Chapter One
LEVITICUS 16-17 20 "When Aaron has finished making
atonement for the Most Holy Place, the Tent
of Meeting and the altar, he shall bring forward
the live goat. 21 He is to lay both hands
on the head of the live goat and confess over
it all the wickedness and rebellion of the
Israelites-all their sins-and put them on
the goat's head. He shall send the goat away
into the desert in the care of a man appointed
for the task. 22 The goat will carry
on itself all their sins to a solitary place; and
the man shall release it in the desert.
23 "Then Aaron is to go into the Tent of
Meeting and take off the linen garments he
put on before he entered the Most Holy
Place, and he is to leave them there. 24 He
shall bathe himself with water in a holy
place and put on his regular garments. Then
he shall come out and sacrifice the burnt
offering for himself and the burnt offering
for the people, to make atonement for himself
and for the people. 25 He shall also burn
the fat of the sin offering on the altar.
26 "The man who releases the goat as a
scapegoat must wash his clothes and bathe
himself with water; afterward he may come
into the camp. 27 The bull and the goat for
the sin offerings, whose blood was brought
into the Most Holy Place to make atonement,
must be taken outside the camp; their
hides, flesh and offal are to be burned up.
28 The man who burns them must wash his
clothes and bathe himself with water; afterward
he may come into the camp.
29 "This is to be a lasting ordinance for
you: On the tenth day of the seventh month
you must deny yourselves and not do any
work-whether native-born or an alien living
among you-30 because on this day
atonement will be made for you, to cleanse
you. Then, before the Lord, you will be
clean from all your sins. 31 It is a sabbath of
rest, and you must deny yourselves; it is a
lasting ordinance. 32 The priest who is
anointed and ordained to succeed his father
as high priest is to make atonement.
He is to put on the sacred linen garments
33 and make atonement for the Most Holy
Place, for the Tent of Meeting and the altar,
and for the priests and all the people of the
community.
34 "This is to be a lasting ordinance for
you: Atonement is to be made once a year
for all the sins of the Israelites."
And it was done, as the Lord commanded
Moses.
Eating Blood Forbidden
17 The Lord said to Moses, 2 "Speak to
Aaron and his sons and to all the
Israelites and say to them: 'This is what the
Lord has commanded: 3 Any Israelite who
sacrifices an ox, a lamb or a goat in the
camp or outside of it 4 instead of bringing it
to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting to
present it as an offering to the Lord in front
of the tabernacle of the Lord-that man
shall be considered guilty of bloodshed; he
has shed blood and must be cut off from
his people. 5 This is so the Israelites will bring
to the Lord the sacrifices they are now making
in the open fields. They must bring them
to the priest, that is, to the Lord, at the entrance
to the Tent of Meeting and sacrifice
them as fellowship offerings. 6 The priest is
to sprinkle the blood against the altar of
the Lord at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting
and burn the fat as an aroma pleasing
to the Lord. 7 They must no longer offer any
of their sacrifices to the goat idols to whom
they prostitute themselves. This is to be a
lasting ordinance for them and for the generations
to come.'
8 "Say to them: 'Any Israelite or any alien
living among them who offers a burnt offering
or sacrifice 9 and does not bring it to
the entrance to the Tent of Meeting to sacrifice
it to the Lord-that man must be cut
off from his people.
10 "'Any Israelite or any alien living among
them who eats any blood-I will set my face
against that person who eats blood and will
cut him off from his people. 11 For the life of
a creature is in the blood, and I have given
it to you to make atonement for yourselves
on the altar; it is the blood that makes
atonement for one's life. 12 Therefore I say
to the Israelites, "None of you may eat
blood, nor may an alien living among you
eat blood."
13 "'Any Israelite or any alien living among
you who hunts any animal or bird that may
be eaten must drain out the blood and cover
it with earth, 14 because the life of every creature
is its blood. That is why I have said to
the Israelites, "You must not eat the blood
of any creature, because the life of every creature
is its blood; anyone who eats it must
be cut off."
15 "'Anyone, whether native-born or alien,
who eats anything found dead or torn by
wild animals must wash his clothes and
bathe with water, and he will be ceremonially
unclean till evening; then he will be
clean. 16 But if he does not wash his clothes
and bathe himself, he will be held responsible.'"
