Parashat Acharei Mot

16 Then Adonai spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they approached the presence of Adonai and died. ² Adonai said to Moses, “Tell Aaron your brother not to come at just any time into the Holiest Place behind the curtain^[a]—before the atonement cover which is on the Ark—so that he would not die. For I will be appearing in the cloud over the atonement cover.^[b]

Yom Kippur Service

³ “In this way should Aaron come into the Sanctuary: with a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. ⁴ He is to put on the holy linen garment, have the linen undergarments on his body, put on the linen sash, and wear the linen turban—they are the holy garments. He should bathe his body in water, and put them on.

⁵ “Then he is to take from the congregation of Bnei-Yisrael two he-goats for a sin offering and one ram for a burnt offering. ⁶ Then Aaron is to offer the bull for the sin offering which is for himself and make atonement for himself and his house. ⁷ Then he is take the two goats and present them before Adonai at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting. ⁸ Aaron will then cast lots for the two goats—one lot for Adonai, and the other lot for the scapegoat. ⁹ Aaron is to present the goat on which the lot for Adonai fell and make it a sin offering. ¹⁰ But the goat upon which the lot for the scapegoat^[c] fell is to be presented alive before Adonai, to make atonement upon it,^[d] by sending it away as the scapegoat into the wilderness.

¹¹ “Also Aaron is to present the bull of the sin offering which is for himself and so make atonement for himself and his house. He is to slaughter the bull of the sin offering which is for himself. ^{[e] 12} He is to take a firepan full of coals of fire from off the altar before Adonai plus two handfuls of sweet powdered incense and bring it within the curtain. ¹³ Then he is to put the incense on the fire before Adonai, so that the cloud of the incense may cover the atonement cover that is on the Ark, so that he would not die. ¹⁴ He is then to take some of the blood of the bull and sprinkle it with his finger on the atonement cover, on the east side. Before the atonement cover he is to sprinkle some of the blood with his finger seven times.^[f]

¹⁵ “Then he is to slaughter the goat of the sin offering which is for the people, bring its blood behind the curtain, and do with its as he did with the blood of the bull—sprinkle it upon the atonement cover, and before the atonement cover. ^{[g] 16} So he is to make atonement for the Holy Place, because of the uncleanness of Bnei-Yisrael and because of their transgressions, all their sins.^[h] He is to do the same for the Tent of Meeting, which dwells with them in the midst of their impurities. ¹⁷ No one is to be in the Tent of Meeting when he enters to make atonement in the Holy Place until he comes out, and has made atonement for himself and for his household, and for all the assembly of Israel.

¹⁸ “Then he is to go out to the altar that is before Adonai and make atonement for it. He is to take some of the bull’s blood and some of the goat’s blood and dab it around on the horns of the altar. ¹⁹ He is to sprinkle some of the blood on it with his finger seven times, and cleanse it, and consecrate it from the uncleanness of Bnei-Yisrael.

²⁰ “When he has finished atoning for the Holy Place, the Tent of Meeting and the altar, then he is to present the live goat. ²¹ Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the iniquities of Bnei-Yisrael and all their transgressions, all their sins. He should place them on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who is in readiness. ²² The goat will carry all their iniquities by itself into a solitary land and he is to leave the goat in the wilderness.

²³ “Then Aaron is to come into the Tent of Meeting, take off the linen garments that he put on when he went into the Holy Place, and leave them there. ²⁴ He is to bathe himself with water in a holy place, put on his garments, and come out to offer his burnt offering and the burnt offering of the people, to make atonement for himself and for the people.

²⁵ “Then he is to burn up fat of the sin offering in smoke on the altar. ²⁶ The man who leaves the goat as a scapegoat is to wash his clothes and bathe his body in water. Afterward he may come into the camp.

²⁷ “The bull for the sin offering and the goat for the sin offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the Holy Place, should be carried outside the camp, and their hides, their flesh, and their dung burned with fire. ^{[i] 28} The one who burns them is to wash his clothes and bathe his body in water. Then afterward he may come into the camp.

²⁹ “It is to be a statute to you forever, that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you are to afflict your souls, and do no kind of work—both the native-born and the outsider dwelling among you. ³⁰ For on this day atonement will be made for you, to cleanse you. From all your sins you will be clean before Adonai. ³¹ It is a Shabbat of solemn rest to you, and you are to afflict your souls. It is a statute forever. ³² The kohen who is anointed and who is consecrated to be kohen in his father’s place will make the atonement, and put on the linen garments, the holy garments. ³³ He is to make atonement for the Holy Sanctuary, for the Tent of Meeting, for the altar, for the kohanim, and for all the people of the assembly.

³⁴ “This will be an everlasting statute for you, to make atonement for Bnei-Yisrael once in the year because of all their sins.” It was done as Adonai commanded Moses.

