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Leviticus 1-3

I. Ritual of Sacrifices

A. Instructions for the Israelites

Chapter 1

Burnt Offerings. ¹The Lord called Moses, and spoke to him from the tent of meeting:^(A) ²Speak to the Israelites and tell them: When any one of you^[a] brings an offering of livestock to the Lord, you shall bring your offering from the herd or from the flock.^(B)

³^[b]^(C)If a person’s offering is a burnt offering^[c] from the herd, the offering must be a male without blemish.^(D) The individual shall bring it to the entrance of the tent of meeting to find favor with the Lord, ⁴and shall lay a hand^[d] on the head^(E) of the burnt offering, so that it may be acceptable^(F) to make atonement^(G) for the one who offers it. ⁵The bull shall then be slaughtered^[e] before the Lord, and Aaron’s sons, the priests, shall offer its blood by splashing it on all the sides of the altar which is at the entrance of the tent of meeting.^(H) ⁶Then the burnt offering shall be flayed and cut into pieces. ⁷After Aaron’s sons, the priests, have put burning embers on the altar and laid wood on them, ⁸they shall lay the pieces of meat, together with the head and the suet, on top of the wood and the embers on the altar; ⁹but the inner organs and the shanks shall be washed with water. The priest shall then burn all of it on the altar as a burnt offering, a sweet-smelling oblation to the Lord.^(I)

¹⁰If a person’s burnt offering is from the flock, that is, a sheep or a goat, the offering must be a male without blemish. ¹¹It shall be slaughtered on the north side of the altar before the Lord, and Aaron’s sons, the priests, shall splash its blood on all the sides of the altar. ¹²When it has been cut into pieces, the priest shall lay these, together with the head and suet, on top of the wood and the embers on the altar; ¹³but the inner organs and the shanks shall be washed with water. The priest shall then offer all of it, burning it on the altar. It is a burnt offering, a sweet-smelling oblation to the Lord.

¹⁴If a person offers a bird as a burnt offering to the Lord, the offering brought must be a turtledove or a pigeon.^(J) ¹⁵Having brought it to the altar, the priest shall wring its head off and burn it on the altar. The blood shall be drained out against the side of the altar.^(K) ¹⁶He shall remove its crissum^[f] by means of its feathers and throw it on the ash heap at the east side of the altar. ¹⁷Then, having torn the bird open by its wings without separating the halves, the priest shall burn it on the altar, on the wood and the embers. It is a burnt offering, a sweet-smelling oblation to the Lord.

Chapter 2

Grain Offerings. ¹^[g]^(L)When anyone brings a grain offering to the Lord, the offering must consist of bran flour. The offerer shall pour oil on it and put frankincense^(M) over it, ²and bring it to Aaron’s sons, the priests. A priest shall take a handful of the bran flour and oil, together with all the frankincense, and shall burn it on the altar as a token of the offering,^[h] a sweet-smelling oblation to the Lord.^(N) ³The rest of the grain offering belongs to Aaron and his sons,^(O) a most holy^(P) portion from the oblations to the Lord.

⁴When you offer a grain offering baked in an oven, it must be in the form of unleavened cakes made of bran flour mixed with oil, or of unleavened wafers spread with oil.^(Q) ⁵If your offering is a grain offering that is fried on a griddle,^(R) it must be of bran flour mixed with oil and unleavened. ⁶Break it into pieces, and pour oil over it. It is a grain offering. ⁷If your offering is a grain offering that is prepared in a pan, it must be made of bran flour, fried in oil. ⁸A grain offering that is made in any of these ways you shall bring to the Lord. It shall be presented to the priest, who shall take it to the altar. ⁹The priest shall then remove from the grain offering a token and burn it on the altar as a sweet-smelling oblation to the Lord. ¹⁰The rest of the grain offering belongs to Aaron and his sons, a most holy portion from the oblations to the Lord.

