Bible Readings for February 28, 2011

Today our passages are Leviticus 22:17 – 23:44; Mark 9:30 – 10:12; Psalm 44:1-8; and Proverbs 10:19. The readings are from the Contemporary English Version.

**********

Leviticus 22:17-23:44 (Contemporary English Version)

Acceptable Sacrifices

17The LORD told Moses 18to tell Aaron and his sons and everyone else the rules for offering sacrifices. He said:

The animals that are to be completely burned on the altar 19-20must have nothing wrong with them, or else I won't accept them. Bulls or rams or goats [a] are the animals to be used for these sacrifices. 21When you offer a sacrifice to ask my blessing, [b] there must be nothing wrong with the animal. This is true, whether the sacrifice is part of a promise or something you do voluntarily. 22Don't offer an animal that is blind or injured or that has an infection or a skin disease. 23If one of your cattle or lambs has a leg that is longer or shorter than the others, you may offer it voluntarily, but not as part of a promise. 24As long as you live in this land, don't offer an animal with injured testicles. 25And don't bring me animals you bought from a foreigner. I won't accept them, because they are no better than one that has something wrong with it. 26The LORD told Moses to say:

27Newborn cattle, sheep, or goats must remain with their mothers for seven days, but on the eighth day, you may send them up in smoke to me, and I will accept the offering. 28Don't sacrifice a newborn animal and its mother on the same day.

29When you offer a sacrifice to give thanks [c] to me, you must do it in a way that is acceptable. 30Eat all of the meat that same day and don't save any for the next day. I am the LORD your God! 31Obey my laws and teachings--I am the LORD. 32-33I demand respect from the people of Israel, so don't disgrace my holy name. Remember--I am the one who chose you to be priests and rescued all of you from Egypt, so that I would be your LORD.

Leviticus 23

Religious Festivals

1The LORD told Moses 2to say to the community of Israel:

I have chosen certain times for you to come together and worship me.

3You have six days when you can do your work, but the seventh day of each week is holy because it belongs to me. No matter where you live, you must rest on the Sabbath and come together for worship. This law will never change.

The LORD said:

Passover and the Festival of Thin Bread
(Numbers 28.16-25)

4-5Passover is another time when you must come together to worship me, and it must be celebrated on the evening of the fourteenth day of the first month [d] of each year. 6The Festival of Thin Bread begins on the fifteenth day of that same month; it lasts seven days, and during this time you must honor me by eating bread made without yeast. 7On the first day of this festival you must rest from your work and come together for worship. 8Each day of this festival you must offer sacrifices. Then on the final day you must once again rest from your work and come together for worship.

Offering the First Part of the Harvest

9The LORD told Moses 10to say to the community of Israel:

After you enter the land I am giving you, the first bundle of wheat from each crop must be given to me. So bring it to a priest 11on the day after the Sabbath. He will lift it up [e] in dedication to me, and I will accept you. 12You must also offer a sacrifice to please me. [f] So bring the priest a one-year-old lamb that has nothing wrong with it 13and four pounds of your finest flour mixed with olive oil. Then he will place these on the bronze altar and send them up in smoke with a smell that pleases me. Together with these, you must bring a quart of wine as a drink offering. 14I am your God, and I forbid you to eat any new grain or anything made from it until you have brought these offerings. This law will never change. The LORD said:

The Harvest Festival
(Numbers 28.26-31)

15Seven weeks after you offer this bundle of grain, each family must bring another offering of new grain. 16Do this exactly fifty days later, which is the day following the seventh Sabbath. 17Bring two loaves of bread to be lifted up [g] in dedication to me. Each loaf is to be made with yeast and with four pounds of the finest flour from the first part of your harvest. 18At this same time, the entire community of Israel must bring seven lambs that are a year old, a young bull, and two rams. These animals must have nothing wrong with them, and they must be offered as a sacrifice to please me. [h] You must also offer the proper grain and wine sacrifices with each animal. [i] 19Offer a goat [j] as a sacrifice for sin, and two rams a year old as a sacrifice to ask my blessing. [k] 20The priest will lift up [l] the rams together with the bread in dedication to me. These offerings are holy and are my gift to the priest. 21This is a day of celebration and worship, a time of rest from your work. You and your descendants must obey this law. 22When you harvest your grain, always leave some of it standing around the edges of your fields and don't pick up what falls on the ground. Leave it for the poor and for those foreigners who live among you. I am the LORD your God!

The Festival of Trumpets
(Numbers 29.1-6)

23The LORD told Moses 24-25to say to the people of Israel:

The first day of the seventh month [m] must be a day of complete rest. Then at the sound of the trumpets, you will come together to worship and to offer sacrifices on the altar.

The Great Day of Forgiveness
(Numbers 29.7-11)

26The LORD God said to Moses:

27The tenth day of the seventh month [n] is the Great Day of Forgiveness. [o] It is a solemn day of worship; everyone must go without eating to show sorrow for their sins, and sacrifices must be burned. 28No one is to work on that day--it is the Great Day of Forgiveness, when sacrifices will be offered to me, so that I will forgive your sins. 29I will destroy anyone who refuses to go without eating. 30-31None of my people are ever to do any work on that day--not now or in the future. And I will wipe out those who do! 32This is a time of complete rest just like the Sabbath, and everyone must go without eating from the evening of the ninth to the evening of the tenth.

The Festival of Shelters
(Numbers 29.12-40)

33The LORD told Moses 34to say to the community of Israel:

Beginning on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, [p] and continuing for seven days, everyone must celebrate the Festival of Shelters in honor of me. 35No one is to do any work on the first day of the festival--it is a time when everyone must come together for worship. 36For seven days, sacrifices must be offered on the altar. The eighth day is also to be a day of complete rest, as well as a time of offering sacrifices on the altar and of coming together for worship. 37I have chosen these festivals as times when my people must come together for worship and when animals, grain, and wine are to be offered on the proper days. 38These festivals must be celebrated in addition to the Sabbaths and the times when you offer special gifts or sacrifices to keep a promise or as a voluntary offering.

39Remember to begin the Festival of Shelters on the fifteenth day of the seventh month after you have harvested your crops. Celebrate this festival for seven days in honor of me and don't do any work on the first day or on the day following the festival. 40Pick the best fruit from your trees [q] and cut leafy branches to use during the time of this joyous celebration in my honor. 41I command you and all of your descendants to celebrate this festival during the seventh month of each year. 42For seven days every Israelite must live in a shelter, 43so future generations will know that I made their ancestors live in shelters when I brought them out of Egypt. I am the LORD your God. 44This is how Moses instructed the people of Israel to celebrate the LORD's festivals.

Footnotes:
Leviticus 22:19 goats: See the note at 1.1-3.
Leviticus 22:21 sacrifice to ask my blessing: See the note at 3.1.
Leviticus 22:29 sacrifice to give thanks: See 7.12.
Leviticus 23:4 first month: Abib (also called Nisan), the first month of the Hebrew calendar, from about mid-March to mid-April.
Leviticus 23:11 lift it up: See the note at 7.29,30.
Leviticus 23:12 sacrifice to please me: See the note at 1.1-3.
Leviticus 23:17 lifted up: See the note at 7.29,30.
Leviticus 23:18 sacrifice to please me: See the note at 1.1-3.
Leviticus 23:18 proper grain. . . animal: See Numbers 15.1-16.
Leviticus 23:19 goat: See the note at 1.1-3.
Leviticus 23:19 sacrifice to ask my blessing: See the note at 3.1.
Leviticus 23:20 lift up: See the note at 7.29,30.
Leviticus 23:24 seventh month: See the note at 16.29.
Leviticus 23:27 seventh month: See the note at 16.29.
Leviticus 23:27 Great Day of Forgiveness: See the note at 16.34.
Leviticus 23:34 seventh month: See the note at 16.29.
Leviticus 23:40 best fruit from your trees: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.


Mark 9:30-10:12 (Contemporary English Version)

Jesus Again Speaks about His Death
(Matthew 17.22,23; Luke 9.43b-45)

30Jesus left with his disciples and started through Galilee. He did not want anyone to know about it, 31because he was teaching the disciples that the Son of Man would be handed over to people who would kill him. But three days later he would rise to life. 32The disciples did not understand what Jesus meant, and they were afraid to ask.

Who Is the Greatest?
(Matthew 18.1-5; Luke 9.46-48)

33Jesus and his disciples went to his home in Capernaum. After they were inside the house, Jesus asked them, "What were you arguing about along the way?" 34They had been arguing about which one of them was the greatest, and so they did not answer.

35After Jesus sat down and told the twelve disciples to gather around him, he said, "If you want the place of honor, you must become a slave and serve others!"

36Then Jesus had a child stand near him. He put his arm around the child and said, 37"When you welcome even a child because of me, you welcome me. And when you welcome me, you welcome the one who sent me."

For or against Jesus
(Luke 9.49,50)

38John said, "Teacher, we saw a man using your name to force demons out of people. But he wasn't one of us, and we told him to stop."

39Jesus said to his disciples:

Don't stop him! No one who works miracles in my name will soon turn and say something bad about me. 40Anyone who isn't against us is for us. 41And anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name, just because you belong to me, will surely be rewarded.

Temptations To Sin
(Matthew 18.6-9; Luke 17.1,2)

42It will be terrible for people who cause even one of my little followers to sin. Those people would be better off thrown into the ocean with a heavy stone tied around their necks. 43-44So if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off! You would be better off to go into life crippled than to have two hands and be thrown into the fires of hell that never go out. [a] 45-46If your foot causes you to sin, chop it off. You would be better off to go into life lame than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. [b] 47If your eye causes you to sin, get rid of it. You would be better off to go into God's kingdom with only one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell. 48The worms there never die, and the fire never stops burning.

49Everyone must be salted with fire. [c]

50Salt is good. But if it no longer tastes like salt, how can it be made salty again? Have salt among you and live at peace with each other. [d]

Mark 10

Teaching about Divorce
(Matthew 19.1-12; Luke 16.18)

1After Jesus left, he went to Judea and then on to the other side of the Jordan River. Once again large crowds came to him, and as usual, he taught them.