Sacrifice of Life in Blood

17 Then Adonai spoke to Moses, saying: ² “Speak to Aaron, to his sons, and to all Bnei-Yisrael, and say to them: This is the word which Adonai has commanded. ³ Anyone from the house of Israel who slaughters a bull, a lamb or a goat in the camp or outside the camp, ⁴ but has not brought it to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting to offer it as a sacrifice to Adonai before the Tabernacle—let bloodguilt be charged to that man. He has shed blood—that man is to be cut off from among his people. ⁵ Thus Bnei-Yisrael may bring their sacrifices that they were making in the open field to Adonai, at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting to the kohen, and offer them as sacrifices of fellowship offerings to Adonai. ⁶ The kohen is to sprinkle the blood on the altar of Adonai at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting and burn up the fat as smoke for a soothing aroma to Adonai. ⁷ They are no longer to offer their sacrifices to the goat-demons after which they play the prostitute. This will be a statute forever to them throughout their generations.

⁸ “Then you are to say to them: Anyone from the house of Israel, or from the outsiders dwelling among them, who offers a burnt offering or sacrifice, ⁹ but does not bring it to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting to sacrifice it to Adonai, is to be cut off from his people.

¹⁰ “Anyone from the house of Israel, or from the outsiders dwelling among them, who eats any kind of blood, I will set my face against that soul—the one who eats blood—and will cut him off from among his people. ¹¹ For the life of the creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your lives—for it is the blood that makes atonement because of the life. ¹² Therefore I have said to Bnei-Yisrael: No person among you may eat blood, nor may any outsider dwelling among you eat blood.

¹³ “Any person from Bnei-Yisrael, or from the outsiders dwelling among them, who hunts as game any animal or bird that may be eaten, must drain its blood and cover it with dust. ¹⁴ For the life of every creature, its blood is in its life. Therefore I said to Bnei-Yisrael: You are not to eat the blood of any kind of creature, for the life of every creature is its blood. Whoever eats it is to be cut off.

¹⁵ “Everyone who eats what dies naturally or is torn by animals—whether he is native-born or a foreigner—is to wash his clothes and bathe himself in water. He will be unclean until the evening, then he will be clean. ¹⁶ But if he does not wash them or bathe his body, then he will bear his iniquity.”

18 Adonai said to Moses: ² “Speak to Bnei-Yisrael and say to them: I am Adonai your God. ³ You are not to act as they do in the land of Egypt, where you used to live. Nor are you to act as they do in the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you, nor are you to walk in their customs. ⁴ You are to obey My ordinances and keep My statutes and walk in them—I am Adonai your God. ⁵ So you are to keep My statutes and My ordinances. The one who does them will live by them. I am Adonai.

Incest Forbidden

⁶ “None of you is to come near anyone who is his close relatives to uncover their nakedness. I am Adonai.

⁷ “You are not to uncover the nakedness of your father or your mother. She is your mother. You shall not uncover her nakedness. ⁸ You are not to uncover the nakedness of your father’s wife, for it is your father’s nakedness. ⁹ You are not to uncover the nakedness of your sister, the daughter of your father or the daughter of your mother, whether born at home or elsewhere. ¹⁰ You are not to uncover the nakedness of your son’s daughter, or of your daughter’s daughter, for theirs is your own nakedness. ¹¹ You are not to uncover the nakedness of the daughter of your father’s wife, conceived by your father, since she is your sister. ¹² You are not to uncover the nakedness of your father’s sister, for she is your father’s direct relative. ¹³ You are not to uncover the nakedness of your mother’s sister, for she is your mother’s direct relative. ¹⁴ You are not to uncover the nakedness of your father’s brother by approaching his wife, for she is your aunt. ¹⁵ You are not to uncover the nakedness of your daughter-in-law, for she is your son’s wife. You are not to uncover her nakedness. ¹⁶ You are not to uncover the nakedness of your brother’s wife, because that is your brother’s nakedness. ¹⁷ You are not to uncover the nakedness of both a woman and her daughter. You are not to take her son’s daughter, or her daughter’s daughter, to uncover her nakedness, for they are direct relatives. That is wickedness. ¹⁸ You are not to marry your wife’s sister, to be a rival, uncovering her nakedness, while her sister is still alive.

Other Forbidden Relations

¹⁹ “You are not to approach a woman to uncover her nakedness while she is in the impurity of her niddah. ²⁰ You are not to lie sexually with your neighbor’s wife and defile yourself with her.

²¹ “You are not to give any of your children in sacrifice to Molech, and defile the Name of your God. I am Adonai.

²² “You are not to lie with a man, as with a woman—that is an abomination. ²³ You are not to lie with any animal to defile yourself with it, nor is any woman to give herself to an animal, to lie down with it—that is a perversion.

