Matthew 19:1-15
[1]
Now when Jesus had finished these sayings, he went away from Galilee
and entered the region of Judea beyond the Jordan. [2] And large crowds
followed him, and he healed them there.
[3]
And Pharisees came up to him and tested him by asking, “Is it lawful to
divorce one’s wife for any cause?” [4] He answered, “Have you not read
that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female,
[5] and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and
hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? [6] So they
are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined
together, let not man separate.” [7] They said to him, “Why then did
Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce and to send her
away?” [8] He said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart Moses
allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.
[9] And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual
immorality, and marries another, commits adultery.”
[10]
The disciples said to him, “If such is the case of a man with his wife,
it is better not to marry.” [11] But he said to them, “Not everyone can
receive this saying, but only those to whom it is given. [12] For there
are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have
been made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made
themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let the one
who is able to receive this receive it.”
[13]
Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them
and pray. The disciples rebuked the people, [14] but Jesus said, “Let
the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such
belongs the kingdom of heaven.” [15] And he laid his hands on them and
went away.
Acts 26:1-18
[1] So Agrippa said to Paul, “You have permission to speak for yourself.” Then Paul stretched out his hand and made his defense:
[2]
“I consider myself fortunate that it is before you, King Agrippa, I am
going to make my defense today against all the accusations of the Jews,
[3] especially because you are familiar with all the customs and
controversies of the Jews. Therefore I beg you to listen to me
patiently.
[4]
“My manner of life from my youth, spent from the beginning among my own
nation and in Jerusalem, is known by all the Jews. [5] They have known
for a long time, if they are willing to testify, that according to the
strictest party of our religion I have lived as a Pharisee. [6] And now I
stand here on trial because of my hope in the promise made by God to
our fathers, [7] to which our twelve tribes hope to attain, as they
earnestly worship night and day. And for this hope I am accused by Jews,
O king! [8] Why is it thought incredible by any of you that God raises
the dead?
[9]
“I myself was convinced that I ought to do many things in opposing the
name of Jesus of Nazareth. [10] And I did so in Jerusalem. I not only
locked up many of the saints in prison after receiving authority from
the chief priests, but when they were put to death I cast my vote
against them. [11] And I punished them often in all the synagogues and
tried to make them blaspheme, and in raging fury against them I
persecuted them even to foreign cities.
[12]
“In this connection I journeyed to Damascus with the authority and
commission of the chief priests. [13] At midday, O king, I saw on the
way a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, that shone around me and
those who journeyed with me. [14] And when we had all fallen to the
ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul,
Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the
goads.’ [15] And I said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And the Lord said, ‘I am
Jesus whom you are persecuting. [16] But rise and stand upon your feet,
for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant
and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in
which I will appear to you, [17] delivering you from your people and
from the Gentiles—to whom I am sending you [18] to open their eyes, so
that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to
God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those
who are sanctified by faith in me.’
Psalm 42
To the choirmaster. A Maskil of the Sons of Korah.
[1] As a deer pants for flowing streams,
so pants my soul for you, O God.
[2] My soul thirsts for God,
for the living God.
When shall I come and appear before God?
[3] My tears have been my food
day and night,
while they say to me all the day long,
“Where is your God?”
[4] These things I remember,
as I pour out my soul:
how I would go with the throng
and lead them in procession to the house of God
with glad shouts and songs of praise,
a multitude keeping festival.
[5] Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my salvation [6] and my God.
My soul is cast down within me;
therefore I remember you
from the land of Jordan and of Hermon,
from Mount Mizar.
[7] Deep calls to deep
at the roar of your waterfalls;
all your breakers and your waves
have gone over me.
[8] By day the LORD commands his steadfast love,
and at night his song is with me,
a prayer to the God of my life.
[9] I say to God, my rock:
“Why have you forgotten me?
Why do I go mourning
because of the oppression of the enemy?”
[10] As with a deadly wound in my bones,
my adversaries taunt me,
while they say to me all the day long,
“Where is your God?”
[11] Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my salvation and my God.
Leviticus 14
[1]
The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, [2] “This shall be the law of the
leprous person for the day of his cleansing. He shall be brought to the
priest, [3] and the priest shall go out of the camp, and the priest
shall look. Then, if the case of leprous disease is healed in the
leprous person, [4] the priest shall command them to take for him who is
to be cleansed two live clean birds and cedarwood and scarlet yarn and
hyssop. [5] And the priest shall command them to kill one of the birds
in an earthenware vessel over fresh water. [6] He shall take the live
bird with the cedarwood and the scarlet yarn and the hyssop, and dip
them and the live bird in the blood of the bird that was killed over the
fresh water. [7] And he shall sprinkle it seven times on him who is to
be cleansed of the leprous disease. Then he shall pronounce him clean
and shall let the living bird go into the open field. [8] And he who is
to be cleansed shall wash his clothes and shave off all his hair and
bathe himself in water, and he shall be clean. And after that he may
come into the camp, but live outside his tent seven days. [9] And on the
seventh day he shall shave off all his hair from his head, his beard,
and his eyebrows. He shall shave off all his hair, and then he shall
wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and he shall be clean.
