he may eat the sacred offerings, for they are his food.(BB) 8 He must not eat anything found dead(BC) or torn by wild animals,(BD) and so become unclean(BE) through it. I am the Lord.(BF)
9 “‘The priests are to perform my service(BG) in such a way that they do not become guilty(BH) and die(BI) for treating it with contempt. I am the Lord, who makes them holy.(BJ)
10 “‘No one outside a priest’s family may eat the sacred offering, nor may the guest of a priest or his hired worker eat it.(BK) 11 But if a priest buys a slave with money, or if slaves are born in his household, they may eat his food.(BL) 12 If a priest’s daughter marries anyone other than a priest, she may not eat any of the sacred contributions. 13 But if a priest’s daughter becomes a widow or is divorced, yet has no children, and she returns to live in her father’s household as in her youth, she may eat her father’s food. No unauthorized person, however, may eat it.
14 “‘Anyone who eats a sacred offering by mistake(BM) must make restitution to the priest for the offering and add a fifth of the value(BN) to it. 15 The priests must not desecrate the sacred offerings(BO) the Israelites present to the Lord(BP) 16 by allowing them to eat(BQ) the sacred offerings and so bring upon them guilt(BR) requiring payment.(BS) I am the Lord, who makes them holy.(BT)’”
Unacceptable Sacrifices
17 The Lord said to Moses, 18 “Speak to Aaron and his sons and to all the Israelites and say to them: ‘If any of you—whether an Israelite or a foreigner residing in Israel(BU)—presents a gift(BV) for a burnt offering to the Lord, either to fulfill a vow(BW) or as a freewill offering,(BX) 19 you must present a male without defect(BY) from the cattle, sheep or goats in order that it may be accepted on your behalf.(BZ) 20 Do not bring anything with a defect,(CA) because it will not be accepted on your behalf.(CB) 21 When anyone brings from the herd or flock(CC) a fellowship offering(CD) to the Lord to fulfill a special vow or as a freewill offering,(CE) it must be without defect or blemish(CF) to be acceptable.(CG) 22 Do not offer to the Lord the blind, the injured or the maimed, or anything with warts or festering or running sores. Do not place any of these on the altar as a food offering presented to the Lord. 23 You may, however, present as a freewill offering an ox[d] or a sheep that is deformed or stunted, but it will not be accepted in fulfillment of a vow. 24 You must not offer to the Lord an animal whose testicles are bruised, crushed, torn or cut.(CH) You must not do this in your own land, 25 and you must not accept such animals from the hand of a foreigner and offer them as the food of your God.(CI) They will not be accepted on your behalf, because they are deformed and have defects.(CJ)’”
26 The Lord said to Moses, 27 “When a calf, a lamb or a goat(CK) is born, it is to remain with its mother for seven days.(CL) From the eighth day(CM) on, it will be acceptable(CN) as a food offering presented to the Lord. 28 Do not slaughter a cow or a sheep and its young on the same day.(CO)
29 “When you sacrifice a thank offering(CP) to the Lord, sacrifice it in such a way that it will be accepted on your behalf. 30 It must be eaten that same day; leave none of it till morning.(CQ) I am the Lord.(CR)
31 “Keep(CS) my commands and follow them.(CT) I am the Lord. 32 Do not profane my holy name,(CU) for I must be acknowledged as holy by the Israelites.(CV) I am the Lord, who made you holy(CW) 33 and who brought you out of Egypt(CX) to be your God.(CY) I am the Lord.”
Footnotes
- Leviticus 21:4 Or unclean as a leader among his people
- Leviticus 21:10 Or not uncover his head
- Leviticus 22:4 The Hebrew word for defiling skin disease, traditionally translated “leprosy,” was used for various diseases affecting the skin.
- Leviticus 22:23 The Hebrew word can refer to either male or female.
Matthew 28
Contemporary English Version
Matthew 28
Contemporary English Version
Jesus Is Alive
(Mark 16.1-8; Luke 24.1-12; John 20.1-10)
28 The Sabbath was over, and it was almost daybreak on Sunday when Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. 2 Suddenly a strong earthquake struck, and the Lord's angel came down from heaven. He rolled away the stone and sat on it. 3 The angel looked as bright as lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. 4 The guards shook from fear and fell down, as though they were dead.
5 The angel said to the women, “Don't be afraid! I know you are looking for Jesus, who was nailed to a cross. 6 He isn't here! God has raised him to life, just as Jesus said he would. Come, see the place where his body was lying. 7 Now hurry! Tell his disciples he has been raised to life and is on his way to Galilee. Go there, and you will see him. This is what I came to tell you.”
8 The women were frightened and yet very happy, as they hurried from the tomb and ran to tell his disciples. 9 Suddenly Jesus met them and greeted them. They went near him, held on to his feet, and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said, “Don't be afraid! Tell my followers to go to Galilee. They will see me there.”
Report of the Guard
11 While the women were on their way, some soldiers who had been guarding the tomb went into the city. They told the chief priests everything that had happened. 12 So the chief priests met with the leaders and decided to bribe the soldiers with a lot of money. 13 They said to the soldiers, “Tell everyone that Jesus' disciples came during the night and stole his body while you were asleep. 14 If the governor[a] hears about this, we will talk to him. You won't have anything to worry about.” 15 The soldiers took the money and did what they were told. The people of Judea still tell each other this story.
What Jesus' Followers Must Do
(Mark 16.14-18; Luke 24.36-49; John 20.19-23; Acts 1.6-8)
16 (A) Jesus' eleven disciples went to a mountain in Galilee, where Jesus had told them to meet him. 17 They saw him and worshiped him, but some of them doubted.
18 Jesus came to them and said:
I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth! 19 (B) Go to the people of all nations and make them my disciples. Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, 20 and teach them to do everything I have told you. I will be with you always, even until the end of the world.
Footnotes
- 28.14 governor: Pontius Pilate.
Matthew 28
New International Version
Matthew 28
New International Version
Jesus Has Risen(A)
28 After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene(B) and the other Mary(C) went to look at the tomb.
2 There was a violent earthquake,(D) for an angel(E) of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone(F) and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow.(G) 4 The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.
5 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid,(H) for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He is not here; he has risen, just as he said.(I) Come and see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee.(J) There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”
8 So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 Suddenly Jesus met them.(K) “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers(L) to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”
The Guards’ Report
11 While the women were on their way, some of the guards(M) went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened. 12 When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, 13 telling them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole him away(N) while we were asleep.’ 14 If this report gets to the governor,(O) we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” 15 So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day.
The Great Commission
16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go.(P) 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.(Q) 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations,(R) baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,(S) 20 and teaching(T) them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you(U) always, to the very end of the age.”(V)
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