Unlawful Sexual Relations
18 The Lord said to Moses, 2 "Speak to
the Israelites and say to them: 'I am
the Lord your God. 3 You must not do as
they do in Egypt, where you used to live,
and you must not do as they do in the land
of Canaan, where I am bringing you. Do
not follow their practices. 4 You must obey
my laws and be careful to follow my decrees.
I am the Lord your God. 5 Keep my
decrees and laws, for the man who obeys
them will live by them. I am the Lord.
6 "'No one is to approach any close relative
to have sexual relations. I am the Lord.
7 "'Do not dishonor your father by having
sexual relations with your mother. She is
your mother; do not have relations with her.
8 "'Do not have sexual relations with your
father's wife; that would dishonor your father.
9 "'Do not have sexual relations with your
sister, either your father's daughter or your
mother's daughter, whether she was born
in the same home or elsewhere.
10 "'Do not have sexual relations with your
son's daughter or your daughter's daughter;
that would dishonor you.
11 "'Do not have sexual relations with the
daughter of your father's wife, born to your
father; she is your sister.
12 "'Do not have sexual relations with
your father's sister; she is your father's close
relative.
13 "'Do not have sexual relations with
your mother's sister, because she is your
mother's close relative.
14 "'Do not dishonor your father's brother
by approaching his wife to have sexual relations;
she is your aunt.
15 "'Do not have sexual relations with
your daughter-in-law. She is your son's wife;
do not have relations with her.
16 "'Do not have sexual relations with
your brother's wife; that would dishonor
your brother.
17 "'Do not have sexual relations with
both a woman and her daughter. Do not
have sexual relations with either her son's
daughter or her daughter's daughter; they
are her close relatives. That is wickedness.
18 "'Do not take your wife's sister as a rival
wife and have sexual relations with her
while your wife is living.
19 "'Do not approach a woman to have
sexual relations during the uncleanness of
her monthly period.
20 "'Do not have sexual relations with
your neighbor's wife and defile yourself
with her.
21 "'Do not give any of your children to
be sacrificed to Molech, for you must not
profane the name of your God. I am the
Lord.
22 "'Do not lie with a man as one lies with
a woman; that is detestable.
23 "'Do not have sexual relations with an
animal and defile yourself with it. A woman
must not present herself to an animal to
have sexual relations with it; that is a perversion.
24 "'Do not defile yourselves in any of
these ways, because this is how the nations
that I am going to drive out before you became
defiled. 25 Even the land was defiled;
so I punished it for its sin, and the land
vomited out its inhabitants. 26 But you must
keep my decrees and my laws. The native-born
and the aliens living among you must
not do any of these detestable things, 27 for
all these things were done by the people
who lived in the land before you, and the
land became defiled. 28 And if you defile the
land, it will vomit you out as it vomited out
the nations that were before you.
29 "'Everyone who does any of these detestable
things-such persons must be cut
off from their people. 30 Keep my requirements
and do not follow any of the detestable
customs that were practiced before you
came and do not defile yourselves with
them. I am the Lord your God.'"
Various Laws
19 The Lord said to Moses, 2 "Speak to
the entire assembly of Israel and say
to them: 'Be holy because I, the Lord your
God, am holy.
Jeremiah
Jeremiah writes this book as he
watches a nation disintegrate morally from within. His warnings and pleas
for Judah to return to God fall on deaf ears. And his words often place him
in danger-political and religious leaders are increasingly angry with him
and his messages of impending judgment. Throughout the book, Jeremiah
complains to God about his job as a prophet, denounces Judah's kings for
their weaknesses and chastises the people for going their own way. But
Jeremiah also includes, as part of his message, words about a loving God
who desires a people worthy of his name. Since Jeremiah's grim speeches
are arranged thematically in this book, it might be helpful to read the
history of Judah in Kings and Chronicles to better understand the chronology
of his words.
Jeremiah's roots in a godly family helped keep him secure from the
temptations that corrupted so many in Judah. His life reaffirms the powerful
influence of a godly mother, even when societal values and peer pressure
seem like they will win out. For spiritual success, our children must learn
from us that sin has its consequences, but God's last word for those who
will repent is forgiveness.
