Old/New Testament
Rules About a Person’s Body
15 The Lord also said to Moses and Aaron, 2 “Say to the ·people [L sons; children] of Israel: ‘When ·a fluid comes from a person’s body [L any man has a discharge from his genitals/flesh], the ·fluid is [discharge makes him] unclean [C in a ritual sense]. 3 It doesn’t matter if the ·fluid [discharge] flows freely or if it is blocked from ·flowing [discharging]; the ·fluid [discharge] will make him unclean. This is the way the ·fluid [discharge] makes him unclean:
4 “‘If the person ·who discharges the body fluid [with the discharge] lies on a bed, that bed becomes unclean [C in a ritual sense], and everything he sits on becomes unclean. 5 Anyone who touches his bed must wash his clothes and bathe in water, and the person will be unclean until evening. 6 Whoever sits on something that the person ·who discharges the fluid [with the discharge] sat on must wash his clothes and bathe in water; he will be unclean until evening. 7 Anyone who touches the person ·who discharges the body fluid [with the discharge] must wash his clothes and bathe in water; he will be unclean until evening.
8 “‘If the person ·who discharges the body fluid [with the discharge] spits on someone who is clean [C in a ritual sense], that person must wash his clothes and bathe in water; he will be unclean until evening. 9 Everything on which the person who is unclean sits when riding [C specifically a saddle] will become unclean. 10 Anyone who touches something that was under him will be unclean until evening. And anyone who carries these things must wash his clothes and bathe in water; he will be unclean until evening.
11 “‘If the person ·who discharges a body fluid [with a discharge] has not washed his hands in water and touches another person, that person must wash his clothes and bathe in water; he will be unclean [C in a ritual sense] until evening.
12 “‘If a person ·who discharges a body fluid [with a discharge] touches a clay bowl, that bowl must be broken. If he touches a wooden bowl, that bowl must be washed in water.
13 “‘When a person ·who discharges a body fluid [with a discharge] is made clean [C in a ritual sense], he must count seven days for himself for his cleansing. He must wash his clothes and bathe his body in fresh water, and he will be clean. 14 On the eighth day he must take two doves or two young pigeons before the Lord at the entrance of the Meeting Tent. He will give the two birds to the priest. 15 The priest will offer the birds, one for a sin [or purification; 4:3] offering and the other for a burnt offering [1:1–17]. And the priest will make that person clean ·so he can belong to the Lord again [L and make atonement for him].
16 “‘If semen [C considered holy due to its association with life] goes out from a man, he must bathe in water; he will be unclean [C in a ritual sense] until evening [C contact with something holy also rendered a person unclean]. 17 If the fluid gets on any clothing or leather, it must be washed with water; it will be unclean until evening.
18 “‘If a man ·has sexual relations [L lies] with a woman [C presumably his wife] and ·semen comes out [has an emission of semen], both people must bathe in water; they will be unclean [C in a ritual sense] until evening.
Rules About a Woman’s Body
19 “‘When a woman has ·her monthly period [L a discharge of blood from her genitals/body], she is unclean [C in a ritual sense; the blood’s association with reproduction makes it holy; 15:16] for seven days; anyone who touches her will be unclean until evening. 20 Anything she lies on during this time will be unclean, and everything she sits on during this time will be unclean. 21 Anyone who touches her bed must wash his clothes and bathe in water; that person will be unclean until evening. 22 Anyone who touches something she has sat on must wash his clothes and bathe in water; that person will be unclean until evening. 23 It does not matter if the person touched the woman’s bed or something she sat on; he will be unclean until evening.
24 “‘If a man ·has sexual relations with a woman [lies with her] and her ·monthly period [discharge] touches him, he will be unclean [C in a ritual sense] for seven days; every bed he lies on will be unclean.
25 “‘If a woman has a ·loss [discharge] of blood for many days and it is not during her regular monthly period, or if she continues to have a ·loss [discharge] of blood after her regular period, she will be unclean [C in a ritual sense], as she is during her monthly period. She will be unclean for as long as she continues to bleed [Matt. 9:20; Mark 5:25; Luke 8:43]. 26 Any bed she lies on during all the time of her ·bleeding [discharge] will be like her bed during her regular monthly period. Everything she sits on will be unclean, as during her regular monthly period.
