The Daily Audio Bible
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17 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 18 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them, ‘When you enter the land to which I am bringing you, 19 then, when you eat the food of the land, you shall lift up an offering (heave offering) to the Lord. 20 You shall lift up a cake made of the first of your [ground grain which has been made into] dough as an offering [to the Lord]; as an offering from the threshing floor, so shall you lift it up. 21 From the first of your dough (ground grain) you shall give to the Lord an offering throughout your generations.
22 ‘But when you unintentionally fail and do not observe all these commandments, which the Lord has spoken to Moses, 23 even all that the Lord has commanded you [a]through Moses, from the day that the Lord gave commandments and onward throughout your generations, 24 then it shall be, if it was done unintentionally without the knowledge of the congregation, that all the congregation shall offer one young bull as a burnt offering, as a sweet and soothing aroma to the Lord, with its grain offering and its drink offering, according to the ordinance, and one male goat as a sin offering. 25 Then the priest shall make atonement for all the congregation of the sons of Israel, and they will be forgiven, for it was an error and they have brought their offering, an offering by fire to the Lord, and their sin offering before the Lord, for their error. 26 So all the congregation of the Israelites will be forgiven as well as the stranger who lives among them as a resident alien, because all the people were involved in the error.
27 ‘Also if one person sins unintentionally, then he shall offer a female goat one year old as a sin offering. 28 The priest shall make atonement before the Lord for the person who commits an error when he sins unintentionally, making atonement for him so that he may be forgiven. 29 You shall have one law for him who sins unintentionally, whether he is native-born among the Israelites or a stranger who is living among them as a resident alien. 30 But the person who does [anything wrong] [b]willfully and defiantly, whether he is native-born or a stranger, that one is blaspheming the Lord, and that person shall be cut off from among his people [excluding him from the atonement made for them]. 31 Because he has despised and rejected the word of the Lord, and has broken His commandment, that person shall be utterly cut off; [the responsibility for] his wickedness and guilt will be upon him.’”
Sabbath-breaking Punished
32 Now while the Israelites were in the wilderness, they found a man who was gathering wood on the Sabbath day. 33 Those who found him gathering wood brought him to Moses and Aaron and to all the congregation; 34 and they put him in custody, because it had not been explained [by God] what should be done to him. 35 Then the Lord said to Moses, “The man shall certainly be put to death. All the congregation shall stone him with stones outside the camp.” 36 So all the congregation brought him outside the camp and stoned him to death with stones, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.
37 The Lord said to Moses, 38 “Speak to the sons of Israel and tell them to make for themselves tassels on the hems of their garments throughout their generations, and put a cord of blue on the tassel of each hem. 39 It shall be a tassel for you to look at and remember all the commandments of the Lord, to do them, so that you do not follow after [the desires of] your own heart and eyes, [desires] after which you used to follow and play the prostitute, 40 so that you may remember to do all My commandments and be holy (set apart) 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.”
Korah’s Rebellion
16 Now Korah the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, with Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab, and On the son of Peleth, descendants of Reuben, took action, 2 and they rose up [in rebellion] before Moses, together with some of the Israelites, two hundred and fifty leaders of the congregation chosen in the assembly, men of distinction. 3 They assembled together against Moses and Aaron, and said to them, “You have gone far enough, for all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the Lord is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the Lord?”
4 And when Moses heard this, he fell face downward; 5 and he spoke to Korah and all his company, saying, “In the morning the Lord will show who belongs to Him, and who is holy, and will bring him near to Himself; the one whom He will choose He will bring near to Himself.(A) 6 Do this: Take censers for yourselves, Korah and all your company, 7 then put fire in them and place incense on them in the presence of the Lord tomorrow; and the man whom the Lord chooses shall be the one who is holy. You have gone far enough, you sons of Levi.”
8 Then Moses said to Korah, “Hear now, you sons of Levi, 9 does it seem but a small thing to you that the God of Israel has separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to Himself, to do the service of the tabernacle of the Lord, and to stand before the congregation to minister to them; 10 and that He has brought you near [to Him], Korah and all your brothers, sons of Levi with you? Would you seek the priesthood also? 11 Therefore you and all your company are gathered together against the Lord; but as for Aaron, who is he that you murmur against him?”
12 Then Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab; but they said [defiantly], “We will not come up. 13 Is it a small thing that you have brought us up out of a land [of plenty] [c]flowing with milk and honey to kill us in the wilderness, but you would also lord it over us? 14 Indeed, you have not brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey, nor given us an inheritance of fields and vineyards. Will you gouge out the eyes of these men? We will not come up!”
