Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

He

Instructed by the Word

A Case History of Blasphemy

¹⁰ Now a son of an Israeli woman and an Egyptian man^[a] went out among the Israelis. The Israeli woman’s son got into a fight with an Israeli man in the camp. ¹¹ Then the Israeli woman’s son blasphemed the Name and cursed, so they brought him to Moses. His mother’s name was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri, from the tribe of Dan. ¹² They placed him in custody until a decision would be made^[b] to them according to the word^[c] of the Lord. ¹³ Then the Lord spoke to Moses, ¹⁴ “Take the one who cursed outside the camp. Everyone who heard him is to lay their hands on his head. Then the entire congregation is to stone him to death. ¹⁵ Moreover, tell the Israelis that anyone who curses his God will bear the consequences of his own sin, ¹⁶ because the one who blasphemes the name of the Lord is certainly to be put to death. The entire congregation is to stone him to death. As it is for the resident alien, so it is to be with the native born: when he blasphemes the Name, he is to be put to death.

¹⁷ “If a man beats a human being^[d] to death,^[e] he is certainly to be executed, ¹⁸ but whoever beats an animal to death is to replace it—life for life. ¹⁹ If a man disfigures his fellow, whatever he did is to be done to him also. ²⁰ Fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth—just as he had caused a disfigurement against another man, so it is to be done against him. ²¹ Whoever beats an animal to death is to replace it, but whoever beats a human being to death^[f] is to be put to death. ²² You are to have for yourselves consistent^[g] procedures in deciding a case. As it is for the resident alien, so it is for the native born. I am the Lord your God.”

²³ So Moses spoke to the Israelis and they brought the one who cursed outside the camp and stoned him to death with boulders. The Israelis did just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

Judging Others^(A)

7 “Stop judging, so that you won’t be judged, ² because the way that you judge^[a] others will be the way that you will be judged, and you will be evaluated by the standard with which you evaluate others.

³ “Why do you see the speck in your brother’s eye but fail to notice the beam in your own eye? ⁴ Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when the beam is in your own eye? ⁵ You hypocrite! First remove the beam from your own eye, and then you will see clearly enough to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”

Despising the Holy

⁶ “Never give what is holy to dogs or throw your pearls before pigs. Otherwise, they will trample them with their feet and then turn around and attack you.”

Ask, Search, Knock^(B)

⁷ “Keep asking, and it will be given to you. Keep searching, and you will find. Keep knocking, and the door^[b] will be opened for you. ⁸ Because everyone who keeps asking will receive, and the person who keeps searching will find, and the person who keeps knocking will have the door^[c] opened.

⁹ “There isn’t a person among you who would give his son a stone if he asked for bread, is there? ¹⁰ Or if he asks for a fish, he wouldn’t give him a snake, would he? ¹¹ So if you who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who keep on asking him! ¹² Therefore, whatever you want people to do for you, do the same for them, because this summarizes the Law and the Prophets.”