Leviticus 10-12
The False Offerings of Nadab and Abihu
1 Now Nadab and Abihu, Aaron’s sons, each took his censer and put fire in it, put incense on it, and offered strange fire before the Lord, which He had not commanded them. 2 So fire went out from the Lord and devoured them, and they died before the Lord. 3 Then Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the Lord spoke, saying, ‘By those who come near Me I shall be sanctified; and before all the congregation I shall be glorified.’ ” So Aaron was greatly distressed. 4 Moses then called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Uzziel, Aaron’s uncle, and said to them, “Come near, carry your brethren from the presence of the sanctuary outside the camp.” 5 So they came near and carried them by their tunics outside the camp, as Moses said. 6 Then Moses said to Aaron and to Eleazar and Ithamar, his sons, “Do not uncover your heads, nor take off your garments, lest you die, and wrath come upon all the congregation. But let your brethren, the whole house of Israel, bewail the burning the Lord kindled. 7 You shall not go out from the door of the tabernacle of testimony, lest you die, for the anointing oil of the Lord is upon you.” So they did according to Moses’ word.
Conduct for Priests
8 Then the Lord spoke to Aaron, saying, 9 “Do not drink wine and strong drink, you nor your sons with you, when you go into the tabernacle of testimony, or when you approach the altar, lest you die (it shall be an ordinance forever throughout your generations), 10 that you may distinguish between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean, 11 and that you may teach the children of Israel all the ordinances which the Lord spoke to them by the hand of Moses.”
12 Then Moses spoke to Aaron, and to Eleazar and Ithamar, his sons who were left, “Take the grain offering that remains from the burnt offerings of the Lord and eat it without leaven beside the altar; for it is most holy. 13 You shall eat it in a holy place, because from the burnt offerings of the Lord, it belongs to you and your sons by ordinance; for thus I was commanded. 14 The breast of the wave offering and the thigh of the choice portion you shall eat in a clean place, you, your sons, and your household with you; because it was given to you and your sons by ordinance from the peace offerings of the children of Israel. 15 The thigh of the choice portion and the breast of the wave offering they shall bring with the burnt offerings of fat to offer as a wave offering before the Lord; and it shall be yours and your sons’ and daughters’ with you by an ordinance forever, as the Lord commanded Moses.”
16 Then Moses made careful inquiry about the young goat of the sin offering, and there it was—burned up. So he was angry with Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s remaining sons, saying, 17 “Why have you not eaten the sin offering in a holy place, since it is most holy; and He gave this to you, to bear the guilt of the congregation, to make atonement for them before the Lord? 18 For you did not bring its blood into the holy place; you personally should have eaten it in a holy place, as the Lord commanded me.” 19 Then Aaron spoke to Moses, saying, “If they had offered their sin offering and whole burnt offerings today before the Lord, and these things happened to me, and I had eaten the sin offering today, would it have been acceptable to the Lord?” 20 So when Moses heard that, he was pleased.
Clean and Unclean Animals
1 Now the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying to them, 2 “Speak to the children of Israel, saying, ‘These are the animals you may eat among all the animals on the earth: 3 Whatever divides the hoof, having cloven hooves and chewing the cud—that you may eat. 4 Nevertheless these you shall not eat among those that chew the cud or have cloven hooves: the camel, because it chews the cud but does not have cloven hooves, is unclean to you; 5 the rock hyrax, because it chews the cud but does not have cloven hooves, is unclean to you; 6 the hare, because it chews the cud but does not have cloven hooves, is unclean to you; 7 and the swine, though it divides the hoof, having cloven hooves, yet does not chew the cud, is unclean to you. 8 Their flesh you shall not eat, and their carcasses you shall not touch. They are unclean to you.
9 ‘These you may eat of everything in the water: whatever in the water has fins and scales, whether in the seas or in the rivers—that you may eat. 10 But everything in the water or in the seas or the rivers that does not have fins and scales, from all these, and from every living creature in the water which the waters produce, they are an abomination to you. 11 They shall be an abomination to you; you shall not eat their flesh, but you shall regard their carcasses as an abomination. 12 Whatever in the water does not have fins or scales—that shall be an abomination to you.
13 ‘Now these you shall regard as an abomination among the birds; they shall not be eaten, they are an abomination: the eagle, the ossifrage, and the sea eagle, 14 the kite, and the falcon after its kind; 15 every raven after its kind, 16 the ostrich, the short-eared owl, the sea gull, and the hawk after its kind; 17 the little owl, the fisher owl, and the screech owl; 18 the white owl, the jackdaw, and the carrion vulture; 19 the stork, the heron after its kind, the hoopoe, and the bat.
20 ‘Now all flying insects that creep on all fours shall be an abomination to you. 21 Yet these you may eat of every flying insect that creeps on all fours: those which have jointed legs above their feet with which to leap on the earth. 22 These you may eat: the locust after its kind, the destroying locust after its kind, the cricket after its kind, and the grasshopper after its kind. 23 But all other flying insects which have four feet shall be an abomination to you.
24 ‘Now by these you shall become unclean; whoever touches the carcass of any of them shall be unclean until evening; 25 whoever carries part of the carcass of any of them shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening: 26 any animal which divides the foot, but is not cloven-hoofed or does not chew the cud, is unclean to you. Everyone who touches it shall be unclean. 27 Now whatever goes on its paws, among all kinds of animals that go on all fours, those are unclean to you. Whoever touches any such carcass shall be unclean until evening. 28 Whoever carries any such carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening. It is unclean to you.
