Old/New Testament
Scheduled Festivals
23 The Lord told Moses, 2 “Tell the Israelis that these are my festival times appointed by the Lord[a] that you are to declare as sacred assemblies: 3 Six days you may work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of rest, a sacred assembly. You are not to do any work. It’s a Sabbath to the Lord wherever you live.[b] 4 These are the Lord’s appointed festivals and sacred assemblies that you are to declare at their appointed time.
5 “The Lord’s Passover is to begin on the fourteenth day of the first month at twilight.[c] 6 On the fifteenth day of that month is the Festival of Unleavened Bread to the Lord. For seven days you are to eat unleavened bread. 7 On the first day that you hold the sacred assembly, you are to do no servile work. 8 Instead, you are to bring an offering made by fire to the Lord daily for seven days. On the seventh day, you are also to hold a sacred assembly during which you are to do no servile work.”
First Fruit Offerings
9 The Lord told Moses, 10 “Tell the Israelis that when you enter the land that I’m about to give you and gather its produce, you are to bring a sheaf from the first portion of your harvest to the priest, 11 who will offer the sheaf in the Lord’s presence for your acceptance. The priest is to wave it on the day after the Sabbath. 12 On the day you wave the sheaf, you are to offer a one year old male lamb without defect for a burnt offering in the Lord’s presence. 13 Also present a meal offering of two tenths of a measure of[d] fine flour mixed with olive oil as an offering made by fire to the Lord, a pleasing aroma. Now as to a drink offering, you are to present a fourth of a hin[e] of wine. 14 You are not to eat bread, parched grain, or fresh grain until that day[f] when you’ve brought the offering of your God. This is to be[g] an eternal ordinance throughout your generations, wherever you live.”
New Meal Offerings
15 “Starting the day after the Sabbath, count for yourselves seven weeks from the day you brought the sheaf of the wave offering. They are to be complete. 16 Count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath, then bring a new meal offering to the Lord. 17 Bring two loaves[h] of bread from home as wave offerings made from two tenths of fine flour baked with leaven as first fruits to the Lord. 18 Along with the loaves of bread, bring seven lambs (each of them[i] one year old and without defect), one young bull as an offering, and two rams as offerings to the Lord—along with your gift and drink offerings—and present them as an offering made by fire, a pleasing aroma to the Lord. 19 Prepare one male goat for a sin offering and two one year old rams for peace offerings. 20 Then the priest is to wave them—the two lambs with the bread of first fruits—as raised offerings in the Lord’s presence. They’ll be sacred to the Lord on account of the priest.
21 “On the same day, proclaim a sacred assembly for yourselves. You are not to do any servile work—and this is to be an eternal ordinance wherever you live throughout your generations. 22 Furthermore, when you harvest the produce of your land, you are not to harvest all the way to the corners of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and resident alien. I am the Lord your God.”
Offerings in the Seventh Month(A)
23 The Lord told Moses, 24 “Tell the Israelis that on the first day of the seventh month you are to have a Sabbath of rest for you—a memorial announced by a loud blast of trumpets. It is to be a sacred assembly. 25 You are not to do any servile work. Instead, bring an offering made by fire to the Lord.”
Day of Atonement
26 The Lord spoke to Moses, 27 “However, on the tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. It’s a sacred assembly for you. Humble yourselves[j] and bring an offering made by fire to the Lord. 28 You are not to do any work that same day. It’s the Day of Atonement, because your atonement is made in the presence of the Lord your God. 29 Anyone who doesn’t humble himself that same day is to be eliminated from contact with his people.[k] 30 I’ll eliminate anyone who does work that day from among his people. 31 You are not to do any work. This is to be an eternal ordinance throughout your generations, wherever you live. 32 It’s a Sabbath of rest[l] for you on which you are to humble yourselves starting the evening of the ninth day of the month. You are to observe your Sabbath from evening to evening.”
Festival of Tents
33 The Lord spoke to Moses, 34 “Tell the Israelis that starting the fifteenth day of this seventh month is the week-long Festival of Tents to the Lord. 35 On the first day, you are to hold a sacred assembly, when you are not to do any servile work. 36 For seven days, bring offerings made by fire to the Lord. The eighth day is also to be a sacred assembly for you. Bring offerings made by fire to the Lord. It’s a sacred assembly. You are not to do any servile work.
37 “These are the Lord’s appointed festivals that you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies. Bring offerings made by fire to the Lord—a whole burnt offering, a meal offering, a sacrifice, and drink offerings. Do this every day on its assigned date 38 in addition to the Lord’s Sabbath—regarding your gifts, your offerings in fulfillment of vows, and your freely given offerings that you will bring to the Lord.
39 “On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you’ve harvested the produce of the land, you are to observe the festival of the Lord for seven days. The first day is to be a Sabbath rest, and the eighth day also is to be a Sabbath rest.
