Old/New Testament
Offering Sacrifices
17 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Speak to Aaron, his sons, and all the ·people [L sons; children] of Israel. Tell them: ‘This is what the Lord has commanded. 3 If ·an Israelite [L a person from the house of Israel] ·kills [slaughters] an ox, a lamb, or a goat either inside the camp or outside it, 4 when he should have brought the animal to the entrance of the Meeting Tent as a ·gift [offering] to the Lord in front of the Lord’s ·Holy Tent [sanctuary], he is guilty of ·killing [L shedding blood]. He has ·killed [L shed blood], and he must be cut off from the people. 5 This rule is so ·people [L the sons/T children of Israel] will bring their sacrifices, which they have been sacrificing in the open fields, to the Lord. They must bring those animals to the Lord at the entrance of the Meeting Tent; they must bring them to the priest and offer them as ·fellowship [or peace; well-being] offerings [3:1]. 6 Then the priest will ·sprinkle [dash] the blood from those animals on the Lord’s altar near the entrance of the Meeting Tent. And he will ·burn [L turn into smoke] the fat from those animals on the altar [3:17], as a smell pleasing to the Lord. 7 They must not offer any more sacrifices to their goat idols [C goat images representing demons; 2 Chr. 11:15; Is. 13:21; 34:14], which they have chased like prostitutes [C spiritual infidelity is often likened to marital infidelity; Hos. 1:2]. These ·rules [statutes; ordinances; requirements] will continue for people ·from now on [L throughout their generations].’
8 “Tell the people this: ‘If ·any citizen [L anyone from the house] of Israel or ·foreigner living with you [sojourner; wanderer; resident alien] offers a burnt offering [1:1–17] or sacrifice, 9 that person must take his sacrifice to the entrance of the Meeting Tent to offer it to the Lord. If he does not do this, he must be cut off from the people.
10 “‘I will be against ·any citizen [L anyone from the house] of Israel or ·foreigner living with you [sojourner; wanderer; resident alien] who eats blood [3:17]. I will cut off that person from the people. 11 This is because the life of the body is in the blood, and I have given you rules for pouring that blood on the altar ·to remove your sins so you will belong to the Lord [to make atonement]. It is the blood that ·removes the sins [makes atonement], because it is life. 12 So I tell the ·people [L sons; children] of Israel this: “None of you may eat blood, and no ·foreigner living among you [resident alien] may eat blood.”
13 “‘If any ·citizen [L of the sons/T children] of Israel or ·foreigner living among you [resident alien] ·catches [hunts] a wild animal or bird that can be eaten, that person must pour the blood on the ground and cover it with dirt. 14 If blood is still in the ·meat [flesh], the animal’s life is still in it. So I give this command to the ·people [L sons; children] of Israel: “Don’t eat ·meat [flesh] that still has blood in it, because the animal’s life is in its blood. Anyone who eats blood must be cut off [3:17].”
15 “‘If a person, either a ·citizen [native] or a ·foreigner [resident alien], eats an animal that died by itself or was killed by another animal, he must wash his clothes and bathe in water. He will be unclean [C in a ritual sense] until evening; then he will be clean. 16 If he does not wash his clothes and bathe his body, he will ·be guilty of sin [carry their guilt].’”
Rules About Sexual Relations
18 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Tell the ·people [L sons; children] of Israel: ‘I am the Lord your God. 3 In the past you lived in Egypt, but you must not do what was done in that country. And you must not do as they do in the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you. Do not follow their ·customs [statutes; ordinances; requirements]. 4 You must obey my ·rules [regulations] and ·follow [guard; keep] ·them [L my statutes/ordinances/requirements]. I am the Lord your God. 5 ·Obey [Guard; Keep] my ·laws [statutes; ordinances; requirements] and ·rules [regulations]; a person who obeys them will live because of them. I am the Lord.
6 “‘You must never ·have sexual relations with [L expose/uncover the nakedness of] your close relatives. I am the Lord.