* * * 1 The words of Jeremiah son of Hilkiah,
one of the priests at Anathoth in the territory
of Benjamin. 2 The word of the Lord
came to him in the thirteenth year of the
reign of Josiah son of Amon king of Judah,
3 and through the reign of Jehoiakim son of
Josiah king of Judah, down to the fifth
month of the eleventh year of Zedekiah son
of Josiah king of Judah, when the people of
Jerusalem went into exile.
The Call of Jeremiah
4 The word of the Lord came to me, saying,5 "Before I formed you in the womb I
knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the
nations."
6 "Ah, Sovereign Lord," I said, "I do not
know how to speak; I am only a child."
7 But the Lord said to me, "Do not say, 'I
am only a child.' You must go to everyone
I send you to and say whatever I command
you. 8 Do not be afraid of them, for I am
with you and will rescue you," declares the
Lord.
9 Then the Lord reached out his hand and
touched my mouth and said to me, "Now, I
have put my words in your mouth. 10 See,
today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms
to uproot and tear down, to destroy
and overthrow, to build and to plant."
11 The word of the Lord came to me: "What
do you see, Jeremiah?"
"I see the branch of an almond tree," I
replied.
12 The Lord said to me, "You have seen
correctly, for I am watching to see that my
word is fulfilled."
13 The word of the Lord came to me again:
"What do you see?"
"I see a boiling pot, tilting away from the
north," I answered.
14 The Lord said to me, "From the north
disaster will be poured out on all who live
in the land. 15 I am about to summon all
the peoples of the northern kingdoms,"
declares the Lord.
"Their kings will come and set up their
thrones
in the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem; they will come against all her
surrounding walls
and against all the towns of Judah.
16 I will pronounce my judgments on my
people
because of their wickedness in
forsaking me, in burning incense to other gods
and in worshiping what their hands
have made.
17 "Get yourself ready! Stand up and say
to them whatever I command you. Do not
be terrified by them, or I will terrify you
before them. 18 Today I have made you a fortified
city, an iron pillar and a bronze wall
to stand against the whole land-against the
kings of Judah, its officials, its priests and
the people of the land. 19 They will fight
against you but will not overcome you, for
I am with you and will rescue you," declares
the Lord.
Israel Forsakes God
2 The word of the Lord came to me:
2 "Go and proclaim in the hearing of
Jerusalem:
"'I remember the devotion of your youth, how as a bride you loved me
and followed me through the desert, through a land not sown.
3 Israel was holy to the Lord, the firstfruits of his harvest; all who devoured her were held guilty, and disaster overtook them,'"
declares the Lord.
4 Hear the word of the Lord, O house of
Jacob, all you clans of the house of Israel.
5 This is what the Lord says:
"What fault did your fathers find in me, that they strayed so far from me? They followed worthless idols
and became worthless themselves.
6 They did not ask, 'Where is the Lord, who brought us up out of Egypt
and led us through the barren wilderness, through a land of deserts and rifts, a land of drought and darkness, a land where no one travels and no
one lives?'
7 I brought you into a fertile land
to eat its fruit and rich produce.
But you came and defiled my land
and made my inheritance detestable.
8 The priests did not ask, 'Where is the Lord?'
Those who deal with the law did not
know me; the leaders rebelled against me.
The prophets prophesied by Baal, following worthless idols.
9 "Therefore I bring charges against you
again,"
declares the Lord.
"And I will bring charges against your
children's children.
10 Cross over to the coasts of Kittim and
look, send to Kedar and observe closely; see if there has ever been anything
like this:
11 Has a nation ever changed its gods? (Yet they are not gods at all.)
But my people have exchanged their
Glory
for worthless idols.
12 Be appalled at this, O heavens, and shudder with great horror,"
declares the Lord.
2 CORINTHIANS 4
Treasures in Jars of Clay
4 Therefore, since through God's mercy
we have this ministry, we do not lose
heart. 2 Rather, we have renounced secret and
shameful ways; we do not use deception,
nor do we distort the word of God. On the
contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly
we commend ourselves to every man's conscience
in the sight of God.
Continues.
