Old/New Testament
Appointing the Priests
29 “This is what you must do to ·appoint Aaron and his sons [L them to consecrate them] to serve me as priests. Take one young bull and two ·male sheep [rams] ·that have nothing wrong with them [L without blemish]. 2 Use ·fine [choice] wheat flour ·without yeast to make bread [to make unleavened bread], cakes ·without yeast [unleavened] mixed with olive oil, and wafers ·without yeast [unleavened] brushed with olive oil. 3 Put these in one basket, and bring them along with the bull and two ·male sheep [rams]. 4 Bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the Meeting Tent and wash them with water. 5 Take the clothes and dress Aaron in the inner robe [28:39–41] and the outer robe [28:31–35] of the ·holy vest [ephod; 28:6–14]. Then put on him the ·holy vest [ephod] and the ·chest covering [breastpiece; 28:15–28], and tie the ·holy vest [ephod] on him with its ·skillfully woven belt [embroidered waistband of the ephod]. 6 Put the turban on his head, and put the holy ·crown [diadem] on the turban. 7 Take the special olive oil and pour it on his head to ·make him a priest [L anoint him].
8 “Then bring his sons and put the inner robes on them. 9 ·Put [L Gird them with] the ·headbands [headdresses] on their heads, and tie ·cloth belts around their waists [L sashes on Aaron and his sons]. ·Aaron and his descendants [L They] will be priests in Israel, according to a ·rule that will continue from now on [perpetual statute/ordinance/requirement]. This is how you will ·appoint Aaron and his sons as priests [ordain Aaron and his sons; L fill the hand of Aaron and his sons].
10 “Bring the bull to the front of the Meeting Tent, and Aaron and his sons must ·put [lay] their hands on the bull’s head [C a ritual of identification; the animal stood in the place of the offerer]. 11 Then ·kill [slaughter] the bull before the Lord at the entrance to the Meeting Tent. 12 Use your finger to put some of the bull’s blood on the ·corners [L horns; 27:2] of the altar, and then pour the blood that is left at the ·bottom [base; foundation] of the altar. 13 Take all the fat that covers the inner organs, as well as the ·best part [appendage] of the liver, both kidneys, and the fat around them, and ·burn them [L turn them into smoke] on the altar. 14 Take the bull’s meat, skin, and ·intestines [or dung], and burn them outside the camp. This is an ·offering to take away sin [sin offering; Lev. 4:1–5:13].
15 “Take one of the ·male sheep [rams], and have Aaron and his sons ·put [lay] their hands on its head. 16 ·Kill [Slaughter] it, and take its blood and ·sprinkle [dash] it on all four sides of the altar. 17 Then cut the ram into pieces and wash its inner organs and its legs, putting them with its head and its other pieces. 18 ·Burn [L Turn into smoke] the whole sheep on the altar; it is a burnt offering made by fire [Lev. 1] to the Lord. Its smell is pleasing to the Lord.
19 “Take the ·other male sheep [second ram], and have Aaron and his sons ·put [lay] their hands on its head [29:10]. 20 ·Kill [Slaughter] it and take some of its blood. Put the blood on the ·bottom [lobe] of the right ears of Aaron and his sons and on the thumbs of their right hands and on the big toes of their right feet [Lev. 14:14; C the significance is unclear]. Then sprinkle the rest of the blood ·against all four sides of [L all around] the altar. 21 Take some of the blood from the altar, and mix it with the ·special oil used in appointing priests [L anointing oil]. Sprinkle this on Aaron and his clothes and on his sons and their clothes. ·This will show that Aaron [L Then he] and his sons and their clothes ·are given to my service [L will be holy/consecrated].
22 “Then take the fat from the ·male sheep [ram], the fat tail, and the fat that covers the inner organs. In addition, take the best part of the liver, both kidneys, and the fat around them, and the right thigh. (This is the ·male sheep to be used in appointing priests [ordination ram].)
23 “Then take the basket of ·bread that you made without yeast [unleavened bread], which you put before the Lord. From it take a loaf of bread, a cake made with olive oil, and a wafer. 24 Put all of these in the hands of Aaron and his sons, and tell them to ·present them as an [L wave them as a wave] offering to the Lord [C a ritual whereby the offerer symbolically waves the offering before God but then uses it]. 25 Then take them from their hands and ·burn them [L turn them into smoke] on the altar with the whole burnt offering. This is an offering made by fire to the Lord; its smell is pleasing to the Lord. 26 Then take the breast of the ·male sheep used to appoint Aaron as priest [ordination ram], and ·present it before the Lord as an offering [L wave it as a wave offering before the Lord]. This part of the animal will be your ·share [portion]. 27 ·Set aside [Consecrate] the breast [L that was waved as a wave offering] and the thigh of the ·sheep that were used to appoint [L ordination ram that was elevated as an elevation offering for] Aaron and his sons as priests. These parts belong to them. 28 They are to be the ·regular share [perpetual statute/ordinance/requirement] which the Israelites will always give to Aaron and his sons. It is the gift the Israelites must give to the Lord from their ·fellowship [or peace] offerings [Lev. 3].
