בהר

B’HAR (ON THE MOUNT)

 


Parashat Behar

Shabbat Year and Jubilee

25 Then Adonai said to Moses on Mount Sinai, “Speak to Bnei-Yisrael and tell them: When you come into the land which I give you, then the land is to keep a Shabbat to Adonai. For six years you may sow your field and for six years you may prune your vineyard and gather in its fruits. But in the seventh year there is to be a Shabbat rest for the land—a Shabbat to Adonai. You are not to sow your field or prune your vineyard. You are not to reap what grows by itself during your harvest nor gather the grapes of your untended vine. It is to be a year of Shabbat rest for the land. Whatever the Shabbat of the land produces will be food for yourself, for your servant, for your maidservant, for your hired worker and for the outsider dwelling among you. Even for your livestock and for the animals that are in your land—all its increase will be enough food.

“You are to count off seven Shabbatot of years—seven times seven years, so that the time is seven Shabbatot of years—49 years. Then on the tenth day of the seventh month, on Yom Kippur, you are to sound a shofar blast—you are to sound the shofar all throughout your land. 10 You are to make the fiftieth year holy, and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It is to be a Jubilee to you, when each of you is to return to his own property and each of you is to return to his family. 11 That fiftieth year will be your Jubilee. You are not to sow, or reap that which grows by itself, or gather from the untended vines. 12 Since it is a Jubilee, it is to be holy to you. You will eat from its increase out of the field.

13 “In this Year of Jubilee each of you will return to his property.

14 “If you sell anything to your neighbor or buy from your neighbor, you are not to wrong one another. 15 Corresponding to the number of years after the Jubilee you are to purchase land from your neighbor’s hand. He is to sell it to you based on the number of years of crops. 16 In proportion to the extent of years you may increase its price, or decrease its price in proportion to the fewness of years, because he is selling a number of harvests to you. 17 You are not to cheat one another, but fear your God, for I am Adonai your God.

18 “Therefore you are to keep My statutes and observe My ordinances, and carry them out, so that you may live securely in the land. 19 Then the land will yield its fruit, and you may eat your fill and live there in safety. 20 Now if you ask: What are we to eat during the seventh year if, see, we are not to sow, nor gather in our increase? 21 Now I will command My blessing to you in the sixth year, so that it will yield a harvest sufficient for three years. 22 When you sow during the eighth year, you will still be eating the old, stored harvest until the harvest of the ninth year comes in.

23 “Moreover, the land is not to be sold permanently, because the land is Mine. For you are sojourners with Me. 24 For any land you possess, you are to provide for redemption of the land.

25 “If your brother becomes poor and sells some of his property, then his nearest kinsman may come and redeem what his brother has sold. 26 If a man has no kinsman-redeemer, but he himself recovers and finds sufficient means to redeem it, 27 then let him reckon the years since its sale and restore the surplus to the man to whom he sold it. Then he will return to his property. 28 But if he is not able to get it back for himself, then what he has sold is to remain in the hand of the one who has bought it until the Year of Jubilee. Then in the Jubilee it should be released, so he may return to his property.

29 “If a man sells a house in a walled city, then he may redeem it within a whole year after it has been sold. For a full year he has the right of redemption. 30 But if it is not redeemed within the space of a full year, then the house that is in the walled city will belong permanently to the one who bought it throughout his generations. It will not be released in the Jubilee. 31 But the houses of the villages that have no wall around them are to be considered as open country. They have redemption rights and are to be released in the Jubilee.

32 “But as for the towns of the Levites, the Levites may have a permanent right of redemption for the houses in the towns of their possession. 33 The Levites may redeem a house sold in the town of its possession. Also it should be released in the Jubilee, for the houses of the Levitical towns are their possession among Bnei-Yisrael. 34 But the fields in the pasturelands of their cities may not be sold, for it is their permanent possession.

35 “If your brother has become poor and his hand cannot support himself among you, then you are to uphold him. He may live with you like an outsider or a temporary resident. 36 Take no excessive interest from him, but fear your God, so that your brother can live with you. 37 You are not to lend him your money at interest, nor give him your food for profit. 38 I am Adonai your God, who brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, to give you the land of Canaan and to be your God.

39 “If your brother has grown poor among you and sells himself to you, you must not subject him to slave labor. 40 Let him stay with you as a hired worker or as a temporary resident. He will work for you until the Year of Jubilee, 41 then he is to be released from you—he and his children with him—and may return to his own family and to the property of his fathers. 42 For they are My servants, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt. They are not to be sold in a slave sale. 43 You are not to rule over him with harshness, but fear your God.

