Bible Readings for February 22, 2015

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

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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:

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

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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:

1. Mark 6:1 hometown: Nazareth.
2. Mark 6:3 carpenter: The Greek word may also mean someone who builds or works with stone or brick.
3. Mark 6:11 shake the dust from your feet: This was a way of showing rejection.
4. 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).
5. Mark 6:14 Herod the ruler: Herod Antipas, the son of Herod the Great.
6. Mark 6:15 Elijah: Many of the Jewish people expected the prophet Elijah to come and prepare the way for the Messiah.
7. Mark 6:20 was confused by what John said: Some manuscripts have "did many things because of what John said."
8. Mark 6:22 Herodias: Some manuscripts have "Herod."

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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:

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

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Proverbs 10:10 (Contemporary English Version)

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

Footnotes:

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

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Verse of the Day

 

“A real love for others will chase those worries away. The thought of being punished is what makes us afraid. It shows that we have not really learned to love.” - 1 John 4:18

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

 

The third Prime Minister of India and a central figure of the Indian National Congress party, Indira Gandhi wrote, “The power to question is the basis of all human progress.”