29 “The ·holy [sacred; consecrated] clothes made for Aaron will belong to his ·descendants [sons] so that they can wear these clothes when they are ·appointed as priests [L anointed and ordained]. 30 Aaron’s son, who will become high priest after him, will come to the Meeting Tent to ·serve [minister] in the Holy Place. He is to wear these clothes for seven days.
31 “Take the ·male sheep used to appoint priests [ordination ram] and boil its meat in a place that is holy. 32 Then at the entrance of the Meeting Tent, Aaron and his sons must eat the meat of the ·sheep [ram] and the bread that is in the basket. 33 They should eat these offerings that were used to ·remove their sins [atone] and to ·make them holy when they were made priests [ordain and consecrate]. But no ·stranger [outsider] is to eat them, because they are holy things. 34 If any of the ·meat from that sheep [L ordination meat] or any of the bread is left the next morning, it must be burned. It must not be eaten, because it is holy.
35 “Do all these things that I commanded you to do to Aaron and his sons, and spend seven days ·appointing [ordaining] them. 36 Each day you are to offer a bull ·to remove the sins of [L as a sin offering of atonement for] Aaron and his sons so they will be given for service to the Lord. ·Make the altar ready for service to the Lord [L Offer a sin offering for the altar to make atonement for it], and also ·pour oil on it to make it holy [anoint it to consecrate it]. 37 Spend seven days making ·the altar ready for service to God [L atonement for the altar] and ·making it holy [consecrate it]. Then the altar will become very holy, and anything that touches it must be holy.
The Daily Sacrifices
38 “Every day ·from now on [regularly; continually], offer on the altar two lambs that are one year old. 39 Offer one lamb in the morning and the ·other [second] in the evening ·before dark [at twilight]. 40 ·In the morning, when you offer the [L For the] first lamb, offer also ·two quarts [L a tenth of an ephah] of fine flour mixed with ·one quart [L one fourth of a hin] of oil from ·pressed [or pounded] olives. Pour out a ·quart [L fourth of a hin] of wine as a drink offering. 41 Offer the second lamb ·in the evening [at twilight] with the same ·grain [or gift; tribute] offering [Lev. 3] and drink offering as you did in the morning. This is an offering made by fire to the Lord, and its smell is pleasing to him.
42 “·You must burn these things as an offering [L It is a burnt offering; Lev. 1] to the Lord ·every day [regularly; continuously], ·from now on [L throughout your generations], at the entrance of the Meeting Tent before the Lord. ·When you make the offering, [L …where] I, the Lord, will meet you there and speak to you. 43 I will meet with the ·people [L sons; children] of Israel there, and that place will be holy because of my glory.
44 “So I will make the Meeting Tent and the altar ·holy [consecrated]; I will also make Aaron and his sons ·holy [consecrated] so they may serve me as priests. 45 I will ·live [dwell] with the ·people [L sons; children] of Israel and be their God. 46 And they will know that I am the Lord their God who ·led [brought] them out of Egypt so that I could ·live [dwell] with them. I am the Lord their God.
The Altar for Burning Incense
30 “Make an altar out of acacia wood for burning incense. 2 Make it square—·eighteen inches [L a cubit] long and ·eighteen inches [L a cubit] wide—and make it ·thirty-six inches [L two cubits] high. The ·corners that stick out like horns [L horns; 27:2] must be one piece with the altar. 3 ·Cover [L Overlay] its top, its sides, and its ·corners [L horns] with pure gold, and put a gold ·strip [molding] all around the altar. 4 Make two gold rings beneath the gold ·strip [molding] on opposite sides of the altar, and slide poles through them to carry the altar. 5 Make the poles from acacia wood and ·cover [overlay] them with gold. 6 Put the altar of incense in front of the curtain that is ·near [or above] the Ark of the ·Agreement [Covenant; Treaty; L Testimony; 25:10], in front of the ·lid that covers that Ark [mercy seat; atonement cover; 25:17–22]. There I will meet with you.