44 “As for your male and female slaves whom you may acquire out of the nations that are around you—from them you may buy male and female slaves. 45 You may also acquire from among the children of the foreigners dwelling among you, as well as from their families who are with you—those born in your land—they may also become your property. 46 You may also leave them an inheritance for your children after you, to receive as a possession. These may become your slaves permanently. But over your brothers, Bnei-Yisrael, you must not rule over one another with harshness.

47 “If an outsider or sojourner with you becomes rich, while your brother beside him has become poor and sells himself to the outsider dwelling among you or to a member of the outsider’s family, 48 after he is sold he may be redeemed. One of his brothers may redeem him, 49 or his uncle or his uncle’s son may redeem him, or anyone who is a close relative to him from his family may also redeem him. Or if he has grown rich, he may redeem himself. 50 He is to calculate with the one who bought him, from the year that he sold himself to the Year of Jubilee, and the price of his sale will be in proportion to the number of years. Like the days of a hired worker it will be with him. 51 If there are still many years, in proportion to those he is to reimburse the price of his redemption from his purchase price. 52 If there remain only a few years until the Year of Jubilee, then he should calculate with him in proportion to his years of service he is to reimburse the price of his redemption. 53 He will stay with him as a hired worker, year by year. But he is not to rule with harshness over him in your sight. 54 Even if he is not redeemed by these means, then he will still be released in the Year of Jubilee—he and his children with him. 55 For Bnei-Yisrael are My servants—My servants whom I brought out of the land of Egypt. I am Adonai your God.

26 “You are not to make idols for yourselves, nor raise up an engraved image or a standing-stone, or place any carved stone in your land to bow down to it. For I am Adonai your God.

“You are to keep My Shabbatot and have reverence for My Sanctuary. I am Adonai.


16 And He came to Natzeret, where He had been raised. As was His custom, He went into the synagogue on Shabbat, and He got up to read. 17 When the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him, He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written,

18 “The Ruach Adonai is on me,
because He has anointed me
    to proclaim Good News to the poor.
He has sent me[a] to proclaim release to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to set free the oppressed,
19 and to proclaim the year of Adonai’s favor.”[b]

20 He closed the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. All eyes in the synagogue were focused on Him. 21 Then He began to tell them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your ears.”

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Teaching in the Temple

21 Then Yeshua looked up and saw the rich dropping their gifts into the treasury box. He also saw a poor widow dropping in two small copper coins. [a] And He said, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all the rest. For all these put in their gifts from their surplus. But she, out of her poverty, put in all she had to live on.”

And while some were talking about the Temple, how it was decorated with beautiful stones and offerings, Yeshua said, “As for these things you are looking at, the days will come when not one stone will be left upon another. Every one will be torn down!”

And they questioned Him, saying, “Teacher, so when will these things happen? What will be the sign that these things are about to take place?”

And He said, “Watch out that you are not led astray! For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He’ and ‘The time is near!’ Do not follow them. And when you hear of wars and chaos, do not be terrorized. For these things need to happen first, but the end will not come at once.”

10 Then He continued telling them, “Nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. 11 There will be great earthquakes along with famines and epidemics in various places, and there will be terrors along with great signs from heaven. 12 But before all these things, they will grab you and persecute you, handing you over to the synagogues and prisons, and leading you away to kings and governors on account of My name. 13 This will lead you to be a witness. 14 So make up your minds not to prepare ahead of time to defend yourselves— 15 for I Myself will give you speech and wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to resist or refute. 16 But you will be handed over even by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends—and they will put some of you to death. 17 And you will be hated by all because of My name. 18 Yet not a hair of your head will be lost. 19 By your endurance, you will gain your souls.

20 “But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then recognize that her desolation is near. 21 Then those in Judea must flee to the mountains, and those inside the city must get out, and those in the countryside must not enter her. 22 For these are the days of punishment, to fulfill all that has been written.[b]

23 “Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! For there will be great distress in the land and wrath on this people. 24 They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led away captive into all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.[c]

25 “There will be signs in the sun and moon and stars. And upon the earth nations will be confused by the roaring of the sea and its waves. [d] 26 People will lose heart from fear and anticipation of what is overtaking the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. [e] 27 And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. [f] 28 Now when these things begin to happen, stand straight and lift up your heads, because your salvation is near!”

29 Then Yeshua told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree and all the trees. 30 As soon as they sprout their leaves, you see it and you know at once that summer is near. 31 So also, when you see these all these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near. 32 Amen, I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things happen. 33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away.[g]

34 “But watch out so your hearts are not weighed down by carousing, strong drink, and the worries of life. Do not let that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. 35 For it will come rushing upon all who live on the face of the whole earth. 36 But stay alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things about to happen, and to stand before the Son of Man.”

