Today's Reading

¹The Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

²"Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel, and tell them, 'You shall be holy; for I the Lord your God am holy.

³"'Each one of you shall respect his mother and his father. You shall keep my Sabbaths. I am the Lord your God.

⁴"'Do not turn to idols, nor make molten gods for yourselves. I am the Lord your God.

⁵"'When you offer a sacrifice of peace offerings to the Lord, you shall offer it so that you may be accepted.

⁶It shall be eaten the same day you offer it, and on the next day: and if anything remains until the third day, it shall be burned with fire.

⁷If it is eaten at all on the third day, it is an abomination. It will not be accepted;

⁸but everyone who eats it shall bear his iniquity, because he has profaned the holy thing of the Lord, and that soul shall be cut off from his people.

⁹"'When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not wholly reap the corners of your field, neither shall you gather the gleanings of your harvest.

¹⁰You shall not glean your vineyard, neither shall you gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and for the foreigner. I am the Lord your God.

¹¹"'You shall not steal; neither shall you deal falsely, nor lie to one another.

¹²"'You shall not swear by my name falsely, and profane the name of your God. I am the Lord.

¹³"'You shall not oppress your neighbor, nor rob him. The wages of a hired servant shall not remain with you all night until the morning.

¹⁴"'You shall not curse the deaf, nor put a stumbling block before the blind; but you shall fear your God. I am the Lord.

¹⁵"'You shall do no injustice in judgment: you shall not be partial to the poor, nor show favoritism to the great; but you shall judge your neighbor in righteousness.

¹⁶"'You shall not go up and down as a slanderer among your people; neither shall you stand against the life of your neighbor. I am the Lord.

¹⁷"'You shall not hate your brother in your heart. You shall surely rebuke your neighbor, and not bear sin because of him.

¹⁸"'You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people; but you shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.

¹⁹"'You shall keep my statutes. "'You shall not crossbreed different kinds of animals. "'you shall not sow your field with two kinds of seed; "'neither shall there come upon you a garment made of two kinds of material.

²⁰"'If a man lies carnally with a woman who is a slave girl, pledged to be married to another man, and not ransomed, or given her freedom; they shall be punished. They shall not be put to death, because she was not free.

²¹He shall bring his trespass offering to the Lord, to the door of the Tent of Meeting, even a ram for a trespass offering.

²²The priest shall make atonement for him with the ram of the trespass offering before the Lord for his sin which he has committed: and the sin which he has committed shall be forgiven him.

²³"'When you come into the land, and have planted all kinds of trees for food, then you shall count their fruit as forbidden. Three years shall they be forbidden to you. It shall not be eaten.

²⁴But in the fourth year all its fruit shall be holy, for giving praise to the Lord.

²⁵In the fifth year you shall eat its fruit, that it may yield its increase to you. I am the Lord your God.

²⁶"'You shall not eat any meat with the blood still in it; neither shall you use enchantments, nor practice sorcery.

²⁷"'You shall not cut the hair on the sides of your heads, neither shall you clip off the edge of your beard.

²⁸"'You shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor tattoo any marks on you. I am the Lord.

²⁹"'Do not profane your daughter, to make her a prostitute; lest the land fall to prostitution, and the land become full of wickedness.

³⁰"'You shall keep my Sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary; I am the Lord.

³¹"'Do not turn to those who are mediums, nor to the wizards. Do not seek them out, to be defiled by them. I am the Lord your God.

³²"'You shall rise up before the gray head, and honor the face of an old man, and you shall fear your God. I am the Lord.

³³"'If a stranger lives as a foreigner with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong.

³⁴The stranger who lives as a foreigner with you shall be to you as the native-born among you, and you shall love him as yourself; for you lived as foreigners in the land of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.

³⁵"'You shall do no unrighteousness in judgment, in measures of length, of weight, or of quantity.

³⁶You shall have just balances, just weights, a just ephah, and a just hin. I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.

³⁷You shall observe all my statutes, and all my ordinances, and do them. I am the Lord.'"