²⁴ “Do not defile yourselves in any of these things, for in all of these ways the nations which I am casting out before you were defiled. ²⁵ The land has become defiled, so I will punish its iniquity, and the land will vomit out its inhabitants. ²⁶ You, however, are to keep My statutes and My ordinances, and do none of these abominations, neither the native-born, nor the outsider dwelling among you.

²⁷ “For all these abominations were done by the men of the land who were before you, and the land became defiled. ²⁸ If you defile it, the land will vomit you out as it vomited out the nation that was before you. ²⁹ For whoever does any of these detestable things, the souls that do them are to be cut off from the midst of their people. ³⁰ Therefore you are to keep My charge, so that you do not practice any of these detestable customs that were practiced before you, so that you do not defile yourselves by them. I am Adonai your God.”

David’s Sukkah Restored

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Morality in the Temple of God

⁹ Or don’t you know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Don’t be deceived! The sexually immoral, idolaters, adulterers, those who practice homosexuality, ¹⁰ thieves, the greedy, drunkards, slanderers, swindlers—none of these will inherit the kingdom of God. ¹¹ That is what some of you were—but you were washed, you were made holy, you were set right in the name of the Lord Yeshua the Messiah and by the Ruach of our God.

¹² “Everything is permitted for me”—but not everything is helpful. “Everything is permitted for me”—but I will not be controlled by anything. ¹³ “Food is for the stomach, and the stomach is for food”—but God will do away with both of them. Yet the body is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body. ¹⁴ Now God raised up the Lord and will also raise us up by His power. ¹⁵ Don’t you know that your bodies are members of Messiah? Shall I then take the members of Messiah and make them members of a prostitute? May it never be! ¹⁶ Or don’t you know that the one who joins himself to a prostitute is one body with her? For it is said, “The two shall become one flesh.” ^{[a] 17} But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him.

¹⁸ Flee from sexual immorality! Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body—but the one committing sexual immorality sins against his own body. ¹⁹ Or don’t you know that your body is a temple of the Ruach ha-Kodesh who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? ²⁰ For you were bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body.^[b]

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A Dinner Conversation on Shabbat

14 Now when Yeshua went into the home of one of the leaders of the Pharisees to eat a meal on Shabbat, they were watching Him closely. ² And there before Him was a man swollen with fluid. ³ So Yeshua said to the Torah lawyers and the Pharisees, “Is it permitted to heal on Shabbat, or not?”

⁴ But they kept silent. So Yeshua took hold of him and healed him, and He sent him away. ⁵ Then He said to them, “Which of you, with a son or an ox falling into a well on Yom Shabbat, will not immediately pull him out?” ^{[a] 6} And they could not reply to these things.

⁷ Yeshua began telling a parable to those who had been invited, when He noticed how they were choosing the seats of honor. He said to them, ⁸ “When you are invited by someone to a wedding, don’t take the seat of honor, for someone more highly esteemed than you may have been invited by him. ⁹ Then the one who invited both of you will come to you and say, ‘Give up this seat.’ And with shame, you would proceed to take the lowest seat. ¹⁰ But when you are invited, go and recline in the lowest seat so that when the one who invited you comes, he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher.’ Then you shall be honored in the presence of all those who are dining with you. ¹¹ For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”^[b]

¹² Then Yeshua was also saying to the one who invited Him, “When you host a luncheon or dinner, don’t invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors. Otherwise they might invite you in return as your payback. ¹³ But when you host a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind; ¹⁴ and you will be blessed, since they cannot repay you. You will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

¹⁵ Now hearing this, one of those dining with Yeshua said to Him, “Blessed is he who eats bread in the kingdom of God.”

¹⁶ But Yeshua said to him, “A certain man was hosting a large banquet, and he invited many. ¹⁷ At the time for the banquet, he sent his slave to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, everything is already prepared.’

¹⁸ “But every one of them began to beg off. The first said to him, ‘I bought a farm, and I’m obligated to go out to see it. I’m asking you to have me excused.’ ¹⁹ Then another one said, ‘I’ve purchased five teams of oxen, and I’m going to check them out. I’m asking you to have me excused.’ ²⁰ Still another said, ‘I’ve married a wife, so I cannot come.’^[c]

²¹ “The slave came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house got angry and said to his slave, ‘Quickly go out into the squares and alleys of the city and bring here the poor, the maimed, the blind, and the lame.’

²² “And the slave said, ‘Master, I have done as you instructed, and still there is room.’

²³ “So the master said to the slave, ‘Go out into the thoroughfares and fenced areas, and press them to come in so my home may be filled. ²⁴ For I tell you, none of those men who were invited will taste my banquet.’”

