Bible Readings for February 21, 2015

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 the Contemporary English Version.  

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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] 4-8}But 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:

1. 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."
2. 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.
3. Leviticus 11:13 Eagles. . . hoopoes: Some of the birds in this list are difficult to identify.
4. Leviticus 12:6 sacrifice to please me: See the note at 1.1-3.

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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] 39}Then 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:

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

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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.

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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.

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Verse of the Day

“In the Law there are many commands, such as, "Be faithful in marriage. Do not murder. Do not steal. Do not want what belongs to others." But all of these are summed up in the command that says, "Love others as much as you love yourself." No one who loves others will harm them. So love is all that the Law demands.” - Romans 13:9-10

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

 

German-language writer of novels and short stories, regarded by critics as one of the most influential authors of the 20th century, Franz Kafka wrote, “Start with what is right rather than what is acceptable.”