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28 The Eternal One continued speaking to Moses.
Eternal One: 29 Go, talk with the Israelites, and tell them that anyone who offers a peace offering to Me must bring it from the sacrifice of his peace offerings. 30 He is to present the fire-offerings to Me with his own hands. Bring the fat along with the breast so that the breast can be lifted up as a wave offering to Me. 31 The officiating priest is to offer the fat as smoke on the altar, but the breast will belong to Aaron and his sons. 32 The right thigh from the sacrifice of your peace offerings is to go to the priest as your contribution to his service. 33 The right thigh will be the portion set aside for the son of Aaron who officiates at the sacrifice and presents the fat and blood of the peace offerings. 34 For I, the Eternal One, have taken the breast from the wave offering and the thigh as a gift from the sacrifices brought by the people of Israel as peace offerings, and I have handed them over to Aaron the priest and his sons. This is for all time their rightful portion of the offering from the people of Israel. 35 From the first day they are brought forward as priests in My service, this is the portion set aside for Aaron and his sons taken from the fire-offerings presented to Me. 36 From the day when I anointed and consecrated them as priests, I directed this gift be made to them by the people of Israel. This is their rightful portion for all time and throughout all generations.
The wave offering is a particularly solemn moment in the ceremony when the priest lifts and waves the sacrifice before God. Afterward, the portions waved became property of the priests.
37 These are the instructions for the burnt offering, grain offering, purification offering for sin, guilt offering, ordination offering, and peace offering. 38 The Eternal gave these instructions to Moses on Mount Sinai the same day He told the Israelites to bring their offerings to Him in the desert.
8 The Eternal One addressed Moses.
Eternal One: 2 Moses, take Aaron and his sons together with their sacred garments, the specially prepared anointing oil, the bull set aside for the purification offering for sin, the two rams, and the basket of unleavened bread. 3 Then gather the entire community at the entrance of the congregation tent.
4 So Moses followed the Eternal’s instructions. When the community of Israel was gathered together at the entrance of the congregation tent, 5 Moses addressed the assembly: “The Eternal One has commanded that we gather and ordain Aaron and his sons as priests.”
6 So Moses had Aaron and his sons approach, and he washed them with water and purified them. 7 Moses put a tunic on Aaron, fastened the sash around his waist, and put the robe and vest on him. He wrapped the skillfully made waistband of the vest around him and tied it to him. 8 Then Moses placed the breast piece on him and put the Urim and the Thummim inside a specially designed pouch on the breast piece.
There is much we do not know about the Urim and the Thummim. We do know the high priest used them to ascertain God’s will on difficult questions (see Numbers 27:21; 1 Samuel 14:41–42).
9 Moses then put the turban on Aaron’s head and fastened a golden medallion, a holy crown, to the front of it. Moses did all this exactly as the Eternal commanded.
10 Then Moses anointed and consecrated the sanctuary of the congregation tent along with everything in it with the anointing oil. 11 He sprinkled some of the oil on the altar seven times; he anointed and consecrated the altar, its tools, and the basin and its stand with the oil. 12 Moses poured some of the oil on Aaron’s head and anointed him to set him apart as head of the priestly order. 13 Then Moses had Aaron’s sons step forward and dressed them with the special tunics, fastened sashes about their waists, and placed caps on their heads. He did exactly as the Eternal commanded.
This consecration is of Aaron and his sons along with the enclosed part of the congregation tent, the sanctuary, and their objects. They are all set apart for God’s special purpose.
14 Moses brought the bull for the purification offering for sin and had Aaron and his sons place their hands on the bull’s head. 15 After the bull was slaughtered, Moses dipped his finger in its blood and rubbed it on the altar horns, purifying the altar. Moses then poured the remaining blood at the base of the altar. This is how Moses consecrated the altar and covered over any impurity it possessed. 16 Moses also removed the fat from around the organs, the lobe of the liver, the two kidneys and the fat around them, and offered it all up as smoke on the altar. 17 As for the rest of the bull—its skin, its meat, and its excrement—he took and burned it outside the camp. Moses did exactly as the Eternal commanded.
18 Moses then brought out the ram for the burnt offering and had Aaron and his sons place their hands on its head. 19 After Moses slaughtered it, he splattered its blood against the sides of the altar. 20 Moses cut it up into pieces, and then he took the head, the cut portions, and the fat and offered them up on the altar as smoke. 21 After rinsing off the organs and legs with water—in order to remove any impurities—he took everything that was left of the ram and offered it up on the altar. The smoke of the burnt offering rose and became a pleasant aroma, a fire-offering to the Eternal One. Moses did all this exactly as the Eternal commanded.