Telling Parables Along the Road

²⁵ Now great crowds were traveling with Yeshua; and He turned and said to them, ²⁶ “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his own father, mother, wife, children, brothers, and sisters—and yes, even his own life—he cannot be My disciple. ²⁷ Whoever does not carry his own cross and follow Me cannot be My disciple.

²⁸ “For which of you, wanting to build a tower, doesn’t first sit down and figure out the cost, to see if he has enough to finish it? ²⁹ Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and isn’t able to finish everything, all who see it begin to mock him, ³⁰ saying, ‘This man began to build and wasn’t able to finish!’

³¹ “Or what king, going to make war against another king, won’t first sit down to consider whether he is able with ten thousand to confront the one coming against him with twenty thousand? ^{[d] 32} If not, while the other is still far away, he sends an ambassador and asks for peace. ³³ So in the same way, whoever does not renounce all that he has, cannot be My disciple.

³⁴ “Therefore, salt is good; but if the salt should lose its flavor, how shall it be made salty again? ³⁵ It is not suitable for the soil or for a manure heap—it is thrown out. The one who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

15 Now all the tax collectors and sinners were drawing near to hear Yeshua. ² The Pharisees and the Torah scholars began to complain, saying, ‘This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” ³ So He told this parable to them, saying, ⁴ “Which man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and loses one of them, will not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the lost one until he finds it? ⁵ When he has found it, he puts it on his shoulders, rejoicing. ⁶ And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors and says, ‘Rejoice with me, for I’ve found my sheep that was lost!’ ⁷ I tell you, in the same way there will be more joy in heaven over one repenting sinner than over the ninety-nine righteous people who have no need of repentance.”

⁸ “Or which woman, if she has ten silver coins and loses one coin,^[e] does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search thoroughly until she finds it? ⁹ When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I’ve found the coin I had lost!’ ¹⁰ In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

¹¹ Then Yeshua said, “A certain man had two sons, ¹² and the younger of them said to the father, ‘Father, give me the share of the property that comes to me.’ So he divided his wealth between them.

¹³ “Not many days later, the younger son gathered everything and traveled to a far country, and there he squandered his inheritance on wild living. ¹⁴ Now when he had spent everything, a severe famine came against that country, and he began to be in need. ¹⁵ So he went and joined himself to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. ¹⁶ And he was longing to fill up on the carob pods the pigs were eating, but no one was giving him any.

¹⁷ “But when he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired workers have food overflowing, but here I am dying of hunger! ¹⁸ I’ll get up and go to my father, and I’ll say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your presence. ¹⁹ I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired workers.

²⁰ “And he got up and went to his own father. But while he was still far away, his father saw him and felt compassion. He ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. ²¹ Then the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your presence. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

²² “But the father said to his slaves, ‘Quick! Bring out the best robe and put it on him! Put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. ²³ Bring the fattened calf and kill it! Let’s celebrate with a feast! ²⁴ For this son of mine was dead and has come back to life—he was lost and is found!’ Then they began to celebrate.

²⁵ “Now his older son was out in the field. And as he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. ²⁶ And he called out to one of the servants and began to ask what these things could be.

²⁷ “The servant said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf because he got him back safe and sound.’

²⁸ “But the older son was angry and didn’t want to go in. So his father came outside and pleaded with him. ²⁹ But he answered and said to his father, ‘Look, so many years I’ve slaved away for you—not once did I ignore your order. Yet you’ve never given me a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. ³⁰ But when this son of yours came—the one who has squandered your wealth with prostitutes—for him you killed the fattened calf!”

³¹ “Then the father said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and everything that is mine is yours. ³² But it was right to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead but has come back to life! He was lost, but is found.’”

A Lesson for the Disciples

16 Now Yeshua was also saying to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a household manager, and this manager was accused of squandering his belongings. ² So he called the manager and said to him, ‘What’s this I hear about you? Give an accounting of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.’

³ “Then the manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I’m not strong enough to dig; I’m ashamed to beg. ⁴ I know what I’ll do, so that when I’m put out of management others will welcome me into their homes.’ ⁵ So he called in each one of his master’s debtors, and he said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’

⁶ “He said, ‘One hundred units of olive oil.’

“The manager said to him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and write fifty.’ ⁷ Then he said to another, ‘Now how much do you owe?’

“He said, ‘A hundred units of wheat.’

“The manager said to him, ‘Take your bill and write eighty.’

⁸ “Now the master praised the crooked manager because he had acted shrewdly, for the sons of this age are smarter when dealing with their own generation than the sons of light. ⁹ I say to you, make friends for yourselves from the wealth of the world, so when it runs out, they will welcome you into the eternal shelters.