37 So during the days Yeshua was teaching in the Temple, but in the nights He went out and stayed on the Mount of Olives. [h] 38 And all the people would come early in the morning to hear Him in the Temple.

The Day before Pesach

22 Now the Feast of Matzah, which is called Passover, was approaching. The ruling kohanim and Torah scholars were searching for a way to do away with Yeshua, for they were afraid of the people.

Then satan entered into Judah, the one from Kriot, one of the twelve. And he went away and talked with the ruling kohanim and officers of the Temple guard about how he might deliver Yeshua over to them. They were delighted and agreed to give him money. So he agreed and began looking for a chance to hand Yeshua over to them without a crowd.

Then came the day of matzah when the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. Now Yeshua sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare the Passover for us, so we may eat.”

Then they said to Him, “Where do You want us to prepare?”

10 And He said to them, “Behold, when you have entered the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him into the house that he enters. 11 And say to the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher says to you, “Where is the guest room where I may eat the Passover with My disciples?”’ 12 And with that, he will show you a large upper room, fully furnished. Make preparations there.” 13 So they left and found just what Yeshua had told them, and they prepared the Passover.

The Seder in the Upper Room

14 When the hour came, Yeshua reclined at table, and the emissaries with Him. 15 And He said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. 16 For I tell you, I will never eat it again until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.”

17 And when He had taken a cup and offered the bracha, He said, “Take this and share it among yourselves. 18 For I tell you that I will never drink of the fruit of the vine from now on, until the kingdom of God comes.”

19 And when He had taken matzah[i] and offered the bracha, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body, given for you. Do this in memory of Me.” 20 In the same way, He took the cup after the meal, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is poured out for you. [j] 21 But look, the hand of the one betraying Me is with Mine on the table. [k] 22 For indeed, the Son of Man is going as has been predetermined; but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed!”

23 So they began to discuss among themselves which of them it might be who would do this thing. 24 But there was also a quarrel among them about which of them is considered the greatest. 25 And Yeshua said to them, “The kings of the nations have mastery over them, and those exercising authority over them are called ‘benefactors.’ 26 But with you, it is not so. Rather, let the one who is greatest among you become like the youngest, and the one who leads like the one who serves. 27 For who is greater, the one who reclines or the one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines? But I am among you as one who serves.

28 “You are the ones who have remained with Me in My times of testing. 29 And just as My Father has granted Me a kingdom, so I grant to you 30 that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and you shall sit upon thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

31 “Simon, Simon! Indeed, satan has demanded to sift you all like wheat. 32 But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith will not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”

33 But Simon said to Him, “Master, I am ready to go with You even to prison and to death!”

34 But Yeshua said, “I tell you, Peter, a rooster will not crow today until you have denied three times that you know Me.”

35 And He said to them, “When I sent you out without a money pouch and travel bag and sandals, you didn’t lack anything, did you?”

They said, “No, nothing.”

36 Then He said to them, “But now, whoever has a money pouch must carry it as well as a travel bag. And whoever does not own a sword must sell his cloak and buy one. 37 For I tell you that this which is written must be fulfilled in Me: ‘And he was counted with the lawless.’[l] For what is written about Me is being fulfilled.”

38 But they said, “Master, look here! Two swords!”

And He said to them, “It is enough.”

Yeshua Prays at the Mount of Olives

39 And Yeshua came out and went as usual to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed Him. 40 When he reached the place, He said to them, “Pray that you will not enter into temptation.” 41 And He pulled back about a stone’s throw from them, got on His knees, and began to pray, 42 saying, “Father, if You are willing, take this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.”

43 Now an angel from heaven appeared to Him and strengthened Him. 44 And in His anguish, He was praying fervently; and His sweat was like drops of blood falling down on the ground. 45 When He rose up from prayer, He came to the disciples and found them asleep, exhausted from grief. 46 And He said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray, so that you won’t enter into temptation.”

Betrayed!

47 While Yeshua was speaking, suddenly a crowd came, and the one called Judah, one of the Twelve, approached Yeshua to kiss Him. 48 But Yeshua said to him, “Judah, with a kiss you betray the Son of Man?”[m]

49 When those around Him saw what was going to happen, they said to Him, “Master, shall we strike with the sword?” 50 And one of them struck the servant of the kohen gadol and cut off his right ear.

