29 This shall be a statute forever for you: (A)In the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall [a]afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether a native of your own country or a stranger who [b]dwells among you. 30 For on that day the priest shall make [c]atonement for you, to (B)cleanse you, that you may be clean from all your sins before the Lord. 31 (C)It is a sabbath of solemn rest for you, and you shall afflict your souls. It is a statute forever. 32 (D)And the priest, who is anointed and (E)consecrated to minister as priest in his father’s place, shall make atonement, and put on the linen clothes, the holy garments; 33 then he shall make [d]atonement for [e]the Holy Sanctuary, and he shall make atonement for the tabernacle of meeting and for the altar, and he shall make atonement for the priests and for all the people of the assembly. 34 (F)This shall be an everlasting statute for you, to make atonement for the children of Israel, for all their sins, (G)once a year.” And he did as the Lord commanded Moses.

The Sanctity of Blood

17 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to Aaron, to his sons, and to all the children of Israel, and say to them, ‘This is the thing which the Lord has commanded, saying: “Whatever man of the house of Israel who (H)kills an ox or lamb or goat in the camp, or who kills it outside the camp, and does not bring it to the door of the tabernacle of meeting to offer an offering to the Lord before the tabernacle of the Lord, the guilt of bloodshed shall be (I)imputed to that man. He has shed blood; and that man shall be [f]cut off from among his people, to the end that the children of Israel may bring their sacrifices (J)which they offer in the open field, that they may bring them to the Lord at the door of the tabernacle of meeting, to the priest, and offer them as peace offerings to the Lord. And the priest (K)shall sprinkle the blood on the altar of the Lord at the door of the tabernacle of meeting, and (L)burn the fat for a sweet aroma to the Lord. They shall no more offer their sacrifices (M)to [g]demons, after whom they (N)have played the harlot. This shall be a statute forever for them throughout their generations.” ’

“Also you shall say to them: ‘Whatever man of the house of Israel, or of the strangers who dwell among you, (O)who offers a burnt offering or sacrifice, and does not (P)bring it to the door of the tabernacle of meeting, to offer it to the Lord, that man shall be [h]cut off from among his people.

10 (Q)‘And whatever man of the house of Israel, or of the strangers who dwell among you, who eats any blood, (R)I will set My face against that person who eats blood, and will cut him off from among his people. 11 For the (S)life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar (T)to make atonement for your souls; for (U)it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.’ 12 Therefore I said to the children of Israel, ‘No one among you shall eat blood, nor shall any stranger who dwells among you eat blood.’

13 “Whatever man of the children of Israel, or of the strangers who dwell among you, who (V)hunts and catches any animal or bird that may be eaten, he shall (W)pour out its blood and (X)cover it with dust; 14 (Y)for it is the life of all flesh. Its blood sustains its life. Therefore I said to the children of Israel, ‘You shall not eat the blood of any flesh, for the life of all flesh is its blood. Whoever eats it shall be cut off.’

15 (Z)“And every person who eats what died naturally or what was torn by beasts, whether he is a native of your own country or a stranger, (AA)he shall both wash his clothes and (AB)bathe in water, and be unclean until evening. Then he shall be clean. 16 But if he does not wash them or bathe his body, then (AC)he shall bear his [i]guilt.”

Laws of Sexual Morality

18 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: (AD)‘I am the Lord your God. (AE)According to [j]the doings of the land of Egypt, where you dwelt, you shall not do; and (AF)according to the doings of the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you, you shall not do; nor shall you walk in their [k]ordinances. (AG)You shall observe My judgments and keep My ordinances, to walk in them: I am the Lord your God. You shall therefore keep My statutes and My judgments, which if a man does, he shall live by them: I am the Lord.

‘None of you shall approach anyone who is near of kin to him, to uncover his nakedness: I am the Lord. The nakedness of your father or the nakedness of your mother you shall not uncover. She is your mother; you shall not uncover her nakedness. The nakedness of your (AH)father’s wife you shall not uncover; it is your father’s nakedness. (AI)The nakedness of your sister, the daughter of your father, or the daughter of your mother, whether born at home or elsewhere, their nakedness you shall not uncover. 10 The nakedness of your son’s daughter or your daughter’s daughter, their nakedness you shall not uncover; for theirs is your own nakedness. 11 The nakedness of your father’s wife’s daughter, begotten by your father—she is your sister—you shall not uncover her nakedness. 12 (AJ)You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s sister; she is near of kin to your father. 13 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your mother’s sister, for she is near of kin to your mother. 14 (AK)You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s brother. You shall not approach his wife; she is your aunt. 15 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your daughter-in-law—she is your son’s wife—you shall not uncover her nakedness. 16 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your brother’s wife; it is your brother’s nakedness. 17 You shall not uncover the nakedness of a woman and her (AL)daughter, nor shall you take her son’s daughter or her daughter’s daughter, to uncover her nakedness. They are near of kin to her. It is wickedness. 18 Nor shall you take a woman (AM)as a rival to her sister, to uncover her nakedness while the other is alive.