22 Then Moses prepared the second ram, the ordination ram. He had Aaron and his sons place their hands on its head. 23 After Moses slaughtered it, he put some of the ram’s blood on Aaron’s right ear lobe, on his right thumb, and on his right big toe. 24 Then Moses sent for Aaron’s sons and put some of the ram’s blood on their right ear lobes, on their right thumbs, and on their right big toes. Moses then splattered the remaining blood against the sides of the altar.
25 He then removed the fat, the fat tail, the fat around the organs, the lobe of the liver, and two kidneys and the fat from them, as well as the right thigh of the ram. 26 Then Moses reached into the basket of unleavened bread dedicated to the Eternal One and took out one loaf of unleavened bread, one loaf made with oil, and one wafer. He put them on the fat and on the right thigh. 27 Then he placed it all in the hands of Aaron and his sons, who raised them to the Eternal One as a wave offering. 28 Moses then took it all back from Aaron and his sons and offered it on the altar along with the burnt offering. The smoke of the ordination offering rose and became a pleasant aroma, a fire-offering to the Eternal. 29 Moses also lifted up the breast of the ram as a wave offering to the Eternal. The breast served as Moses’ portion of the ordination offering as the Eternal had commanded.
30 Moses took some of the anointing oil and some of the blood from the altar and sprinkled it on Aaron and his garments. He did the same on Aaron’s sons and their garments. This is how he consecrated Aaron and his priestly garments, as well as his sons and their garments.
Moses (to Aaron and his sons): 31 Boil the meat at the entrance to the congregation tent, and feast on it together with bread from the basket of the ordination offering, in accordance with the instructions I gave: “Aaron and his sons may eat it.” 32 Burn the rest of the meat and bread in the fire. 33 You are not allowed to go beyond the entrance of the congregation tent for seven days when your ordination period is complete; for it will take seven days to ordain you. 34 Everything we have done today the Eternal commanded us to do in order to cover your impurity. 35 Stay here at the entrance of the congregation tent all day and all night for the seven days. Do whatever the Eternal requires, or else you will die, for this is the command He has given me.
36 So Aaron and his sons honored the Eternal One’s instructions, which He commanded through Moses.
9 When the eighth day arrived, Moses called for Aaron, Aaron’s sons, and the elders of the Israelite community.
This ceremony inaugurated the daily sacrifices in the congregation tent.
Moses (to Aaron): 2 Take a young unblemished calf for a purification offering and an unblemished ram for a burnt offering and offer them to the Eternal One. 3 Then go instruct the Israelites, “Take a male goat for a purification offering and an unblemished calf and lamb, both a year old, for a burnt offering. 4 Take also an ox and a ram for a peace offering and a grain offering mixed with oil, and offer them to the Eternal One for He will reveal Himself to you today.
5 So the people gathered the sacrifices as Moses had commanded and brought them to the front of congregation tent. The entire community gathered around and stood in the presence of the Eternal One.
Moses: 6 The Eternal One has told us to conduct this ceremony so that His glory will be revealed to you.
Popularity is often a dangerous thing, particularly in a land occupied by Roman soldiers. As Jesus’ ministry grows, some of His friends and family start to get nervous: they wonder if He has “lost His mind” entirely. They just can’t understand what is happening and why He is so important. It doesn’t seem right—the boy next door from Nazareth receiving so much attention. In fact, they are so uncomfortable with it that they decide to intervene and take Him home.
But Jesus’ family isn’t the only group concerned about Him. The Pharisees are doing their best to spread doubt about His authority with the worst accusations possible: His power to heal comes from the devil himself. They are attacking Him publicly and questioning His identity as the Anointed One.
31 When Jesus’ mother and brothers arrived, they couldn’t break through the crowd, so they sent word in to Jesus that He should come out to them. 32 The crowd was pressed in tight around Him when He received the message, “Your mother and brothers [and sisters][a] are waiting outside for You.”
33 Jesus looked around.
Jesus (answering them): Who are My mother and brothers?
He called into the silence. No one spoke.
34 At last His gaze swept across those gathered close, and Jesus smiled.
Jesus: You, here, are My mother and My brothers! 35 Whoever does the will of God is My true family.
4 1-2 Jesus went out again to teach by the Sea of Galilee. When the crowd became unmanageable, He climbed aboard a boat and sat down to teach the people listening on the shore by telling them parables. One of His teachings went like this:
Jesus: 3 Listen! A farmer went out and sowed his seed. 4 As he scattered it, one seed fell along the hardened path, and a bird flapped down and snapped it up. 5 One seed fell onto rocky places where the soil was thin, so it sprang up quickly. 6 But when the hot sun scorched the fragile stems and leaves, the seedling withered because its roots didn’t go deep in the soil. 7 One of the seeds fell among the weeds and thorns, which crowded the seedling out of producing a crop. 8 And the rest of the seeds fell in good, rich soil. When they sprouted, the plants grew and produced a crop 30, 60, even 100 times larger than expected for every seed that the farmer had sown.