51 But Yeshua answered and said, “Stop this now!” And He touched the man’s ear and healed him.

52 Then Yeshua said to the ruling kohanim, officers of the Temple guard, and the elders who had come against Him, “Have you come out with swords and clubs as you would against a revolutionary? 53 Every day I was with you in the Temple, yet you did not lay a finger on Me. But this is yours—the hour and the power of darkness.” 54 Then they seized Yeshua and led Him away and brought Him into the house of the kohen gadol. But Peter was following from a distance.

Denied Three Times

55 Now they had lit a fire in the center of the courtyard and sat down together, and Peter was sitting among them. 56 Then a servant girl saw him sitting at the fire. She looked straight at him and said, “This one was with Him too!”

57 But he denied it, saying, “Woman, I don’t know Him!”

58 A little later, another saw him and said, “You too are one of them.”

But Peter said, “Man, I am not!”

59 And about an hour later, another began to insist, saying, “Certainly this fellow was with Him, for he too is a Galilean!”

60 But Peter said, “Man, I don’t know what you’re talking about!” And immediately, while he was still speaking, a rooster crowed. 61 And the Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had told him, ‘Before the rooster crows today, you will deny Me three times.’

62 And Peter went out and wept bitterly.

Beaten by Roman Soldiers

63 Now the men who were guarding Yeshua began mocking and beating Him. 64 They blindfolded Him and kept asking Him, saying, “Prophesy! Who is the one who hit You?” 65 And reviling Him, they were saying many other things against Him.

Brought Before the Council

66 As it become day, the elders of the people gathered together, both ruling kohanim and Torah scholars, and they led Him away to their council, saying, 67 “If You are Mashiach, tell us.”

But Yeshua said to them, “If I tell you, you will never believe; 68 and if I ask you, you will never answer. 69 But from now on, the Son of Man is seated at the right hand of the power of God.”[n]

70 Then they all said, “Are You then Ben-Elohim?”

And to them He said, “You say that I am.”

71 Then they said, “What further need do we have for testimony? For we have heard it ourselves from His own mouth!”

בחקתי

B’CHUKHOTA (IN MY STATUTES)


Parashat Bechukotai

Faithfulness Ensures Blessings

“If you walk in My statutes, keep My mitzvot and carry them out, then I will give you rains in their season, the land will yield its crops, and the trees of the field will yield their fruit. Your threshing will last until grape gathering, the grape gathering will last until the sowing time, you will eat your bread to the full, and live securely in your land.

“I will bring shalom in the land, and you will lie down, with no one making you afraid. I will remove dangerous beasts from the land and no sword will pass through your land. You will chase your enemies and they will fall before you by the sword. Five of you will chase 100 and 100 of you will chase 10,000, and your enemies will fall by the sword before you.

“I will turn toward you, make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will confirm My covenant with you. 10 You will eat the old harvest and clear out the old because of the new. 11 I will set My Tabernacle among you, and My soul will not abhor you. 12 I will walk among you and will be your God, and you will be My people. [a] 13 I am Adonai your God, who brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, so that you would not be their slaves, and I have broken the bars of your yoke and made you walk upright.

Faithlessness Ensures Misery

14 “But if you will not listen to Me, nor carry out all these mitzvot, 15 and if you reject My statutes and if your soul abhors My ordinances, so that you do not keep all My mitzvot, but instead break My covenant, 16 then I will do the following to you in return. I will appoint terror over you, wasting disease and fever that will dim the eyes and cause the soul to pine away. You will sow your seed in vain, because your enemies will eat it. 17 I will set My face against you and you will be routed before your enemies. Those who hate you will rule over you, and you will flee when no one pursues you.

18 “If you, in spite of these things, will not listen to Me, then I will chastise you seven times more for your sins. 19 I will break your pride of power. I will make your sky like iron and your earth like bronze. 20 Also your strength will be spent in vain, for your land will not yield its increase, nor will the trees of the land yield their fruit.

21 “if you keep walking contrary to Me and will not listen to Me, then I will multiply the plagues on you seven times like your sins. 22 I will send the wild animals among you, which will rob you of your children, destroy your livestock, and make you so few in number that your roads will become deserted.

23 “Now if in spite of these things you will not be chastened by Me, but walk contrary to Me instead, 24 then I will also walk contrary to you. Then I will strike you, I Myself, seven times for your sins. 25 I will bring a sword upon you that will execute the vengeance of the covenant, and you will be gathered together inside your cities. I will send the pestilence among you and you will be given into the hand of the enemy. 26 When I break your staff of bread, ten women will bake your bread in one oven, and they will bring back your bread by weight, so that you will eat but not be satisfied.