2Some Pharisees wanted to test Jesus. So they came up to him and asked if it was right for a man to divorce his wife. 3Jesus asked them, "What does the Law of Moses say about that?"

4They answered, "Moses allows a man to write out divorce papers and send his wife away."

5Jesus replied, "Moses gave you this law because you are so heartless. 6But in the beginning God made a man and a woman. 7That's why a man leaves his father and mother and gets married. 8He becomes like one person with his wife. Then they are no longer two people, but one. 9And no one should separate a couple that God has joined together."

10When Jesus and his disciples were back in the house, they asked him about what he had said. 11He told them, "A man who divorces his wife and marries someone else is unfaithful to his wife. 12A woman who divorces her husband [e] and marries again is also unfaithful."

Footnotes:
Mark 9:43 never go out: Some manuscripts add, "The worms there never die, and the fire never stops burning."
Mark 9:45 thrown into hell: Some manuscripts add, "The worms there never die, and the fire never stops burning."
Mark 9:49 salted with fire: Some manuscripts add "and every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt." The verse may mean that Christ's followers must suffer because of their faith.
Mark 9:50 Have salt among you and live at peace with each other: This may mean that when Christ's followers have to suffer because of their faith, they must still try to live at peace with each other.
Mark 10:12 A woman who divorces her husband: Roman law let a woman divorce her husband, but Jewish law did not let a woman do this.


Psalm 44:1-8 (Contemporary English Version)

Psalm 44
(A special psalm for the people of Korah and for the music leader.)

A Prayer for Help

1Our God, our ancestors told us
what wonders you worked
and we listened carefully.

2You chased off the nations
by causing them trouble
with your powerful arm.
Then you let our ancestors
take over their land.

3Their strength and weapons
were not
what won the land
and gave them victory!
You loved them and fought
with your powerful arm
and your shining glory.

4You are my God and King,
and you give victory [a] to the people of Jacob.

5By your great power,
we knocked our enemies down
and stomped on them.

6I don't depend on my arrows
or my sword to save me.

7But you saved us
from our hateful enemies,
and you put them to shame.

8We boast about you, our God,
and we are always grateful.

Footnotes:
Psalm 44:4 and. . . victory: One ancient translation; Hebrew " please give victory."


Proverbs 10:19 (Contemporary English Version)

19You will say the wrong thing
if you talk too much--
so be sensible and watch
what you say.

Bible Readings for February 27, 2011

Today our passages are Leviticus 20:22 – 22:16; Mark 9:1-29; Psalm 43:1-5; and Proverbs 10:18. The readings are from the Contemporary English Version.

**********

Leviticus 20:22-22:16 (Contemporary English Version)

22Obey my laws and teachings. Or else the land I am giving you will become sick of you and throw you out. 23The nations I am chasing out did these disgusting things, and I hated them for it, so don't follow their example. 24I am the LORD your God, and I have promised you their land that is rich with milk and honey. I have chosen you to be different from other people. 25That's why you must make a difference between animals and birds that I have said are clean and unclean [a] --this will keep you from becoming disgusting to me. 26I am the LORD, the holy God. You have been chosen to be my people, and so you must be holy too. 27If you claim to receive messages from the dead, you will be put to death by stoning, just as you deserve.

Leviticus 21

Instructions for Priests

1The LORD gave Moses these instructions for Aaron's sons, the priests:

Touching a dead body will make you unclean. So don't go near a dead relative, 2except your mother, father, son, daughter, brother, 3or an unmarried sister, who has no husband to take care of her. 4Don't make yourself unclean by attending the funeral of someone related to you by marriage. [b] 5Don't shave any part of your head or trim your beard or cut yourself to show that you are mourning. 6I am the LORD your God, and I have chosen you alone to offer sacrifices of food to me on the altar. That's why you must keep yourselves holy. 7Don't marry a divorced woman or a woman who has served as a temple prostitute. You are holy, 8because I am holy. And so, you must be treated with proper respect, since you offer food sacrifices to me, the God of holiness. 9If any of you priests has a daughter who disgraces you by serving as a temple prostitute, she must be burned to death.

10If you are the high priest, you must not mess up your hair or tear your clothes in order to mourn for the dead. 11Don't make yourself unclean by going near a dead body, not even that of your own father or mother. 12If you leave the sacred place to attend a funeral, both you and the sacred place become unclean, because you are the high priest.

13If you are the high priest, you must marry only a virgin 14from your own tribe. Don't marry a divorced woman or any other woman who has already had sex, including a temple prostitute. 15In this way, your descendants will be qualified to serve me. Remember--I am the LORD, and I have chosen you.

16The LORD told Moses 17-18to say to Aaron:

No descendant of yours can ever serve as my priest if he is blind or lame, if his face is disfigured, if one leg is shorter than the other, 19if either a foot or a hand is crippled, 20if he is a hunchback or a dwarf, if an eye or his skin is diseased, or if his testicles have been damaged. 21These men may not serve as my priests and burn sacrifices to me. 22They may eat the food offerings presented to me, 23but they may not enter the sacred place or serve me at the altar. Remember--I am the LORD, the one who makes a priest holy.

24Moses told all of this to Aaron, his sons, and the people of Israel.

Leviticus 22

The Offerings Are Holy

1The LORD told Moses 2to say to Aaron and his sons:

I am the LORD God, and I demand that you honor my holy name by showing proper respect for the offerings brought to me by the people of Israel. 3If any of you are unclean when you accept an offering for me, I will no longer let you serve as a priest. 4None of you may take part in the sacred meals while you have a skin disease or an infected penis, or after you have been near a dead body or have had a flow of semen, 5or if you have touched an unclean creature of any sort, including an unclean person. 6-7Once you are unclean, you must take a bath, but you still cannot eat any of the sacred food until evening. 8I command you not to eat anything that is killed by a wild animal or dies a natural death. This would make you unclean. 9Obey me, or you will die on duty for disgracing the place of worship. Remember--I am the LORD, the one who makes a priest holy.

10Only you priests and your families may eat the food offerings; these are too sacred for any of your servants. 11However, any slave that you own, including those born into your household, may eat this food. 12If your daughter marries someone who isn't a priest, she can no longer have any of this food. 13But if she returns to your home, either widowed or divorced, and has no children, she may join in the meal. Only members of a priestly family can eat this food, 14and anyone else who accidentally does so, must pay for the food plus a fine of twenty percent.

15I warn you not to treat lightly the offerings that are brought by the people of Israel. 16Don't let them become guilty of eating this sacred food. Remember--I am the LORD, the one who makes these offerings holy.

Footnotes:
Leviticus 20:25 clean and unclean: See the note at 11.4-8.
Leviticus 21:4 marriage: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 4.


Mark 9:1-29 (Contemporary English Version)

Mark 9

1I can assure you that some of the people standing here will not die before they see God's kingdom come with power.

The True Glory of Jesus
(Matthew 17.1-13; Luke 9.28-36)

2Six days later Jesus took Peter, James, and John with him. They went up on a high mountain, where they could be alone. There in front of the disciples, Jesus was completely changed. 3And his clothes became much whiter than any bleach on earth could make them. 4Then Moses and Elijah were there talking with Jesus.

5Peter said to Jesus, "Teacher, it is good for us to be here! Let us make three shelters, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." 6But Peter and the others were terribly frightened, and he did not know what he was talking about.

7The shadow of a cloud passed over and covered them. From the cloud a voice said, "This is my Son, and I love him. Listen to what he says!" 8At once the disciples looked around, but they saw only Jesus.

9As Jesus and his disciples were coming down the mountain, he told them not to say a word about what they had seen, until the Son of Man had been raised from death. 10So they kept it to themselves. But they wondered what he meant by the words "raised from death."

11The disciples asked Jesus, "Don't the teachers of the Law of Moses say that Elijah must come before the Messiah does?"

12Jesus answered:

Elijah certainly will come [a] to get everything ready. But don't the Scriptures also say that the Son of Man must suffer terribly and be rejected? 13I can assure you that Elijah has already come. And people treated him just as they wanted to, as the Scriptures say they would.

Jesus Heals a Boy
(Matthew 17.14-20; Luke 9.37-43a)

14When Jesus and his three disciples came back down, they saw a large crowd around the other disciples. The teachers of the Law of Moses were arguing with them.

15The crowd was really surprised to see Jesus, and everyone hurried over to greet him.

16Jesus asked, "What are you arguing about?"

17Someone from the crowd answered, "Teacher, I brought my son to you. A demon keeps him from talking. 18Whenever the demon attacks my son, it throws him to the ground and makes him foam at the mouth and grit his teeth in pain. Then he becomes stiff. I asked your disciples to force out the demon, but they couldn't do it."

19Jesus said, "You people don't have any faith! How much longer must I be with you? Why do I have to put up with you? Bring the boy to me."

20They brought the boy, and as soon as the demon saw Jesus, it made the boy shake all over. He fell down and began rolling on the ground and foaming at the mouth.

21Jesus asked the boy's father, "How long has he been like this?"

The man answered, "Ever since he was a child. 22The demon has often tried to kill him by throwing him into a fire or into water. Please have pity and help us if you can!"

23Jesus replied, "Why do you say `if you can'? Anything is possible for someone who has faith!"

24Right away the boy's father shouted, "I do have faith! Please help me to have even more."

25When Jesus saw that a crowd was gathering fast, he spoke sternly to the evil spirit that had kept the boy from speaking or hearing. He said, "I order you to come out of the boy! Don't ever bother him again."

26The spirit screamed and made the boy shake all over. Then it went out of him. The boy looked dead, and almost everyone said he was. 27But Jesus took hold of his hand and helped him stand up.

28After Jesus and the disciples had gone back home and were alone, they asked him, "Why couldn't we force out that demon?"

29Jesus answered, "Only prayer can force out that kind of demon."

Footnotes:
Mark 9:12 Elijah certainly will come: See the note at 6.15.


