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The Portion of the Levites
18 “(A)The Levitical priests, the whole tribe of Levi, shall have no portion or inheritance with Israel; they shall eat of the offerings to Yahweh by fire and of His inheritance. 2 (B)And they shall have no inheritance among their brothers; Yahweh is their inheritance, as He [a]promised them.
3 “(C)Now this shall be the legal judgment for the priests taken from the people, from those who offer a sacrifice, either an ox or a sheep: they shall give to the priest the shoulder and the two cheeks and the stomach. 4 You shall give him the (D)first fruits of your grain, your new wine and your oil and the first shearing of your sheep. 5 (E)For Yahweh your God has chosen him and his sons from all your tribes, to (F)stand to minister in the name of Yahweh all the days.
6 “Now if a Levite comes from any of your gates of the towns throughout Israel where he (G)sojourns and comes [b]whenever he desires to the place which Yahweh chooses, 7 then he shall minister in the name of Yahweh his God like all his brothers the Levites who stand there before Yahweh. 8 (H)They shall eat [c]equal portions, except what they receive from the sale of their fathers’ estates.
Do Not Imitate Abominations
9 “When you enter the land which Yahweh your God gives you, you shall not learn to [d](I)imitate the abominations of those nations. 10 There shall not be found among you anyone (J)who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, one who uses divination, one (K)who practices soothsaying or one who interprets omens or a sorcerer, 11 or one who is an enchanter (L)or a medium or a spiritist or one who inquires of the dead. 12 For whoever does these things is an abomination to Yahweh; and (M)because of these abominations Yahweh your God will dispossess them from before you. 13 (N)You shall be [e]blameless before Yahweh your God. 14 For those nations, which you shall dispossess, listen to those who (O)practice soothsaying and to diviners, but as for you, Yahweh your God has not allowed you to do so.
Yahweh Will Raise Up a Prophet
15 “(P)Yahweh your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers; you shall listen to him. 16 This is (Q)according to all that you asked of Yahweh your God in Horeb on the day of the assembly, saying, ‘Let me not hear again the voice of Yahweh my God; let me not see this great fire anymore, or I will die.’ 17 (R)And Yahweh said to me, ‘They have [f]spoken well. 18 I will raise up a prophet from among their brothers like you, and (S)I will put My words in his mouth, and (T)he shall speak to them all that I command him. 19 (U)And it will be that whoever will not listen to My words which he shall speak in My name, I Myself will require it of him. 20 But the prophet who speaks a word (V)presumptuously in My name which I have not commanded him to speak, or (W)which he speaks in the name of other gods, [g]that prophet shall die.’ 21 Now [h]you may say in your heart, ‘How will we know the word which Yahweh has not spoken?’ 22 (X)When a prophet speaks in the name of Yahweh, if the thing does not come about or come true, that is the thing which Yahweh has not spoken. The prophet has spoken it (Y)presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him.
Statutes About Cities of Refuge
19 “(Z)When Yahweh your God cuts off the nations, whose land Yahweh your God gives you, and you dispossess them and settle in their cities and in their houses, 2 (AA)you shall set apart three cities for yourself in the midst of your land, which Yahweh your God gives you to [i]possess. 3 You shall prepare the [j]roads for yourself, and divide into three parts the territory of your land which Yahweh your God will give you to inherit, [k]so that any manslayer may flee there.
4 “(AB)Now this is the case of the manslayer who may flee there and live: when he strikes down his friend [l]without premeditation, [m]not hating him previously— 5 as when a man goes into the forest with his friend to cut wood, and his hand [n]swings the axe to cut down the tree, and the iron head slips off the [o]handle and [p]strikes his friend so that he dies—he may flee to one of these cities and live; 6 lest the avenger of blood pursue the manslayer when his heart is [q]angry, and overtake him, because the way is long, and [r]strike down his life, though he was not deserving of death, since he had not hated him previously. 7 Therefore, I am commanding you, saying, ‘You shall set apart three cities for yourself.’
8 “Now if Yahweh your God (AC)enlarges your territory, just as He has sworn to your fathers, and gives you all the land which He [s]promised to give to your fathers— 9 if you [t]be careful to do all this commandment which I am commanding you today, (AD)to love Yahweh your God and to walk in His ways all your days—(AE)then you shall add three more cities for yourself, besides these three. 10 So innocent blood will not be shed in the midst of your land which Yahweh your God gives you as an inheritance, and (AF)bloodguiltiness be on you.
11 “But (AG)if there is a man who hates his neighbor and lies in wait for him and rises up against him and strikes down [u]his life so that he dies, and he flees to one of these cities, 12 then the elders of his city shall send and take him from there and give him over into the hand of the avenger of blood, that he may die. 13 [v](AH)You shall not pity him, but (AI)you shall purge the blood of the innocent from Israel, that it may go well with you.