¹The Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

²"Moreover, you shall tell the children of Israel, 'Anyone of the children of Israel, or of the strangers who live as foreigners in Israel, who gives any of his seed to Molech; he shall surely be put to death. The people of the land shall stone him with stones.

³I also will set my face against that person, and will cut him off from among his people because he has given of his seed to Molech, to defile my sanctuary, and to profane my holy name.

⁴If the people of the land all hide their eyes from that person, when he gives of his seed to Molech, and do not put him to death;

⁵then I will set my face against that man, and against his family, and will cut him off, and all who play the prostitute after him, to play the prostitute with Molech, from among their people.

⁶"'The person that turns to those who are mediums, and to the wizards, to play the prostitute after them, I will even set my face against that person, and will cut him off from among his people.

⁷"'Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be holy; for I am the Lord your God.

⁸You shall keep my statutes, and do them. I am the Lord who sanctifies you.

⁹"'For everyone who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death: he has cursed his father or his mother; his blood shall be upon him.

¹⁰"'The man who commits adultery with another man's wife, even he who commits adultery with his neighbor's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.

¹¹The man who lies with his father's wife has uncovered his father's nakedness: both of them shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.

¹²"'If a man lies with his daughter-in-law, both of them shall surely be put to death: they have committed a perversion; their blood shall be upon them.

¹³"'If a man lies with a male, as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.

¹⁴"'If a man takes a wife and her mother, it is wickedness: they shall be burned with fire, both he and they; that there may be no wickedness among you.

¹⁵"'If a man lies with an animal, he shall surely be put to death; and you shall kill the animal.

¹⁶"'If a woman approaches any animal, and lies down with it, you shall kill the woman, and the animal: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.

¹⁷"'If a man takes his sister, his father's daughter, or his mother's daughter, and sees her nakedness, and she sees his nakedness; it is a shameful thing; and they shall be cut off in the sight of the children of their people: he has uncovered his sister's nakedness; he shall bear his iniquity.

¹⁸"'If a man lies with a woman having her monthly period, and uncovers her nakedness; he has made naked her fountain, and she has uncovered the fountain of her blood: and both of them shall be cut off from among their people.

¹⁹"'You shall not uncover the nakedness of your mother's sister, nor of your father's sister; for he has made naked his close relative: they shall bear their iniquity.

²⁰If a man lies with his uncle's wife, he has uncovered his uncle's nakedness: they shall bear their sin; they shall die childless.

²¹"'If a man takes his brother's wife, it is an impurity: he has uncovered his brother's nakedness; they shall be childless.

²²"'You shall therefore keep all my statutes, and all my ordinances, and do them; that the land, where I am bringing you to dwell, may not vomit you out.

²³You shall not walk in the customs of the nation, which I am casting out before you: for they did all these things, and therefore I abhorred them.

²⁴But I have said to you, "You shall inherit their land, and I will give it to you to possess it, a land flowing with milk and honey." I am the Lord your God, who has separated you from the peoples.

²⁵"'You shall therefore make a distinction between the clean animal and the unclean, and between the unclean fowl and the clean: and you shall not make yourselves abominable by animal, or by bird, or by anything with which the ground teems, which I have separated from you as unclean for you.

²⁶You shall be holy to me: for I, the Lord, am holy, and have set you apart from the peoples, that you should be mine.

²⁷"'A man or a woman that is a medium, or is a wizard, shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them with stones; their blood shall be upon them.'"

¹The Lord said to Moses, "Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them, 'A priest shall not defile himself for the dead among his people;

²except for his relatives that are near to him: for his mother, for his father, for his son, for his daughter, for his brother,

³and for his virgin sister who is near to him, who has had no husband; for her he may defile himself.

⁴He shall not defile himself, being a chief man among his people, to profane himself.

⁵"'They shall not shave their heads, neither shall they shave off the corners of their beards, nor make any cuttings in their flesh.

⁶They shall be holy to their God, and not profane the name of their God; for they offer the offerings of the Lord made by fire, the bread of their God; therefore they shall be holy.