Psalm 43:1-5 (Contemporary English Version)

Psalm 43

A Prayer in Times of Trouble

1Show that I am right, God!
Defend me against everyone
who doesn't know you;
scue me from each
of those deceitful liars.

2I run to you
for protection.
Why have you turned me away?
Why must enemies mistreat me
and make me sad?

3Send your light and your truth
to guide me.
Let them lead me to your house
on your sacred mountain.

4Then I will worship
at your altar
because you
make me joyful.
You are my God,
and I will praise you.
Yes, I will praise you
as I play my harp.

5Why am I discouraged?
Why am I restless?
I trust you!
And I will praise you again
because you help me,
and you are my God.


Proverbs 10:18 (Contemporary English Version)

18You can hide your hatred
by telling lies,
but you are a fool
to spread lies.

Bible Readings for February 26, 2011

Today our passages are Leviticus 19:1 – 20:21; Mark 8:11-36; Psalm 42:1-11; and Proverbs 10:17. The readings are from the Contemporary English Version.

**********

Leviticus 19-20:21 (Contemporary English Version)

Leviticus 19

Moral and Religious Laws

1The LORD told Moses 2to say to the community of Israel:

I am the LORD your God. I am holy, and you must be holy too! 3-4Respect your father and your mother, honor the Sabbath, and don't make idols or images. I am the LORD your God.

5When you offer a sacrifice to ask my blessing, [a] be sure to follow my instructions. 6You may eat the meat either on the day of the sacrifice or on the next day, but you must burn anything left until the third day. 7If you eat any of it on the third day, the sacrifice will be disgusting to me, and I will reject it. 8In fact, you will be punished for not respecting what I say is holy, and you will no longer belong to the community of Israel. 9When you harvest your grain, always leave some of it standing along the edges of your fields and don't pick up what falls on the ground. 10Don't strip your grapevines clean or gather the grapes that fall off the vines. Leave them for the poor and for those foreigners who live among you. I am the LORD your God.

11Do not steal or tell lies or cheat others.

12Do not misuse my name by making promises you don't intend to keep. I am the LORD your God.

13Do not steal anything or cheat anyone, and don't fail to pay your workers at the end of each day. [b] 14I am the LORD your God, and I command you not to make fun of the deaf or to cause a blind person to stumble.

15Be fair, no matter who is on trial--don't favor either the poor or the rich.

16Don't be a gossip, but never hesitate to speak up in court, especially if your testimony can save someone's life. [c] 17Don't hold grudges. On the other hand, it's wrong not to correct someone who needs correcting. 18Stop being angry and don't try to take revenge. I am the LORD, and I command you to love others as much as you love yourself.

19Breed your livestock animals only with animals of the same kind, and don't plant two kinds of seed in the same field or wear clothes made of different kinds of material.

20If a man has sex with a slave woman who is promised in marriage to someone else, he must pay a fine, but they are not to be put to death. After all, she was still a slave at the time. [d] 21-22The man must bring a ram to the entrance of the sacred tent and give it to a priest, who will then offer it as a sacrifice to me, so the man's sins will be forgiven. 23After you enter the land, you will plant fruit trees, but you are not to eat any of their fruit for the first three years. 24In the fourth year the fruit must be set apart, as an expression of thanks 25to me, the LORD God. Do this, and in the fifth year, those trees will produce an abundant harvest of fruit for you to eat.

26Don't eat the blood of any animal.

Don't practice any kind of witchcraft.

27-28I forbid you to shave any part of your head or beard or to cut and tattoo yourself as a way of worshiping the dead.

29Don't let your daughters serve as temple prostitutes--this would bring disgrace both to them and the land.

30I command you to respect the Sabbath and the place where I am worshiped.

31Don't make yourselves disgusting to me by going to people who claim they can talk to the dead.

32I command you to show respect for older people and to obey me with fear and trembling.

33Don't mistreat any foreigners who live in your land. 34Instead, treat them as well as you treat citizens and love them as much as you love yourself. Remember, you were once foreigners in the land of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.

35-36Use honest scales and don't cheat when you weigh or measure anything.

I am the LORD your God. I rescued you from Egypt, 37and I command you to obey my laws.

Leviticus 20

Penalties for Disobeying God's Laws

1The LORD told Moses 2to say to the community of Israel:

Death by stoning is the penalty for any citizens or foreigners in the country who sacrifice their children to the god Molech. 3They have disgraced both the place where I am worshiped and my holy name, and so I will turn against them and no longer let them belong to my people. 4Some of you may let them get away with human sacrifice, 5but not me. If any of you worship Molech, I will turn against you and your entire family, and I will no longer let you belong to my people.

6I will be your enemy if you go to someone who claims to speak with the dead, and I will destroy you from among my people. 7Dedicate yourselves to me and be holy because I am the LORD your God. 8I have chosen you as my people, and I expect you to obey my laws.

9If you curse your father or mother, you will be put to death, and it will be your own fault.

10If any of you men have sex with another man's wife, both you and the woman will be put to death.

11Having sex with one of your father's wives disgraces him. So both you and the woman will be put to death, just as you deserve. 12It isn't natural to have sex with your daughter-in-law, and both of you will be put to death, just as you deserve. 13It's disgusting for men to have sex with one another, and those who do will be put to death, just as they deserve. 14It isn't natural for a man to marry both a mother and her daughter, and so all three of them will be burned to death. 15-16If any of you have sex with an animal, both you and the animal will be put to death, just as you deserve.

17If you marry one of your sisters, you will be punished, and the two of you will be disgraced by being openly forced out of the community. 18If you have sex with a woman during her monthly period, both you and the woman will be cut off from the people of Israel. 19The sisters of your father and mother are your own relatives, and you will be punished for having sex with any of them. 20If you have sex with your uncle's wife, neither you nor she will ever have any children. 21And if you marry your sister-in-law, neither of you will ever have any children. [e]

Footnotes:
Leviticus 19:5 sacrifice. . . to ask my blessing: See the note at 3.1.
Leviticus 19:13 to pay. . . end of each day: Day laborers needed their wages to buy food for their evening meal, which was the main meal of the day.
Leviticus 19:16 but never. . . someone's life: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
Leviticus 19:20 time: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 20.
Leviticus 20:21 And. . . children: According to Deuteronomy 25.5,6 a man was supposed to marry his brother's widow if his brother had died without having children. Otherwise, such marriages were forbidden (see also Matthew 22.23-33; Mark 12.18-27; Luke 20.27-40).


Mark 8:11-36 (Contemporary English Version)

A Sign from Heaven
(Matthew 16.1-4)

11The Pharisees came out and started an argument with Jesus. They wanted to test him by asking for a sign from heaven. 12Jesus groaned and said, "Why are you always looking for a sign? I can promise you that you will not be given one!" 13Then he left them. He again got into a boat and crossed over to the other side of the lake.

The Yeast of the Pharisees and of Herod
(Matthew 16.5-12)

14The disciples had forgotten to bring any bread, and they had only one loaf with them in the boat. 15Jesus warned them, "Watch out! Guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and of Herod." [a]

16The disciples talked this over and said to each other, "He must be saying this because we don't have any bread."

17Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, "Why are you talking about not having any bread? Don't you understand? Are your minds still closed? 18Are your eyes blind and your ears deaf? Don't you remember 19how many baskets of leftovers you picked up when I fed those five thousand people with only five small loaves of bread?"

"Yes," the disciples answered. "There were twelve baskets."

20Jesus then asked, "And how many baskets of leftovers did you pick up when I broke seven small loaves of bread for those four thousand people?"

"Seven," they answered.

21"Don't you know what I am talking about by now?" Jesus asked.

Jesus Heals a Blind Man at Bethsaida

22As Jesus and his disciples were going into Bethsaida, some people brought a blind man to him and begged him to touch the man. 23Jesus took him by the hand and led him out of the village, where he spit into the man's eyes. He placed his hands on the blind man and asked him if he could see anything. 24The man looked up and said, "I see people, but they look like trees walking around."

25Once again Jesus placed his hands on the man's eyes, and this time the man stared. His eyes were healed, and he saw everything clearly. 26Jesus said to him, "You may return home now, but don't go into the village."

Who Is Jesus?
(Matthew 16.13-20; Luke 9.18-21)

27Jesus and his disciples went to the villages near the town of Caesarea Philippi. As they were walking along, he asked them, "What do people say about me?"

28The disciples answered, "Some say you are John the Baptist or maybe Elijah. [b] Others say you are one of the prophets."

29Then Jesus asked them, "But who do you say I am?"

"You are the Messiah!" Peter replied.

30Jesus warned the disciples not to tell anyone about him.

Jesus Speaks about His Suffering and Death
(Matthew 16.21-28; Luke 9.22-27)

31Jesus began telling his disciples what would happen to him. He said, "The nation's leaders, the chief priests, and the teachers of the Law of Moses will make the Son of Man suffer terribly. He will be rejected and killed, but three days later he will rise to life." 32Then Jesus explained clearly what he meant.

Peter took Jesus aside and told him to stop talking like that. 33But when Jesus turned and saw the disciples, he corrected Peter. He said to him, "Satan, get away from me! You are thinking like everyone else and not like God."

34Jesus then told the crowd and the disciples to come closer, and he said:

If any of you want to be my followers, you must forget about yourself. You must take up your cross and follow me. 35If you want to save your life, [c] you will destroy it. But if you give up your life for me and for the good news, you will save it. 36What will you gain, if you own the whole world but destroy yourself?

Footnotes:
Mark 8:15 Herod: Herod Antipas, the son of Herod the Great.
Mark 8:28 Elijah: See the note at 6.15.
Mark 8:35 life: In verses 35-37 the same Greek word is translated "life," "yourself," and "soul."

Psalm 42:1-11 (Contemporary English Version)

Psalm 42

BOOK II
(Psalms 42-72)

(A special psalm for the people of Korah and for the music leader.)
Longing for God

1As a deer gets thirsty
for streams of water,
I truly am thirsty
for you, my God.

2In my heart, I am thirsty
for you, the living God.
When will I see your face?

3Day and night my tears
are my only food,
as everyone keeps asking,
"Where is your God?"