¹⁰ “One who is faithful in the smallest matters is also faithful in much, and the one unjust in the smallest matters will likewise be unjust in much. ¹¹ So then, if you cannot be trusted with unjust wealth, who will trust you with true wealth? ¹² Now if you have not been trustworthy with what belongs to another, who will give you anything of your own? ¹³ No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will stick by one and look down on the other. You cannot serve God and money.”^[f]

The Pharisees Listen In

¹⁴ Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, were listening to all these things and sneering at Yeshua. ¹⁵ But He said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves before the people, but God knows your hearts.^[g] For what is prized among men is detestable in God’s sight.”

¹⁶ “The Torah and the Prophets were proclaimed until John. Since then, the Good News of the kingdom of God is being proclaimed, and everyone tries forcing his way in. ¹⁷ But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for a single serif^[h] of the Torah to fail. ¹⁸ Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery. And he who marries one who is divorced from a husband commits adultery.

¹⁹ “Now there was a rich man dressed in purple and fine linen, living it up in luxury every day. ²⁰ But a poor man named Lazarus had been laid at his gate, covered with sores ²¹ and longing to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Besides, even the dogs were coming to lick his sores.

²² “It happened that the poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. Then the rich man also died and was buried. ²³ And from Sheol, as he was in torment, he raised his eyes. And he sees Abraham far off, and Lazarus at his side. ^{[i] 24} So he cried out and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me! And send Lazarus so he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue, because I am suffering torment in this flame.’^[j]

²⁵ “But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in your life you received your good things, even as Lazarus received the bad things. But now he is comforted here, and you are tormented. ²⁶ Besides all this, between us and you a great chasm is firmly set, so that those who want to cross over to you cannot, nor can those from there cross over to us.

²⁷ “Then the rich man said, ‘I beg you then, Father Abraham, send Lazarus to my father’s house! ²⁸ For I have five brothers to warn, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’

²⁹ “But Abraham says, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets. Let them listen to them.’

³⁰ “But he said, ‘No, Father Abraham, but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’

³¹ “But Abraham said, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead!’”

Parashat Kedoshim

Holiness Code

19 Adonai spoke to Moses saying: ² “Speak to all the congregation of Bnei-Yisrael and tell them: You shall be kedoshim, for I, Adonai your God, am holy.

³ “Each one of you is to respect his mother and his father, and keep My Shabbatot. I am Adonai your God.

⁴ “Do not turn to idols, or make molten gods for yourselves. I am Adonai your God.

⁵ “When you bring a sacrifice of fellowship offerings to Adonai, you are to offer it so that you may be accepted. ⁶ It is to be eaten the same day you offer it, and the next day. But if anything remains until the third day, it is to be burned with fire. ⁷ If it is eaten at all on the third day, it is disgusting. It will not be accepted. ⁸ Rather, anyone who eats it will bear his iniquity, since he has profaned what is holy to Adonai, and that soul will be cut off from his people.

⁹ “When you reap the harvest of your land, you are not to reap to the very corners of your field, nor are you to gather the gleanings of your harvest. ¹⁰ You are not to pick the remnants of your vineyard, nor are you to gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard. Instead, you are to leave them for the poor and for the outsider. I am Adonai your God.

¹¹ “You are not to steal. You are not to lie. You are not to deceive one another.

¹² “You are not to swear by My Name falsely, and so profane the Name of your God. I am Adonai.

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

¹⁴ “You are not to curse the deaf, nor put a stumbling block before the blind, but you shall fear your God. I am Adonai.

¹⁵ “You are to do no injustice in judgment. You are not to be partial toward the poor nor show favoritism toward the great, but you are to judge your neighbor with fairness.

¹⁶ “You are not to go up and down as a talebearer among your people. You are not to endanger the life of your neighbor. I am Adonai.

¹⁷ “You are not to hate your brother in your heart. Instead, you are to firmly rebuke your neighbor, and not bear sin because of him. ¹⁸ You are not to take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself.^[a] I am Adonai.

¹⁹ “You must keep My statutes. You are not to crossbreed different kinds of animals. You are not to sow your field with two kinds of seed, nor are you to wear a garment woven of two kinds of material.

²⁰ “If a man lies sexually with a woman who is a slave girl, pledged to be married to another man, but not ransomed or given her freedom, they are both to be punished. But they are not to be put to death, because she was not free. ²¹ He is to bring his trespass offering to Adonai, to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting—a ram for a guilt offering. ²² The kohen is to make atonement for him with the ram of the trespass offering before Adonai for his sin that he committed, and the sin that he committed will be forgiven him.

²³ “When you come into the land and have planted all kinds of trees for food, you are to consider their fruit as forbidden. Three years it will be forbidden to you. It is not to be eaten. ²⁴ Then in the fourth year all its fruit will be holy, for giving praise to Adonai. ²⁵ In the fifth year you may eat its fruit. So it will yield its increase to you. I am Adonai your God.

