Old/New Testament
1 The Eternal One called Moses and addressed him from the congregation tent.
Eternal One: 2 Moses, I want you to go talk with the Israelites and tell them how to perform ritual offerings: Any time one of you brings an offering to Me, you must bring the offering from the animals of either the herd or the flock. 3 If you are bringing a burnt offering from your herd, then you are to pick an unblemished bull. No diseased, weak, or injured animals are allowed. Offer it at the entrance to the congregation tent so that I can accept it. 4 The person offering the sacrifice shall place his hand on the head of the living animal, and the offering will be accepted to atone for the person’s sins. 5 You shall slaughter the young bull in My presence. Aaron’s sons, the priests, will offer the blood and splatter it around the altar at the entrance of the congregation tent. 6 You shall then skin the burnt offering and cut the animal up into pieces. 7 The sons of Aaron the priest will place fire on the altar and arrange the pieces of wood. 8 Aaron’s sons, the priests, will place the head, the fat, and individual pieces of the sacrifice on the altar as the wood burns. 9 Wash the animal’s organs and legs with water so that unclean elements are not included in the offering. The priest will offer up the whole burnt offering on the altar, and the smoke of the offering will rise and be a pleasant aroma to Me.
10 If you give a burnt offering from the flock, either of sheep or goats, you are only to offer an unblemished male. No diseased, weak, or injured animals are allowed. 11 Slaughter it on the north side of the altar before Me. Aaron’s sons, the priests, will splatter the blood all around the altar. 12 Cut the sacrifice up into pieces. The priests will take the head, fat, and rest of the pieces and place them all on the altar as the fire burns. 13 Wash the animal’s organs and legs with water. The priest will offer up the whole burnt offering on the altar, and the smoke of the sacrifice will rise and be a pleasant aroma to Me.
14 But if you have no flock or herd of your own, then you may offer Me birds; your offering is to be turtledoves or young pigeons. 15 The priest will take it to the altar, pull off its head, and offer up the sacrifice as smoke on the altar. Its blood will be drained onto the side of the altar. 16 The priest will remove the crop and feathers and toss them on the eastern side of the altar in the ash pile. 17 Then the priest will tear the bird open by its wings without separating them completely from its body. The priest will offer up the burnt offering as smoke on the wood-fire of the altar, and the smoke of the sacrifice will rise and be a pleasant aroma to Me.
2 Eternal One: Any time one of you brings a grain offering to Me, it should be the finest flour mixed with olive oil and frankincense. 2 Give it to Aaron’s sons, the priests. One of the priests will take a handful of the fine flour mixed with olive oil and frankincense and offer up a memorial portion on the altar, and the smoke of the offering will rise and be a pleasant aroma to Me. 3 The rest of the grain offering is for Aaron and his sons. It is a most holy part of the fire-offerings dedicated to Me. No one other than the priests may eat it.
The sacrifices and offerings not only please God but they provide for the physical and spiritual needs of the people. All the priests are from the tribe of Levi and participate in the spiritual heritage of Aaron, Moses’ brother. With some of the offerings, God prescribes that the priests must share in the food brought by the people. By eating from their sacrifices, the priests participate in the lives of those who wish to approach God. Some sacrifices are described as “memorial” offerings to God. These are offerings that ask God to remember His people and keep them in His good favor.
Eternal One: 4 Any time one of you brings a grain offering that was prepared in an oven, it should be bread made without yeast from the finest flour mixed with oil or a wafer made without yeast spread with oil. 5 Any time one of you brings a grain offering that was prepared on a griddle, it should be made without yeast from the finest flour mixed with oil. 6 Separate it into pieces, pour oil on it, and present it as a grain offering. 7 Any time one of you brings a grain offering that was prepared in a pan, it should be made from the finest flour and mixed with oil. 8 Whenever you bring any of these grain offerings to Me, it should be given to the priest who will then take it to the altar. 9 The priest will offer up the memorial portion on the altar, and the smoke of the offering will rise and be a pleasant aroma to Me. 10 The rest of the grain offering is for Aaron and his sons. It is a most holy part of the fire-offerings dedicated to Me. No one other than the priests may eat it.
11 Every grain offering that is presented before Me must be made without yeast because it is forbidden to offer up any yeast or honey to Me by means of the fire-offering. 12 When you bring an offering of the first and finest part of the harvest to Me, you may bring yeast and honey but they must not be offered up in smoke as a pleasant aroma. 13 You must salt every grain offering you bring so that the salt of your covenant with God[a] will not be missing. You will season all of the offerings you present with salt.
In the ancient world, salt was a valuable substance. It was used for a variety of purposes: to preserve meats, promote healing, and seal friendships. When covenants were made, people celebrated with fine meals seasoned with salt and other spices. The permanence of salt symbolized the permanence of God’s covenant with His people (Numbers 18:19). Jesus echoes this covenant practice when He instructs His followers to be salt in the world (Matthew 5:13).
Eternal One: 14 If you present a grain offering from the first ripe grain of your harvest to Me, bring fresh new grain, crushed and roasted in the fire. 15 Also mix it with oil and frankincense because it is presented as a grain offering. 16 The priests will then offer up a memorial portion of the grain mixed with oil and all of the frankincense as a fire-offering to Me.
3 Eternal One: Any time one of you presents a sacrifice from the herd as a peace offering, you must offer only an unblemished cow or bull before Me.