4Sorrow floods my heart,
when I remember
leading the worshipers
to your house. [a]
I can still hear them shout
their joyful praises.

5Why am I discouraged?
Why am I restless?
I trust you!
And I will praise you again
because you help me,

6and you are my God.
I am deeply discouraged
as I think about you
from where the Jordan begins
at Mount Hermon
and from Mount Mizar. [b]

7Your vicious waves
have swept over me
like an angry ocean
or a roaring waterfall.

8Every day, you are kind,
and at night
you give me a song
as my prayer to you,
the living LORD God.

9You are my mighty rock. [c]
Why have you forgotten me?
Why must enemies mistreat me
and make me sad?

10Even my bones are in pain,
while all day long
my enemies sneer and ask,
"Where is your God?"

11Why am I discouraged?
Why am I restless?
I trust you!
And I will praise you again
because you help me,
and you are my God.

Footnotes:
Psalm 42:4 leading. . . house: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
Psalm 42:6 Mount Mizar: The location is not known.
Psalm 42:9 mighty rock: See the note at 18.2.


Proverbs 10:17 (Contemporary English Version)

17Accept correction,
and you will find life;
reject correction,
and you will miss the road.

Bible Readings for February 25, 2011

Today our passages are Leviticus 16:29 – 18:30; Mark 7:24 – 8:10; Psalm 41:1-13; and Proverbs 10:15-16. The readings are from the Contemporary English Version.

**********

Leviticus 16:29-18:30 (Contemporary English Version)

The LORD told Moses to say to the people:
29On the tenth day of the seventh month [a] of each year, you must go without eating to show sorrow for your sins, and no one, including foreigners who live among you, is allowed to work. 30This is the day on which the sacrifice for the forgiveness of your sins will be made in my presence, 31and from now on, it must be celebrated each year. Go without eating and make this a day of complete rest just like the Sabbath. 32The high priest must offer the sacrifices for cleansing from sin, while wearing the sacred linen clothes. 33He will offer these sacrifices for the most holy place, the sacred tent, the bronze altar, all the priests, and for the whole community. 34You must celebrate this day each year--it is the Great Day of Forgiveness [b] for all the sins of the people of Israel. Moses did exactly as the LORD had commanded.

Leviticus 17

Where To Offer Sacrifices

1The LORD told Moses 2to tell Aaron, his sons, and everyone else in Israel:

3-4Whenever you kill any of your cattle, sheep, or goats as sacrifices to me, you must do it at the entrance to the sacred tent. If you don't, you will be guilty of pouring out blood, and you will no longer belong to the community of Israel. 5And so, when you sacrifice an animal to ask my blessing, [c] it must not be done out in a field, 6but in front of the sacred tent. Then a priest can splatter its blood against the bronze altar and send its fat up in smoke with a smell that pleases me. 7Don't ever turn from me again and offer sacrifices to goat-demons. This law will never change. 8Remember! No one in Israel, including foreigners, is to offer a sacrifice anywhere 9except at the entrance to the sacred tent. If you do, you will no longer belong to my people.

Do Not Eat Blood

The LORD said:
10I will turn against any of my people who eat blood. This also includes any foreigners living among you. 11Life is in the blood, and I have given you the blood of animals to sacrifice in place of your own. 12That's also why I have forbidden you to eat blood. 13Even if you should hunt and kill a bird or an animal, you must drain out the blood and cover it with soil.

14The life of every living creature is in its blood. That's why I have forbidden you to eat blood and why I have warned you that anyone who does will no longer belong to my people.

15If you happen to find a dead animal and eat it, you must take a bath and wash your clothes, but you are still unclean until evening. 16If you don't take a bath, you will suffer for what you did wrong.

Leviticus 18

Forbidden Sex

1The LORD told Moses 2to tell the people of Israel:
I am the LORD your God! 3So don't follow the customs of Egypt where you used to live or those of Canaan where I am bringing you. 4I am the LORD your God, and you must obey my teachings. 5Obey them and you will live. I am the LORD.

6Don't have sex with any of your close relatives, 7especially your own mother. This would disgrace your father. 8And don't disgrace him by having sex with any of his other wives. 9Don't have sex with your sister or stepsister, whether you grew up together or not. 10Don't disgrace yourself by having sex with your granddaughter 11or half sister 12-13or a sister of your father or mother. 14Don't disgrace your uncle by having sex with his wife. 15Don't have sex with your daughter-in-law 16or sister-in-law. 17And don't have sex with the daughter or granddaughter of any woman that you have earlier had sex with. You may be having sex with a relative, and that would make you unclean. 18As long as your wife is alive, don't cause trouble for her by taking one of her sisters as a second wife.

19When a woman is having her monthly period, she is unclean, so don't have sex with her.

20Don't have sex with another man's wife--that would make you unclean.

21Don't sacrifice your children on the altar fires to the god Molech. I am the LORD your God, and that would disgrace me.

22It is disgusting for a man to have sex with another man.

23Anyone who has sex with an animal is unclean.

24Don't make yourselves unclean by any of these disgusting practices of those nations that I am forcing out of the land for you. They made themselves 25and the land so unclean, that I punished the land because of their sins, and I made it vomit them up. 26-27Now don't do these sickening things that make the land filthy. Instead, obey my laws and teachings. 28Then the land won't become sick of you and vomit you up, just as it did them. 29-30If any of you do these vulgar, disgusting things, you will be unclean and no longer belong to my people. I am the LORD your God, and I forbid you to follow their sickening way of life.

Footnotes:
Leviticus 16:29 seventh month: Tishri (also called Ethanim), the seventh month of the Hebrew calendar, from about mid-September to mid-October.
Leviticus 16:34 Great Day of Forgiveness: Traditionally known as the Day of Atonement.
Leviticus 17:5 sacrifice. . . to ask my blessing: See the note at 3.1.


Mark 7:24-8:10 (Contemporary English Version)

A Woman's Faith
(Matthew 15.21-28)

24Jesus left and went to the region near the city of Tyre, where he stayed in someone's home. He did not want people to know he was there, but they found out anyway. 25A woman whose daughter had an evil spirit in her heard where Jesus was. And right away she came and knelt down at his feet. 26The woman was Greek and had been born in the part of Syria known as Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to force the demon out of her daughter. 27But Jesus said, "The children must first be fed! It isn't right to take away their food and feed it to dogs." [a]

28The woman replied, "Lord, even dogs eat the crumbs that children drop from the table."

29Jesus answered, "That's true! You may go now. The demon has left your daughter." 30When the woman got back home, she found her child lying on the bed. The demon had gone.

Jesus Heals a Man Who Was Deaf and Could Hardly Talk

31Jesus left the region around Tyre and went by way of Sidon toward Lake Galilee. He went through the land near the ten cities known as Decapolis. [b] 32Some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk. They begged Jesus just to touch him.

33After Jesus had taken him aside from the crowd, he stuck his fingers in the man's ears. Then he spit and put it on the man's tongue. 34Jesus looked up toward heaven, and with a groan he said, "Effatha!" [c] which means "Open up!" 35At once the man could hear, and he had no more trouble talking clearly.

36Jesus told the people not to say anything about what he had done. But the more he told them, the more they talked about it. 37They were completely amazed and said, "Everything he does is good! He even heals people who cannot hear or talk."

Mark 8

Jesus Feeds Four Thousand
(Matthew 15.32-39)

1One day another large crowd gathered around Jesus. They had not brought along anything to eat. So Jesus called his disciples together and said, 2"I feel sorry for these people. They have been with me for three days, and they don't have anything to eat. 3Some of them live a long way from here. If I send them away hungry, they might faint on their way home."

4The disciples said, "This place is like a desert. Where can we find enough food to feed such a crowd?"

5Jesus asked them how much food they had. They replied, "Seven small loaves of bread." [d]

6After Jesus told the crowd to sit down, he took the seven loaves and blessed them. He then broke the loaves and handed them to his disciples, who passed them out to the crowd. 7They also had a few little fish, and after Jesus had blessed these, he told the disciples to pass them around.

8-9The crowd of about four thousand people ate all they wanted, and the leftovers filled seven large baskets.

As soon as Jesus had sent the people away, 10he got into the boat with the disciples and crossed to the territory near Dalmanutha. [e]

Footnotes:
Mark 7:27 feed it to dogs: The Jewish people often referred to Gentiles as dogs.
Mark 7:31 the ten cities known as Decapolis: See the note at 5.20.
Mark 7:34 Effatha: This word is in Aramaic, a language spoken in Palestine during the time of Jesus.
Mark 8:5 small loaves of bread: See the note at 6.38.
Mark 8:10 Dalmanutha: The place is unknown.


Psalm 41:1-13 (Contemporary English Version)

Psalm 41
(A psalm by David for the music leader.)

A Prayer in Time of Sickness

1You, LORD God, bless everyone
who cares for the poor,
and you rescue those people
in times of trouble.

2You protect them
and keep them alive.
You make them happy here
in this land,
and you don't hand them over
to their enemies.

3You always heal them
and restore their strength
when they are sick.

4I prayed, "Have pity, LORD!
Heal me,
though I have sinned
against you."

5My vicious enemies ask me,
"When will you die
and be forgotten?"

6When visitors come,
all they ever bring
are worthless words,
and when they leave,
they spread gossip.

7My enemies whisper about me.
They think the worst,

8and they say,
"You have some fatal disease!
You'll never get well."

9My most trusted friend
has turned against me,
though he ate at my table.

10Have pity, LORD! Heal me,
so I can pay them back.

11Then my enemies
won't defeat me,
and I will know
that you really care.

12You have helped me
because I am innocent,
and you will always
be close to my side.

13You, the LORD God of Israel,
will be praised forever!
Amen and amen.


Proverbs 10:15-16 (Contemporary English Version)

15Great wealth can be a fortress,
but poverty
is no protection at all.

16If you live right,
the reward is a good life;
if you are evil,
all you have is sin.

Bible Readings for February 24, 2011

Today our passages are Leviticus 15:1 – 16:28; Mark 7:1-23; Psalm 40:11-17; and Proverbs 10:13-14. The readings are from the Contemporary English Version.