²⁶ “You are not to eat any meat with the blood still in it, nor are you to use enchantments, or practice sorcery.

²⁷ “You are not to round off the hair on the sides of your heads, nor are you to mar the edge of your beard. ²⁸ You are not to make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead or make any tattoo marks upon yourself. I am Adonai.

²⁹ “Do not defile your daughter, to make her a prostitute, so that the land does not fall into prostitution, and become full of wickedness.

³⁰ “You are to keep My Shabbatot, and reverence My Sanctuary. I am Adonai.

³¹ “Do not turn to those who are mediums or to soothsayers. Do not seek them out to be defiled by them. I am Adonai your God.

³² “You are to rise up in the presence of the gray-haired and honor the presence of the elderly. So you will fear your God. I am Adonai.

³³ “If an outsider dwells with you in your land, you should do him no wrong. ³⁴ The outsider dwelling among you shall be to you as the native-born among you. You should love him as yourself—for you dwelled as outsiders in the land of Egypt. I am Adonai your God.

³⁵ “You must not be dishonest in judgment—in measurements of length, weight or of quantity. ³⁶ You are to have honest balances, honest weights, honest bushel-measure and an honest gallon.^[b] I am Adonai your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt. ³⁷ You must observe all My statutes and all My ordinances—do them. I am Adonai.”

Idols and the Occult

20 Adonai spoke to Moses saying: ² “Moreover, you are to tell Bnei-Yisrael: Anyone from Bnei-Yisrael or from the outsiders dwelling in Israel, who gives any of his children to Molech, shall surely be put to death. The people of the land are to stone him with rocks. ³ I also will set My face against such a person and will cut him off from among his people, because he has given his children to Molech, defiling My Sanctuary and profaning My holy Name. ⁴ But if 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, ⁵ then I will set My face against that man and against his family, and will cut him off, along with all who play the prostitute after him with Molech, from among their people.

⁶ “The soul that turns to mediums or to soothsayers, prostituting himself with them, I will set My face against that soul and will cut him off from among his people. ⁷ So consecrate yourselves and be holy, for I am Adonai your God. ⁸ You are to keep My statutes, and do them. I am Adonai who sanctifies you.

⁹ “Any man who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death. He has cursed his father or mother, and his blood should be on him.

¹⁰ “The man who commits adultery with another man’s wife, who commits adultery with his friend’s wife, both the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.

¹¹ “If a man lies with his father’s wife, and has uncovered his father’s nakedness, both of them shall surely be put to death, and their blood shall be on 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, and their blood shall be on them. ¹³ If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination, and they shall surely be put to death. Their blood shall be on them. ¹⁴ If a man takes a wife and her mother, it is wickedness. They shall be burned with fire—both he and they, so 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 are to kill the animal. ¹⁶ If a woman approaches any animal, and lies down with it, you are to kill the woman and the animal. They shall surely be put to death, and their blood shall be on them. ¹⁷ If a man takes his sister, his father’s daughter, or his mother’s daughter, and sees her nakedness, and she his, it is a shameful thing. They are to be cut off in the sight of the children of their people, for he has uncovered his sister’s nakedness, and will bear his iniquity. ¹⁸ If a man lies with a woman during her niddah and exposes her nakedness, he has exposed her flow and she has uncovered the flow of her blood. Both of them are to be cut off from among their people. ¹⁹ You are not to uncover the nakedness of your mother’s sister, or your father’s sister, for the one who does that has made his close relative naked, and will bear his iniquity. ²⁰ If a man lies with his aunt, he has uncovered his uncle’s nakedness. They shall bear their sin, and die childless. ²¹ If a man takes his brother’s wife, it is an impurity. He has uncovered his brother’s nakedness, and they will be childless.

²² “Now you are to keep all My statutes and all My ordinances and do them, so that the land where I am bringing you to dwell will not vomit you out. ²³ You are not to walk in the ways of the nation which I am casting out before you, for they did all these things and therefore I abhorred them. ²⁴ But I have said to you, ‘You will inherit their land and I will give it to you to possess it, a land flowing with milk and honey.’ I am Adonai your God, who has set you apart from the peoples.

²⁵ “Also you are to make a distinction between the clean animal and the unclean, and between the unclean bird and the clean. And you are not to make your souls detestable by an animal or by a bird, or by anything with which the ground teems, which I have set apart as unclean for you. ²⁶ You are to be holy to Me, for I, Adonai, am holy, and have set you apart from the peoples, so that you would be Mine.

²⁷ “A man or a woman who is a medium or is a soothsayer shall surely be put to death. They shall stone them with rocks, and their blood shall be on them.’”

² The word of Adonai came to me saying: ³ “Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel. Say to them, thus says Adonai Elohim: ‘Have you come to inquire of Me? As I live’—it is a declaration of Adonai—‘I will not be inquired of by you.’