19 ‘Also you shall not approach a woman to uncover her nakedness as (AN)long as she is in her (AO)customary impurity. 20 (AP)Moreover you shall not lie carnally with your (AQ)neighbor’s wife, to defile yourself with her. 21 And you shall not let any of your descendants (AR)pass through (AS)the fire to (AT)Molech, nor shall you profane the name of your God: I am the Lord. 22 You shall not lie with (AU)a male as with a woman. It is an abomination. 23 Nor shall you mate with any (AV)animal, to defile yourself with it. Nor shall any woman stand before an animal to mate with it. It is perversion.

24 (AW)‘Do not defile yourselves with any of these things; (AX)for by all these the nations are defiled, which I am casting out before you. 25 For (AY)the land is defiled; therefore I (AZ)visit[l] the punishment of its iniquity upon it, and the land (BA)vomits out its inhabitants. 26 (BB)You shall therefore [m]keep My statutes and My judgments, and shall not commit any of these abominations, either any of your own nation or any stranger who dwells among you 27 (for all these abominations the men of the land have done, who were before you, and thus the land is defiled), 28 lest (BC)the land vomit you out also when you defile it, as it vomited out the nations that were before you. 29 For whoever commits any of these abominations, the persons who commit them shall be [n]cut off from among their people.

30 ‘Therefore you shall keep My [o]ordinance, so (BD)that you do not commit any of these abominable customs which were committed before you, and that you do not defile yourselves by them: (BE)I am the Lord your God.’ ”

Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 16:29 humble yourselves
  2. Leviticus 16:29 As a resident alien
  3. Leviticus 16:30 Lit. covering
  4. Leviticus 16:33 Lit. covering
  5. Leviticus 16:33 The Most Holy Place
  6. Leviticus 17:4 Put to death
  7. Leviticus 17:7 Having the form of a goat or satyr
  8. Leviticus 17:9 Put to death
  9. Leviticus 17:16 iniquity
  10. Leviticus 18:3 what is done in
  11. Leviticus 18:3 statutes
  12. Leviticus 18:25 bring judgment for
  13. Leviticus 18:26 obey
  14. Leviticus 18:29 Put to death
  15. Leviticus 18:30 charge

29 “This is to be a lasting ordinance(A) for you: On the tenth day of the seventh month(B) you must deny yourselves[a](C) and not do any work(D)—whether native-born(E) or a foreigner residing among you— 30 because on this day atonement will be made(F) for you, to cleanse you. Then, before the Lord, you will be clean from all your sins.(G) 31 It is a day of sabbath rest, and you must deny yourselves;(H) it is a lasting ordinance.(I) 32 The priest who is anointed and ordained(J) to succeed his father as high priest is to make atonement. He is to put on the sacred linen garments(K) 33 and make atonement for the Most Holy Place, for the tent of meeting and the altar, and for the priests and all the members of the community.(L)

34 “This is to be a lasting ordinance(M) for you: Atonement is to be made once a year(N) for all the sins of the Israelites.”

And it was done, as the Lord commanded Moses.

Eating Blood Forbidden

17 The Lord said to Moses, “Speak to Aaron and his sons(O) and to all the Israelites and say to them: ‘This is what the Lord has commanded: Any Israelite who sacrifices an ox,[b] a lamb(P) or a goat(Q) in the camp or outside of it instead of bringing it to the entrance to the tent of meeting(R) to present it as an offering to the Lord in front of the tabernacle of the Lord(S)—that person shall be considered guilty of bloodshed; they have shed blood and must be cut off from their people.(T) This is so the Israelites will bring to the Lord the sacrifices they are now making in the open fields. They must bring them to the priest, that is, to the Lord, at the entrance to the tent of meeting and sacrifice them as fellowship offerings.(U) The priest is to splash the blood against the altar(V) of the Lord(W) at the entrance to the tent of meeting and burn the fat as an aroma pleasing to the Lord.(X) They must no longer offer any of their sacrifices to the goat idols[c](Y) to whom they prostitute themselves.(Z) This is to be a lasting ordinance(AA) for them and for the generations to come.’(AB)

“Say to them: ‘Any Israelite or any foreigner residing among them who offers a burnt offering or sacrifice and does not bring it to the entrance to the tent(AC) of meeting(AD) to sacrifice it to the Lord(AE) must be cut off from the people of Israel.