7 “Aaron must burn sweet-smelling incense on the altar every morning when he comes to ·take care of [trim; dress; put in good order] the oil lamps. 8 He must burn incense again ·in the evening [at twilight] when he lights the lamps, so incense will burn before the Lord ·every day [regularly; continually] ·from now on [L throughout your generations]. 9 Do not use this altar for offering ·any other [L strange; profane] incense [Lev. 10:1–7], or burnt offering [Lev. 1], or any kind of ·grain [or gift; tribute] offering [Lev. 3], or drink offering. 10 Once a year Aaron must make ·the altar ready for service to God by putting blood on its corners [atonement on its corners/horns]—the blood of the animal ·offered to remove sins [as an atoning sin offering]. He is to do this once a year ·from now on [L throughout your generations]. ·This altar belongs completely to the Lord’s service [L It is most holy/T the holy of holies to the Lord].”
The Tax for the Meeting Tent
11 The Lord said to Moses, 12 “When you ·count [register] the ·people [L sons; children] of Israel, every person must ·buy back [ransom; atone for] his life from the Lord so that no ·terrible things [disaster; plague] will happen to the people when you ·number [register] them. 13 Every person who is ·counted [registered] must pay ·one-fifth of an ounce of silver [L half a shekel]. (·This is set by using one-half of the Holy Place measure, which weighs two-fifths of an ounce [L …according to the shekel of the Holy Place which is twenty gerahs].) This amount is a ·gift [contribution] to the Lord. 14 Every person who is ·counted [registered] and is twenty years old or older must give this ·amount [gift; contribution] to the Lord. 15 A rich person must not give more than ·one-fifth of an ounce [L a half shekel], and a poor person must not give less. You are ·paying this to the Lord to buy back your lives [giving a gift/contribution to the Lord as a ransom/atonement for your life]. 16 ·Gather [Take] from the ·people [L sons; children] of Israel this ·money [silver] paid to ·buy back their lives [L atone; ransom], and ·spend [give] it on things for the ·service [work] in the Meeting Tent. This payment will remind the Lord that the ·Israelites’ [L sons/T children of Israel’s] lives have been ·bought back [ransomed; atoned].”
The Bronze Bowl
17 The Lord said to Moses, 18 “Make a bronze bowl, on a bronze stand, for washing. Put the bowl and stand between the Meeting Tent and the altar, and put water ·in the bowl [L there]. 19 Aaron and his sons must wash their hands and feet with the water from this bowl. 20 Each time they enter the Meeting Tent they must wash with water so they will not die. Whenever they approach the altar to ·serve as priests [minister] and offer a sacrifice to the Lord by fire, 21 they must wash their hands and their feet so they will not die. This is a ·rule [statute; ordinance; requirement] for Aaron and his ·descendants [L seed] ·from now on [L throughout their generations].”
Oil for Appointing
22 Then the Lord said to Moses, 23 “Take the finest spices: ·twelve pounds [L five hundred (shekels)] of liquid myrrh, half that amount (that is, ·six pounds [L two hundred and fifty]) of sweet-smelling cinnamon, ·six pounds [L two hundred and fifty] of sweet-smelling cane, 24 and ·twelve pounds [L five hundred] of cassia. Weigh all these by the Holy Place ·measure [L shekel]. Also take ·four quarts [L a hin] of olive oil, 25 and ·mix [blend; L make] all these things like a perfume to make a holy olive oil. ·This special oil must be put on people and things to make them ready for service to God [L It is a holy anointing oil]. 26 ·Put this oil on [L Anoint] the Meeting Tent and the Ark of the ·Agreement [Covenant; Treaty; L Testimony], 27 on the table and all its dishes, on the lampstand [25:31–40] and all its tools, and on the incense altar [30:1–6]. 28 Also, ·put the oil on [anoint] the altar for burnt offerings [27:1–8] and on all its tools, as well as on the bowl [30:17–21] and the stand under the bowl. 29 You will ·prepare all these things for service to God [consecrate/sanctify them], and they will be very holy. Anything that touches these things must be holy.
30 “·Put the oil on [Anoint] Aaron and his sons to ·give them for service to me [consecrate; sanctify them], that they may serve me as priests. 31 Tell the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel], ‘This is to be my holy olive oil ·from now on [L throughout your generations]. It is ·to be put on people and things to make them ready for service to God [L for anointing]. 32 Do not pour it on the bodies of ordinary people, and do not make perfume the same way you make this oil. It is holy, and you must treat it as holy. 33 If anyone makes perfume like it or puts it on someone who is ·not a priest [not qualified; L strange], that person must be cut off from his people.’”