29 ‘These also shall be unclean to you among the creeping things that creep on the earth: the mole, the mouse, and the large lizard after its kind; 30 the gecko, the monitor lizard, the sand reptile, the sand lizard, and the chameleon. 31 These are unclean to you among all that creep. Whoever touches them when they are dead shall be unclean until evening. 32 Anything on which any of them falls when they are dead shall be unclean, whether it is any item of wood or clothing or skin or sack, whatever item it is in which work is done, it must be put in water. And it shall be unclean until evening; then it shall be clean. 33 Any earthen vessel into which any of them falls you shall break; and whatever is in it shall be unclean: 34 in such a vessel, any edible food upon which water falls becomes unclean, and any drink that may be drunk from it becomes unclean. 35 Everything on which a carcass falls shall be unclean; whether it is an oven or cooking stove, it shall be broken down; for they are unclean and shall be unclean to you. 36 Nevertheless, a spring or a cistern where there is plenty of water shall be clean, but whatever touches any such carcass becomes unclean. 37 But if a part of any such carcass falls on any planting seed which is to be sown, it remains clean. 38 However, if water is put on the seed, and if a part of any such carcass falls on it, it becomes unclean to you. 39 Now if any animal you are permitted to eat dies, he who touches its carcass shall be unclean until evening. 40 He who eats of its carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening. He also who carries its carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening.
41 ‘Now every creeping thing that creeps on the earth shall be an abomination. It shall not be eaten. 42 Whatever crawls on its belly, whatever goes on all fours, or whatever has many feet among all creeping things that creep on the earth—these you shall not eat, for they are an abomination. 43 You shall not make yourselves abominable with any creeping thing that creeps; nor shall you make yourselves unclean with them, lest you be defiled by them. 44 For I am the Lord your God. You shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and you shall be holy; for I, the Lord your God, am holy. Neither shall you defile your souls with any creeping thing that creeps on the earth. 45 For I am the Lord who brings you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I, the Lord, am holy.
46 ‘This is the law of the animals and the birds and every living creature that moves in the waters, and of every creature that creeps on the earth, 47 to distinguish between the unclean and the clean, and between the animal that may be eaten and the animal that may not be eaten.’ ”
Purification After Childbirth
1 Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the children of Israel, saying to them, ‘If a woman conceived and bore a male child, then she shall be unclean seven days; she shall be unclean as in the days of her menstrual isolation. 3 Then on the eighth day, the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. 4 She will then continue in the blood of her uncleanness thirty-three days. She is not to touch any hallowed thing, nor come into the sanctuary, until the days of her purification are fulfilled. 5 But if she bears a female child, she will be unclean two weeks, as in her menstrual isolation, and she will continue in the blood of her uncleanness sixty-six days. 6 When the days of her purification are fulfilled, whether for a son or a daughter, she is to bring to the priest a lamb of the first year as a whole burnt offering, and a young pigeon or a turtledove as a sin offering, to the door of the tabernacle of testimony. 7 Then he shall bring it before the Lord and make atonement for her, and it will cleanse her from her flow of blood. This is the law for her who bore a male or a female. 8 But if she is unable to afford a lamb, she may bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons—one as a whole burnt offering and the other as a sin offering. So the priest shall make atonement for her, and she will be clean.’ ”
Psalm 34:1–16
1 By David.
O Lord, judge those who injure me;
Make war on those who make war on me.
2 Take hold of weapon and shield, and rise up to my help.
3 Bring forth the sword, and confine those in opposition who pursue me;
Say to my soul, “I am your salvation.”
4 Let those who seek my soul be dishonored and shamed;
Let those who plot evils against me be turned backward and disappointed.
5 Let them be like dust in the wind’s face,
And let the Angel of the Lord afflict them.
6 Let their way be dark and slippery,
And let the Angel of the Lord pursue them.
7 For without cause they hid the destruction of their trap for me;
In vain they reproached my soul.
8 Let a trap they do not know catch them,
And they themselves shall fall into the same trap.
9 But my soul shall greatly rejoice in the Lord;
My soul shall delight in His salvation.
10 All my bones shall say, “O Lord, who is like You?
You who deliver a poor man from hands stronger than he,
And a poor and needy man from those who plunder him.”
11 Unjust witnesses rose up against me,
Asking me things I knew nothing about;
12 They repaid me evil for good,
And bereavement for my soul.
13 But I put on sackcloth when they troubled me,
And I humbled my soul with fasting;
And my prayer will return into my bosom.
14 Like a neighbor, like our brother, so they were well-pleasing;
Like one who laments and is of a sad countenance, so I humbled myself.
15 But they were delighted, and were gathered together against me;
Whips were gathered together against me, but I did not know it;
They were torn asunder, yet they were not pierced to the heart.
16 They tempted me; they mocked and sneered at me;
They gnashed their teeth at me.
Proverbs 7:1–6
1 My son, guard my words,
And hide my commandments within yourself;
2 My son, honor the Lord, and you shall be strong,
And fear none other but Him.
3 Guard my commandments
And you will live, and my words as the pupils of your eyes;
4 And put them around your fingers,
And write them upon the breadth of your heart.
5 Say that wisdom is your sister,
And gain discernment as a friend for yourself,
6 So they may keep you from a strange and evil woman,
If she comes at you with flattering words.
Matthew 23:1–22
1 Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples,
2 saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat.
3 “Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do.
4 “For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.
5 “But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments.
6 “They love the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues,
7 “greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called by men, ‘Rabbi, Rabbi.’
8 “But you, do not be called ‘Rabbi’; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren.
9 “Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven.
10 “And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ.
11 “But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant.
12 “And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.
13 “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.
14 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation.
15 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.
16 “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is obliged to perform it.’
17 “Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that sanctifies the gold?
18 “And, ‘Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gift that is on it, he is obliged to perform it.’
19 “Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift?
20 “Therefore he who swears by the altar, swears by it and by all things on it.
21 “He who swears by the temple, swears by it and by Him who dwells in it.22 “And he who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by Him who sits on it.