10 “‘I will set my face against any Israelite or any foreigner residing among them who eats blood,(AF) and I will cut them off from the people. 11 For the life of a creature is in the blood,(AG) and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life.[d](AH) 12 Therefore I say to the Israelites, “None of you may eat blood, nor may any foreigner residing among you eat blood.”

13 “‘Any Israelite or any foreigner residing among you who hunts any animal or bird that may be eaten must drain out the blood and cover it with earth,(AI) 14 because the life of every creature is its blood. That is why I have said to the Israelites, “You must not eat the blood of any creature, because the life of every creature is its blood; anyone who eats it must be cut off.”(AJ)

15 “‘Anyone, whether native-born or foreigner, who eats anything(AK) found dead or torn by wild animals(AL) must wash their clothes and bathe with water,(AM) and they will be ceremonially unclean till evening;(AN) then they will be clean. 16 But if they do not wash their clothes and bathe themselves, they will be held responsible.(AO)’”

Unlawful Sexual Relations

18 The Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘I am the Lord your God.(AP) You must not do as they do in Egypt, where you used to live, and you must not do as they do in the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you. Do not follow their practices.(AQ) You must obey my laws(AR) and be careful to follow my decrees.(AS) I am the Lord your God.(AT) Keep my decrees and laws,(AU) for the person who obeys them will live by them.(AV) I am the Lord.

“‘No one is to approach any close relative to have sexual relations. I am the Lord.

“‘Do not dishonor your father(AW) by having sexual relations with your mother.(AX) She is your mother; do not have relations with her.

“‘Do not have sexual relations with your father’s wife;(AY) that would dishonor your father.(AZ)

“‘Do not have sexual relations with your sister,(BA) either your father’s daughter or your mother’s daughter, whether she was born in the same home or elsewhere.(BB)

10 “‘Do not have sexual relations with your son’s daughter or your daughter’s daughter; that would dishonor you.

11 “‘Do not have sexual relations with the daughter of your father’s wife, born to your father; she is your sister.

12 “‘Do not have sexual relations with your father’s sister;(BC) she is your father’s close relative.

13 “‘Do not have sexual relations with your mother’s sister,(BD) because she is your mother’s close relative.

14 “‘Do not dishonor your father’s brother by approaching his wife to have sexual relations; she is your aunt.(BE)

15 “‘Do not have sexual relations with your daughter-in-law.(BF) She is your son’s wife; do not have relations with her.(BG)

16 “‘Do not have sexual relations with your brother’s wife;(BH) that would dishonor your brother.

17 “‘Do not have sexual relations with both a woman and her daughter.(BI) Do not have sexual relations with either her son’s daughter or her daughter’s daughter; they are her close relatives. That is wickedness.

18 “‘Do not take your wife’s sister(BJ) as a rival wife and have sexual relations with her while your wife is living.

19 “‘Do not approach a woman to have sexual relations during the uncleanness(BK) of her monthly period.(BL)

20 “‘Do not have sexual relations with your neighbor’s wife(BM) and defile yourself with her.

21 “‘Do not give any of your children(BN) to be sacrificed to Molek,(BO) for you must not profane the name of your God.(BP) I am the Lord.(BQ)

22 “‘Do not have sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman;(BR) that is detestable.(BS)

23 “‘Do not have sexual relations with an animal and defile yourself with it. A woman must not present herself to an animal to have sexual relations with it; that is a perversion.(BT)

24 “‘Do not defile yourselves in any of these ways, because this is how the nations that I am going to drive out before you(BU) became defiled.(BV) 25 Even the land was defiled;(BW) so I punished it for its sin,(BX) and the land vomited out its inhabitants.(BY) 26 But you must keep my decrees and my laws.(BZ) The native-born and the foreigners residing among you must not do any of these detestable things, 27 for all these things were done by the people who lived in the land before you, and the land became defiled. 28 And if you defile the land,(CA) it will vomit you out(CB) as it vomited out the nations that were before you.