**********

Leviticus 15-16:28 (Contemporary English Version)

Leviticus 15

Sexual Uncleanness

1The LORD told Moses and Aaron 2to say to the community of Israel:

Any man with an infected penis is unclean, 3whether it is stopped up or keeps dripping. 4Anything that he rests on or sits on is also unclean, 5-7and if you touch either these or him, you must wash your clothes and take a bath, but you still remain unclean until evening.

8If you are spit on by the man, you must wash your clothes and take a bath, but you still remain unclean until evening. 9-10Any saddle or seat on which the man sits is unclean. And if you touch or carry either of these, you must wash your clothes and take a bath, but you still remain unclean until evening. 11If the man touches you without first washing his hands, you must wash your clothes and take a bath, but you still remain unclean until evening. 12Any clay pot that he touches must be destroyed, and any wooden bowl that he touches must be washed.

13Seven days after the man gets well, he will be considered clean, if he washes his clothes and takes a bath in spring water. 14On the eighth day he must bring either two doves or two pigeons to the front of my sacred tent and give them to a priest. 15The priest will offer one of the birds as a sacrifice for sin and the other as a sacrifice to please me, a] then I will consider the man completely clean. 16Any man who has a flow of semen must take a bath, but he still remains unclean until evening. 17If the semen touches anything made of cloth or leather, these must be washed, but they still remain unclean until evening. 18After having sex, both the man and the woman must take a bath, but they still remain unclean until evening.

19When a woman has her monthly period, she remains unclean for seven days, and if you touch her, you must take a bath, but you remain unclean until evening. 20-23Anything that she rests on or sits on is also unclean, and if you touch either of these, you must wash your clothes and take a bath, but you still remain unclean until evening. 24Any man who has sex with her during this time becomes unclean for seven days, and anything he rests on is also unclean.

25Any woman who has a flow of blood outside her regular monthly period is unclean until it stops, just as she is during her monthly period. 26Anything that she rests on or sits on during this time is also unclean, just as it would be during her period. 27If you touch either of these, you must wash your clothes and take a bath, but you still remain unclean until evening.

28Seven days after the woman gets well, she will be considered clean. 29On the eighth day, she must bring either two doves or two pigeons to the front of my sacred tent and give them to a priest. 30He will offer one of the birds as a sacrifice for sin and the other as a sacrifice to please me; then I will consider the woman completely clean.

31When any of you are unclean, you must stay away from the rest of the community of Israel. Otherwise, my sacred tent will become unclean, and the whole nation will die.

32-33These are the things you men must do if you become unclean because of an infected penis or if you have a flow of semen. And these are the things you women must do when you become unclean either because of your monthly period or an unusual flow of blood. This is also what you men must do if you have sex with a woman who is unclean.

Leviticus 16

The Great Day of Forgiveness

1-2Two of Aaron's sons had already lost their lives for disobeying the LORD, b] so the LORD told Moses to say to Aaron: I, the LORD, appear in a cloud over the place of mercy on the sacred chest, which is behind the inside curtain c] of the sacred tent. And I warn you not to go there except at the proper time. Otherwise, you will die! 3Before entering this most holy place, you must offer a bull as a sacrifice for your sins d] and a ram as a sacrifice to please me. e] 4You will take a bath and put on the sacred linen clothes, including the underwear, the robe, the sash, and the turban. 5Then the community of Israel will bring you a ram and two goats, both of them males. The goats are to be used as sacrifices for sin, and the ram is to be used as a sacrifice to please me. 6Aaron, you must offer the bull as a sacrifice of forgiveness for your own sins and for the sins of your family. 7Then you will lead the two goats into my presence at the front of the sacred tent, 8where I will show you f] which goat will be sacrificed to me and which one will be sent into the desert to the demon Azazel. g] 9After you offer the first goat as a sacrifice for sin, 10the other one must be presented to me alive, before you send it into the desert to take away the sins of the people. 11You must offer the bull as a sacrifice to ask forgiveness for your own sins and for the sins of your family. 12Then you will take a fire pan of live coals from the bronze altar, together with two handfuls of finely ground incense, into the most holy place. 13There you will present them to me by placing the incense on the coals, so that the place of mercy will be covered with a cloud of smoke. Do this, or you will die right there! 14Next, use a finger to sprinkle some of the blood on the place of mercy, which is on the lid of the sacred chest; then sprinkle blood seven times in front of the chest.

15Aaron, you must next sacrifice the goat for the sins of the people, and you must sprinkle its blood inside the most holy place, just as you did with the blood of the bull. 16By doing this, you will take away the sins that make both the most holy place and the people of Israel unclean. Do the same for the sacred tent, which is here among the people. 17Only you are allowed in the sacred tent from the time you enter until the time you come out. 18After leaving the tent, you will purify the bronze altar by smearing each of its four corners with some of the blood from the bull and from the goat. 19Use a finger to sprinkle the altar seven times with the blood, and it will be completely clean from the sins of the people.

20After you have purified the most holy place, the sacred tent, and the bronze altar, you must bring the live goat to the front of the tent. 21There you will lay your hands on its head, while confessing every sin the people have committed, and you will appoint someone to lead the goat into the desert, so that it can take away their sins. 22Finally, this goat that carries the heavy burden of Israel's sins must be released deep in the desert.

23-24Aaron, after this you must go inside the sacred tent, take a bath, put on your regular priestly clothes, and leave there the clothes you put on before entering the most holy place. Then you will come out and offer sacrifices to please me and sacrifices for your sins and for the sins of the people. 25The fat from these sacrifices for sin must be sent up in smoke on the bronze altar.

26The one who led the goat into the desert and sent it off to the demon Azazel must take a bath and wash his clothes before coming back into camp. 27The remains of the bull and the goat whose blood was taken into the most holy place must be taken outside the camp and burned. 28And whoever does this must take a bath and change clothes before coming back into camp.

Footnotes:
Leviticus 15:15 sacrifice to please me: See the note at 1.1-3.
Leviticus 16:1 lost. . . disobeying the LORD: See 10.1,2.
Leviticus 16:1 inside curtain: That separated the holy place from the most holy place.
Leviticus 16:3 for your sins: See 4.3-12.
Leviticus 16:3 sacrifice to please me: See the note at 1.1-3.
Leviticus 16:8 I will show you: The Hebrew text has " you must cast lots to find out." Pieces of wood or stone (called " lots" ) were used to find out what God wanted his people to do.
Leviticus 16:8 Azazel: It was believed that a demon named Azazel lived in the desert.


Mark 7:1-23 (Contemporary English Version)

Mark 7

The Teaching of the Ancestors
(Matthew 15.1-9)

1Some Pharisees and several teachers of the Law of Moses from Jerusalem came and gathered around Jesus. 2They noticed that some of his disciples ate without first washing their hands. a]

3The Pharisees and many other Jewish people obey the teachings of their ancestors. They always wash their hands in the proper way b] before eating. 4None of them will eat anything they buy in the market until it is washed. They also follow a lot of other teachings, such as washing cups, pitchers, and bowls. c]

5The Pharisees and teachers asked Jesus, "Why don't your disciples obey what our ancestors taught us to do? Why do they eat without washing their hands?"

6Jesus replied:

You are nothing but show-offs! The prophet Isaiah was right when he wrote that God had said,

"All of you praise me
with your words,
but you never really
think about me.
7It is useless for you
to worship me,
when you teach rules
made up by humans."

8You disobey God's commands in order to obey what humans have taught. 9You are good at rejecting God's commands so that you can follow your own teachings! 10Didn't Moses command you to respect your father and mother? Didn't he tell you to put to death all who curse their parents? 11But you let people get by without helping their parents when they should. You let them say that what they own has been offered to God. d] 12You won't let those people help their parents. 13And you ignore God's commands in order to follow your own teaching. You do a lot of other things that are just as bad.

What Really Makes People Unclean
(Matthew 15.10-20)

14Jesus called the crowd together again and said, "Pay attention and try to understand what I mean. 15-16The food that you put into your mouth doesn't make you unclean and unfit to worship God. The bad words that come out of your mouth are what make you unclean." e]

17After Jesus and his disciples had left the crowd and had gone into the house, they asked him what these sayings meant. 18He answered, "Don't you know what I am talking about by now? You surely know that the food you put into your mouth cannot make you unclean. 19It doesn't go into your heart, but into your stomach, and then out of your body." By saying this, Jesus meant that all foods were fit to eat.

20Then Jesus said:

What comes from your heart is what makes you unclean. 21Out of your heart come evil thoughts, vulgar deeds, stealing, murder, 22unfaithfulness in marriage, greed, meanness, deceit, indecency, envy, insults, pride, and foolishness. 23All of these come from your heart, and they are what make you unfit to worship God.

Footnotes:
Mark 7:2 without first washing their hands: The Jewish people had strict laws about washing their hands before eating, especially if they had been out in public.
Mark 7:3 in the proper way: The Greek text has "with the fist," but the exact meaning is not clear. It could mean "to the wrist" or "to the elbow."
Mark 7:4 bowls: Some manuscripts add "and sleeping mats."
Mark 7:11 has been offered to God: According to Jewish custom, when anything was offered to God, it could not be used for anyone else, not even for a person's parents.
Mark 7:15 unclean: Some manuscripts add, "If you have ears, pay attention."


Psalm 40:11-17 (Contemporary English Version)

11You, LORD, never fail
to have pity on me;
your love and faithfulness
always keep me secure.

12I have more troubles
than I can count.
My sins are all around me,
and I can't find my way.
My sins outnumber
the hairs on my head,
and I feel weak.

13Please show that you care
and come to my rescue.
Hurry and help me!

14Disappoint and confuse
all who want me dead;
turn away and disgrace
all who want to hurt me.

15Embarrass and shame
all of those who say,
"Just look at you now!"

16Our LORD, let your worshipers
rejoice and be glad.
They love you for saving them,
so let them always say,
"The LORD is wonderful!"

17I am poor and needy,
but, LORD God,
you care about me,
and you come to my rescue.
Please hurry and help.