¹¹^[i]Every grain offering that you present to the Lord shall be unleavened, for you shall not burn any leaven or honey as an oblation to the Lord.^(S) ¹²Such you may present to the Lord in the offering of the first produce that is processed,^(T) but they are not to be placed on the altar for a pleasing odor. ¹³You shall season all your grain offerings with salt. Do not let the salt of the covenant with your God^[j] be lacking from your grain offering. On every offering you shall offer salt.^(U)

¹⁴If you offer a grain offering of first ripe fruits to the Lord, you shall offer it in the form of fresh early grain, roasted by fire and crushed as a grain offering of your first ripe fruits. ¹⁵You shall put oil on it and set frankincense on it. It is a grain offering. ¹⁶The priest shall then burn some of the groats and oil, together with all the frankincense, as a token of the offering, an oblation to the Lord.

Chapter 3

Communion Sacrifices. ¹^[k]^(V)If a person’s offering is a communion sacrifice, if it is brought from the herd, be it a male or a female animal, it must be presented without blemish^(W) before the Lord. ²The one offering it shall lay a hand on the head^(X) of the offering. It shall then be slaughtered at the entrance of the tent of meeting. Aaron’s sons, the priests, shall splash its blood on all the sides of the altar. ³^(Y)From the communion sacrifice the individual shall offer as an oblation to the Lord the fat^[l] that covers the inner organs, and all the fat that adheres to them, ⁴as well as the two kidneys, with the fat on them near the loins, and the lobe of the liver, which is removed with the kidneys. ⁵Aaron’s sons shall burn this on the altar with the burnt offering that is on the wood and the embers, as a sweet-smelling oblation to the Lord.^(Z)

⁶If the communion sacrifice one offers to the Lord is from the flock, be it a male or a female animal, it must be presented without blemish. ⁷If one presents a lamb as an offering, that person shall bring it before the Lord, ⁸and after laying a hand on the head of the offering, it shall then be slaughtered before the tent of meeting. Aaron’s sons shall splash its blood on all the sides of the altar. ⁹From the communion sacrifice the individual shall present as an oblation to the Lord its fat: the whole fatty tail, which is removed close to the spine, the fat that covers the inner organs, and all the fat that adheres to them, ¹⁰as well as the two kidneys, with the fat on them near the loins, and the lobe of the liver, which is removed with the kidneys. ¹¹The priest shall burn this on the altar as food,^(AA) an oblation to the Lord.

¹²If a person’s offering is a goat, the individual shall bring it before the Lord, ¹³and after laying a hand on its head, it shall then be slaughtered before the tent of meeting. Aaron’s sons shall splash its blood on all the sides of the altar. ¹⁴From this the one sacrificing shall present an offering as an oblation to the Lord: the fat that covers the inner organs, and all the fat that adheres to them, ¹⁵as well as the two kidneys, with the fat on them near the loins, and the lobe of the liver, which is removed with the kidneys. ¹⁶The priest shall burn these on the altar as food, a sweet-smelling oblation.

All the fat belongs to the Lord. ¹⁷This shall be a perpetual ordinance for your descendants wherever they may dwell. You shall not eat any fat or any blood.^[m]^(AB)