27 “Yet if in spite of this you will not listen to Me but walk contrary to Me, 28 then I will walk contrary to you in wrath. So I will chastise you seven times for your sins. 29 You will eat the flesh of your sons and you will eat the flesh of your daughters. 30 I will destroy your high places and cut down your altars of incense, cast your dead bodies upon the bodies of your idols, and My soul will abhor you. 31 I will lay waste your cities and devastate your sanctuaries. I will not smell your soothing aromas. 32 I will make the land desolate and your enemies settling there will be astonished at it. 33 I will scatter you among the nations and I will draw out the sword after you. So your land will become a desolation and your cities will become a waste. 34 Then the land will enjoy its Shabbatot all the days of its desolation, while you are in the land of your enemies. Then the land will rest and enjoy its Shabbatot. 35 As long as it lies desolate it will have rest, that rest which it did not have from your Shabbatot, when you lived on it.

36 “As for those who remain, I will bring weakness into their hearts in the lands of their enemies, so that the sound of a driven leaf will put them to flight, and they will flee as one flees from the sword and fall, even when no one is pursuing. 37 They will stumble over one another, as if before the sword, when no one pursues, and you will have no strength to stand before your enemies. 38 You will perish among the nations and the land of your enemies will devour you. 39 Those of you who are left in the land of your enemies will rot away because of their iniquity, and because of the iniquities of their fathers they will rot away with them.

Adonai Remembers His Own

40 “But if they confess their iniquity and that of their fathers, in the treachery they committed against Me, and how they walked contrary to Me 41 —in return I walked contrary to them and brought them into the land of their enemies—and if at that time their uncircumcised heart becomes humbled, so that they accept the punishment for their iniquity, 42 then I will remember My covenant with Jacob and also My covenant with Isaac and My covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the land. 43 But the land will be deserted by them and will enjoy its Shabbatot while it lies desolate without them, and they will accept the punishment of their iniquity, because they rejected My ordinances and their soul abhorred My statutes.

44 “Yet for all that, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject them, nor will I hate them into utter destruction, and break My covenant with them, for I am Adonai their God. 45 But for their sake I will remember the covenant of their ancestors, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the nations, that I might be their God. I am Adonai.”

46 These are the statutes, ordinances and laws, which Adonai made between Himself and Bnei-Yisrael at Mount Sinai by Moses.

Divine Appraisals

27 Then Adonai spoke to Moses saying, “Speak to Bnei-Yisrael and say to them: When anyone makes a special vow to Adonai involving the valuation of persons, then your valuation of a male from 20 years old to 60 years old should be 50 shekels of silver, after the shekel of the Sanctuary. If it is a female, then your valuation should be 30 shekels. If the person is from five years to 20 years old, then your valuation is to be 20 shekels for a male and ten shekels for a female. If the person is from one month to five years old, then your valuation is to be five shekels of silver for a male and three shekels of silver for a female. If the person is from 60 years old and upward, if it is a male, then your valuation is to be 15 shekels and for a female ten shekels. But if he is poorer than your valuation, then he is to be set before the kohen and the kohen will set a value for him, in keeping with what the one who made the vow can afford.

“Now if it is an animal that may be brought as an offering to Adonai, anything that one gives to Adonai will be holy. 10 He is not to replace it or exchange it, either good for bad, or bad for good. But if he does exchanges one animal for another, then both it and the one for which it is exchanged will become holy. 11 If it is any sort of unclean animal that may not be brought as an offering to Adonai, then he is to set that animal before the kohen. 12 The kohen is to evaluate it, whether it is good or bad. As the kohen values it, so it will be. 13 But if he would redeem it, then he is to add a fifth to its valuation.

14 “If a man consecrates his house as holy to Adonai, then the kohen is to evaluate it, whether it is good or bad. As the kohen evaluates it, so it will stand. 15 If the one who dedicates it would redeem his own house, then he is to add a fifth of the money of your valuation to it, and it will become his.

16 “If one consecrates to Adonai part of the field of his possession, then your valuation is to be in proportion to the seed to sow it: an omer of barley at 50 shekels of silver. 17 If he dedicates his field from the Year of Jubilee, it will stand according to your own valuation. 18 But if he dedicates his field after the Jubilee, then the kohen is to calculate for him the money according to the years that remain until the Year of Jubilee, with a deduction to be made from your valuation. 19 He who dedicated the field would ever redeem it, then he is to add a fifth of the money of your valuation to it, and it will remain his. 20 But if he will not redeem the field, or if he has sold the field to someone else, it may not be redeemed anymore. 21 But the field, when it is released in the Jubilee, will be holy to Adonai as a consecrated field. It will be owned by the kohanim.