⁷"'They shall not marry a woman who is a prostitute, or profane; neither shall they marry a woman divorced from her husband: for he is holy to his God.

⁸You shall sanctify him therefore; for he offers the bread of your God: he shall be holy to you: for I the Lord, who sanctify you, am holy.

⁹"'The daughter of any priest, if she profanes herself by playing the prostitute, she profanes her father: she shall be burned with fire.

¹⁰"'He who is the high priest among his brothers, upon whose head the anointing oil is poured, and that is consecrated to put on the garments, shall not let the hair of his head hang loose, nor tear his clothes;

¹¹neither shall he go in to any dead body, nor defile himself for his father, or for his mother;

¹²neither shall he go out of the sanctuary, nor profane the sanctuary of his God; for the crown of the anointing oil of his God is upon him. I am the Lord.

¹³"'He shall take a wife in her virginity.

¹⁴A widow, or one divorced, or a woman who has been defiled, or a prostitute, these he shall not marry: but a virgin of his own people shall he take as a wife.

¹⁵He shall not profane his seed among his people: for I am the Lord who sanctifies him.'"

¹⁶The Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

¹⁷"Say to Aaron, 'None of your seed throughout their generations who has a blemish, may approach to offer the bread of his God.

¹⁸For whatever man he is that has a blemish, he shall not draw near: a blind man, or a lame, or he who has a flat nose, or any deformity,

¹⁹or a man who has an injured foot, or an injured hand,

²⁰or hunchbacked, or a dwarf, or one who has a defect in his eye, or an itching disease, or scabs, or who has damaged testicles;

²¹no man of the seed of Aaron the priest, who has a blemish, shall come near to offer the offerings of the Lord made by fire. Since has a blemish, he shall not come near to offer the bread of his God.

²²He shall eat the bread of his God, both of the most holy, and of the holy.

²³He shall not come near to the veil, nor come near to the altar, because he has a blemish; that he may not profane my sanctuaries, for I am the Lord who sanctifies them.'"

²⁴So Moses spoke to Aaron, and to his sons, and to all the children of Israel.

¹He said to them, "Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will in no way taste death until they see the Kingdom of God come with power."

²After six days Jesus took with him Peter, Jacob, and John, and brought them up onto a high mountain privately by themselves, and he was changed into another form in front of them.

³His clothing became glistening, exceedingly white, such as no launderer on earth can whiten them.

⁴Elijah and Moses appeared to them, and they were talking with Jesus.

⁵Peter said to Jesus, "Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us make three tents: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."

⁶For he did not know what to say, for they became very afraid.

⁷A cloud came, overshadowing them, and a voice came out of the cloud, "This is my beloved Son. Listen to him."

⁸Suddenly looking around, they saw no one with them any more, except Jesus only.

⁹As they were coming down from the mountain, he commanded them that they should tell no one what things they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead.

¹⁰They kept this saying to themselves, questioning what the "rising from the dead" meant.

¹¹They asked him, saying, "Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?"

¹²He told them, "Elijah indeed comes first, and restores all things. How is it written about the Son of Man, that he should suffer many things and be despised?

¹³But I tell you that Elijah has come, and they have also done to him whatever they wanted to, even as it is written about him."

¹⁴Coming to the disciples, he saw a great multitude around them, and scribes questioning them.

¹⁵Immediately all the multitude, when they saw him, were greatly amazed, and running to him greeted him.

¹⁶He asked them, "What are you asking them?"

¹⁷One of the multitude answered him, and said, "Teacher, I brought to you my son, who has a mute spirit;

¹⁸and wherever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams at the mouth, and grinds his teeth, and wastes away. I asked your disciples to cast it out, and they weren't able."

¹⁹He answered him, "Unbelieving generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him to me."

²⁰They brought him to him, and when he saw him, immediately the spirit convulsed him, and he fell on the ground, wallowing and foaming at the mouth.

²¹He asked his father, "How long has it been since this has come to him?" He said, "From childhood.

²²Often it has cast him both into the fire and into the water, to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us, and help us."