Statutes About Boundaries and Witnesses
14 “(AJ)You shall not move your neighbor’s boundary mark, which the ancestors have set, in your inheritance which you will inherit in the land that Yahweh your God gives you to [w]possess.
15 “(AK)A single witness shall not rise up against a man on account of any iniquity or any sin [x]which he has committed; at the mouth of two or three witnesses a matter shall be established. 16 (AL)If a malicious witness rises up against a man to [y]accuse him of [z]wrongdoing, 17 then both the men who have the dispute shall stand (AM)before Yahweh, before the priests and the judges who will be in office in those days. 18 And the judges (AN)shall inquire thoroughly, and behold, if the witness is a false witness and he has [aa]accused his brother falsely, 19 then (AO)you shall do to him just as he had intended to do to his brother. Thus you shall purge the evil from among you. 20 (AP)And the rest will hear and be afraid and will never again do such an evil thing among you. 21 Thus (AQ)your eye shall not show pity: (AR)life for life, (AS)eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.
Statutes About Warfare
20 “If you go out to battle against your enemies and see (AT)horses and chariots and people more numerous than you, (AU)do not be afraid of them; for Yahweh your God, who brought you up from the land of Egypt, is with you. 2 Now it will be, when you are drawing near to the battle, the priest shall approach and speak to the people. 3 And he shall say to them, ‘Hear, O Israel, you are drawing near to the battle against your enemies today. Do not let your heart be faint. (AV)Do not be afraid, nor be alarmed, nor be in dread before them, 4 for Yahweh your God (AW)is the one who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.’ 5 The officers also shall speak to the people, saying, ‘Who is the man that has built a new house and has not (AX)dedicated it? Let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle and another man dedicate it. 6 Who is the man that has planted a vineyard and has not [ab]begun to use its fruit? Let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle and another man [ac]begin to use its fruit. 7 (AY)And who is the man that is engaged to a woman and has not [ad]married her? Let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle and another man [ae]marry her.’ 8 Then the officers shall speak further to the people and say, ‘(AZ)Who is the man that is afraid and whose heart is faint? Let him go and return to his house, so that [af]he might not make his brothers’ hearts melt like his heart.’ 9 Now it will be that when the officers have finished speaking to the people, they shall appoint commanders of armies at the head of the people.
10 “If you come near a city to fight against it, you shall call for terms of peace. 11 Now it will be that if it [ag]agrees to make peace with you and opens to you, then all the people who are found in it shall become your (BA)forced labor and shall serve you. 12 However, if it does not make peace with you, but makes war against you, then you shall besiege it. 13 And Yahweh your God shall give it into your hand, (BB)and you shall strike all the males in it with the edge of the sword. 14 Only the women and the little ones and (BC)the animals and all that is in the city, all its spoil, you shall plunder for yourself; and you shall consume the spoil of your enemies which Yahweh your God has given you. 15 Thus you shall do to all the cities that are very far from you, which are not of the cities of these nations [ah]nearby. 16 (BD)Only in the cities of these peoples that Yahweh your God is giving you as an inheritance, you shall not leave alive anything that breathes. 17 But you shall devote them to destruction, the Hittite and the Amorite, the Canaanite and the Perizzite, the Hivite and the Jebusite, as Yahweh your God has commanded you, 18 so that they may not teach you to do (BE)according to all their abominations which they have done for their gods, so that you would (BF)sin against Yahweh your God.
19 “If you besiege a city for many days, to make war against it in order to capture it, you shall not destroy its trees by swinging an axe against them; for you may eat from them, and you shall not cut them down. [ai]For is the tree of the field a man, that it should [aj]be besieged by you? 20 Only the trees which you know are not trees for food you shall destroy and cut down, that you may build siegeworks against the city that is making war with you until it falls.
The Transfiguration
28 (A)Now it happened some eight days after these words, that taking along (B)Peter and John and James, He (C)went up on the mountain (D)to pray. 29 And it happened that while He was (E)praying, the appearance of His face (F)became different, and His clothing became white and [a]gleaming. 30 And behold, two men were talking with Him, and they were Moses and Elijah, 31 who, appearing in [b]glory, were speaking of His [c](G)departure which He was about to fulfill at Jerusalem. 32 Now Peter and his companions (H)had been overcome with sleep, but when they were fully awake, they saw His glory and the two men standing with Him. 33 And it happened that as they were leaving Him, Peter said to Jesus, “(I)Master, it is good for us to be here; (J)let us make three [d]booths: one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah”—(K)not realizing what he was saying. 34 While he was saying this, a cloud [e]formed and began to overshadow them; and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. 35 Then (L)a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “(M)This is My Son, My Chosen One; listen to Him!” 36 And when the voice [f]had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And (N)they kept silent, and reported to no one in those days any of the things which they had seen.