27 “‘Whoever touches those things will be unclean [C in a ritual sense] and must wash his clothes and bathe in water; he will be unclean until evening. 28 When the woman becomes clean from her ·bleeding [discharge], she must ·wait [L count] seven days, and after this she will be clean. 29 Then on the eighth day she must take two doves or two young pigeons and bring them to the priest at the entrance of the Meeting Tent. 30 The priest must offer one bird for a sin [or purification; 4:3] offering and the other for a whole burnt offering [1:1–17]. In this way the priest will make her clean so she can belong to the Lord again [L and make atonement for her].
31 “‘So you must warn the ·people [L sons; children] of Israel to stay separated from things that make them unclean [C in a ritual sense]. If you don’t warn the people, they might make my ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle] unclean, and then they would have to die!’”
32 These are the ·teachings [laws; instructions] for the person who ·discharges a body fluid [has a discharge] and for the man who becomes unclean [C in a ritual sense] from ·semen coming out of his body [an emission of semen]. 33 These are the ·teachings [laws; regulations] for the woman who becomes unclean from her monthly period, for a man or woman who has a discharge, and for a man who ·becomes unclean by having sexual relations [L lies] with a woman who is unclean.
The Day of Cleansing
16 Now two of Aaron’s sons had died ·while offering incense to [L when they drew near to/approached] the Lord, and after that time the Lord spoke to Moses. 2 The Lord said to him, “Tell your brother Aaron that there are times when he cannot go ·behind [inside] the curtain ·into the Most Holy Place [L before the mercy seat/atonement cover; Ex. 25:17–22] where the Ark is. If he goes in when I appear in a cloud over the ·lid on the Ark [mercy seat; atonement cover], he will die.
3 “This is how Aaron may enter the Most Holy Place: Before he enters, he must offer a bull for a ·sin [or purification; 4:3] offering and a ·male sheep [ram] for a whole burnt offering [1:1–17]. 4 He must put on the holy linen inner robe [Ex. 28:39–41], with the linen underclothes [Ex. 28:42–43] next to his body. His belt will be the cloth belt [sash], and he will wear the linen turban. These are holy clothes, so he must bathe his body in water before he puts them on.
5 “Aaron must take from the ·people [L sons; children] of Israel two male goats for a sin [or purification; 4:3] offering and one ·male sheep [ram] for a burnt offering [1:1–17]. 6 Then he will offer the bull for the ·sin [or purification; 4:3] offering ·for himself to remove sins from him and his family so they will belong to the Lord [L to make atonement for him and for his family/house].
7 “Next Aaron will take the two goats and bring them before the Lord at the entrance to the Meeting Tent. 8 He will throw lots for the two goats—one will be for the Lord and the other for ·the goat that removes sin [T the scapegoat; L Azazel; C meaning uncertain; perhaps a geographical name]. 9 Then Aaron will take the goat that was chosen for the Lord by throwing the lot, and he will offer it as a ·sin [or purification; 4:3] offering. 10 The other goat, which was chosen by lot ·to remove the sin [T as the scapegoat; L for Azazel to make atonement], must be brought alive before the Lord. The priest will use it to perform the acts that remove Israel’s sin so they will belong to the Lord. Then this goat will be sent out into the ·desert [wilderness] ·as a goat that removes sin [T as the scapegoat; L to Azazel].
11 “Then Aaron will offer the bull as a ·sin [or purification; 4:3] offering for himself, ·to remove the sins from him and his family so they will belong to the Lord [L to make atonement for himself and his family]; he will ·kill [slaughter] the bull for the ·sin [or purification; 4:3] offering for himself. 12 Then he must take a pan full of burning coals from the altar before the Lord and two handfuls of sweet incense that has been ground into powder. He must bring it into the room ·behind [inside] the curtain. 13 He must put the incense on the fire before the Lord so that the cloud of incense will cover the ·lid [mercy seat; atonement cover; Ex. 25:17–22] on the ·Ark [Covenant; Treaty; L Testimony; Ex. 25:10]. Then when Aaron comes in, he will not die. 14 Also, he must take some of the blood from the bull and sprinkle it with his finger on the front of the ·lid [mercy seat; atonement cover]; with his finger he will sprinkle the blood seven times in front of the ·lid [mercy seat; atonement cover].
