Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Thanksgiving for Deliverance from Death.

A Psalm; a Song at the Dedication of the House. A Psalm of David.

²¹ “^(A)But if he is poor and his ^[a]means are insufficient, then he is to take one male lamb for a ^(B)guilt offering as a wave offering to make atonement for him, and one-tenth of an ^[b]ephah of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering, and a ^[c](C)log of oil, ²² and two turtledoves or two young pigeons which ^[d]are within his means, ^(D)the one shall be a ^(E)sin offering and the other a burnt offering. ^23 (F)Then the eighth day he shall bring them for his cleansing to the priest, at the doorway of the tent of meeting, before the Lord. ²⁴ The priest shall take the lamb of the guilt offering and ^(G)the ^[e]log of oil, and the priest shall offer them for a wave offering before the Lord. ²⁵ Next he shall slaughter the lamb of the guilt offering; and the priest is to take some of the blood of the guilt offering and put it on ^(H)the lobe of the right ear of the one to be cleansed and on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot. ²⁶ The priest shall also pour some of the oil into his left palm; ²⁷ and with his right-hand finger the priest shall sprinkle some of the oil that is in his left palm seven times before the Lord. ²⁸ The priest shall then put some of the oil that is in his palm on the lobe of the right ear of the one to be cleansed, and on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot, on the place of the blood of the guilt offering. ²⁹ Moreover, the rest of the oil that is in the priest’s palm he shall put on the head of the one to be cleansed, to make atonement on his behalf before the Lord. ³⁰ He shall then offer one of the turtledoves or young pigeons, ^[f]which are within his means. ³¹ He shall offer what ^[g]he can afford, ^(I)the one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering, together with the grain offering. So the priest shall make atonement before the Lord on behalf of the one to be cleansed. ³² This is the law for him in whom there is an infection of leprosy, whose ^[h]means are limited for his cleansing.”

The Precious Ointment

^6 (A)Now when Jesus was in ^(B)Bethany, at the home of Simon the leper, ^7 (C)a woman came to Him with an alabaster vial of very costly perfume, and she poured it on His head as He reclined at the table. ⁸ But the disciples were indignant when they saw this, and said, “Why this waste? ⁹ For this perfume might have been sold for a high price and the money given to the poor.” ¹⁰ But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you bother the woman? For she has done a good deed to Me. ¹¹ For you always have ^(D)the poor with you; but you do not always have Me. ¹² For when she poured this perfume on My body, she did it ^(E)to prepare Me for burial. ¹³ Truly I say to you, ^(F)wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken of in memory of her.”