7 “‘You must not ·shame [L expose/uncover the nakedness of] your father by ·having sexual relations with [L exposing/uncovering the nakedness of] your mother. She is your mother; do not ·have sexual relations with her [L expose/uncover her nakedness]. 8 You must not ·have sexual relations with [L expose/uncover the nakedness of] your father’s wife; ·that would shame [L it is the nakedness of] your father.
9 “‘You must not ·have sexual relations with [L expose/uncover the nakedness of] your sister, either the daughter of your father or your mother. It doesn’t matter if she was born in your house or somewhere else.
10 “‘You must not ·have sexual relations with [L expose/uncover the nakedness of] your son’s daughter or your daughter’s daughter; ·that would bring shame on you [L their nakedness is your nakedness].
11 “‘If your father and his wife have a daughter, she is your sister. You must not ·have sexual relations with her [L expose/uncover her nakedness].
12 “‘You must not ·have sexual relations with [L expose/uncover the nakedness of] your father’s sister; she is your father’s close relative. 13 You must not ·have sexual relations with [L expose/uncover the nakedness of] your mother’s sister; she is your mother’s close relative. 14 You must not ·have sexual relations with [L expose/uncover the nakedness of] the wife of your father’s brother, ·because this would shame him [L you should not approach his wife]. She is your aunt.
15 “‘You must not ·have sexual relations with [L expose/uncover the nakedness of] your daughter-in-law; she is your son’s wife. ·Do not have sexual relations with her [L You must not expose/uncover her nakedness].
16 “‘You must not ·have sexual relations with [L expose/uncover the nakedness of] your brother’s wife. ·That would shame [L It is the nakedness of] your brother.
17 “‘You must not ·have sexual relations with [L expose/uncover the nakedness of] both a woman and her daughter. And do not ·have sexual relations with [L expose/uncover the nakedness of] this woman’s granddaughter, either the daughter of her son or her daughter; they are her close relatives. It is evil to do this.
18 “‘While your wife is still living, you must not take her sister as ·another wife [L a rival]. Do not ·have sexual relations with her [L expose/uncover her nakedness].
19 “‘You must not go near a woman to ·have sexual relations with her [L expose/uncover her nakedness] during her monthly period, when she is unclean [C in a ritual sense; 15:19–33].
20 “‘You must not have ·sexual relations [intercourse] with your neighbor’s wife and make yourself unclean with her.
21 “‘You must not give any of your children to ·be sacrificed [L pass them over; C an allusion to passing them through fire] to Molech [C probably an Ammonite god; 20:3–5; 2 Kin. 23:10; Jer. 32:35], ·because this would show that you do not respect [L and so profane the name of] your God. I am the Lord.
22 “‘You must not ·have sexual relations [L lie] with a man as you would a woman. That is ·a hateful sin [an abomination].
23 “‘You must not have ·sexual relations [intercourse] with an animal and make yourself unclean with it. Also a woman must not ·have sexual relations with an animal [L stand in front of an animal for copulation]; it is ·not natural [perverted].
24 “‘Don’t make yourself unclean by any of these wrong things. I am forcing nations out of their countries because they did these sins, and I am giving their land to you. 25 The land has become unclean [C in a ritual sense], and I punished it for its sins, so the land is ·throwing [vomiting] out those people who live there.
26 “‘You must ·obey [guard; keep] my ·laws [statutes; ordinances; requirements] and ·rules [regulations], and you must not do any of these ·hateful sins [abominations]. ·These rules [L They] are for ·the citizens of Israel and for the people who live with you [natives and resident aliens]. 27 The people who lived in the land before you did all these ·hateful [abominable] things and made the land unclean. 28 If you do these things, you will also make the land unclean, and it will ·throw [vomit] you out as it ·threw [vomited] out the nations before you. 29 Anyone who does these ·hateful sins [abominations] must be cut off from the people. 30 ·Keep [Guard] my command not to do these ·hateful sins [abominations] that were done by the people who lived in the land before you. Don’t make yourself unclean by doing them. I am the Lord your God.’”