9 All who have ears to hear, let them listen.
10 When they were alone, the twelve and others close to Him asked why He always taught in parables instead of explaining His teachings clearly.
Jesus: 11 God has let you in on the inside story regarding the workings of the Kingdom—the hidden meanings. But the crowds—I teach them in parables 12 as the prophet Isaiah predicted,
So that when they look, they see and yet do not understand.
When they hear, they listen and yet do not comprehend.
Otherwise, they might really turn and be forgiven.[b]
This makes the disciples scratch their heads. Why would He want to hide the truth from some people? His teachings are hard enough without putting them into parables.
13 Do you mean to say that you didn’t understand My parable of the sower? That was the key parable. If you don’t see what I was trying to teach there, how will you be able to understand any of the others?
14 The seed the farmer is sowing is the good news, God’s word. 15 Some people are the seed thrown onto the path, and the tempter snaps up the word before it can even take root. 16 Others are the seed thrown among the rocks. Those people hear the word and receive it immediately with joy and enthusiasm; 17 but without deep roots, doubt, trouble, or persecution instantly withers their faith. 18 Still others are the seed tossed among weeds and brambles. The word has reached them, 19 but the things of this life—the worries, the drive for more and more, the desire for other things—those things cluster around close and choke the life of God out of them until they cannot produce. 20 But those last seeds—those sown into good soil? Those people hear the word, accept it, meditate on it, act on it, and bear fruit—a crop 30, 60, or 100 times larger than the farmer dropped to earth.
Jesus’ teaching often includes parables: stories that explain the truth about the Kingdom with examples from everyday life. Considering that most of His listeners know about farming, it’s no wonder most of Jesus’ parables are based on agricultural realities.
Parables like this force Jesus’ listeners to think about the kingdom of God differently. He challenges their ideas, and He also knows they are unlikely to forget it. When they see farmers broadcasting their seeds, they will remember this parable and ponder the mysteries of the Kingdom. It never seems to bother Him that people are confused by His teaching. He doesn’t expect them to understand everything; He wants them to wrestle with His teachings so His words will sit in their hearts and germinate—much like the seed sitting in good soil that eventually grows to bear fruit.
Jesus: 21 When you bring a lamp into the house, do you put it under a box or stuff it under your bed? Or do you set it on top of a table or chest? 22 Those things that are hidden are meant to be revealed, and what is concealed is meant to be brought out where its light can shine.
23 All who have ears to hear, let them listen.
24 So consider carefully the things you’re hearing. If you put it to use, you’ll be given more to wrestle with—much more. 25 Those who have listened will receive more, but those who don’t hear will forget even the little they’ve failed to understand.
12 How that wicked man devises evil against God’s righteous ones!
He grits his teeth, consumed by hate for the upright.
13 But oh, how the Lord laughs at him!
He knows the wicked man will get his; the day is coming.
14 The wicked unsheathe their swords, pull taut their bows;
the poor and needy are their victims,
and evil is on the prowl to kill those with integrity, God’s beloved.
15 But their swords will bend back to pierce their own hearts—
yes, their bows will snap in two.
16 The righteous are better off with the little God blessed them with
than living under the curse of the wealth of the wicked.
17 Their time is short, their arms will be broken,
but the Eternal will hold His righteous children high.
18 All their days are measured and known by the Eternal;
their inheritance is kept safe forever.
19 When calamity comes, they will escape with their dignity.
When famine invades the nations, they will be fed to their fill.
20 But immoral ones will find their lives cut short;
they’ll vanish as quickly as wildflowers in the fields.
Yes, enemies of the Eternal will vanish
like smoke into the cool night air.
21 Evil people borrow and never repay their debts,
while the good give generously from their hearts.
22 For God’s blessed children will inherit the land,
but those cursed by Him stand to gain nothing.
23 If you are right with God, He strengthens you for the journey;
the Eternal will be pleased with your life.
24 And even though you trip up, you will not fall on your face
because He holds you by the hand.
25 Through my whole life (young and old),
I have never witnessed God forsaking those who do right,
nor have I seen their children begging for crumbs,
26 Because they are always giving and sharing;
truly, their children are a joyful blessing.
27 Walk away from evil. Do good
so you, too, will enjoy never-ending life
28 Because the Eternal cherishes justice
and will not abandon those loyal to Him.
He will guard and care for them forever,
but any child born of evil will be rooted out, cut down, and destroyed.
29 Those leading God-pleasing lives will inherit His land
and settle there forever.
5 A wise son stores up for the winter months while it is still summer,
but a shameful son lies around even during the harvest.
The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.