15 “Then Aaron must ·kill [slaughter] the goat of the ·sin [or purification; 4:3] offering for the people and bring its blood into the room ·behind [inside] the curtain. He must do with the goat’s blood as he did with the bull’s blood, sprinkling it on the ·lid [mercy seat; atonement cover] and in front of the ·lid [mercy seat; atonement cover]. 16 Because the ·people [L sons; children] of Israel have been unclean [C in a ritual sense], Aaron will ·perform the acts to make the Most Holy Place ready for service to the Lord [L make atonement for the sanctuary]. Then it will be clean from the sins and crimes of the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel]. He must also do this for the Meeting Tent, because it stays in the middle of unclean people. 17 When Aaron makes ·the Most Holy Place ready for service to the Lord [L atonement for the sanctuary], no one is allowed in the Meeting Tent until he comes out. So Aaron will ·perform the acts to remove sins from [make atonement for] himself, his family, and all the ·people [assembly; crowd] of Israel, so they will belong to the Lord. 18 Afterward he will go out to the altar that is before the Lord and ·will make it ready for service to the Lord [make atonement for it]. Aaron will take some of the bull’s blood and some of the goat’s blood and put it on the ·corners [horns; Ex. 27:2] of the altar on all sides. 19 Then, with his finger, he will sprinkle some of the blood on the altar seven times to make the altar holy for the Lord and clean from all the sins of the Israelites.
20 “When Aaron has finished making ·the Most Holy Place, the Meeting Tent, and the altar ready for service to the Lord [L atonement for the Most Holy Place, the Meeting Tent, and the altar], he will offer the living goat. 21 He will ·put [lay] both his hands on the head of the living goat [C a sign of association of the offerer and the animal], and he will confess over it all the sins and crimes of Israel. In this way Aaron will put the people’s sins on the goat’s head. Then he will send the goat away into the ·desert [wilderness], and a man who has been appointed will lead the goat away. 22 So the goat will carry on itself all the people’s sins to a lonely place in the desert. The man who leads the goat will let it loose there.
23 “Then Aaron will enter the Meeting Tent and take off the linen clothes he had put on before he went into the Most Holy Place; he must leave these clothes there. 24 He will bathe his body in water in a holy place and put on his regular clothes [C his more ornate priestly clothes]. Then he will come out and offer the whole burnt offering [1:1–17] for himself and for the people, to ·remove sins from himself and the people so they will belong to the Lord [L make atonement for himself and the people]. 25 Then he will burn the fat of the sin offering on the altar.
26 “The person who led the goat, ·the goat to remove sins [T the scapegoat; L for/to Azazel; 16:8], into the desert must wash his clothes and bathe his body in water. After that, he may come back into the camp.
27 “The bull and the goat for the ·sin [or purification; 4:3] offerings, whose blood was brought into the Most Holy Place to make ·it ready for service to the Lord [atonement], must be taken outside the camp; the animals’ skins, bodies, and intestines will be burned in the fire. 28 Then the one who burns them must wash his clothes and bathe his body in water. After that, he may come back into the camp.
29 “This ·law [statute; ordinance; requirement] will always continue for you: On the tenth day of the seventh month, you must deny yourself [C perhaps a reference to fasting] and you must not do any work. The ·travelers [or citizens] or ·foreigners living with you [alien residents] must not work either. 30 It is on this day that the priests will make you clean ·so you will belong to the Lord again [L and make atonement for you]. All your sins will be removed. 31 This is a very important day of rest for you, and you must deny yourselves. This ·law [statute; ordinance; regulation] will continue forever.
32 “The priest ·appointed to take his father’s place, on whom the oil was poured [who is anointed and consecrated in his father’s place], will ·perform the acts for making things ready for service to the Lord [L make atonement]. He must put on the holy linen clothes 33 and make ·the Most Holy Place, the Meeting Tent, and the altar ready for service to the Lord [L atonement for the Most Holy Place, the Meeting Tent, and the altar]. He must ·also remove the sins of the priests and all the people of Israel so they will belong to the Lord [L make atonement for the priests and the people of Israel]. 34 That ·law [statute; ordinance; requirement] for removing the sins of the Israelites ·so they will belong to the Lord [L and make atonement] will continue forever. You will do these things once a year.”