Footnotes

1:2 Any one of you: women as well as men bring sacrifices (see 12:6–8; 15:28–30) and are explicitly obligated in other ritual matters (e.g., 13:29, 38; Nm 5:6; 6:2; Lk 2:24). Thus, though the Hebrew formulates sacrificial and other law with male reference, the translation reflects the inclusion of women in ritual requirements. From the herd or from the flock: the only animals which could be used as sacrificial victims were domestic animals either of the bovine class (bulls, cows and calves) or the ovine class (sheep and lambs, goats and kids). Excluded, therefore, were not only all wild animals, but also such “unclean” domestic animals as the camel and the donkey (cf. 11:1–47; 27:26–27).
1:3–5 Entrance of the tent of meeting…before the Lord: probably the forecourt from the entrance of the court to the entrance of the tent (cf. Ex 27). Thus the altar in front of the tent was entirely accessible to the laity.
1:3 The burnt offering is used for regular daily (6:1–6) offerings, public festivals (Nm 28–29), purification rituals (Lv 12:6–8; 14:19–20; 15:15, 30), and individuals’ vows and voluntary offerings (22:18–20).
1:4 Lay a hand: the imposition of a single hand for the sacrifices in chaps. 1–5 may be a means of designating the animal as belonging to the offerer. See note on 16:21. Atonement: see note on 16:6.
1:5 Shall then be slaughtered: lit., “he shall slaughter the bull.” Slaughtering is not something the offerer must do (as opposed to, for example, hand placement [v. 4] or the presentation of sacrificial portions as an elevated offering [7:29–34]). Thus the verb is construed impersonally here.
1:16 Crissum: the area around the anus of the bird, lying beneath the bird’s tail.
2:1 Grain offerings are used as independent offerings (those in this chapter and cf. 6:12–16; 8:26–27; 23:10–11), as substitutes for other offerings in a case of poverty (5:11–13), and as accompaniments to animal offerings (cf. Nm 15:1–12; 28:1–29:39; Lv 14:20; 23:12, 18, 37). Chapter 2 describes two basic types of grain offering: uncooked (vv. 1–3) and cooked (vv. 4–10). The flour (sōlet) used was made of wheat (Ex 29:2) and Jewish tradition and Semitic cognates indicate that it is a coarse rather than a fine flour.
2:2 Token of the offering: lit., “reminder.” Instead of burning the whole grain offering, only this part is burned on the altar.
2:11–12 No grain offering that is leavened can be offered on the altar. Those in 7:13 and 23:17 are leavened but not offered on the altar. The Hebrew word for “honey” may refer to fruit syrup as well as to bee honey.
2:13 The salt of the covenant with your God: partaking of salt in common was an ancient symbol of friendship and alliance. Cf. Mark 9:49–50 and Col 4:6.
3:1 The exact meaning of Hebrew shelamim, “communion sacrifice,” is not clear. It has also been rendered “gift,” “(re)payment,” “peace,” “well-being,” or “covenant” offering. This offering may be brought for a vow or voluntary offering (cf. 22:21). A distinct version of the communion sacrifice is the thanksgiving offering (7:11–15 vis-à-vis vv. 16–18).
3:3–5 Fat: only part of the offering is devoted to God, as opposed to the burnt offering (chap. 1), which is wholly burnt (except for the skin). The meat is distributed among the offerer (and the offerer’s party) and the priests (cf. 7:11–36).
3:17 Any fat or any blood: this prohibition is mentioned here because portions of this offering could be eaten by lay Israelites, who may not be entirely familiar with the prohibition (cf. 7:22–27; 19:26). The fat prohibited is only the visceral fat mentioned in 3:9–10, 14–15, not muscular fat.

Matthew 24:1-28

Chapter 24

The Destruction of the Temple Foretold. ¹^[a]^(A)Jesus left the temple area and was going away, when his disciples approached him to point out the temple buildings. ²^[b]He said to them in reply, “You see all these things, do you not? Amen, I say to you, there will not be left here a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down.”

The Beginning of Calamities. ³As he was sitting on the Mount of Olives,^[c] the disciples approached him privately and said, “Tell us, when will this happen, and what sign will there be of your coming, and of the end of the age?” ⁴^[d]Jesus said to them in reply, “See that no one deceives you. ⁵For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and they will deceive many. ⁶^(B)You will hear of wars^[e] and reports of wars; see that you are not alarmed, for these things must happen, but it will not yet be the end. ⁷^(C)Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be famines and earthquakes from place to place. ⁸^[f]All these are the beginning of the labor pains. ⁹^[g]^(D)Then they will hand you over to persecution, and they will kill you. You will be hated by all nations because of my name. ¹⁰And then many will be led into sin; they will betray and hate one another. ¹¹Many false prophets will arise and deceive many; ¹²and because of the increase of evildoing, the love of many will grow cold. ¹³^(E)But the one who perseveres to the end will be saved. ¹⁴^(F)And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the world as a witness to all nations,^[h] and then the end will come.