22 “Now if one consecrates to Adonai a field that he has bought, which is not from the fields of his possession, 23 then the kohen is to calculate for him the worth of your valuation up to the Year of Jubilee, and give your valuation on that day as a holy thing to Adonai. 24 In the Year of Jubilee the field is to return to the one from whom it was bought, to the one to whom the possession of the land belongs. 25 All your valuations should be according to the shekel of the Sanctuary, 20 gerahs to the shekel.

26 “But the firstborn among animals, which is made a firstborn to Adonai, may be dedicated by anyone. Whether an ox or sheep, it belongs to Adonai. 27 If it is an unclean animal, then he is to buy it back according to your valuation, and add a fifth of the value to it. But if it is not redeemed, then it is to be sold according to your valuation.

28 “Nevertheless, no devoted thing which a man sets apart from all that he has for Adonai, whether man or animal, or from the field of his possession, may be sold or redeemed. Every devoted thing is most holy to Adonai.

29 “No one who may be set apart from men for destruction is to be ransomed. He is surely to be put to death.

30 “All the tithe of the land whether from the seed of the land, or the fruit of the trees, belongs to Adonai, for it is holy to Adonai. 31 If a man redeems anything of his tithe he must add a fifth part to it. 32 From all the tithe of the herds or the flocks, whatever passes under the rod, a tenth will be holy to Adonai. 33 One is not to inquire if it is good or bad, nor exchange it. Or if he does exchange it, then both it and that for which it is exchanged will become holy, and may not be redeemed.”

34 These are the mitzvot which Adonai commanded Moses for Bnei-Yisrael on Mount Sinai.


19 Adonai, my strength, my stronghold,
        my refuge in the day of affliction,
    to You will the nations come
        from the ends of the earth and say:
    “Our fathers have inherited nothing
        but lies, futility and useless things.”
20 Will man make gods for himself?
    Yet they are not gods.
21 “So I will surely make them know—
    this time I make them know
        My hand and My might—
    they will know that My Name is Adonai.”

Hearts Engraved with Sin

17 Judah’s sin is written with an iron pen
        and with a point of a diamond,
    engraved on the tablet of their heart
        and on the horns of your altars.
So their children remember their altars
    and their Asherah poles by leafy trees on the high hills.
My mountain in the country,
    your wealth and all your treasures
    I will give away as plunder,
    along with your high places
        for sin within all your borders.
So you, on your own,
        let go of your heritage that I gave you.
    So I will make you serve your enemies
        in a land that you do not know.
    For you have kindled a fire in My nose
        that will burn forever.”

Planted by the Water Without Fear

Thus says Adonai:
    “Cursed is the one who trusts in man,
        and depends on flesh as his arm,
        and whose heart turns from Adonai.
For he will be like a bush in the desert.
    He cannot see goodness when it comes,
    but will dwell in parched places in the wilderness—
        a salt land where no one lives.
Blessed is the one who trusts in Adonai,
    whose confidence is in Adonai.
For he will be like a tree planted by the waters,
        spreading out its roots by a stream.
    It has no fear when heat comes,
        but its leaves will be green.
    It does not worry in a year of drought,
    nor depart from yielding fruit.

A Deceitful Heart is Incurable

“The heart is deceitful above all things,
    and incurable—who can know it?
10 I Adonai search the heart,
    I try the mind,
    to give every man according to his ways,
        according to the fruit of his deeds.
11 As a partridge that broods over young that she did not lay,
    so is one who gets wealth, unjustly.
    In the middle of his days it will abandon him,
    so at his end he will be a fool.[a]
12 Throne of glory on high from the beginning!
    Place of our sanctuary,
13 Adonai, You are the hope of Israel!
    All who forsake You will be ashamed.
    Those who depart from You
        will be written in the dirt,
    for they have forsaken Adonai,
        the fountain of living waters.
14 Heal me, Adonai, and I will be healed.
    Save me, and I will be saved.
    For You are my praise.


Invitation to the Wedding Feast

22 Yeshua answered and spoke to them again in parables, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who made a wedding feast for his son. He sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they wouldn’t come. Again he sent out other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who were invited, “Look, I’ve prepared my meal. My oxen and fattened cattle are killed, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast!”’

“But paying no attention, they went away, one to his own farm, another to his business. And the rest grabbed his servants, humiliated them, and killed them. Now the king became furious! Sending his troops, he destroyed those murderers and set fire to their city.

“Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. So go into the highways and byways, and invite everyone you find to the wedding feast.’ 10 And those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all they found, both bad and good; and the wedding was filled with guests.

11 “But when the king came in to look over the guests, he saw a man there who wasn’t dressed in wedding clothes. 12 ‘Friend,’ he said to him, ‘how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’ But the man was silent. 13 Then the king said to his servants, ‘Tie him up hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness; in that place will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ 14 For many are called, but few are chosen.”