So they did the things the Lord had commanded Moses.
Jesus Is Taken to Pilate(A)
27 Early the next morning, all the ·leading [T chief] priests and elders of the people ·decided that Jesus should die [or met together to plan Jesus’ death]. 2 They ·tied [bound] him, led him away, and turned him over to Pilate, the governor.
Judas Kills Himself
3 Judas, the one who had ·given [betrayed] Jesus to his enemies, saw that ·they had decided to kill Jesus [Jesus had been condemned]. Then he was ·very sorry [filled with remorse] for what he had done. So he took the thirty silver coins back to the leading [T chief] priests and the elders, 4 saying, “I sinned; I ·handed over to you [betrayed] ·an innocent man [L innocent blood].”
The leaders answered, “What ·is that to us [do we care]? That’s your ·problem, not ours [responsibility; concern].”
5 So Judas threw the ·money [silver coins] into the ·Temple [sanctuary]. Then he went off and hanged himself.
6 The ·leading [T chief] priests picked up the silver coins in the Temple and said, “·Our law does not allow us [or It is not right] to ·keep [put] this money ·with the Temple money [in the Temple treasury], because it ·has paid for a man’s death [is blood money; L is the price of blood].” 7 So they decided to use the coins to buy ·Potter’s Field [or the potter’s field] as a place to bury ·strangers [or foreigners]. 8 That is why that field is still called the Field of Blood. 9 So what Jeremiah the prophet had said ·came true [was fulfilled]: “They took thirty ·silver coins [T pieces of silver]. That is ·how little the Israelites thought he was worth [or the price at which he was valued by the Israelites; or the value of a man with a price on his head among the Israelites; Jer. 18:2–3; 19:1–13; 32:5–15; Zech. 11:12–13]. 10 They used those thirty silver coins to buy ·Potter’s Field [or the potter’s field], as the Lord commanded me.”
Pilate Questions Jesus(B)
11 Jesus stood before Pilate the governor, and Pilate asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”
Jesus answered, “·Those are your words [It is as you say; L You say so; C an indirect affirmation].”
12 When the ·leading [T chief] priests and the elders accused Jesus, he ·said nothing [did not answer].
13 So Pilate said to Jesus, “Don’t you hear them accusing you of ·all these [so many] things?”
14 But Jesus ·said nothing in answer to Pilate [did not answer a single charge], and ·Pilate [L the governor] was very ·surprised [amazed] at this.
Pilate Tries to Free Jesus(C)
15 Every year at the ·time of Passover [festival/feast] the governor would free [L for the crowd] one prisoner whom the people chose. 16 At that time there was a man in prison, named Barabbas,[a] who was ·known to be very bad [well known; notorious]. 17 When the people gathered, Pilate said, “Whom do you want me to set free: Barabbas[b] or Jesus who is called the ·Christ [Messiah]?” 18 [L For] Pilate knew that they turned Jesus in to him because they were jealous.
19 While Pilate was sitting there on the judge’s seat [C a special seat for speeches or judicial pronouncements], his wife sent this message to him: “·Don’t do anything to [or Have nothing to do with] that man, because he is ·innocent [righteous]. Today I had a dream about him, and it ·troubled me very much [caused me great pain/anguish].”
20 But the ·leading [T chief] priests and elders convinced the crowd to ask for Barabbas to be freed and for Jesus to be ·killed [executed].
21 Pilate said, “Which of these two do you want me to set free for you?”
The people answered, “Barabbas.”
22 Pilate asked, “So what should I do with Jesus, the one called the ·Christ [Messiah]?”
They all answered, “Crucify him!”
23 Pilate asked, “Why? What ·wrong [crime; evil] has he done?”
But they shouted louder, “Crucify him!”
24 When Pilate saw that he ·could do nothing about this [was getting nowhere; was gaining nothing] and that a riot was starting, he took some water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. Then he said, “I am ·not guilty [innocent] of this man’s ·death [L blood]. ·You are the ones who are causing it [It is your responsibility now; or Take care of it yourselves]!”
25 All the people answered, “·We and our children will be responsible for his death [L His blood be on us and on our children].”
26 Then he set Barabbas free. But he had Jesus ·beaten with whips [scourged; flogged] and handed over to the soldiers to be crucified.
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