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Portion for the Levites
18 “(A)The Levitical priests, the whole tribe of Levi, shall not have a portion or inheritance with Israel; they shall eat the Lord’s offerings by fire and His [a]property. 2 (B)They shall not have an inheritance among their countrymen; the Lord is their inheritance, as He [b]promised them.
3 “(C)Now this shall be the priests’ portion from the people, from those who offer a sacrifice, either an ox or a sheep: they shall give the priest the shoulder, the two cheeks, and the stomach. 4 You shall give him the (D)first fruits of your grain, your new wine, and your oil, and the first fleece of your sheep. 5 (E)For the Lord your God has chosen him and his sons from all your tribes, to (F)stand to serve in the name of the Lord always.
6 “Now if a Levite comes from any of your [c]towns throughout Israel where he (G)resides, and he comes [d]whenever he desires to the place which the Lord chooses, 7 then he shall serve in the name of the Lord his God, like all his fellow Levites who stand there before the Lord. 8 (H)They shall eat [e]equal portions, except for what they receive from the sale of their fathers’ estates.
Spiritism Forbidden
9 “When you enter the land which the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not learn to [f](I)imitate the detestable things of those nations. 10 There shall not be found among you anyone (J)who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, one who uses divination, a (K)soothsayer, one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, 11 or one who casts a spell, (L)or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who consults the dead. 12 For whoever does these things is detestable to the Lord; and (M)because of these detestable things the Lord your God is going to drive them out before you. 13 (N)You are to be blameless before the Lord your God. 14 For these nations, which you are going to dispossess, listen to (O)soothsayers and diviners, but as for you, the Lord your God has not allowed you to do so.
15 “(P)The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your countrymen; to him you shall listen. 16 This is (Q)in accordance with everything that you asked of the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly, saying, ‘Do not let me hear the voice of the Lord my God again, and do not let me see this great fire anymore, or I will die!’ 17 And (R)the Lord said to me, ‘They have [g]spoken well. 18 I will raise up for them a prophet from among their countrymen like you, and (S)I will put My words in his mouth, and (T)he shall speak to them everything that I command him. 19 (U)And it shall come about that whoever does not listen to My words which he speaks in My name, I Myself will [h]require it of him. 20 But the prophet who speaks a word (V)presumptuously in My name, a word which I have not commanded him to speak, or (W)which he speaks in the name of other gods, [i]that prophet shall die.’ 21 And if you say in your heart, ‘How will we recognize the word which the Lord has not spoken?’ 22 (X)When the prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, and the thing does not happen or come true, that is the thing which the Lord has not spoken. The prophet has spoken it (Y)presumptuously; you are not to be afraid of him.
Cities of Refuge
19 “(Z)When the Lord your God cuts off the nations whose land the Lord your God is giving you, and you dispossess them and settle in their cities and in their houses, 2 (AA)you shall set aside for yourself three cities in the midst of your land which the Lord your God is giving you to [j]possess. 3 You shall prepare the [k]roads for yourself, and divide into three regions the territory of your land which the Lord your God will give you as an inheritance, [l]so that anyone who commits manslaughter may flee there.
4 “(AB)Now this is the case of the one who commits manslaughter, who may flee there and live: when he [m]kills his friend [n]unintentionally, [o]not hating him previously— 5 as when a person goes into the forest with his friend to cut wood, and his hand [p]swings the axe to cut down the tree, and the iron head slips off the [q]handle and [r]strikes his friend so that he dies—he may flee to one of these cities and live. 6 Otherwise, the avenger of blood might pursue [s]him [t]in the heat of his anger, and overtake him because the way is long, and [u]take his life, though he was not sentenced to death since he had not hated him previously. 7 Therefore I command you, saying, ‘You shall set aside for yourself three cities.’
8 “And if the Lord your God (AC)enlarges your territory, just as He has sworn to your fathers, and gives you all the land that He [v]promised to give your fathers— 9 if you [w]carefully follow all of this commandment which I am commanding you today, (AD)to love the Lord your God, and to walk in His ways always—(AE)then you shall add three more cities for yourself, besides these three. 10 So innocent blood will not be shed in the midst of your land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, and (AF)guilt for bloodshed will not be on you.
11 “But (AG)if there is a person who hates his neighbor, and waits in ambush for him and rises up against him and strikes [x]him so that he dies, and he flees to one of these cities, 12 then the elders of his city shall send men and take him from there, and hand him over to the avenger of blood, so that he may die. 13 [y](AH)You shall not pity him, but (AI)you shall eliminate the guilt for the bloodshed of the innocent from Israel, so that it may go well for you.
