Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

A psalm by David sung at the dedication of the temple.

Cleansing for a Poor Person after a Skin Disease

²¹ “But if the one to be cleansed is poor and cannot afford that much, he must take one male lamb, present it to make peace with the Lord for himself, and use it for his guilt offering. He will take only eight cups of flour mixed with olive oil as a grain offering, a quart of olive oil, ²² and two mourning doves or two pigeons (whatever he can afford). The one will be an offering for sin and the other a burnt offering. ²³ On the eighth day he will take them to the priest for his cleansing at the entrance to the tent of meeting in the Lord’s presence. ²⁴ The priest will take the lamb for the guilt offering and the quart of olive oil and present them to the Lord. ²⁵ He will slaughter the lamb as a guilt offering. Then the priest will take some of the blood of the guilt offering and put it on the right ear lobe, on the right thumb, and on the big toe of the right foot of the one to be cleansed. ²⁶ The priest will pour some of the olive oil into his own left hand. ²⁷ With his right finger he will sprinkle some of the oil seven times in the Lord’s presence. ²⁸ The priest will put some of the oil that is in his hand on the right ear lobe, on the right thumb, and on the big toe of the right foot of the one to be cleansed. These are the same places he had put the blood of the guilt offering. ²⁹ In the Lord’s presence, the priest will pour the rest of the oil in his hand on the head of the one to be cleansed in order to make a payment for him. ³⁰ Then the one to be cleansed must take one of the mourning doves or pigeons (whichever he can afford),^{[a] 31} and sacrifice it as an offering for sin. He will take the other and sacrifice it as a burnt offering together with the grain offering. So in the Lord’s presence the priest will make peace with the Lord for the one who is being cleansed. ³² These are the instructions for one who has an infectious skin disease but cannot afford what is needed for his cleansing.”

A Woman Prepares Jesus’ Body for the Tomb^(A)

⁶ Jesus was in Bethany in the home of Simon, a man who had suffered from a skin disease. ⁷ While Jesus was sitting there, a woman went to him with a bottle of very expensive perfume and poured it on his head.

⁸ The disciples were irritated when they saw this. They asked, “Why did she waste it like this? ⁹ It could have been sold for a high price, and the money could have been given to the poor.”

¹⁰ Since Jesus knew what was going on, he said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing for me. ¹¹ You will always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me with you. ¹² She poured this perfume on my body before it is placed in a tomb. ¹³ I can guarantee this truth: Wherever this Good News is spoken in the world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.”