Proverbs 10:13-14 (Contemporary English Version)

13If you have good sense,
it will show when you speak.
But if you are stupid,
you will be beaten
with a stick.

14If you have good sense,
you will learn all you can,
but foolish talk
will soon destroy you.

Bible Readings for February 23, 2011

Today our passages are Leviticus 14:1-57; Mark 6:30-56; Psalm 40:1-10; and Proverbs 10:11-12. The readings are from the Contemporary English Version.

**********

Leviticus 14:1-57 (Contemporary English Version)

Leviticus 14

The Ceremony for People Healed of Leprosy

1The LORD told Moses to say to the people:

2-3After you think you are healed of leprosy, [a] you must ask for a priest to come outside the camp and examine you. And if you are well, 4he will have someone bring out two live birds that are acceptable for sacrifice, together with a stick of cedar wood, a piece of red yarn, and a branch from a hyssop plant. 5The priest will have someone kill one of the birds over a clay pot of spring water. 6Then he will dip the other bird, the cedar, the red yarn, and the hyssop in the blood of the dead bird. 7Next, he will sprinkle you seven times with the blood and say, " You are now clean." Finally, he will release the bird and let it fly away. 8After this you must wash your clothes, shave your entire body, and take a bath before you are completely clean. You may move back into camp, but you must not enter your tent for seven days. 9Then you must once again shave your head, face, and eyebrows, as well as the hair on the rest of your body. Finally, wash your clothes and take a bath, and you will be completely clean.

10On the eighth day you must bring to the priest two rams and a year-old female lamb that have nothing wrong with them; also bring a half pint of olive oil and six pounds of your finest flour mixed with oil. 11Then the priest will present you and your offerings to me at the entrance to my sacred tent. 12There he will offer one of the rams, together with the pint of oil, as a sacrifice to make things right. [b] He will also lift them up [c] to show that they are dedicated to me. 13This sacrifice is very holy. It belongs to the priest and must be killed in the same place where animals are killed as sacrifices for sins and as sacrifices to please me. [d] 14The priest will smear some of the blood from this sacrifice on your right ear lobe, some on your right thumb, and some on the big toe of your right foot. 15He will then pour some of the olive oil into the palm of his left hand, 16dip a finger of his right hand into the oil, and sprinkle some of it seven times toward the sacred tent. 17Next, he will smear some of the oil on your right ear lobe, some on your right thumb, and some on the big toe of your right foot, 18-20and pour the rest of the oil from his palm on your head. Then he will offer the other two animals--one as a sacrifice for sin and the other as a sacrifice to please me, together with a grain sacrifice. After this you will be completely clean.

21If you are poor and cannot afford to offer this much, you may offer a ram as a sacrifice to make things right, together with a half pint of olive oil and two pounds of flour mixed with oil as a grain sacrifice. The priest will then lift these up [e] to dedicate them to me. 22Depending on what you can afford, you must also offer either two doves or two pigeons, one as a sacrifice for sin and the other as a sacrifice to please me. 23The priest will offer these to me in front of the sacred tent on the eighth day.

24-25The priest will kill this ram for the sacrifice to make things right, and he will lift it up [f] with the olive oil in dedication to me. Then he will smear some of the blood on your right ear lobe, some on your right thumb, and some on the big toe of your right foot.

26The priest will pour some of the olive oil into the palm of his left hand, 27then dip a finger of his right hand in the oil and sprinkle some of it seven times toward the sacred tent. 28He will smear some of the oil on your right ear lobe, some on your right thumb, and some on the big toe of your right foot, just as he did with the blood of the sacrifice to make things right. 29-31And he will pour the rest of the oil from his palm on your head.

Then, depending on what you can afford, he will offer either the doves or the pigeons together with the grain sacrifice. One of the birds is the sacrifice for sin, and the other is the sacrifice to please me. After this you will be completely clean.

32These are the things you must do if you have leprosy and cannot afford the usual sacrifices to make you clean.

When Mildew Is in a House

33The LORD told Moses and Aaron to say to the people:

34After I have given you the land of Canaan as your permanent possession, here is what you must do, if I ever put mildew [g] on the walls of any of your homes. 35First, you must say to a priest, " I think mildew is on the wall of my house."

36The priest will reply, " Empty the house before I inspect it, or else everything in it will be unclean."

37If the priest discovers greenish or reddish spots that go deeper than the surface of the walls, 38he will have the house closed for seven days. 39Then he will return and check to see if the mildew has spread. 40-41If so, he will have someone scrape the plaster from the walls, remove the filthy stones, then haul everything off and dump it in an unclean place outside the town. 42Afterwards the wall must be repaired with new stones and fresh plaster.

43If the mildew appears a second time, 44the priest will come and say, " This house is unclean. It's covered with mildew that can't be removed." 45Then he will have the house torn down and every bit of wood, stone, and plaster hauled off to an unclean place outside the town. 46Meanwhile, if any of you entered the house while it was closed, you will be unclean until evening. 47And if you either slept or ate in the house, you must wash your clothes.

48On the other hand, if the priest discovers that mildew hasn't reappeared after the house was newly plastered, he will say, " This house is clean--the mildew has gone." 49Then, to show that the house is now clean, he will get two birds, a stick of cedar wood, a piece of red yarn, and a branch from a hyssop plant and bring them to the house. 50He will kill one of the birds over a clay pot of spring water 51-52and let its blood drain into the pot. Then he will dip the cedar, the hyssop, the yarn, and the other bird into the mixture of blood and water. Next, he will sprinkle the house seven times with the mixture, then the house will be completely clean. 53Finally, he will release the bird and let it fly away, ending the ceremony for purifying the house.

54-57These are the things you must do if you discover that you are unclean because of an itch or a sore, or that your clothing or house is unclean because of mildew.

Footnotes:
Leviticus 14:2 leprosy: See the note at 13.3.
Leviticus 14:12 sacrifice to make things right: See 7.1-10.
Leviticus 14:12 lift them up: See the note at 7.29,30.
Leviticus 14:13 sacrifices to please me: See the note at 1.1-3.
Leviticus 14:21 lift these up: See the note at 7.29,30.
Leviticus 14:24 gchapter 13.
Leviticus 14:34 mildew: The Hebrew word translated " mildew" is the same one translated "leprosy" and "spot" in


Mark 6:30-56 (Contemporary English Version)

Jesus Feeds Five Thousand
(Matthew 14.13-21; Luke 9.10-17; John 6.1-14)

30After the apostles returned to Jesus, [a] they told him everything they had done and taught. 31But so many people were coming and going that Jesus and the apostles did not even have a chance to eat. Then Jesus said, "Let's go to a place [b] where we can be alone and get some rest." 32They left in a boat for a place where they could be alone. 33But many people saw them leave and figured out where they were going. So people from every town ran on ahead and got there first.

34When Jesus got out of the boat, he saw the large crowd that was like sheep without a shepherd. He felt sorry for the people and started teaching them many things.

35That evening the disciples came to Jesus and said, "This place is like a desert, and it is already late. 36Let the crowds leave, so they can go to the farms and villages near here and buy something to eat."

37Jesus replied, "You give them something to eat."

But they asked him, "Don't you know that it would take almost a year's wages [c] to buy all of these people something to eat?"

38Then Jesus said, "How much bread do you have? Go and see!"

They found out and answered, "We have five small loaves of bread [d] and two fish." 39Jesus told his disciples to have the people sit down on the green grass. 40They sat down in groups of a hundred and groups of fifty.

41Jesus took the five loaves and the two fish. He looked up toward heaven and blessed the food. Then he broke the bread and handed it to his disciples to give to the people. He also divided the two fish, so that everyone could have some.

42After everyone had eaten all they wanted, 43Jesus' disciples picked up twelve large baskets of leftover bread and fish.

44There were five thousand men who ate the food.

Jesus Walks on the Water
(Matthew 14.22-33; John 6.15-21)

45Right away, Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and start back across to Bethsaida. But he stayed until he had sent the crowds away. 46Then he told them good-by and went up on the side of a mountain to pray.

47Later that evening he was still there by himself, and the boat was somewhere in the middle of the lake. 48He could see that the disciples were struggling hard, because they were rowing against the wind. Not long before morning, Jesus came toward them. He was walking on the water and was about to pass the boat.

49When the disciples saw Jesus walking on the water, they thought he was a ghost, and they started screaming. 50All of them saw him and were terrified. But at that same time he said, "Don't worry! I am Jesus. Don't be afraid." 51He then got into the boat with them, and the wind died down. The disciples were completely confused. 52Their minds were closed, and they could not understand the true meaning of the loaves of bread.

Jesus Heals Sick People in Gennesaret
(Matthew 14.34-36)

53Jesus and his disciples crossed the lake and brought the boat to shore near the town of Gennesaret. 54As soon as they got out of the boat, the people recognized Jesus. 55So they ran all over that part of the country to bring their sick people to him on mats. They brought them each time they heard where he was. 56In every village or farm or marketplace where Jesus went, the people brought their sick to him. They begged him to let them just touch his clothes, and everyone who did was healed.

Footnotes:
Mark 6:30 the apostles returned to Jesus: From the mission on which he had sent them (see 6.7,12,13).
Mark 6:31 a place: This was probably northeast of Lake Galilee (see verse 45).
Mark 6:37 almost a year's wages: The Greek text has "two hundred silver coins." Each coin was the average day's wage for a worker.
Mark 6:38 small loaves of bread: These would have been flat and round or in the shape of a bun.


Psalm 40:1-10 (Contemporary English Version)

Psalm 40
(A psalm by David for the music leader.)

A Prayer for Help

1I patiently waited, LORD,
for you to hear my prayer.
You listened 2and pulled me
from a lonely pit
full of mud and mire.

You let me stand on a rock
with my feet firm,
3and you gave me a new song,
a song of praise to you.

Many will see this,
and they will honor
and trust
you, the LORD God.

4You bless all of those
who trust you, LORD,
and refuse to worship idols
or follow false gods.