Laws of Landmark and Testimony
14 “(AJ)You shall not displace your neighbor’s boundary marker, which the ancestors have set, in your inheritance which you will inherit in the land that the Lord your God is giving you to [z]possess.
15 “(AK)A single witness shall not rise up against a person regarding any wrongdoing or any sin [aa]that he commits; on the [ab]testimony of two or three witnesses a matter shall be confirmed. 16 (AL)If a malicious witness rises up against a person to testify against him of wrongdoing, 17 then both people who have the dispute shall stand (AM)before the Lord, before the priests and the judges who will be in office in those days. 18 And the judges (AN)shall investigate thoroughly, and if the witness is a false witness and he has testified against his brother falsely, 19 then (AO)you shall do to him just as he had planned to do to his brother. So you shall eliminate the evil from among you. 20 And (AP)the rest of the people will hear and be afraid, and will never again do such an evil thing among you. 21 So [ac](AQ)you shall not show pity: (AR)life for life, (AS)eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, and foot for foot.
Laws of Warfare
20 “When you go out to battle against your enemies and see (AT)horses, chariots, and people more numerous than you, (AU)do not be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, who brought you up from the land of Egypt, is with you. 2 When you are approaching the battle, the priest shall come forward and speak to the people. 3 He shall say to them, ‘Hear, Israel, you are approaching the battle against your enemies today. Do not be fainthearted. (AV)Do not be afraid, or panic, or be terrified by them, 4 for the Lord your God (AW)is the One who is going with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.’ 5 The officers also shall speak to the people, saying, ‘Who is the man that has built a new house but has not (AX)dedicated it? Let him go and return to his house, otherwise he might die in the battle and another man would dedicate it. 6 And who is the man that has planted a vineyard but has not [ad]put it to use? Let him go and return to his house, otherwise he might die in the battle and another man [ae]would put it to use. 7 (AY)And who is the man that is [af]betrothed to a woman and has not [ag]married her? Let him go and return to his house, otherwise he might die in the battle and another man would [ah]marry her.’ 8 Then the officers shall speak further to the people and say, ‘(AZ)Who is the man that is afraid and fainthearted? Let him go and return to his house, so that [ai]he does not make his brothers’ hearts melt like his heart!’ 9 And when the officers have finished speaking to the people, they shall appoint commanders of armies at the head of the people.
10 “When you approach a city to fight against it, you shall [aj]offer it terms of peace. 11 And if it [ak]agrees to make peace with you and opens to you, then all the people who are found in it shall become your (BA)forced labor and serve you. 12 However, if it does not make peace with you, but makes war against you, then you shall besiege it. 13 When the Lord your God gives it into your hand, (BB)you shall strike all the [al]men in it with the edge of the sword. 14 However, the women, the children, (BC)the animals, and everything that is in the city, all of its spoils, you shall take as plunder for yourself; and you shall [am]use the spoils of your enemies which the Lord your God has given you. 15 This is what you shall do to all the cities that are very far from you, which are not of the cities of these nations [an]nearby. 16 (BD)Only in the cities of these peoples that the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, you shall not leave anything that breathes alive. 17 Instead, you shall [ao]utterly destroy them, the Hittite and the Amorite, the Canaanite and the Perizzite, the Hivite and the Jebusite, just as the Lord your God has commanded you, 18 so that they will not teach you to do [ap](BE)all the same detestable practices of theirs which they have done for their gods, [aq]by which you would (BF)sin against the Lord your God.
19 “When you besiege a city for a long time, to make war against it in order to capture it, you shall not destroy its trees by swinging an axe against them; for you may eat from them, so you shall not cut them down. For [ar]is the tree of the field a human, that it should [as]be besieged by you? 20 Only the trees that you know [at]are not fruit trees you shall destroy and cut down, so that you may construct siegeworks against the city that is making war against you until it falls.
The Transfiguration
28 (A)About eight days after these sayings, He took along (B)Peter, John, and James, and (C)went up on the mountain (D)to pray. 29 And while He was (E)praying, the appearance of His face (F)became different, and His clothing became white and [a]gleaming. 30 And behold, two men were talking with Him; and they were Moses and Elijah, 31 who, appearing in [b]glory, were speaking of His (G)departure, which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. 32 Now Peter and his companions (H)had been overcome with sleep; but when they were fully awake, they saw His glory and the two men who were standing with Him. 33 And as [c]these two men were leaving Him, Peter said to Jesus, “(I)Master, it is good that we are here; and (J)let’s make three [d]tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah”—(K)not realizing what he was saying. 34 But while he was saying this, a cloud [e]formed and began to overshadow them; and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. 35 And then (L)a voice came from the cloud, saying, “(M)This is My Son, My Chosen One; listen to Him!” 36 And when the voice [f]had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And (N)they kept silent, and reported to no one in those days any of the things which they had seen.