[10]
“And on the eighth day he shall take two male lambs without blemish,
and one ewe lamb a year old without blemish, and a grain offering of
three tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil, and one log of
oil. [11] And the priest who cleanses him shall set the man who is to be
cleansed and these things before the LORD, at the entrance of the tent
of meeting. [12] And the priest shall take one of the male lambs and
offer it for a guilt offering, along with the log of oil, and wave them
for a wave offering before the LORD. [13] And he shall kill the lamb in
the place where they kill the sin offering and the burnt offering, in
the place of the sanctuary. For the guilt offering, like the sin
offering, belongs to the priest; it is most holy. [14] The priest shall
take some of the blood of the guilt offering, and the priest shall put
it on the lobe of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed and on the
thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot. [15] Then
the priest shall take some of the log of oil and pour it into the palm
of his own left hand [16] and dip his right finger in the oil that is in
his left hand and sprinkle some oil with his finger seven times before
the LORD. [17] And some of the oil that remains in his hand the priest
shall put on the lobe of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed and
on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot, on
top of the blood of the guilt offering. [18] And the rest of the oil
that is in the priest’s hand he shall put on the head of him who is to
be cleansed. Then the priest shall make atonement for him before the
LORD. [19] The priest shall offer the sin offering, to make atonement
for him who is to be cleansed from his uncleanness. And afterward he
shall kill the burnt offering. [20] And the priest shall offer the burnt
offering and the grain offering on the altar. Thus the priest shall
make atonement for him, and he shall be clean.
[21]
“But if he is poor and cannot afford so much, then he shall take one
male lamb for a guilt offering to be waved, to make atonement for him,
and a tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain
offering, and a log of oil; [22] also two turtledoves or two pigeons,
whichever he can afford. The one shall be a sin offering and the other a
burnt offering. [23] And on the eighth day he shall bring them for his
cleansing to the priest, to the entrance of the tent of meeting, before
the LORD. [24] And the priest shall take the lamb of the guilt offering
and the log of oil, and the priest shall wave them for a wave offering
before the LORD. [25] And he shall kill the lamb of the guilt offering.
And the priest shall take some of the blood of the guilt offering and
put it on the lobe of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed, and on
the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot. [26]
And the priest shall pour some of the oil into the palm of his own left
hand, [27] and shall sprinkle with his right finger some of the oil that
is in his left hand seven times before the LORD. [28] And the priest
shall put some of the oil that is in his hand on the lobe of the right
ear of him who is to be cleansed and on the thumb of his right hand and
on the big toe of his right foot, in the place where the blood of the
guilt offering was put. [29] And the rest of the oil that is in the
priest’s hand he shall put on the head of him who is to be cleansed, to
make atonement for him before the LORD. [30] And he shall offer, of the
turtledoves or pigeons, whichever he can afford, [31] one for a sin
offering and the other for a burnt offering, along with a grain
offering. And the priest shall make atonement before the LORD for him
who is being cleansed. [32] This is the law for him in whom is a case of
leprous disease, who cannot afford the offerings for his cleansing.”
[33]
The LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, [34] “When you come into the
land of Canaan, which I give you for a possession, and I put a case of
leprous disease in a house in the land of your possession, [35] then he
who owns the house shall come and tell the priest, ‘There seems to me to
be some case of disease in my house.’ [36] Then the priest shall
command that they empty the house before the priest goes to examine the
disease, lest all that is in the house be declared unclean. And
afterward the priest shall go in to see the house. [37] And he shall
examine the disease. And if the disease is in the walls of the house
with greenish or reddish spots, and if it appears to be deeper than the
surface, [38] then the priest shall go out of the house to the door of
the house and shut up the house seven days. [39] And the priest shall
come again on the seventh day, and look. If the disease has spread in
the walls of the house, [40] then the priest shall command that they
take out the stones in which is the disease and throw them into an
unclean place outside the city. [41] And he shall have the inside of the
house scraped all around, and the plaster that they scrape off they
shall pour out in an unclean place outside the city. [42] Then they
shall take other stones and put them in the place of those stones, and
he shall take other plaster and plaster the house.
[43]
“If the disease breaks out again in the house, after he has taken out
the stones and scraped the house and plastered it, [44] then the priest
shall go and look. And if the disease has spread in the house, it is a
persistent leprous disease in the house; it is unclean. [45] And he
shall break down the house, its stones and timber and all the plaster of
the house, and he shall carry them out of the city to an unclean place.
[46] Moreover, whoever enters the house while it is shut up shall be
unclean until the evening, [47] and whoever sleeps in the house shall
wash his clothes, and whoever eats in the house shall wash his clothes.