Incense
34 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Take these sweet-smelling spices: resin, onycha, galbanum [C some identifications are uncertain], and pure frankincense. Be sure that you have equal amounts of each. 35 Make incense as a person who makes perfume would do. Add salt to it to keep it pure and holy. 36 Beat some of the incense into a fine powder, and put it in front of the ·Ark of the Agreement [Covenant; Testimony; Treaty] in the Meeting Tent, where I will meet with you. ·You must use this incense powder only for its very special purpose [L It will be most holy to you]. 37 Do not make incense for yourselves the same way you make this incense. Treat it as holy to the Lord. 38 Whoever makes incense like this to use as perfume must be cut off from his people.”
Leaders Doubt Jesus’ Authority(A)
23 Jesus went to the Temple [courts], and while he was teaching there, the ·leading [T chief] priests and the elders of the people came to him. They said, “What authority do you have to do these things? [L And] Who gave you this authority?”
24 Jesus answered, “I also will ask you a question. If you answer me, then I will tell you what authority I have to do these things. 25 Tell me: When John baptized people, did that come from ·God [L heaven; C a reverential Jewish way of referring to God] or just from ·other people [human beings]?”
They argued about Jesus’ question, saying, “If we answer, ‘John’s baptism was from ·God [L heaven],’ Jesus will say, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ 26 But if we say, ‘It was from ·people [human beings],’ we are afraid of what the crowd will do because they all ·believe [think; hold] that John was a prophet.”
27 So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.”
Jesus said to them, “Then I won’t tell you what authority I have to do these things.
A Story About Two Sons
28 “Tell me what you think about this: A man had two sons. He went to the ·first [elder] son and said, ‘Son, go and work today in ·my [the] vineyard.’ 29 The son answered, ‘I will not go.’ But later the son ·changed his mind [regretted/thought better of it] and went. 30 Then the father went to the other son and said, ·‘Son, go and work today in my vineyard’ [L the same thing]. The son answered, ‘Yes, sir, I will,’ but he did not go. 31 Which of the two sons ·obeyed [L did the will of] his father?”
·The priests and leaders [L They] answered, “The first son.”
Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes ·will enter [are going into] the kingdom of God ·before you do [ahead of you]. 32 [L For] John came to show you the ·right way to live [the way/path of righteousness]. You did not believe him, but the tax collectors and prostitutes believed him. Even after seeing this, you still refused to ·change your ways [change your mind; repent] and believe him.
The Story of the Evil Farmers(B)
33 “Listen to ·this story [another parable]: There was a ·man who owned [landowner who planted] a vineyard. He put a wall around it and dug a ·hole [vat; pit] for a winepress and built a tower [C to protect against thieves; see Is. 5:1–7 for the background to this parable]. Then he leased the land to some [C tenant] farmers and left for a trip [C the owner represents God, the farmers are Israel’s religious leaders]. 34 When it was time for the grapes to be picked, he sent his ·servants [slaves] to the farmers to get his share of the grapes. 35 But the farmers grabbed the ·servants [slaves], beat one, killed another, and then ·killed a third servant with stones [L stoned a third]. 36 So the man sent some other ·servants [slaves] to the farmers, even more than he sent the first time. But the farmers did the same thing to them that they had done before [C the servants represent the prophets God sent to Israel]. 37 ·So [L Finally; Last of all] the man sent his son to the farmers [C the son represents Jesus]. He said, ‘They will respect my son.’ 38 But when the farmers saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This son will inherit the vineyard. Let’s kill him, and we will get his inheritance!’ 39 Then the farmers grabbed the son, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. 40 So what will the ·owner [lord] of the vineyard do to these farmers when he comes?”
41 ·The priests and leaders [L They] said, “He will ·surely kill those evil men [bring those wretches/evil men to a wretched/evil end]. Then he will lease the vineyard to some other farmers who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time [C referring to the sinners who were responding to Jesus’ call for repentance, and eventually to the Gentiles who would be saved].”
42 Jesus said to them, “·Surely you have read [L Haven’t you ever read…?] this in the Scriptures:
‘The stone that the builders rejected
became the cornerstone [capstone; keystone; L head of the corner; C the meaning is uncertain, but clearly refers to the most important stone in the building; Jesus is the rejected stone].
The Lord did this,
and it is ·wonderful [amazing; marvelous] ·to us [for us to see; L in our eyes; Ps. 118:22–23].’
43 “·So [For this reason; Therefore] I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to ·people [a nation] who ·do the things God wants in his kingdom [L will produce its fruit]. 44 The person who ·falls on [stumbles over] this stone will be ·broken [shattered], and on whomever that stone falls, that person will be crushed.”[a]
45 When the ·leading [T chief] priests and the Pharisees heard these ·stories [parables], they knew Jesus was talking about them. 46 They ·wanted [were seeking/trying] to arrest him, but they were afraid of the ·people [crowds], because the people believed that Jesus was a prophet.
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