²³Jesus said to him, "'If you can?' All things are possible to him who believes."

²⁴Immediately the father of the child exclaimed, "I believe. Help my unbelief!"

²⁵When Jesus saw that a multitude came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to him, "You deaf and mute spirit, I command you, come out of him, and never enter him again!"

²⁶Having screamed, and convulsed greatly, it came out of him. The boy became like one dead; so much that most of them said, "He is dead."

²⁷But Jesus took him by the hand, and raised him up; and he arose.

²⁸And when he had come into the house, his disciples asked him privately, "Why could not we cast it out?"

²⁹And he said to them, "This kind can come out by nothing, except by prayer [and fasting]. "

³⁰They went out from there, and passed through Galilee. He did not want anyone to know it.

³¹For he was teaching his disciples, and said to them, "The Son of Man is being handed over to the hands of men, and they will kill him; and when he is killed, after three days he will rise again."

³²But they did not understand the saying, and were afraid to ask him.

³³He came to Capernaum, and when he was in the house he asked them, "What were you arguing on the way?"

³⁴But they were silent, for they had disputed one with another on the way about who was the greatest.

³⁵He sat down, and called the twelve; and he said to them, "If any man wants to be first, he shall be last of all, and servant of all."

³⁶He took a little child, and set him in the midst of them. Taking him in his arms, he said to them,

³⁷"Whoever receives one such little child in my name, receives me, and whoever receives me, does not receive me, but him who sent me."

³⁸John said to him, "Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name; and we forbade him, because he does not follow us."

³⁹But Jesus said, "Do not forbid him, for there is no one who will do a mighty work in my name, and be able quickly to speak evil of me.

⁴⁰For whoever is not against us is for us.

⁴¹For whoever will give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because you belong to the Messiah, truly I tell you, he will in no way lose his reward.

⁴²Whoever will cause one of these little ones who believe in me to stumble, it would be better for him if he was thrown into the sea with a millstone hung around his neck.

⁴³If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having your two hands to go into hell, into the unquenchable fire, [

⁴⁴where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.]

⁴⁵If your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life lame, rather than having your two feet to be cast into hell. [

⁴⁶where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.]

⁴⁷If your eye causes you to stumble, cast it out. It is better for you to enter into the Kingdom of God with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell,

⁴⁸'where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.'

⁴⁹For everyone will be salted with fire.

⁵⁰Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its saltiness, with what will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another."

¹ ALEPH Do not fret because of evildoers, neither be envious against those who work unrighteousness.

²For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither like the green herb.

³Trust in the Lord, and do good. Dwell in the land, and enjoy safe pasture.

⁴Also delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

⁵Commit your way to the Lord. Trust also in him, and he will do this:

⁶he will make your righteousness go forth as the light, and your justice as the noon day sun.

⁷Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him. Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who makes wicked plots happen.

⁸Cease from anger, and forsake wrath. Do not fret, it leads only to evildoing.

⁹For evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land.

¹⁰For yet a little while, and the wicked will be no more. Yes, though you look for his place, he isn't there.

¹¹But the humble shall inherit the land, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.

¹²The wicked plots against the just, and gnashes at him with his teeth.

¹³The Lord will laugh at him, for he sees that his day is coming.

¹⁴The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy, to kill those who are upright in the way.

¹⁵Their sword shall enter into their own heart. Their bows shall be broken.

¹⁶Better is a little that the righteous has, than the abundance of many wicked.

¹⁷For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, but the Lord upholds the righteous.

¹⁸The Lord knows the days of the perfect. Their inheritance shall be forever.

¹⁹They shall not be disappointed in the time of evil. In the days of famine they shall be satisfied.

²⁰But the wicked shall perish. The enemies of the Lord shall be like the beauty of the fields. They will vanish- vanish like smoke.

²¹The wicked borrow, and do not pay back, but the righteous give generously.

²²For such as are blessed by him shall inherit the land. Those who are cursed by him shall be cut off.

²³A man's goings are established by the Lord. He delights in his way.

²⁴Though he stumble, he shall not fall, for the Lord holds him up with his hand.