[48]
“But if the priest comes and looks, and if the disease has not spread
in the house after the house was plastered, then the priest shall
pronounce the house clean, for the disease is healed. [49] And for the
cleansing of the house he shall take two small birds, with cedarwood and
scarlet yarn and hyssop, [50] and shall kill one of the birds in an
earthenware vessel over fresh water [51] and shall take the cedarwood
and the hyssop and the scarlet yarn, along with the live bird, and dip
them in the blood of the bird that was killed and in the fresh water and
sprinkle the house seven times. [52] Thus he shall cleanse the house
with the blood of the bird and with the fresh water and with the live
bird and with the cedarwood and hyssop and scarlet yarn. [53] And he
shall let the live bird go out of the city into the open country. So he
shall make atonement for the house, and it shall be clean.”
[54]
This is the law for any case of leprous disease: for an itch, [55] for
leprous disease in a garment or in a house, [56] and for a swelling or
an eruption or a spot, [57] to show when it is unclean and when it is
clean. This is the law for leprous disease.
Leviticus 15
[1]
The LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, [2] “Speak to the people of
Israel and say to them, When any man has a discharge from his body, his
discharge is unclean. [3] And this is the law of his uncleanness for a
discharge: whether his body runs with his discharge, or his body is
blocked up by his discharge, it is his uncleanness. [4] Every bed on
which the one with the discharge lies shall be unclean, and everything
on which he sits shall be unclean. [5] And anyone who touches his bed
shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until
the evening. [6] And whoever sits on anything on which the one with the
discharge has sat shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and
be unclean until the evening. [7] And whoever touches the body of the
one with the discharge shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water
and be unclean until the evening. [8] And if the one with the discharge
spits on someone who is clean, then he shall wash his clothes and bathe
himself in water and be unclean until the evening. [9] And any saddle
on which the one with the discharge rides shall be unclean. [10] And
whoever touches anything that was under him shall be unclean until the
evening. And whoever carries such things shall wash his clothes and
bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening. [11] Anyone
whom the one with the discharge touches without having rinsed his hands
in water shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be
unclean until the evening. [12] And an earthenware vessel that the one
with the discharge touches shall be broken, and every vessel of wood
shall be rinsed in water.
[13]
“And when the one with a discharge is cleansed of his discharge, then
he shall count for himself seven days for his cleansing, and wash his
clothes. And he shall bathe his body in fresh water and shall be clean.
[14] And on the eighth day he shall take two turtledoves or two pigeons
and come before the LORD to the entrance of the tent of meeting and give
them to the priest. [15] And the priest shall use them, one for a sin
offering and the other for a burnt offering. And the priest shall make
atonement for him before the LORD for his discharge.
[16]
“If a man has an emission of semen, he shall bathe his whole body in
water and be unclean until the evening. [17] And every garment and every
skin on which the semen comes shall be washed with water and be unclean
until the evening. [18] If a man lies with a woman and has an emission
of semen, both of them shall bathe themselves in water and be unclean
until the evening.
[19]
“When a woman has a discharge, and the discharge in her body is blood,
she shall be in her menstrual impurity for seven days, and whoever
touches her shall be unclean until the evening. [20] And everything on
which she lies during her menstrual impurity shall be unclean.
Everything also on which she sits shall be unclean. [21] And whoever
touches her bed shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be
unclean until the evening. [22] And whoever touches anything on which
she sits shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be
unclean until the evening. [23] Whether it is the bed or anything on
which she sits, when he touches it he shall be unclean until the
evening. [24] And if any man lies with her and her menstrual impurity
comes upon him, he shall be unclean seven days, and every bed on which
he lies shall be unclean.
[25]
“If a woman has a discharge of blood for many days, not at the time of
her menstrual impurity, or if she has a discharge beyond the time of her
impurity, all the days of the discharge she shall continue in
uncleanness. As in the days of her impurity, she shall be unclean. [26]
Every bed on which she lies, all the days of her discharge, shall be to
her as the bed of her impurity. And everything on which she sits shall
be unclean, as in the uncleanness of her menstrual impurity. [27] And
whoever touches these things shall be unclean, and shall wash his
clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening.
[28] But if she is cleansed of her discharge, she shall count for
herself seven days, and after that she shall be clean. [29] And on the
eighth day she shall take two turtledoves or two pigeons and bring them
to the priest, to the entrance of the tent of meeting. [30] And the
priest shall use one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt
offering. And the priest shall make atonement for her before the LORD
for her unclean discharge.
[31]
“Thus you shall keep the people of Israel separate from their
uncleanness, lest they die in their uncleanness by defiling my
tabernacle that is in their midst.”
[32]
This is the law for him who has a discharge and for him who has an
emission of semen, becoming unclean thereby; [33] also for her who is
unwell with her menstrual impurity, that is, for anyone, male or female,
who has a discharge, and for the man who lies with a woman who is
unclean.