⁴ “Will you judge them, son of man, will you judge them? Make them know the detestable practices of their fathers. ⁵ Say to them, thus says Adonai Elohim: On the day I chose Israel, I lifted up My hand to the seed of the house of Jacob and made Myself known to them in the land of Egypt. I lifted up My hand to them saying, ‘I am Adonai your God.’ ⁶ On that day I lifted up My hand to them, to bring them out of the land of Egypt into a land that I had sought out for them, flowing with milk and honey, the splendor of all lands. ⁷ I said to them, ‘Each of you must throw away every detestable thing from his eyes, and not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt. I am Adonai your God.’

⁸ “But they rebelled against Me and were unwilling to listen to Me. None of them cast away the detestable things that were before their eyes, nor did they forsake the idols of Egypt. So I resolved to pour out My fury upon them, to expend My anger upon them in the midst of the land of Egypt. ⁹ But I acted, for the sake of My Name, to keep it from being profaned in the eyes of the nations, where they were, in whose sight I made Myself known to them, to bring them out from the land of Egypt. ¹⁰ So I led them out from the land of Egypt and brought them into the wilderness. ¹¹ I gave them My laws and taught them My judgments, which if a man does, he will live by them. ¹² I also gave them My Shabbatot, as a sign between Me and them, so that they would know that I am Adonai who made them holy.

¹³ “But the house of Israel rebelled against Me in the wilderness. They did not walk in My statutes. They rejected My judgments, which if a man does, he will live by them. They greatly profaned My Shabbatot. Then I resolved to pour out My fury on them in the wilderness to consume them. ¹⁴ But for the sake of My Name I did what would keep it from being profaned in the eyes of the nations in whose sight I had brought them out. ¹⁵ Yet I also lifted My hand to them in the wilderness, that I would not bring them into the land which I had given them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the splendor of all lands. ¹⁶ For they rejected My laws, did not walk in My rulings and profaned My Shabbatot—for their heart went after their idols. ¹⁷ Nevertheless, My eye spared them from destruction, so I did not make a full end of them in the wilderness.

¹⁸ “I said to their children in the wilderness, ‘Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers, do not keep their ordinances, do not defile yourselves with their idols. ¹⁹ I am Adonai your God. Walk in My statutes, keep My ordinances and do them. ²⁰ Keep My Shabbatot holy, so they will be a sign between Me and you, that you may know that I am Adonai your God.’

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⁴³ “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor^[a] and hate your enemy.’ ⁴⁴ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, ⁴⁵ so that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. ⁴⁶ For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Even the tax collectors do the same, don’t they? ⁴⁷ And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than anyone else? Even the pagans do that, don’t they? ⁴⁸ Therefore be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.”

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Back to Teaching His Own

17 Then Yeshua said to His disciples, “Stumbling blocks are bound to come, but woe to the one by whom they come! ² It would be better for him to have a millstone put around his neck and to be hurled into the sea, than for him to cause one of these little ones to stumble.

³ “Keep yourselves alert! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. ⁴ Even if he sins against you seven times a day, and seven times returns to you, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him.”

⁵ Then the emissaries said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”

⁶ Then the Lord said, “If you have faith like a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you. ⁷ But if you have a slave who is plowing or tending sheep, who among you will say to him when he comes in from the field, ‘Come right in, and recline at table’? ⁸ But won’t he instead say to him, ‘Prepare something for me to eat! Dress yourself and wait on me while I eat and drink; and afterward, you may eat and drink’? ⁹ He doesn’t thank the slave because he did what he was commanded, does he? ¹⁰ So you too, when you’ve done everything you are commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy slaves. We have done only what we were supposed to do.’”

On the Move through Samaria

¹¹ Now while going up to Jerusalem, Yeshua was passing between Samaria and the Galilee. ¹² As He entered a certain village, ten men with tzara’at came toward Him. They stood some distance away ^{[a] 13} and raised their voices, saying, “Yeshua, Master, have mercy on us!”

¹⁴ When He saw them, He said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the kohanim.”^[b] And as they went, they were cleansed. ¹⁵ Now one of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back, glorifying God with a loud voice. ¹⁶ And he fell at Yeshua’s feet, facedown, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan.

¹⁷ Then Yeshua answered and said, “Weren’t ten cleansed? But where are the nine? ¹⁸ Weren’t any found who came back to give glory to God except this foreigner?” ¹⁹ Then Yeshua said to the man, “Stand up and go! Your faith has made you well.”

²⁰ Now when Yeshua was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with signs to be seen. ²¹ Nor will they say, ‘Look, here!’ or ‘There!’ For behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst.”

