Bible Readings for February 25, 2013

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 the Contemporary English Version.

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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:

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

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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]     28}The 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] 32}Some 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]
    6}After 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:

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

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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.

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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.

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Verse of the Day

“Jesus answered: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind. This is the first and most important commandment. The second most important commandment is like this one. And it is, "Love others as much as you love yourself.” - Matthew 22:37-39

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

American entrepreneur and inventor Steve Jobs said, “Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking. Don’t settle.”

Bible Readings for February 24, 2013

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 the Contemporary English Version.

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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:

1. Leviticus 15:15sacrifice to please me: See the note at 1.1-3.
2. Leviticus 16:1lost. . . disobeying the LORD: See 10.1,2.
3. Leviticus 16:1inside curtain: That separated the holy place from the most holy place.
4. Leviticus 16:3for your sins: See 4.3-12.
5. Leviticus 16:3sacrifice to please me: See the note at 1.1-3.
6. Leviticus 16:8I 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.
7. Leviticus 16:8Azazel: It was believed that a demon named Azazel lived in the desert.

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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] 3}The 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] 5}The 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] 17}After 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:

1. 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.
2. 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."
3. Mark 7:4 bowls: Some manuscripts add "and sleeping mats."
4. 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.
5. Mark 7:15 unclean: Some manuscripts add, "If you have ears, pay attention."

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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.

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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.

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Verse of the Day

“I will bless you with a future filled with hope--a future of success, not of suffering. You will turn back to me and ask for help, and I will answer your prayers. You will worship me with all your heart, and I will be with you” - Jeremiah 29:11-13

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

 

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Thought for the Day

 

English military and political leader and later Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland Oliver Cromwell wrote, “Subtlety may deceive you; integrity never will.”

Bible Readings for February 23, 2013

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

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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:

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

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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:

1. Mark 6:30 the apostles returned to Jesus: From the mission on which he had sent them (see 6.7,12,13).
2. Mark 6:31 a place: This was probably northeast of Lake Galilee (see verse 45).
3. 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.
4. Mark 6:38 small loaves of bread: These would have been flat and round or in the shape of a bun.

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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."

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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.

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Verse of the Day

“It's a mistake to make evil plans, but you will have loyal friends if you want to do right.” - Proverbs 14:22

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

German psychiatrist and philosopher Karl Jaspers wrote, “It is the search for the truth, not possession of the truth which is the way of philosophy. Its questions are more relevant than its answers, and every answer becomes a new question.”

Bible Readings for February 22, 2013

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

American spiritual author in the New Thought Movement Orison Swett Marden wrote, “A will finds a way.”