15 Then Moses became very angry and said to the Lord, “Pay no attention to their offering! I have not taken one donkey from them, nor have I harmed any one of them.” 16 Moses said to Korah, “You and all your company are to appear before the Lord tomorrow, both you and they along with Aaron. 17 Each of you take his censer and put incense on it, and each of you bring his censer before the Lord, two hundred and fifty censers; also you and Aaron shall each bring his censer.” 18 So they each took his own censer and put fire on it and laid incense on it; and they stood at the doorway of the Tent of Meeting (tabernacle), with Moses and Aaron. 19 Then Korah assembled all the congregation against Moses and Aaron at the doorway of the Tent of Meeting (tabernacle). And the glory and brilliance of the Lord appeared to all the congregation.
20 Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 21 “Separate yourselves from among this congregation, so that I may consume them immediately.” 22 But they fell on their faces [before the Lord], and said, “O God, God of the spirits of all flesh! When one man sins, will You be angry with the entire congregation?”
23 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 24 “Say to the congregation, ‘Get away from around the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.’”
25 Then Moses arose and went to Dathan and Abiram, and the elders of Israel followed him. 26 And he said to the congregation, “Get away from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of theirs, or you will be swept away in all their sin.” 27 So they got back from around the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram; and Dathan and Abiram came out and stood at the doorway of their tents with their wives and their sons and their little children. 28 Then Moses said, “By this you shall know that the Lord has sent me to do all these works; for I do not act of my own accord. 29 If these men die the common death of all mankind or if what happens to everyone happens to them, then [you will know for sure that] the Lord has not sent me. 30 But if the Lord creates an entirely new thing, and the ground opens its mouth and swallows them up, along with all that belongs to them, and they descend alive into Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead), then you will understand that these men have spurned and rejected the Lord!”
31 As soon as Moses finished speaking all these words, the ground under them split open; 32 and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them and their households, and all the men who supported Korah, with all their possessions.(B) 33 So they and all that belonged to them went down alive to Sheol; and the earth closed over them, and they perished from among the assembly. 34 All Israel who were around them fled at their outcry, for they said, “The earth may swallow us also.” 35 Fire also came forth from the Lord and consumed the two hundred and fifty men who were offering the incense.
36 [d]Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 37 “Tell Eleazar the son of Aaron, the priest, that he is to pick up the censers from the midst of the blaze for they are holy; and you scatter the burning coals abroad. 38 As for the censers of these people who have sinned at the cost of their lives, have the censers made into hammered sheets as a plating for the altar [of burnt offering], for they were presented before the Lord and they are sacred. They shall be a [warning] sign to the sons of Israel.” 39 So Eleazar the priest took the bronze censers which the Levites who were burned had offered, and they were hammered out [into broad sheets] as a plating for the [bronze] altar [of burnt offering], 40 as a reminder to the sons of Israel so that no layman—that is, one who is not of the descendants of Aaron should approach to offer incense before the Lord; so that he will not become like Korah and as his company—just as the Lord had said to him through Moses.
Jesus before Pilate
15 Early in the morning the chief priests, with the elders and scribes and the whole Council (Sanhedrin, Jewish High Court), immediately consulted together; and they bound Jesus, they took Him away [violently] and handed Him over to Pilate.(A) 2 Pilate questioned Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” And He replied to him, “It is as you say.”(B) 3 The chief priests began accusing Him of many things. 4 Then Pilate again asked Him, “Have You no answer [to give]? See how many charges they are bringing against You!” 5 But Jesus gave no further answer; so Pilate was perplexed.(C)
6 Now at the [Passover] feast Pilate used to set free for them any one prisoner whom they requested.(D) 7 The man called Barabbas was imprisoned with the insurrectionists (revolutionaries) who had committed murder in the civil rebellion. 8 The crowd came up and began asking Pilate to do as he usually did for them. 9 Pilate answered them, saying, “Do you want me to set free for you the King of the Jews?” 10 For he was aware that the chief priests had turned Jesus over to him because of envy and resentment. 11 But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to get him to release Barabbas for them instead. 12 Again Pilate answered, “Then what shall I do with Him whom you call the King of the Jews?” 13 They screamed back, “Crucify Him!” 14 But Pilate asked them, “Why, what has He done that is evil?” But they screamed all the more, “Crucify Him!” 15 So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, set Barabbas free for them; and after having Jesus [a]scourged, he handed Him over [to his soldiers] to be crucified.(E)
Jesus Is Mocked
16 The soldiers led Him away into the palace (that is, the [b]Praetorium), and they called together the entire [Roman] battalion [of 600 soldiers].(F) 17 They dressed Him up in [a ranking Roman officer’s robe of] purple, and after twisting [together] a crown of thorns, they placed it on Him; 18 and they began saluting and mocking Him: “Hail, King of the Jews!” 19 They kept beating Him on the head with a [c]reed and spitting on Him, and kneeling and bowing in [mock] homage to Him.(G) 20 After they had mocked Him, they took off the purple robe and put His own clothes on Him. And they led Him out [of the city] to crucify Him.