In Leviticus there are many kinds of sacrifices. Some celebrate God’s covenant with His people. Some atone for sin. The peace offering is a meal in which the worshiper, his family, and the priests all participate. Some parts of the animal become part of the fire-offering. The rest is eaten by the priests and people. In a sense, God, the priests, and the worshipers all share a common meal.
Eternal One: 2 You will put your hand on the animal’s head and slaughter it at the entrance of the congregation tent. Aaron’s sons, the priests, will splatter its blood against the sides of the altar. 3 From the sacrifice of the peace offerings, you must bring to Me as a fire-offering the fat covering and surrounding the animal’s organs, 4 the two kidneys and also the fat on them from the loins, and the lobe of the liver (which will be removed along with the kidneys). 5 Aaron’s sons will offer this peace offering on top of the burnt offering on the altar, and the smoke of the sacrifice will rise and be a pleasant aroma to Me.
6 If the animal sacrifice for the peace offering to Me is of the flock, then you must offer an unblemished male or female. 7 If you bring a lamb as your offering before Me, 8 you must place your hand on the head of the offering and slaughter it at the entrance of the congregation tent. Aaron’s sons will then splatter the blood of the lamb against the sides of the altar. 9 From the peace offering, you must bring to Me as a fire-offering its fat, the tail (which is to be cut off near the backbone), the fat covering and surrounding the organs, 10 the two kidneys and the fat on them from the loins, and the lobe of the liver (which must be removed along with the kidneys). 11 The priest will then offer all these on the altar as a fire-offering to Me.
12 If you bring a goat as your offering before Me, 13 you must place your hand on its head and slaughter it at the entrance of the congregation tent. Aaron’s sons will then splatter its blood against the sides of the altar. 14 From this offering, you must bring to Me as a fire-offering the fat covering and surrounding the organs, 15 the two kidneys and the fat on them near the loins, and the lobe of the liver (which must be removed along with the kidneys). 16 The priest will then offer all these on the altar, and the smoke of the sacrifice will rise and be a pleasant aroma. All the fat belongs to Me.
17 Do not eat any fat or blood. This directive stands throughout all generations regardless of where you live.
24 Jesus left the temple. As He was walking away, His disciples came up to Him and asked what He thought about the temple buildings.
Jesus: 2 Look around you. All of it will become rubble. I tell you this: not one stone will be left standing.
3 Later, as Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately.
Disciples: We don’t understand Your predictions. Tell us, when will these things happen: When will the temple be destroyed? What will be the sign that You are returning? How will we know that the end of the age is upon us?
In this, the last of the five major sermons, Jesus focuses on prophetic and apocalyptic themes of judgment and the end times. The disciples have been listening to the prophetic judgment Jesus has issued on the religious leaders. They have images of collapsing temple buildings, of prophets pursued from town to town, of floggings, and of blood-soaked garments. They can imagine themselves blood-soaked. When will this all happen, and what does it mean?
Jesus: 4 Take care that you are not deceived. 5 For many will come in My name claiming they are the Anointed One, and many poor souls will be taken in. 6 You will hear of wars, and you will hear rumors of wars, but you should not panic. It is inevitable, this violent breaking apart of the sinful world, but remember, the wars are not the end. The end is still unfolding. 7 Nations will do battle with nations, and kingdoms will fight neighboring kingdoms, and there will be famines and earthquakes. 8 But these are not the end. These are the birth pangs, the beginning. The end is still unfolding.
9 They will hand you over to your enemies, who will torture you and then kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of Me. 10 And many who have followed Me and claimed to love Me and sought God’s kingdom will turn away—they will abandon the faith and betray and hate one another. 11-12 The love that they had for one another will grow cold because few will obey the law. False prophets will appear, many will be taken in by them, and the only thing that will grow is wickedness. There will be no end to the increase of wickedness. 13 But those who do not waver from our path and do not follow those false prophets—those among you will be saved. 14 And this good news of God’s kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, a testimony to all people and all nations. Then, beloved, the end, the consummation of all things, will come.
15 You will remember that the prophet Daniel predicted this—predicted the abomination that causes desolation[a]—when you see the prophesied desolation of the holy place. (Reader, take notice; it is important that you understand this.) 16 When you see this, let those in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 If you are relaxing on your rooftop one evening and the signs of the temple’s destructions come, don’t return to your house to rescue a book or a pet or a scrap of clothing. 18 If you are in the field when the great destruction begins, don’t return home for a cloak. 19 Pregnant women and nursing mothers will have the worst of it. 20 And as for you, pray that your flight to the hills will not come on the Sabbath or in the cold of winter. 21 For the tribulation will be unparalleled—hardships of a magnitude that has not been seen since creation and that will not be seen again. 22 Indeed the Lord God your merciful judge will cut this time of trial short, and this will be done for the benefit of the elect that some might indeed be saved—for no one could survive the depravity for very long.
23 I cannot say this clearly enough: during this time, someone will say to you, “Look, here is the Anointed One!” or “Aren’t you relieved? Haven’t you seen the Savior down there, around the bend, over the hill and dale?” Do not believe them. 24 False liberators and false prophets will appear, and they will know a few tricks—they will perform great miracles, and they will make great promises. If it were possible, they would even deceive God’s elect. 25 But I am warning you ahead of time: remember—do not fall for their lies or lines or promises. 26 If someone says, “He’s out there in the desert”—do not go. And if someone says, “He’s here at our house, at our table”—do not believe him. 27 When the Son of Man comes, He will be as visible as lightning in the East is visible even in the West. 28 And where the carcass is, there will always be vultures.
The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.