²² Then Yeshua said to the disciples, “The days will come when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. ²³ They will say to you, ‘Look, there!’ or ‘Look, here!’ Do not go and chase after them. ²⁴ For just as the lightning flashes from one part of the sky and lights up another part, so will the Son of Man be in His day. ²⁵ But first He must suffer much and be rejected by this generation. ²⁶ As it was in the days of Noah,^[c] so will it also be in the days of the Son of Man. ²⁷ They were eating, drinking, marrying, and being given in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all.

²⁸ “It was just the same in the days of Lot.^[d] They were eating, drinking, buying, selling, planting, building. ²⁹ But on the day Lot left Sodom, it rained fire and sulfur from heaven and destroyed them all. ³⁰ Things will be the same on the day when the Son of Man is made fully known. ³¹ In that day, the one who is on the roof, and his possessions in the house, must not go down to take them away. In the same way, the one who is in the field must not turn back. ³² Remember Lot’s wife! ^{[e] 33} Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life will preserve it.

³⁴ “I tell you, on that night there will be two in one bed. One will be taken along and the other left. ³⁵ There will be two women grinding at the same place. One will be taken and the other left.” (³⁶ )^[f]

³⁷ “Where, Lord?” they replied.

And He said to them, “Where there is a corpse, there also will the vultures be gathered.”^[g]

18 Then Yeshua told them a parable to show that they should always pray and not be discouraged, ² He said, “There was a judge in a certain city who neither feared God nor respected people. ³ And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him, saying, ‘Give me justice against my opponent.’

⁴ “He was unwilling at the time. But afterward he said to himself, ‘Although I don’t fear God or respect people, ⁵ yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice so she won’t wear me out by her incessant coming.’”

⁶ Then the Lord said, “Hear what the unjust judge is saying. ⁷ Won’t God do justice for His chosen ones, who cry out to Him day and night? Will He be slow to help them? ⁸ I tell you, He will quickly give them justice. But when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?”

⁹ Then Yeshua spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, while holding others in contempt. ¹⁰ “Two men went up to the Temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. ¹¹ The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘O God, I thank You that I am not like other people—thieving, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. ¹² I fast twice a week and tithe on all that I get.’

¹³ “But the tax collector, standing some distance away, wouldn’t even lift his eyes toward heaven, but beat his chest, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’ ^{[h] 14} I tell you, this man, rather than the other, went down to his home declared righteous. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

¹⁵ Now they were bringing even their babies to Yeshua, so He might touch them. But when the disciples saw this, they began rebuking them. ¹⁶ But Yeshua called for them, saying, “Let the little children come to Me and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. ¹⁷ Amen, I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”

¹⁸ And a religious leader inquired of Yeshua, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”

¹⁹ “Why are you calling Me good?” Yeshua said to him. “No one is good except One—that is God. ²⁰ You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.’”^[i]

²¹ The man said, “All these I have kept since my youth.”

²² When Yeshua heard this, He said to him, “One thing you still lack. Sell all, as much as you have, and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.” ²³ But upon hearing these things, he became deeply distressed, for he was very rich.

²⁴ Gazing at him, Yeshua said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter into the kingdom of God! ²⁵ It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

²⁶ Then those who heard said, “Then who can be saved?”

²⁷ But Yeshua said, “What is impossible with men is possible with God.”^[j]

²⁸ Then Peter said, “Look, we’ve left everything of our own to follow You.”

²⁹ And Yeshua said to them, “Amen, I tell you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, ³⁰ who will not receive many times as much in this age; and in the olam ha-ba, eternal life.”

³¹ Then Yeshua took the twelve aside and said to them, “Look, we’re going up to Jerusalem, and everything written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be carried out. ³² He will be handed over to the Gentiles, and He will be mocked and insulted and spat upon. ³³ After they have scourged Him, they will kill Him. Yet on the third day, He will rise again.” ³⁴ But they understood none of these things; this message was hidden from them, and they did not understand what He was saying.

Approaching Jericho

³⁵ Now as Yeshua was approaching Jericho, a certain blind man was sitting by the road, begging. ³⁶ But when he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening. ³⁷ They told him that Yeshua ha-Natzrati was passing by. ³⁸ And he cried out, saying, “Yeshua, Ben-David, have mercy on me!”

³⁹ And those leading the way were scolding him, so he would be quiet. But he kept shouting all the more, “Ben-David, have mercy on me!”

⁴⁰ So Yeshua stopped and ordered the blind man to be brought to Him. And when he came near, Yeshua asked him, ⁴¹ “What do you want Me to do for you?”

And he said, “Master, I want to see again!”

⁴² Yeshua said to him, “Receive your sight. Your faith has made you well.” ⁴³ Immediately the man received his sight and began following Yeshua, glorifying God. And when all the people saw it, they also gave praise to God.