The Great Tribulation.^[i] ¹⁵^(G)“When you see the desolating abomination^[j] spoken of through Daniel the prophet standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), ¹⁶then those in Judea must flee^[k] to the mountains, ¹⁷^[l]^(H)a person on the housetop must not go down to get things out of his house, ¹⁸a person in the field must not return to get his cloak. ¹⁹Woe to pregnant women and nursing mothers in those days. ²⁰^[m]Pray that your flight not be in winter or on the sabbath, ²¹^[n]^(I)for at that time there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will be. ²²And if those days had not been shortened, no one would be saved; but for the sake of the elect they will be shortened. ²³^(J)If anyone says to you then, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. ²⁴False messiahs and false prophets will arise, and they will perform signs and wonders so great as to deceive, if that were possible, even the elect. ²⁵Behold, I have told it to you beforehand. ²⁶So if they say to you, ‘He is in the desert,’ do not go out there; if they say, ‘He is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it.^[o] ²⁷^(K)For just as lightning comes from the east and is seen as far as the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be. ²⁸Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.

Footnotes

24:1–25:46 The discourse of the fifth book, the last of the five around which the gospel is structured. It is called the “eschatological” discourse since it deals with the coming of the new age (the eschaton) in its fullness, with events that will precede it, and with how the disciples are to conduct themselves while awaiting an event that is as certain as its exact time is unknown to all but the Father (Mt 24:36). The discourse may be divided into two parts, Mt 24:1–44 and Mt 24:45–25:46. In the first, Matthew follows his Marcan source (Mk 13:1–37) closely. The second is drawn from Q and from the evangelist’s own traditional material. Both parts show Matthew’s editing of his sources by deletions, additions, and modifications. The vigilant waiting that is emphasized in the second part does not mean a cessation of ordinary activity and concentration only on what is to come, but a faithful accomplishment of duties at hand, with awareness that the end, for which the disciples must always be ready, will entail the great judgment by which the everlasting destiny of all will be determined.
24:2 As in Mark, Jesus predicts the destruction of the temple. By omitting the Marcan story of the widow’s contribution (Mk 12:41–44) that immediately precedes the prediction in that gospel, Matthew has established a close connection between it and Mt 23:38, “…your house will be abandoned desolate.”
24:3 The Mount of Olives: see note on Mt 21:1. The disciples: cf. Mk 13:3–4 where only Peter, James, John, and Andrew put the question that is answered by the discourse. In both gospels, however, the question is put privately: the ensuing discourse is only for those who are disciples of Jesus. When will this happen…end of the age?: Matthew distinguishes carefully between the destruction of the temple (this) and the coming of Jesus that will bring the end of the age. In Mark the two events are more closely connected, a fact that may be explained by Mark’s believing that the one would immediately succeed the other. Coming: this translates the Greek word parousia, which is used in the gospels only here and in Mt 24:27, 37, 39. It designated the official visit of a ruler to a city or the manifestation of a saving deity, and it was used by Christians to refer to the final coming of Jesus in glory, a term first found in the New Testament with that meaning in 1 Thes 2:19. The end of the age: see note on Mt 13:39.
24:4–14 This section of the discourse deals with calamities in the world (Mt 24:6–7) and in the church (Mt 24:9–12). The former must happen before the end comes (Mt 24:6), but they are only the beginning of the labor pains (Mt 24:8). (It may be noted that the Greek word translated the end in Mt 24:6 and in Mt 24:13–14 is not the same as the phrase “the end of the age” in Mt 24:3, although the meaning is the same.) The latter are sufferings of the church, both from within and without, that will last until the gospel is preached…to all nations. Then the end will come and those who have endured the sufferings with fidelity will be saved (Mt 24:13–14).
24:6–7 The disturbances mentioned here are a commonplace of apocalyptic language, as is the assurance that they must happen (see Dn 2:28 LXX), for that is the plan of God. Kingdom against kingdom: see Is 19:2.
24:8 The labor pains: the tribulations leading up to the end of the age are compared to the pains of a woman about to give birth. There is much attestation for rabbinic use of the phrase “the woes (or birth pains) of the Messiah” after the New Testament period, but in at least one instance it is attributed to a rabbi who lived in the late first century A.D. In this Jewish usage it meant the distress of the time preceding the coming of the Messiah; here, the labor pains precede the coming of the Son of Man in glory.