40 “On the first day, take branches from impressive fruit trees,[m] branches from palm trees, boughs from thick trees, and poplars from the brooks. Then you are to rejoice in the presence of the Lord your God for seven days. 41 Observe it as a pilgrimage festival in the presence of the Lord for seven days of the year. This is to be an eternal ordinance throughout your generations. Observe the festival during the seventh month. 42 You are to live in tents for seven days. Every native born of Israel is to live in tents 43 in order for your future[n] generations to know that the Israelis lived in tents when I brought them out of the land of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.”
44 This is what Moses spoke about to the Israelis regarding the Lord’s appointed festivals.
The Lamp
24 The Lord spoke to Moses, 2 “Tell the Israelis that they are to bring to you pure oil made from beaten olives in order to keep the lamp burning continuously. 3 Outside the Canopy of the Testimony in the Tent of Meeting, Aaron is to arrange it continually in the Lord’s presence from evening until morning as an eternal ordinance throughout your generations. 4 He is to arrange the lamps so that they burn continuously on a ceremonially pure lamp stand in the Lord’s presence. 5 Take fine flour and bake twelve cakes using two tenths of a measure[o] for each cake. 6 Arrange them in two rows—six in each row—on a ceremonially pure table in the Lord’s presence. 7 Put pure frankincense on each row for a memorial offering. It will serve as an offering made by fire to the Lord. 8 They are to be arranged every Sabbath day[p] in the Lord’s presence as a gift[q] from the Israelis—an eternal covenant. 9 This gift[r] will belong to Aaron and his sons, and they are to eat it in a sacred place, because it’s the most holy thing for him of all the offerings made by fire to the Lord. This is to be an eternal ordinance.”
A Case History of Blasphemy
10 Now a son of an Israeli woman and an Egyptian man[s] went out among the Israelis. The Israeli woman’s son got into a fight with an Israeli man in the camp. 11 Then the Israeli woman’s son blasphemed the Name and cursed, so they brought him to Moses. His mother’s name was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri, from the tribe of Dan. 12 They placed him in custody until a decision would be made[t] to them according to the word[u] of the Lord. 13 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, 14 “Take the one who cursed outside the camp. Everyone who heard him is to lay their hands on his head. Then the entire congregation is to stone him to death. 15 Moreover, tell the Israelis that anyone who curses his God will bear the consequences of his own sin, 16 because the one who blasphemes the name of the Lord is certainly to be put to death. The entire congregation is to stone him to death. As it is for the resident alien, so it is to be with the native born: when he blasphemes the Name, he is to be put to death.
17 “If a man beats a human being[v] to death,[w] he is certainly to be executed, 18 but whoever beats an animal to death is to replace it—life for life. 19 If a man disfigures his fellow, whatever he did is to be done to him also. 20 Fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth—just as he had caused a disfigurement against another man, so it is to be done against him. 21 Whoever beats an animal to death is to replace it, but whoever beats a human being to death[x] is to be put to death. 22 You are to have for yourselves consistent[y] procedures in deciding a case. As it is for the resident alien, so it is for the native born. I am the Lord your God.”
23 So Moses spoke to the Israelis and they brought the one who cursed outside the camp and stoned him to death with boulders. The Israelis did just as the Lord had commanded Moses.
John the Baptist Prepares the Way for Jesus(A)
1 This is[a] the beginning of the gospel of Jesus the Messiah,[b] the Son of God.[c] 2 As it is written in the prophet Isaiah,
“See! I am sending my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way.[d]
3 He is a voice calling out in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way for the Lord![e]
Make his paths straight!’”[f]
4 John was baptizing in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism about repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 People from[g] the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were flocking to him, being baptized by him while they confessed their sins. 6 Now John was dressed in camel’s hair with[h] a leather belt around his waist. He ate grasshoppers[i] and wild honey. 7 He kept proclaiming, “The one who is coming after me is stronger than I am, and I am not worthy to bend down and untie his sandal straps. 8 I baptized you with[j] water, but it is he who will baptize you with[k] the Holy Spirit.”
Jesus is Baptized(B)
9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 Just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens split open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 Then a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love. I am pleased with you!”
Jesus is Tempted by Satan(C)
12 At once the Spirit drove him into the wilderness. 13 He was in the wilderness for 40 days being tempted by Satan. He was among wild animals, and angels were ministering to him.
Jesus Begins His Ministry in Galilee(D)
14 Now after John had been arrested, Jesus went to Galilee and proclaimed the gospel about the kingdom[l] of God. 15 He said, “The time is now! The kingdom of God is near! Repent, and keep believing the gospel!”
Jesus Calls His First Disciples(E)
16 While Jesus[m] was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew. They were throwing a net into the sea because they were fishermen. 17 Jesus told them, “Follow me, and I’ll make you fishers of people!” 18 So immediately they left their nets and followed him. 19 Going on a little farther, he saw James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They were in a boat repairing their nets. 20 He immediately called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.
Jesus Heals a Man with an Unclean Spirit(F)
21 Then they went to Capernaum. As soon as it was the Sabbaths, Jesus[n] went into the synagogue and began to teach. 22 The people[o] were utterly amazed at his teaching, because he was teaching them like one with authority, and not like their scribes.
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