5You, LORD God, have done
many wonderful things,
and you have planned
marvelous things for us.

No one is like you!
I would never be able to tell
all you have done.

6Sacrifices and offerings
are not what please you;
gifts and payment for sin
are not what you demand.

But you made me willing
to listen and obey.

7And so, I said, "I am here
to do what is written
about me in the book,
where it says,

8'I enjoy pleasing you.
Your Law is in my heart.' "

9When your people worshiped,
you know I told them,
"Our LORD always helps!"

10When all your people met,
I did not keep silent.
I said, "Our LORD is kind.
He is faithful and caring,
and he saves us."


Proverbs 10:11-12 (Contemporary English Version)

11The words of good people
are a source of life,
but evil hides behind
the words of the wicked.

12Hatred stirs up trouble;
love overlooks the wrongs
that others do.

Bible Readings for February 22, 2011

Today our passages are Leviticus 13:1-59; Mark 6:1-29; Psalm 39:1-13; and Proverbs 10:10. The readings are from the Contemporary English Version.

**********

Leviticus 13:1-59 (Contemporary English Version)

Leviticus 13

Skin Diseases

1The LORD told Moses and Aaron to say to the people:

2If sores or boils or a skin rash should break out and start spreading on your body, you must be brought to Aaron or to one of the other priests. 3If the priest discovers that the hair in the infected area has turned white and that the infection seems more than skin deep, he will say, " This is leprosy [a] --you are unclean." 4But if the infected area is white and only skin deep, and if the hair in it hasn't turned white, the priest will order you to stay away from everyone else for seven days. 5If the disease hasn't spread by that time, he will order you to stay away from everyone else for another seven days. 6Then if the disease hasn't gotten any worse or spread, the priest will say, " You are clean. It was only a sore. After you wash your clothes, you may go home."

7However, if the disease comes back, you must return to the priest. 8If it is discovered that the disease has started spreading, he will say, " This is leprosy--you are unclean."

9Any of you with a skin disease must be brought to a priest. 10If he discovers that the sore spot is white with pus and that the hair around it has also turned white, 11he will say, " This is leprosy. You are unclean and must stay away from everyone else." 12-13But if the disease has run its course and only the scars remain, he will say, " You are clean." 14-15If the sores come back and turn white with pus, he will say, " This is leprosy--you are unclean."

16-17However, if the sores heal and only white spots remain, the priest will say, " You are now clean."

18-19If you have a sore that either swells or turns reddish-white after it has healed, then you must show it to a priest. 20If he discovers that the hair in the infected area has turned white and that the infection seems more than skin deep, he will say, " This is leprosy--you are unclean." 21But if the white area is only on the surface of the skin and hasn't gotten any worse, and if the hair in it hasn't turned white, he will have you stay away from everyone else for seven days.

22If the sore begins spreading during this time, the priest will say, " You are unclean because you have a disease." 23But if it doesn't spread, and only a scar remains, he will say, " You are now clean."

24If you have a burn that gets infected and turns red or reddish-white, 25a priest must examine it. Then if he discovers that the hair in the infected area has turned white and that the infection seems more than skin deep, he will say, " The burn has turned into leprosy, and you are unclean." 26But if the priest finds that the hair in the infected area hasn't turned white and that the sore is only skin deep and it is healing, he will have you stay away from everyone else for seven days. 27On the seventh day the priest will examine you again, and if the infection is spreading, he will say, " This is leprosy--you are unclean." 28However, if the infection hasn't spread and has begun to heal, and if only a scar remains, he will say, " Only a scar remains from the burn, and you are clean."

29If you have a sore on your head or chin, 30it must be examined by a priest. If the infection seems more than skin deep, and the hair in it has thinned out and lost its color, he will say, " This is leprosy--you are unclean." 31On the other hand, if he discovers that the itchy spot is only skin deep, but that the hair still isn't healthy, he will order you to stay away from everyone else for seven days. 32By that time, if the itch hasn't spread, if the hairs seem healthy, and if the itch is only skin deep, 33you must shave off the hairs around the infection, but not those on it. Then the priest will tell you to stay away from everyone else for another seven days. 34By that time, if the itch hasn't spread and seems no more than skin deep, he will say, " You are clean; now you must wash your clothes."

35-36Later, if the itch starts spreading, even though the hair is still healthy, the priest will say, " You are unclean." 37But if he thinks you are completely well, he will say, " You are clean."

38If white spots break out on your skin, 39but the priest discovers that it is only a rash, he will say, " You are clean."

40-41If you become bald on any part of your head, you are still clean. 42-43But if a priest discovers that a reddish-white sore has broken out on the bald spot and looks like leprosy, he will say, 44" This is leprosy--you are unclean."

45If you ever have leprosy, you must tear your clothes, leave your hair uncombed, cover the lower part of your face, and go around shouting, " I'm unclean! I'm unclean!" 46As long as you have the disease, you are unclean and must live alone outside the camp.

47-50If a greenish or reddish spot [b] appears anywhere on any of your clothing or on anything made of leather, you must let the priest examine the clothing or the leather. He will put it aside for seven days, 51and if the mildew has spread in that time, he will say, " This is unclean 52because the mildew has spread." Then he will burn the clothing or the piece of leather. 53If the priest discovers that the mildew hasn't spread, 54he will tell you to wash the clothing or leather and put it aside for another seven days, 55after which he will examine it again. If the spot hasn't spread, but is still greenish or reddish, the clothing or leather is unclean and must be burned. 56But if the spot has faded after being washed, he will tear away the spot. 57Later, if the spot reappears elsewhere on the clothing or the leather, you must burn it. 58Even if the spot completely disappears after being washed, it must be washed again before it is clean.

59These are the rules for deciding if clothing is clean or unclean after a spot appears on it.

Footnotes:
Leviticus 13:3 leprosy: The word translated " leprosy" was used for many different kinds of skin diseases.
Leviticus 13:47 spot: The Hebrew word translated " spot" and " mildew" in verses 47-59 is the same one translated " leprosy" earlier in the chapter.


Mark 6:1-29 (Contemporary English Version)

Mark 6

The People of Nazareth Turn against Jesus
(Matthew 13.53-58; Luke 4.16-30)

1Jesus left and returned to his hometown [a] with his disciples. 2The next Sabbath he taught in the Jewish meeting place. Many of the people who heard him were amazed and asked, "How can he do all this? Where did he get such wisdom and the power to work these miracles? 3Isn't he the carpenter, [b] the son of Mary? Aren't James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon his brothers? Don't his sisters still live here in our town?" The people were very unhappy because of what he was doing.

4But Jesus said, "Prophets are honored by everyone, except the people of their hometown and their relatives and their own family." 5Jesus could not work any miracles there, except to heal a few sick people by placing his hands on them. 6He was surprised that the people did not have any faith.

Jesus taught in all the neighboring villages.

Instructions for the Twelve Apostles
(Matthew 10.5-15; Luke 9.1-6)

7Then he called together his twelve apostles and sent them out two by two with power over evil spirits. 8He told them, "You may take along a walking stick. But don't carry food or a traveling bag or any money. 9It's all right to wear sandals, but don't take along a change of clothes. 10When you are welcomed into a home, stay there until you leave that town. 11If any place won't welcome you or listen to your message, leave and shake the dust from your feet [c] as a warning to them."

12The apostles left and started telling everyone to turn to God. 13They forced out many demons and healed a lot of sick people by putting olive oil [d] on them.

The Death of John the Baptist
(Matthew 14.1-12; Luke 9.7-9)

14Jesus became so well-known that Herod the ruler [e] heard about him. Some people thought he was John the Baptist, who had come back to life with the power to work miracles. 15Others thought he was Elijah [f] or some other prophet who had lived long ago. 16But when Herod heard about Jesus, he said, "This must be John! I had his head cut off, and now he has come back to life."

17-18Herod had earlier married Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip. But John had told him, "It isn't right for you to take your brother's wife!" So, in order to please Herodias, Herod arrested John and put him in prison.

19Herodias had a grudge against John and wanted to kill him. But she could not do it 20because Herod was afraid of John and protected him. He knew that John was a good and holy man. Even though Herod was confused by what John said, [g] he was glad to listen to him. And he often did.

21Finally, Herodias got her chance when Herod gave a great birthday celebration for himself and invited his officials, his army officers, and the leaders of Galilee. 22The daughter of Herodias [h] came in and danced for Herod and his guests. She pleased them so much that Herod said, "Ask for anything, and it's yours! 23I swear that I will give you as much as half of my kingdom, if you want it."

24The girl left and asked her mother, "What do you think I should ask for?"

Her mother answered, "The head of John the Baptist!"

25The girl hurried back and told Herod, "Right now on a platter I want the head of John the Baptist!"

26The king was very sorry for what he had said. But he did not want to break the promise he had made in front of his guests. 27At once he ordered a guard to cut off John's head there in prison. 28The guard put the head on a platter and took it to the girl. Then she gave it to her mother.

29When John's followers learned that he had been killed, they took his body and put it in a tomb.

Footnotes:
Mark 6:1 hometown: Nazareth.
Mark 6:3 carpenter: The Greek word may also mean someone who builds or works with stone or brick.
Mark 6:11 shake the dust from your feet: This was a way of showing rejection.
Mark 6:13 olive oil: The Jewish people used olive oil as a way of healing people. Sometimes olive oil is a symbol for healing by means of a miracle (see James 5.14).
Mark 6:14 Herod the ruler: Herod Antipas, the son of Herod the Great.
Mark 6:15 Elijah: Many of the Jewish people expected the prophet Elijah to come and prepare the way for the Messiah.
Mark 6:20 was confused by what John said: Some manuscripts have "did many things because of what John said."
Mark 6:22 Herodias: Some manuscripts have "Herod."


Psalm 39:1-13 (Contemporary English Version)

Psalm 39
(A psalm by David for Jeduthun, the music leader.)

A Prayer for Forgiveness

1I told myself, "I'll be careful
not to sin by what I say,
and I'll muzzle my mouth
when evil people are near."

2I kept completely silent,
but it did no good, [a]
and I hurt even worse.