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Brought Before Pilate

23 Then the entire assembly got up and brought Yeshua to Pilate. And they began to accuse Him, saying, “We found this fellow subverting our nation, forbidding payment of taxes to Caesar and saying that He Himself is Messiah—a king.”

So Pilate questioned Him, saying, “Are You the King of the Jews?”

“As you say,” Yeshua replied.

Then Pilate said to the ruling kohanim and the crowds, “I find no case against this Man.”

But they kept insisting, saying, “He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, starting from the Galilee to as far as here.”

But when Pilate heard this, he asked whether the Man was a Galilean. And when he learned that Yeshua was from Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent Him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem at that time.

Brought Before Herod

Now Herod was overjoyed when he saw Yeshua, for he had wanted to see Him for a long time, because he had heard about Him and was hoping to see some miracle done by Him. He was questioning Yeshua on many issues, but Yeshua did not answer at all. [a] 10 And the ruling kohanim and the Torah scholars stood their ground, strongly accusing Him.

11 Now Herod together with his soldiers were treating Him with contempt and mocking Him.[b] They put splendid clothing on Him and sent Him back to Pilate. 12 And Herod and Pilate became friends with one another from that very day, for previously they had been enemies with one another.

Pilate’s Decree

13 Now Pilate called together the ruling kohanim, the leaders, and the people. 14 And he said to them, “You brought this Man to me as one who incites the people to revolt. But having examined Him in your presence, I have found no case against this Man regarding what you accuse Him of doing. 15 Nor did Herod, for he sent Him back to us. Indeed, He has done nothing that is worthy of death. 16 Therefore I will scourge Him and release Him.” (17 )[c]

18 But they shouted out all together, saying, “Take this fellow away! Release to us Bar-Abba!” [d] 19 (He was someone who had been thrown into prison for a rebellion in the city and murder.)

20 Again Pilate addressed them, wanting to release Yeshua; 21 but they kept shouting out, saying, “Execute, execute Him!”

22 And a third time he spoke to them, “Why? What evil has this One done? I have found in Him no fault deserving of death. Therefore, I will scourge and release Him.”

23 But they were insistent, demanding with loud shouts that He be executed. And their voices prevailed. 24 So Pilate decreed that their demand be put into effect. 25 And He released the one they were asking for, the one thrown in jail for insurrection and murder. But he handed over Yeshua to their will.

Executed on the Stake

26 As they led Him away, they grabbed a man, Simon of Cyrene, coming in from the countryside. They placed on him the cross-beam,[e] to carry behind Yeshua.

27 Now a great multitude of people was following Him, including women who were mourning and singing dirges for Him. 28 But Yeshua, turning to them, said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but for yourselves and your children. 29 For indeed, the days are coming when they will say, ‘Blessed are barren, and the wombs that never gave birth, and the breasts that did not feed.’

30 ‘Then they will begin to say to the montains, ‘Fall on us!’
and to the hills, ‘Cover us!’[f]

31 “For if they do these things when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?”

32 Others, two evildoers, were also led away to be put to death with Him. 33 When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified Him and the evildoers, one on His right and the other on His left.

34 But Yeshua was saying, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” Then they cast lots, dividing up His clothing.[g]

35 The people stood there watching. And even the leaders were sneering at Him, saying, “He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is the Messiah of God, the Chosen One!”[h]

36 The soldiers likewise mocked Him, coming up and bringing Him sour wine, [i] 37 and saying, “If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself.”

38 Now there was also an inscription over Him:[j] THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS. 39 One of the evildoers hanging there was jeering at Him, saying, “Aren’t You the Messiah? Save Yourself—and us!”

40 But the other one, rebuking him, replied, “Don’t you fear God, since you are under the same sentence? 41 We’re getting what we deserve for our actions, and rightly so—but this One has done nothing wrong.” 42 And he said, “Yeshua, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.”

43 Yeshua said to him, “Amen, I tell you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.”

Temple Curtain Torn in Two

44 It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness fell over the whole land until the ninth hour, [k] 45 for the sun died out. And the curtain[l] of the Temple was torn in two.

46 And Yeshua, crying out with a loud voice, said, “Father, ‘into Your hands I entrust My spirit.’”[m] When He had said this, He breathed His last.

47 Now when the centurion saw what had happened, he began glorifying God, saying, “Truly this was a righteous Man.”

48 And all the crowds assembled for this spectacle, when they saw what had happened, began to turn back, beating their breasts. 49 But all Yeshua’s acquaintances, and the women who were following Him from the Galilee, were standing at a distance, watching these things.