37 (O)On the next day, when they came down from the mountain, a large crowd met Him. 38 And a man from the crowd shouted, saying, “Teacher, I beg You to look at my son, because he is my only son, 39 and a spirit seizes him and he suddenly screams, and it throws him into a convulsion with foaming at the mouth; and only with difficulty does it leave him, mauling him as it leaves. 40 And I begged Your disciples to cast it out, and they could not.” 41 And Jesus answered and said, “You unbelieving and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you and put up with you? Bring your son here.” 42 Now while he was still approaching, the demon slammed him to the ground and threw him into a convulsion. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, and healed the boy and gave him back to his father. 43 And they were all amazed at the [g](P)greatness of God.
(Q)But while everyone was astonished at all that He was doing, He said to His disciples, 44 “As for you, let these words sink into your ears: (R)for the Son of Man is going to be [h]handed over to men.” 45 But (S)they [i]did not understand this statement, and it was concealed from them so that they would not comprehend it; and they were afraid to ask Him about this statement.
The Test of Greatness
46 (T)Now an argument [j]started among them as to which of them might be the greatest. 47 But Jesus, (U)knowing [k]what they were thinking in their hearts, took a child and had him stand by His side, 48 and He said to them, “(V)Whoever receives this child in My name receives Me, and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me; (W)for the one who is least among all of you, this is the one who is great.”
49 (X)John answered and said, “(Y)Master, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name; and we tried to prevent him, because he does not follow along with us.” 50 But Jesus said to him, “Do not hinder him; (Z)for the one who is not against you is [l]for you.”
BOOK 3
The End of the Wicked Contrasted with That of the Righteous.
A Psalm of Asaph.
73 God certainly is (A)good to Israel,
To those who are (B)pure in heart!
2 But as for me, (C)my feet came close to stumbling,
My steps [a]had almost slipped.
3 For I was (D)envious of the [b]arrogant
As I saw the (E)prosperity of the wicked.
4 For there are no pains in their death,
And their belly is fat.
5 They are (F)not [c]in trouble like other people,
Nor are they (G)tormented together with the rest of mankind.
6 Therefore arrogance is (H)their necklace;
The (I)garment of violence covers them.
7 Their eye [d]bulges from (J)fatness;
The imaginations of their heart overflow.
8 They (K)mock and [e]wickedly speak of oppression;
They (L)speak from on high.
9 They have (M)set their mouth [f]against the heavens,
And their tongue [g]parades through the earth.
10 Therefore [h]his people return here,
And (N)abundant waters are drunk by them.
11 They say, “(O)How does God know?
And is there knowledge [i]with the Most High?”
12 Behold, (P)these are the wicked;
And always (Q)at ease, they have increased in wealth.
13 Surely (R)in vain I have [j]kept my heart pure
And (S)washed my hands in innocence;
14 For I have been stricken (T)all day long,
And [k](U)punished every morning.
15 If I had said, “I will speak this way,”
Behold, I would have betrayed the (V)generation of Your children.
16 When I (W)thought of understanding this,
It was [l]troublesome in my sight
17 Until I entered the [m](X)sanctuary of God;
Then I perceived their (Y)end.
18 You indeed put them on (Z)slippery ground;
You dropped them into [n](AA)ruin.
19 How they are [o](AB)destroyed in a moment!
They are utterly swept away by (AC)sudden terrors!
20 Like a (AD)dream when one awakes,
Lord, when (AE)stirred, You will (AF)despise their image.
21 When my (AG)heart was embittered
And I was (AH)pierced [p]within,
22 Then I was (AI)stupid and ignorant;
I was like an (AJ)animal [q]before You.
23 Nevertheless (AK)I am continually with You;
You have taken hold of my right hand.
24 You will (AL)guide me with Your plan,
And afterward (AM)receive me [r]to glory.
25 (AN)Whom do I have in heaven but You?
And with You, I desire nothing on earth.
26 My (AO)flesh and my heart may fail,
But God is the [s]strength of my heart and my (AP)portion forever.
27 For, behold, (AQ)those who are far from You will (AR)perish;
You have destroyed all those who [t](AS)are unfaithful to You.
28 But as for me, (AT)the nearness of God is good for me;
I have made the Lord [u]God my (AU)refuge,
So that I may (AV)tell of all Your works.
10 A (A)righteous person has regard for the life of his animal,
But even the compassion of the wicked is cruel.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.