Jesus Casts Out a Demon
37 (O)Now it happened on the next day, that when they came down from the mountain, a large crowd met Him. 38 And behold, a man from the crowd shouted, saying, “Teacher, I beg You to look at my son, for he is my [g]only one, 39 and behold, a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly screams, and it throws him into a convulsion with foaming at the mouth, and only with difficulty does it leave him, mauling him as it leaves. 40 And I begged Your disciples to cast it out, and they could not.” 41 And Jesus answered and said, “You unbelieving and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you and put up with you? Bring your son here.” 42 Now while he was still approaching, the demon [h]slammed him to the ground and threw him into a convulsion. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit and healed the boy and gave him back to his father. 43 And they were all astonished at the (P)majesty of God.
Jesus Foretells His Death and Resurrection
(Q)But while everyone was marveling at all that He was doing, He said to His disciples, 44 “Put these words into your ears; (R)for the Son of Man is going to be [i]delivered into the hands of men.” 45 But (S)they [j]did not understand this statement, and it was concealed from them so that they would not perceive it, and they were afraid to ask Him about this statement.
Who Is the Greatest?
46 (T)Now an argument [k]started among them as to which of them might be the greatest. 47 But Jesus, (U)knowing [l]what they were thinking in their heart, took a child and stood him by His side, 48 and said to them, “(V)Whoever receives this child in My name receives Me, and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me; (W)for the one who is least among all of you, this is the one who is great.”
49 (X)And John answered and said, “(Y)Master, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and we tried to hinder him because he does not follow along with us.” 50 But Jesus said to him, “Do not hinder him, (Z)for he who is not against you is [m]for you.”
BOOK 3
The Nearness of God Is My Good
A Psalm of Asaph.
73 Surely God is (A)good to Israel,
To those who are (B)pure in heart!
2 But as for me, (C)my feet had almost stumbled,
My steps [a]had almost slipped.
3 For I was (D)envious of the boastful,
I saw the (E)peace of the wicked.
4 For there are no pains in their death,
And their [b]body is fat.
5 They are (F)not [c]in trouble as other [d]men,
And they are not (G)stricken along with the rest of mankind.
6 Therefore lofty pride is (H)their necklace;
The (I)garment of violence covers them.
7 Their eye [e]bulges from (J)fatness;
The delusions of their heart overflow.
8 They (K)scoff and [f]wickedly speak of oppression;
They (L)speak from on high.
9 They have (M)set their mouth [g]against the heavens,
And their tongue goes through the earth.
10 Therefore [h]his people return here, to his place,
And waters of (N)fullness are [i]drunk by them.
11 They say, “(O)How does God know?
And is there knowledge with the Most High?”
12 Behold, (P)these are the wicked;
And always (Q)at ease, they have increased in wealth.
13 Surely (R)in vain I have [j]kept my heart pure
And (S)washed my hands in innocence;
14 For I have been stricken (T)all day long
And [k](U)reproved every morning.
15 If I had said, “I will recount thus,”
Behold, I would have betrayed the (V)generation of Your children.
16 When I (W)gave thought to know this,
It was trouble in my sight
17 Until I came into the [l](X)sanctuary of God;
Then I understood their (Y)end.
18 Surely You set them in (Z)slippery places;
You cause them to fall to [m](AA)destruction.
19 How they become (AB)desolate in a moment!
They are completely swept away by (AC)terrors!
20 Like a (AD)dream when one awakes,
O Lord, when (AE)aroused, You will (AF)despise their [n]form.
21 When my (AG)heart was embittered
And I was (AH)pierced [o]within,
22 Then I was (AI)senseless and ignorant;
I was like [p]an (AJ)animal [q]before You.
23 Nevertheless (AK)I am continually with You;
You have taken hold of my right hand.
24 With Your counsel You will (AL)lead me,
And afterward (AM)take me [r]in glory.
25 (AN)Whom have I in heaven but You?
And [s]besides You, I desire nothing on earth.
26 My (AO)flesh and my heart fail,
But God is the rock of my heart and my (AP)portion forever.
27 For, behold, (AQ)those who are far from You will (AR)perish;
You have [t]destroyed everyone who [u](AS)is unfaithful to You.
28 But as for me, (AT)the nearness of God is my good;
I have set Lord Yahweh as my (AU)refuge,
That I may (AV)recount all Your works.
10 A (A)righteous man knows the value of the life of his animal,
But even the compassion of the wicked is cruel.
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