Buried in a Rich Man’s Tomb

50 Now there was a man named Joseph, a council member, a good and righteous man. 51 (He had not been in agreement with the council and their action.) He was from the Judean town of Arimathea, and he was waiting for the kingdom of God. 52 This man went to Pilate and asked for Yeshua’s body. 53 And he took it down, wrapped it in a linen cloth, and laid Him in a tomb[n] cut out of the rock, where no one had ever yet been laid.

54 Now it was the Day of Preparation, and Shabbat was approaching. 55 The women who had come with Him from the Galilee followed, and they saw the tomb and how His body was laid. 56 Then they returned and prepared spices and perfumes. But on Shabbat they rested according to the commandment.

Women Visit the Garden Tomb

24 Now on the first day of the week, at daybreak, the women came to the tomb, carrying the spices they had prepared. They found the stone had been rolled away from the tomb; but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Yeshua.

And while they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them. The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you search for the living among the dead? He is not here, but He is risen! Remember what He told you when He was still in the Galilee, saying that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be executed, and on the third day rise up.”

And they were reminded of His words. And when they returned from the tomb, they told all these things to the eleven and to everyone else. 10 Now it was Miriam from Magdala, Joanna, the Miriam of Jacob and others together with them who were telling these things to the emissaries. 11 But these words appeared to them as nonsense, and they would not believe them. 12 But Peter got up and ran to the tomb. Leaning in, he sees only the linen cloths. And he went away to his home, marveling at what had happened.

Eyes Open in Emmaus

13 Now behold, two of them on that very day were traveling to a village named Emmaus, a distance of about seven miles[o] from Jerusalem. 14 They were speaking with one another about all the things that had been happening. 15 While they were talking and discussing, Yeshua Himself approached and began traveling with them. 16 But their eyes were kept from recognizing Him.

17 Then He said to them, “What are these things you are discussing with one another as you are walking along?”

They stood still, looking gloomy. 18 Then the one named Cleopas answered and said to Him, “Are You the only one visiting Jerusalem who doesn’t know the things that happened there in these days?”

19 Yeshua said to them, “What kind of things?”

And they said to Him, “The things about Yeshua from Natzeret, who was a Prophet, powerful in deed and word before God and all the people— 20 how the ruling kohanim and our leaders handed Him over to be sentenced to death, and they executed Him. 21 But we were hoping that He was the One about to redeem Israel. Besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened.

22 “But also some women among us amazed us. Early in the morning they were at the tomb. 23 When they didn’t find His body, they came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels, who said He is alive! 24 Some of those with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women said, but they did not see Him.”

25 Yeshua said to them, “Oh foolish ones, so slow of heart to put your trust in all that the prophets spoke! 26 Was it not necessary for Messiah to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?” 27 Then beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He explained to them the things written about Himself in all the Scriptures.

28 They approached the village where they were going, and He acted as though He were going farther on. 29 But they urged Him, saying, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening and the day is already gone.” So He went in to stay with them.

30 And it happened that when He was reclining at the table with them, He took the matzah,[p] offered a bracha and, breaking it, gave it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they recognized Him, and He disappeared from them.

Good News for the Disciples in Jerusalem

32 They said to one another, “Didn’t our heart burn within us while He was speaking with us on the road, while He was explaining the Scriptures to us?” 33 And they got up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem. They found the eleven and others with them gathered together, 34 saying, “The Lord is risen indeed! He has appeared to Simon!” 35 Then they began telling about the events on the road and how He became recognized by them in the breaking of the matzah.

36 While they were speaking of these things, Yeshua Himself stood in the midst of them and said, “Shalom Aleichem!” 37 But they were startled and terrified, thinking they were seeing a ghost.

38 Then He said to them, “Why are you so shaken? And why do doubts arise in your heart? 39 Look at My hands and My feet—it is I Myself! Touch Me and see! For a spirit doesn’t have flesh and bones, as you see I have.” 40 And when He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet.

41 But while they were still in disbelief due to joy and wonder, He said to them, “Do you have anything to eat here?”

42 They gave Him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and He took it and ate it in their presence. 44 Then He said to them, “These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you—everything written concerning Me in the Torah of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.

45 Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, 46 and He said to them, “So it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and that repentance for the removal of sins[q] is to be proclaimed in His name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. [r] 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 And behold, I am sending the promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”

Yeshua Ascends into Heaven

50 Then Yeshua led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands[s] and blessed them. 51 And while blessing them, He departed from them and was taken up into heaven. 52 After worshiping Him, they returned to Jerusalem with great joy. 53 And they were continually in the Temple, praising God.