²⁵I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his children begging for bread.

²⁶All day long he deals graciously, and lends. His seed is blessed.

²⁷Depart from evil, and do good. Live securely forever.

²⁸For the Lord loves justice, and doesn't forsake his holy ones. They are preserved forever, but the children of the wicked shall be cut off.

²⁹The righteous shall inherit the land, and live in it forever.

³⁰The mouth of the righteous talks of wisdom. His tongue speaks justice.

³¹The law of his God is in his heart. None of his steps shall slide.

³²The wicked watches the righteous, and seeks to kill him.

³³The Lord will not leave him in his hand, nor condemn him when he is judged.

³⁴Wait for the Lord, and keep his way, and he will exalt you to inherit the land. When the wicked are cut off, you shall see it.

³⁵I have seen the wicked in great power, spreading himself like a green tree in its native soil.

³⁶But he passed away, and behold, he was not. Yes, I sought him, but he could not be found.

³⁷Mark the perfect man, and see the upright, for there is a future for the man of peace.

³⁸As for transgressors, they shall be destroyed together. The future of the wicked shall be cut off.

³⁹But the salvation of the righteous is from the Lord. He is their stronghold in the time of trouble.

⁴⁰The Lord helps them, and rescues them. He rescues them from the wicked, and saves them, Because they have taken refuge in him.

¹My son, if you have become collateral for your neighbor, if you have struck your hands in pledge for a stranger;

²You are trapped by the words of your mouth. You are ensnared with the words of your mouth.

³Do this now, my son, and deliver yourself, seeing you have come into the hand of your neighbor. Go, humble yourself. Press your plea with your neighbor.

⁴Give no sleep to your eyes, nor slumber to your eyelids.

⁵Free yourself, like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, like a bird from the snare of the fowler.

⁶Go to the ant, you sluggard. Consider her ways, and be wise;

⁷which having no chief, overseer, or ruler,

⁸provides her bread in the summer, and gathers her food in the harvest.

⁹How long will you sleep, sluggard? When will you arise out of your sleep?

¹⁰A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep:

¹¹so your poverty will come as a robber, and your scarcity as an armed man.

¹²A worthless person, a man of iniquity, is he who walks with a perverse mouth;

¹³who winks with his eyes, who signals with his feet, who motions with his fingers;

¹⁴in whose heart is perverseness, who devises evil continually, who always sows discord.

¹⁵Therefore his calamity will come suddenly. He will be broken suddenly, and that without remedy.

¹⁶There are six things which the Lord hates; yes, seven which are an abomination to him:

¹⁷haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood;

¹⁸a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are swift in running to mischief,

¹⁹a false witness who utters lies, and he who sows discord among brothers.

²⁰My son, keep your father's commandment, and do not forsake your mother's teaching.

²¹Bind them continually on your heart. Tie them around your neck.

²²When you walk, it will lead you. When you sleep, it will watch over you. When you awake, it will talk with you.

²³For the commandment is a lamp, and the Law is light. Reproofs of instruction are the way of life,

²⁴to keep you from the immoral woman, from the flattery of the wayward wife's tongue.

²⁵Do not lust after her beauty in your heart, neither let her captivate you with her eyelids.

²⁶For a prostitute reduces you to a piece of bread. The adulteress hunts for your precious life.

²⁷Can a man scoop fire into his lap, and his clothes not be burned?

²⁸Or can one walk on hot coals, and his feet not be scorched?

²⁹So is he who goes in to his neighbor's wife. Whoever touches her will not be unpunished.

³⁰Men do not despise a thief, if he steals to satisfy himself when he is hungry:

³¹but if he is found, he shall restore seven times. He shall give all the wealth of his house.

³²He who commits adultery with a woman is void of understanding. He who does it destroys his own soul.

³³He will get wounds and dishonor. His reproach will not be wiped away.

³⁴For jealousy arouses the fury of the husband. He won't spare in the day of vengeance.

³⁵He won't regard any ransom, neither will he rest content, though you give many gifts.