29 “‘Everyone who does any of these detestable things—such persons must be cut off from their people. 30 Keep my requirements(CC) and do not follow any of the detestable customs that were practiced before you came and do not defile yourselves with them. I am the Lord your God.(CD)’”

Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 16:29 Or must fast; also in verse 31
  2. Leviticus 17:3 The Hebrew word can refer to either male or female.
  3. Leviticus 17:7 Or the demons
  4. Leviticus 17:11 Or atonement by the life in the blood

A Gentile Shows Her Faith(A)

24 (B)From there He arose and went to the region of Tyre [a]and Sidon. And He entered a house and wanted no one to know it, but He could not be (C)hidden. 25 For a woman whose young daughter had an unclean spirit heard about Him, and she came and (D)fell at His feet. 26 The woman was a [b]Greek, a [c]Syro-Phoenician by birth, and she kept [d]asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter. 27 But Jesus said to her, “Let the children be filled first, for it is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.”

28 And she answered and said to Him, “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs under the table eat from the children’s crumbs.”

29 Then He said to her, “For this saying go your way; the demon has gone out of your daughter.”

30 And when she had come to her house, she found the demon gone out, and her daughter lying on the bed.

Jesus Heals a Deaf-Mute(E)

31 (F)Again, departing from the region of Tyre and Sidon, He came through the midst of the region of Decapolis to the Sea of Galilee. 32 Then (G)they brought to Him one who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech, and they begged Him to put His hand on him. 33 And He took him aside from the multitude, and put His fingers in his ears, and (H)He spat and touched his tongue. 34 Then, (I)looking up to heaven, (J)He sighed, and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.”

35 (K)Immediately his ears were opened, and the [e]impediment of his tongue was loosed, and he spoke plainly. 36 Then (L)He commanded them that they should tell no one; but the more He commanded them, the more widely they proclaimed it. 37 And they were (M)astonished beyond measure, saying, “He has done all things well. He (N)makes both the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.”

Feeding the Four Thousand(O)

In those days, (P)the multitude being very great and having nothing to eat, Jesus called His disciples to Him and said to them, “I have (Q)compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat. And if I send them away hungry to their own houses, they will faint on the way; for some of them have come from afar.”

Then His disciples answered Him, “How can one satisfy these people with bread here in the wilderness?”

(R)He asked them, “How many loaves do you have?”

And they said, “Seven.”

So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground. And He took the seven loaves and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples to set before them; and they set them before the multitude. They also had a few small fish; and (S)having blessed them, He said to set them also before them. So they ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets of leftover fragments. Now those who had eaten were about four thousand. And He sent them away, 10 (T)immediately got into the boat with His disciples, and came to the region of Dalmanutha.

Footnotes

  1. Mark 7:24 NU omits and Sidon
  2. Mark 7:26 Gentile
  3. Mark 7:26 A Syrian of Phoenicia
  4. Mark 7:26 begging
  5. Mark 7:35 Lit. bond

Jesus Honors a Syrophoenician Woman’s Faith(A)

24 Jesus left that place and went to the vicinity of Tyre.[a](B) He entered a house and did not want anyone to know it; yet he could not keep his presence secret. 25 In fact, as soon as she heard about him, a woman whose little daughter was possessed by an impure spirit(C) came and fell at his feet. 26 The woman was a Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter.

27 “First let the children eat all they want,” he told her, “for it is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”

28 “Lord,” she replied, “even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.”

29 Then he told her, “For such a reply, you may go; the demon has left your daughter.”

30 She went home and found her child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.

Jesus Heals a Deaf and Mute Man(D)

31 Then Jesus left the vicinity of Tyre(E) and went through Sidon, down to the Sea of Galilee(F) and into the region of the Decapolis.[b](G) 32 There some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk,(H) and they begged Jesus to place his hand on(I) him.

33 After he took him aside, away from the crowd, Jesus put his fingers into the man’s ears. Then he spit(J) and touched the man’s tongue. 34 He looked up to heaven(K) and with a deep sigh(L) said to him, “Ephphatha!” (which means “Be opened!”). 35 At this, the man’s ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly.(M)

36 Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone.(N) But the more he did so, the more they kept talking about it. 37 People were overwhelmed with amazement. “He has done everything well,” they said. “He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”

Jesus Feeds the Four Thousand(O)(P)(Q)

During those days another large crowd gathered. Since they had nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I have compassion for these people;(R) they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. If I send them home hungry, they will collapse on the way, because some of them have come a long distance.”