21 They forced into service a passer-by coming in from the countryside, Simon of [d]Cyrene (the father of Alexander and Rufus), [e]to carry His cross.(H)
The Crucifixion
22 Then they brought Him to the place [called] Golgotha, which is translated, Place of a [f]Skull.(I) 23 They tried to give Him [g]wine mixed with myrrh [to dull the pain], but He would not take it. 24 And they crucified Him, and [h]divided up His clothes among themselves, casting lots for them to see who should take what.(J) 25 It was the third hour (9:00 a.m.) when they crucified Him.(K) 26 The inscription of the accusation against Him had been written [above Him]: “THE KING OF THE JEWS.”
27 They crucified two robbers with Him, one on His right and one on His left. 28 [i][And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “He was counted with the transgressors.”](L) 29 Those who were passing by were insulting Him with abusive and insolent language, wagging their heads [as a sign of contempt], and saying, “Ha! You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in [only] three days,(M) 30 save Yourself by coming down from the cross!” 31 In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes, were ridiculing and mocking Him among themselves and saying, “He saved others [from death]; He cannot save Himself!(N) 32 Let the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed), the King of Israel, now come down from the cross, so that we may see and believe and trust [in Him]!” Those who were crucified with Him were also insulting Him.
33 When the sixth hour (noon) came, darkness covered the whole land until the ninth hour (3:00 p.m.).(O) 34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?”—which is translated, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”(P) 35 Some of the bystanders heard Him and said, “Look! He is calling for [j]Elijah!” 36 Someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed and gave Him a drink, saying, “Let us see whether Elijah is coming to take Him down.”(Q) 37 But Jesus uttered a loud cry, and breathed out His last [voluntarily, sovereignly dismissing and releasing His spirit from His body in submission to His Father’s plan]. 38 And the veil [of the Holy of Holies] of the temple was torn in two from [k]top to bottom. 39 When the centurion, who was standing opposite Him, saw the way He breathed His last [being fully in control], he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”
40 Now some women also were watching from a distance, among whom were Mary Magdalene, and [l]Mary the mother of James the Less and of Joses, and [m]Salome.(R) 41 When Jesus was in Galilee, they used to accompany him and minister to Him; and there were also many other women who came up with Him to Jerusalem.
Jesus Is Buried
42 When evening had already come, because it was the preparation day, that is, the day before the Sabbath,(S) 43 Joseph of Arimathea came, a prominent and respected member of the Council (Sanhedrin, Jewish High Court), who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God—and he courageously dared to go in before Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus. 44 Pilate [n]wondered if He was dead by this time [only six hours after being crucified], and he summoned the centurion and asked him whether He was already dead. 45 And when he learned from the centurion [that Jesus was in fact dead], he gave the body to Joseph [by granting him permission to remove it]. 46 So Joseph purchased a [fine] linen cloth [for [o]wrapping the body], and after taking Jesus down [from the cross], he wrapped Him in the linen cloth and placed Him in a tomb which had been cut out of rock. Then he rolled a [large, wheel-shaped] stone against the entrance of the tomb.(T) 47 Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses were [carefully] watching to see where He was laid.
Prayer for Defense against Enemies.
To the Chief Musician; with stringed instruments. A skillful song, or a didactic or reflective poem, of David, when the Ziphites went and told Saul, “David is hiding among us.”
54 Save me, O God, by Your name;
And vindicate me by Your [wondrous] power.
2
Hear my prayer, O God;
Listen to the words of my mouth.
3
For strangers have risen against me
And violent men have sought my life;
They have not set God before them. Selah.
4
Behold, God is my helper and ally;
The Lord is the sustainer of my soul [my upholder].
5
He will pay back the evil to my enemies;
In Your faithfulness destroy them.
6
With a freewill offering I will sacrifice to You;
I will give thanks and praise Your name, O Lord, for it is good.
7
For He has rescued me from every trouble,
And my eye has looked with satisfaction (triumph) on my enemies.
5
The righteousness of the blameless will smooth their way and keep it straight,
But the wicked will fall by his own wickedness.
6
The righteousness of the upright will rescue them,
But the treacherous will be caught by their own greed.
Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631. All rights reserved.