3I felt a fire burning inside,
and the more I thought,
the more it burned,
until at last I said:

4"Please, LORD,
show me my future.
Will I soon be gone?

5You made my life short,
so brief that the time
means nothing to you.
"Human life is but a breath,
6and it disappears
like a shadow.

Our struggles are senseless;
we store up more and more,
without ever knowing
who will get it all.

7"What am I waiting for?
I depend on you, Lord!

8Save me from my sins.
Don't let fools sneer at me.

9You treated me like this,
and I kept silent,
not saying a word.

10"Won't you stop punishing me?
You have worn me down.

11You punish us severely
because of our sins.
Like a moth, you destroy
what we treasure most.
We are as frail as a breath.

12"Listen, LORD, to my prayer!
My eyes are flooded with tears,
as I pray to you.
I am merely a stranger
visiting in your home
as my ancestors did.

13Stop being angry with me
and let me smile again
before I am dead and gone."

Footnotes:
Psalm 39:2 but. . . good: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.


Proverbs 10:10 (Contemporary English Version)

10Deceit causes trouble,
and foolish talk
will bring you to ruin. [a]

Footnotes:
Proverbs 10:10 and foolish. . . ruin: One ancient translation " but you can help people by correcting them."

Bible Readings for February 21, 2011

Today our passages are Leviticus 11:1 – 12:8; Mark 5:21-43; Psalm 38:1-22; and Proverbs 10:8-9. The readings are from the Contemporary English Version.

**********

Leviticus 11-12:8 (Contemporary English Version)

Leviticus 11

Clean and Unclean Animals
(Deuteronomy 14.3-21)

1The LORD told Moses and Aaron 2to say to the community of Israel:

You may eat 3any animal that has divided hoofs and chews the cud. a] 4-8But you must not eat animals such as camels, rock badgers, and rabbits that chew the cud but don't have divided hoofs. And you must not eat pigs--they have divided hoofs, but don't chew the cud. All of these animals are unclean, b] and you are forbidden even to touch their dead bodies. 9-12You may eat anything that lives in water and has fins and scales. But it would be disgusting for you to eat anything else that lives in water, and you must not even touch their dead bodies.

13-19Eagles, vultures, buzzards, crows, ostriches, hawks, sea gulls, owls, pelicans, storks, herons, hoopoes, c] and bats are also disgusting, and you are forbidden to eat any of them. 20-23The only winged insects you may eat are locusts, grasshoppers, and crickets. All other winged insects that crawl are too disgusting for you to eat.

24-28Don't even touch the dead bodies of animals that have divided hoofs but don't chew the cud. And don't touch the dead bodies of animals that have paws. If you do, you must wash your clothes, but you are still unclean until evening.

29-30Moles, rats, mice, and all kinds of lizards are unclean. 31Anyone who touches their dead bodies or anything touched by their dead bodies becomes unclean until evening. 32If something made of wood, cloth, or leather touches one of their dead bodies, it must be washed, but it is still unclean until evening. 33If any of these animals is found dead in a clay pot, the pot must be broken to pieces, and everything in it becomes unclean. 34If you pour water from this pot on any food, that food becomes unclean, and anything drinkable in the pot becomes unclean.

35If the dead body of one of these animals touches anything else, including ovens and stoves, that thing becomes unclean and must be destroyed. 36A spring or a cistern where one of these dead animals is found is still clean, but anyone who touches the animal becomes unclean. 37If the dead body of one of these animals is found lying on seeds that have been set aside for planting, the seeds remain clean. 38But seeds that are soaking in water become unclean, if the dead animal is found in the water.

39If an animal that may be eaten happens to die, and you touch it, you become unclean until evening. 40If you eat any of its meat or carry its body away, you must wash your clothes, but you are still unclean until evening.

41-42Don't eat any of those disgusting little creatures that crawl or walk close to the ground. 43If you eat any of them, you will become just as disgusting and unclean as they are. 44I am the LORD your God, and you must dedicate yourselves to me and be holy, just as I am holy. Don't become disgusting by eating any of these unclean creatures. 45I brought you out of Egypt so that I could be your God. Now you must become holy, because I am holy!

46-47I have given these laws so that you will know what animals, birds, and fish are clean and may be eaten, and which ones are unclean and may not be eaten.

Leviticus 12

What Women Must Do after Giving Birth

1The LORD told Moses 2to say to the community of Israel:

If a woman gives birth to a son, she is unclean for seven days, just as she is during her monthly period. 3Her son must be circumcised on the eighth day, 4but her loss of blood keeps her from being completely clean for another thirty-three days. During this time she must not touch anything holy or go to the place of worship. 5Any woman who gives birth to a daughter is unclean for two weeks, just as she is during her period. And she won't be completely clean for another sixty-six days.

6When the mother has completed her time of cleansing, she must come to the front of the sacred tent and bring to the priest a year-old lamb as a sacrifice to please me d] and a dove or a pigeon as a sacrifice for sin. 7After the priest offers the sacrifices to me, the mother will become completely clean from her loss of blood, whether her child is a boy or a girl. 8If she cannot afford a lamb, she can offer two doves or two pigeons, one as a sacrifice to please me and the other as a sacrifice for sin.

Footnotes:
Leviticus 11:3 chews the cud: Some animals that eat grass and leaves have more than one stomach and chew their food a second time after it has been partly digested in the first stomach. This partly digested food is called the " cud."
Leviticus 11:4 unclean: In the Old Testament " clean" and " unclean" refer to whatever makes a person, animal, or object acceptable or unacceptable to God. For example, a person became unclean by eating certain foods, touching certain objects, and having certain kinds of diseases or bodily discharges.
Leviticus 11:13 Eagles. . . hoopoes: Some of the birds in this list are difficult to identify.
Leviticus 12:6 sacrifice to please me: See the note at 1.1-3.


Mark 5:21-43 (Contemporary English Version)

A Dying Girl and a Sick Woman
(Matthew 9.18-26; Luke 8.40-56)

21Once again Jesus got into the boat and crossed Lake Galilee. a] Then as he stood on the shore, a large crowd gathered around him. 22The person in charge of the Jewish meeting place was also there. His name was Jairus, and when he saw Jesus, he went over to him. He knelt at Jesus' feet 23and started begging him for help. He said, "My daughter is about to die! Please come and touch her, so she will get well and live." 24Jesus went with Jairus. Many people followed along and kept crowding around.

25In the crowd was a woman who had been bleeding for twelve years. 26She had gone to many doctors, and they had not done anything except cause her a lot of pain. She had paid them all the money she had. But instead of getting better, she only got worse.

27The woman had heard about Jesus, so she came up behind him in the crowd and barely touched his clothes. 28She had said to herself, "If I can just touch his clothes, I will get well." 29As soon as she touched them, her bleeding stopped, and she knew she was well.

30At that moment Jesus felt power go out from him. He turned to the crowd and asked, "Who touched my clothes?"

31His disciples said to him, "Look at all these people crowding around you! How can you ask who touched you?" 32But Jesus turned to see who had touched him.

33The woman knew what had happened to her. She came shaking with fear and knelt down in front of Jesus. Then she told him the whole story.

34Jesus said to the woman, "You are now well because of your faith. May God give you peace! You are healed, and you will no longer be in pain."

35While Jesus was still speaking, some men came from Jairus' home and said, "Your daughter has died! Why bother the teacher anymore?"

36Jesus heard b] what they said, and he said to Jairus, "Don't worry. Just have faith!"

37Jesus did not let anyone go with him except Peter and the two brothers, James and John. 38They went home with Jairus and saw the people crying and making a lot of noise. c] 39Then Jesus went inside and said to them, "Why are you crying and carrying on like this? The child isn't dead. She is just asleep." 40But the people laughed at him.

After Jesus had sent them all out of the house, he took the girl's father and mother and his three disciples and went to where she was. 41-42He took the twelve-year-old girl by the hand and said, "Talitha, koum!" d] which means, "Little girl, get up!" The girl got right up and started walking around.

Everyone was greatly surprised. 43But Jesus ordered them not to tell anyone what had happened. Then he said, "Give her something to eat."

Footnotes:
Mark 5:21 crossed Lake Galilee: To the west side.
Mark 5:36 heard: Or "ignored."
Mark 5:38 crying and making a lot of noise: The Jewish people often hired mourners for funerals.
Mark 5:41 Talitha, koum: These words are in Aramaic, a language spoken in Palestine during the time of Jesus.


Psalm 38:1-22 (Contemporary English Version)

Psalm 38
(A psalm by David to be used when an offering is made.)

A Prayer in Times of Trouble

1When you are angry, LORD,
please don't punish me
or even correct me.

2You shot me with your arrows,
and you struck me
with your hand.

3My body hurts all over
because of your anger.
Even my bones are in pain,
and my sins 4are so heavy
that I am crushed.

5Because of my foolishness,
I am covered with sores
that stink and spread.

6My body is twisted and bent,
and I groan all day long.

7Fever has my back in flames,
and I hurt all over.

8I am worn out and weak,
moaning and in distress.

9You, Lord, know every one
of my deepest desires,
and my noisy groans
are no secret to you.

10My heart is beating fast.
I feel weak all over,
and my eyes are red.

11Because of my sickness,
no friends or neighbors
will come near me.

12All who want me dead
set traps to catch me,
and those who want
to harm and destroy me
plan and plot all day.

13I am not able to hear
or speak a word;

14I am completely deaf
and can't make a sound.

15I trust you, LORD God,
and you will do something.

16I said, "Don't let them laugh
or brag because I slip."

17I am about to collapse
from constant pain.

18I told you my sins,
and I am sorry for them.

19Many deadly and powerful
enemies hate me,

20and they repay evil for good
because I try to do right.

21You are the LORD God!
Stay nearby
and don't desert me.

22You are the one who saves me.
Please hurry and help.


Proverbs 10:8-9 (Contemporary English Version)

8If you have good sense,
you will listen and obey;
if all you do is talk,
you will destroy yourself.

9You will be safe,
if you always do right,
but you will get caught,
if you are dishonest.