His disciples answered, “But where in this remote place can anyone get enough bread to feed them?”

“How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked.

“Seven,” they replied.

He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. When he had taken the seven loaves and given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to distribute to the people, and they did so. They had a few small fish as well; he gave thanks for them also and told the disciples to distribute them.(S) The people ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.(T) About four thousand were present. After he had sent them away, 10 he got into the boat with his disciples and went to the region of Dalmanutha.

Footnotes

  1. Mark 7:24 Many early manuscripts Tyre and Sidon
  2. Mark 7:31 That is, the Ten Cities

The Blessing and Suffering of the Godly

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

41 Blessed is he who considers the [a]poor;
The Lord will deliver him in time of trouble.
The Lord will preserve him and keep him alive,
And he will be blessed on the earth;
(A)You will not deliver him to the will of his enemies.
The Lord will strengthen him on his bed of illness;
You will [b]sustain him on his sickbed.

I said, “Lord, be merciful to me;
(B)Heal my soul, for I have sinned against You.”
My enemies speak evil of me:
“When will he die, and his name perish?”
And if he comes to see me, he speaks [c]lies;
His heart gathers iniquity to itself;
When he goes out, he tells it.

All who hate me whisper together against me;
Against me they [d]devise my hurt.
“An[e] evil disease,” they say, “clings to him.
And now that he lies down, he will rise up no more.”
(C)Even my own familiar friend in whom I trusted,
(D)Who ate my bread,
Has [f]lifted up his heel against me.

10 But You, O Lord, be merciful to me, and raise me up,
That I may repay them.
11 By this I know that You are well pleased with me,
Because my enemy does not triumph over me.
12 As for me, You uphold me in my integrity,
And (E)set me before Your face forever.

13 (F)Blessed be the Lord God of Israel
From everlasting to everlasting!
Amen and Amen.

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Footnotes

  1. Psalm 41:1 helpless or powerless
  2. Psalm 41:3 restore
  3. Psalm 41:6 empty words
  4. Psalm 41:7 plot
  5. Psalm 41:8 Lit. A thing of Belial
  6. Psalm 41:9 Acted as a traitor

Psalm 41[a]

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

Blessed(A) are those who have regard for the weak;(B)
    the Lord delivers them in times of trouble.(C)
The Lord protects(D) and preserves them—(E)
    they are counted among the blessed in the land—(F)
    he does not give them over to the desire of their foes.(G)
The Lord sustains them on their sickbed(H)
    and restores them from their bed of illness.(I)

I said, “Have mercy(J) on me, Lord;
    heal(K) me, for I have sinned(L) against you.”
My enemies say of me in malice,
    “When will he die and his name perish?(M)
When one of them comes to see me,
    he speaks falsely,(N) while his heart gathers slander;(O)
    then he goes out and spreads(P) it around.

All my enemies whisper together(Q) against me;
    they imagine the worst for me, saying,
“A vile disease has afflicted him;
    he will never get up(R) from the place where he lies.”
Even my close friend,(S)
    someone I trusted,
one who shared my bread,
    has turned[b] against me.(T)

10 But may you have mercy(U) on me, Lord;
    raise me up,(V) that I may repay(W) them.
11 I know that you are pleased with me,(X)
    for my enemy does not triumph over me.(Y)
12 Because of my integrity(Z) you uphold me(AA)
    and set me in your presence forever.(AB)

13 Praise(AC) be to the Lord, the God of Israel,(AD)
    from everlasting to everlasting.
Amen and Amen.(AE)

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Footnotes

  1. Psalm 41:1 In Hebrew texts 41:1-13 is numbered 41:2-14.
  2. Psalm 41:9 Hebrew has lifted up his heel

15 The (A)rich man’s wealth is his strong city;
The destruction of the poor is their poverty.

16 The labor of the righteous leads to (B)life,
The wages of the wicked to sin.

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15 The wealth of the rich is their fortified city,(A)
    but poverty is the ruin of the poor.(B)

16 The wages of the righteous is life,(C)
    but the earnings of the wicked are sin and death.(D)

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