Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

The Day of Cleansing

16 Now two of Aaron’s sons had died ·while offering incense to [^Lwhen they drew near to/approached] the Lord, and after that time the Lord spoke to Moses. ² The Lord said to him, “Tell your brother Aaron that there are times when he cannot go ·behind [inside] the curtain ·into the Most Holy Place [^Lbefore the mercy seat/atonement cover; Ex. 25:17–22] where the Ark is. If he goes in when I appear in a cloud over the ·lid on the Ark [mercy seat; atonement cover], he will die.

³ “This is how Aaron may enter the Most Holy Place: Before he enters, he must offer a bull for a ·sin [or purification; 4:3] offering and a ·male sheep [ram] for a whole burnt offering [1:1–17]. ⁴ He must put on the holy linen inner robe [Ex. 28:39–41], with the linen underclothes [Ex. 28:42–43] next to his body. His belt will be the cloth belt [sash], and he will wear the linen turban. These are holy clothes, so he must bathe his body in water before he puts them on.

⁵ “Aaron must take from the ·people [^Lsons; children] of Israel two male goats for a sin [or purification; 4:3] offering and one ·male sheep [ram] for a burnt offering [1:1–17].

²⁰ “When Aaron has finished making ·the Most Holy Place, the Meeting Tent, and the altar ready for service to the Lord [^Latonement for the Most Holy Place, the Meeting Tent, and the altar], he will offer the living goat. ²¹ He will ·put [lay] both his hands on the head of the living goat [^Ca sign of association of the offerer and the animal], and he will confess over it all the sins and crimes of Israel. In this way Aaron will put the people’s sins on the goat’s head. Then he will send the goat away into the ·desert [wilderness], and a man who has been appointed will lead the goat away. ²² So the goat will carry on itself all the people’s sins to a lonely place in the desert. The man who leads the goat will let it loose there.

²³ “Then Aaron will enter the Meeting Tent and take off the linen clothes he had put on before he went into the Most Holy Place; he must leave these clothes there. ²⁴ He will bathe his body in water in a holy place and put on his regular clothes [^Chis more ornate priestly clothes]. Then he will come out and offer the whole burnt offering [1:1–17] for himself and for the people, to ·remove sins from himself and the people so they will belong to the Lord [^Lmake atonement for himself and the people]. ²⁵ Then he will burn the fat of the sin offering on the altar.

²⁶ “The person who led the goat, ·the goat to remove sins [^Tthe scapegoat; ^Lfor/to Azazel; 16:8], into the desert must wash his clothes and bathe his body in water. After that, he may come back into the camp.

²⁷ “The bull and the goat for the ·sin [or purification; 4:3] offerings, whose blood was brought into the Most Holy Place to make ·it ready for service to the Lord [atonement], must be taken outside the camp; the animals’ skins, bodies, and intestines will be burned in the fire. ²⁸ Then the one who burns them must wash his clothes and bathe his body in water. After that, he may come back into the camp.

The Power of Faith^(A)

¹⁸ Early the next morning, as Jesus was going back to the city, he became hungry. ¹⁹ Seeing a fig tree beside the road, Jesus went to it, but ·there were no figs [^Lhe found nothing] on the tree, only leaves [Is. 5:1–7]. So Jesus said to the tree, “·You will [May you] never again have fruit.” The tree immediately ·dried up [withered].

²⁰ When his ·followers [disciples] saw this, they were amazed. They asked, “How did the fig tree ·dry up [wither] ·so quickly [immediately]?”

²¹ Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will be able to do what I did to this tree and even more. You will be able to say to this mountain, ‘·Go, fall [^LBe lifted up and thrown] into the sea.’ And if you have faith, it will ·happen [be done]. ²² If you ·believe [have faith], you will get anything you ask for in prayer.”