27 The governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the ·governor’s palace [fortress; headquarters; L Praetorium], and ·they all gathered around him [or the whole regiment/company/cohort was assembled; C a cohort was about five hundred soldiers; here it may mean those of the cohort on duty]. 28 They ·took off his clothes [stripped him] and put a ·red [scarlet] robe on him [C probably a scarlet military coat, whose color resembled purple, the color of royalty]. 29 Using thorny branches, they made a crown, put it on his head, and put a ·stick [reed; staff] in his right hand [C as a scepter]. Then the soldiers ·bowed [kneeled] before Jesus and ·made fun of [mocked] him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 30 They spat on Jesus. Then they took his ·stick [reed; staff] and began to beat him on the head. 31 After they ·finished [had mocked him], the soldiers took off the robe and put his own clothes on him again. Then they led him away to be crucified.
Jesus Is Crucified(A)
32 ·As the soldiers were going out of the city with Jesus [L As they went out], they ·met [found; came across] a man from Cyrene [C a city in northern Africa, in present-day Libya], named Simon, and forced him to carry the cross for Jesus. 33 They all came to the place called Golgotha, which means [C in Aramaic] the Place of the Skull. 34 ·The soldiers [L They; C this could be the soldiers or the women of Jerusalem] gave Jesus wine mixed with gall to drink [C the gall was either a sedative or further mockery, making the wine bitter; Ps. 69:21; Prov. 31:6]. He tasted the wine but refused to drink it. 35 When the soldiers had crucified him, they threw lots [C similar to dice] to ·decide who would get [L divide up] his clothes[a] [Ps. 22:18]. 36 The soldiers sat there and ·continued watching [kept guard over] him. 37 They put a sign above Jesus’ head with the charge against him. It said: this is jesus, the king of the jews. 38 Two ·robbers [rebels; revolutionaries; C the term “robber” was used by the Romans of insurrectionists] were crucified beside Jesus, one on the right and the other on the left [Is. 53:12]. 39 People walked by and ·insulted [defamed; slandered; C the same Greek word used to “blaspheme”] Jesus and shook their heads [C a gesture of derision; Ps. 22:7], 40 saying, “You said you could destroy the Temple and build it again in three days. So save yourself! Come down from that cross if you are really the Son of God!”
41 The ·leading [T chief] priests, the teachers of the law, and the Jewish elders were also ·making fun of [mocking] Jesus. 42 They said, “He saved others, but he can’t save himself! He says he is the king of Israel! If he is the king, let him come down now from the cross. Then we will believe in him. 43 He trusts in God, so let God ·save [rescue; deliver] him now, if God really wants him [Ps. 22:8]. He himself said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” 44 And in the same way, the robbers [rebels; revolutionaries; v. 38] who were being crucified beside Jesus also ·insulted [ridiculed; taunted] him.
Jesus Dies(B)
45 At ·noon [L the sixth hour] the whole country became dark, and the darkness lasted ·for three hours [L until the ninth hour]. 46 About ·three o’clock [L the ninth hour] Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” This means, “My God, my God, why have you ·abandoned [forsaken] me [Ps. 22:1; C these words are a mixture of Hebrew and Aramaic]?”
47 Some of the people standing there who heard this said, “He is calling Elijah.” [C The prophet Elijah, associated with the end times (Mal. 4:5), was also viewed as a helper in time of need.]
48 ·Quickly [At once] one of them ran and got a sponge and filled it with ·vinegar [or sour wine; C an inexpensive drink used by soldiers and slaves] and tied it to a ·stick [reed] and gave it to Jesus to drink [Ps. 69:21]. 49 But the others said, “·Don’t bother him [Wait; Leave him alone]. We want to see if Elijah will come to save him.”
50 But Jesus cried out again in a loud voice and ·died [L released his spirit].
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