24:9–12 Matthew has used Mk 13:9–12 in his missionary discourse (Mt 10:17–21) and omits it here. Besides the sufferings, including death, and the hatred of all nations that the disciples will have to endure, there will be worse affliction within the church itself. This is described in Mt 24:10–12, which are peculiar to Matthew. Will be led into sin: literally, “will be scandalized,” probably meaning that they will become apostates; see Mt 13:21 where “fall away” translates the same Greek word as here. Betray: in the Greek this is the same word as the hand over of Mt 24:9. The handing over to persecution and hatred from outside will have their counterpart within the church. False prophets: these are Christians; see note on Mt 7:15–20. Evildoing: see Mt 7:23. Because of the apocalyptic nature of much of this discourse, the literal meaning of this description of the church should not be pressed too hard. However, there is reason to think that Matthew’s addition of these verses reflects in some measure the condition of his community.
24:14 Except for the last part (and then the end will come), this verse substantially repeats Mk 13:10. The Matthean addition raises a problem since what follows in Mt 24:15–23 refers to the horrors of the First Jewish Revolt including the destruction of the temple, and Matthew, writing after that time, knew that the parousia of Jesus was still in the future. A solution may be that the evangelist saw the events of those verses as foreshadowing the cosmic disturbances that he associates with the parousia (Mt 24:29) so that the period in which the former took place could be understood as belonging to the end.
24:15–28 Cf. Mk 13:14–23; Lk 17:23–24, 37. A further stage in the tribulations that will precede the coming of the Son of Man, and an answer to the question of Mt 24:3a, “when will this (the destruction of the temple) happen?”
24:15 The desolating abomination: in 167 B.C. the Syrian king Antiochus IV Epiphanes desecrated the temple by setting up in it a statue of Zeus Olympios (see 1 Mc 1:54). That event is referred to in Dn 12:11 LXX as the “desolating abomination” (NAB “horrible abomination”) and the same Greek term is used here; cf. also Dn 9:27; 11:31. Although the desecration had taken place before Daniel was written, it is presented there as a future event, and Matthew sees that “prophecy” fulfilled in the desecration of the temple by the Romans. In the holy place: the temple; more precise than Mark’s where he should not (Mk 13:14). Let the reader understand: this parenthetical remark, taken from Mk 13:14 invites the reader to realize the meaning of Daniel’s “prophecy.”
24:16 The tradition that the Christians of Jerusalem fled from that city to Pella, a city of Transjordan, at the time of the First Jewish Revolt is found in Eusebius (Ecclesiastical History, 3:5:3), who attributes the flight to “a certain oracle given by revelation before the war.” The tradition is not improbable but the Matthean command, derived from its Marcan source, is vague in respect to the place of flight (to the mountains), although some scholars see it as applicable to the flight to Pella.
24:17–19 Haste is essential, and the journey will be particularly difficult for women who are burdened with unborn or infant children.
24:20 On the sabbath: this addition to in winter (cf. Mk 13:18) has been understood as an indication that Matthew was addressed to a church still observing the Mosaic law of sabbath rest and the scribal limitations upon the length of journeys that might lawfully be made on that day. That interpretation conflicts with Matthew’s view on sabbath observance (cf. Mt 12:1–14). The meaning of the addition may be that those undertaking on the sabbath a journey such as the one here ordered would be offending the sensibilities of law-observant Jews and would incur their hostility.
24:21 For the unparalleled distress of that time, see Dn 12:1.
24:26–28 Claims that the Messiah is to be found in some distant or secret place must be ignored. The coming of the Son of Man will be as clear as lightning is to all and as the corpse of an animal is to vultures; cf. Lk 17:24, 37. Here there is clear identification of the Son of Man and the Messiah; cf. Mt 24:23.

New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE)

Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

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Old/New Testament

I. Ritual of Sacrifices

A. Instructions for the Israelites

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Footnotes

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Chapter 24

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Old/New Testament

I. Ritual of Sacrifices

A. Instructions for the Israelites

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Footnotes

Cross references

Chapter 24

Footnotes

Cross references