Old/New Testament
Aaron’s Walking Stick Buds
17 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Speak to the ·people [L sons; T children] of Israel and get twelve ·walking sticks [staffs] from them—one from the leader of each ·tribe [family group; L house of their fathers]. Write the name of each man on his ·stick [staff], and 3 on the ·stick [staff] from Levi, write Aaron’s name. There must be one ·stick [staff] for the head of each ·tribe [family; L house of their fathers]. 4 Put them in the Meeting Tent in front of the ·Ark of the Agreement [Treaty; Covenant; L Testimony; Ex. 25:10], where I meet with you. 5 I will choose one man whose ·walking stick [staff] will begin to grow leaves [C indicating God’s affirmation]; in this way I will stop the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] from always ·complaining [grumbling] against you.”
6 So Moses spoke to the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel]. Each of the twelve leaders gave him a ·walking stick [staff]—one from each ·tribe [family; L house of their fathers]—and Aaron’s ·walking stick [staff] was among them. 7 Moses put them before the Lord in the Tent of the ·Agreement [Testimony; Treaty; Covenant].
8 The next day, when Moses entered the Tent of the ·Agreement [Testimony; Treaty; Covenant], he saw that Aaron’s ·stick [staff] (which stood for the family of Levi) had grown leaves. It had even budded, blossomed, and produced almonds. 9 So Moses brought out to the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] all the ·walking sticks [staffs] from the Lord’s presence. They all looked, and each man took back his ·stick [staff].
10 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Put Aaron’s ·walking stick [staff] back in front of the ·Ark of the Agreement [Treaty; Covenant; L Testimony; Ex. 25:10]. It will ·remind [L serve as a sign to] these people who are always turning against me to stop their ·complaining [grumbling] against me so they won’t die.” 11 So Moses obeyed what the Lord commanded him.
12 The ·people [L sons/T children] of Israel said to Moses, “We ·are going to die [will perish]! We are ·destroyed [lost]. We are all ·destroyed [lost]! 13 Anyone who even comes near the Holy Tent of the Lord will die. Will we all ·die [perish]?”
The Work of the Priests and Levites
18 The Lord said to Aaron, “You, your sons, and your ·family [father’s house] are now responsible for any wrongs done against the Holy Place; you and your sons are responsible for any wrongs done against the priests. 2 Bring with you your ·fellow [brother] Levites from your tribe, and they will ·help [join; C the name Levi means “joined”] you and your sons serve in the Tent of the ·Agreement [Testimony; Treaty; Covenant; Ex. 25:10]. 3 They are under your control, to do all the work that needs to be done in the Tent. But they must not go near the things in the Holy Place or near the altar. If they do, both you and they will die. 4 They will join you in taking care of the Meeting Tent. They must do the work at the Tent, and no ·one else [stranger; outsider] may come near you.
5 “You must take care of the Holy Place and the altar so that I won’t become angry with the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] again. 6 I myself chose your ·fellow [brother] Levites from among the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] as a gift given for you to the Lord, to work at the Meeting Tent. 7 But only you and your sons may ·serve as priests [L guard the priesthood]. Only you may serve at the altar or go behind the curtain. I am giving you this gift of serving as a priest, and ·anyone else [any stranger/outsider] who comes near the Holy Place will be put to death.”
8 Then the Lord said to Aaron, “I myself make you responsible for the offerings given to me. All the holy offerings that the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] give to me, I give to you and your sons as your share, your ·continual [perpetual] portion. 9 Your share of the ·holy offerings [L holy of the holy things] is that part which is not burned. When the people bring me gifts as ·most holy offerings [L holy of the holy things], whether they are ·grain [L gift; tribute; Lev. 2:1] or ·sin [or purification; Lev. 4:3] or ·penalty [guilt; reparation; Lev. 5:14—6:7] offerings, they will be set apart for you and your sons. 10 You must eat the offering in ·a most holy place [L the holy of holy places]. Any male may eat it, but you must respect it as holy.
11 “I also give you the offerings the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] present to me. I give these to you and your sons and daughters as your ·continual [perpetual] share. Anyone in your ·family [L house] who is clean [C in a ritual sense] may eat it.
12 “And I give you all the best olive oil and all the best new wine and grain. This is what ·the Israelites [L they] give to me, the Lord, from the first crops they harvest. 13 When they bring to the Lord all the first things they harvest, they will be yours. Anyone in your ·family [L house] who is clean [C in a ritual sense] may eat these things.
14 “Everything in Israel that is ·given to the Lord [devoted; C set aside for God] is yours. 15 The ·first one born [L one that opens the womb] to any family, whether people or animals, will be offered to the Lord. And that will be yours. But you must ·make a payment for [ransom; redeem] every firstborn child and every firstborn animal that is unclean [C in a ritual sense]. 16 When they are one month old, you ·must make a payment for [ransom; redeem] them of ·two ounces [L five shekels, that is twenty gerahs] of silver, as set by the Holy Place measure [3:40–50; Ex. 13:2, 11–16].
17 “But you must not ·make a payment for [ransom; redeem] the firstborn ox or sheep or goat. Those animals are holy. ·Sprinkle [Dash] their blood on the altar and ·burn [turn into smoke] their fat as an offering made by fire. The smell is pleasing to the Lord. 18 But the meat will be yours, just as the breast that is presented and the right thigh will be yours. 19 Anything the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] present as holy gifts I, the Lord, give to you, your sons and daughters as your ·continual [perpetual] portion. This is a lasting ·agreement [treaty; covenant] of salt [C representing perpetual agreement because salt can survive fire; Lev. 2:13] before the Lord for you and your children forever.”
20 The Lord also said to Aaron, “You will not inherit any of the land, and you will not own any land among the other people [Gen. 49:5–7]. I will be yours. Out of all the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel], only you will inherit me.
21 “When the people of Israel give me a ·tenth [T tithe] of what they make, I will give that tenth to the ·Levites [L sons of Levi; Lev. 27:30–32; Deut. 12:17–19; 14:22–29]. This is their payment for the work they do serving at the Meeting Tent. 22 But the other ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] must never go near the Meeting Tent, or they will die for their sin. 23 Only the Levites should work in the Meeting Tent and be responsible for any sins against it. This is a ·rule from now on [perpetual statute/ordinance/requirement throughout your generations]. The Levites will not inherit any land among the other ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel], 24 but when the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] give a ·tenth [T tithe] of everything they make to me, I will give that ·tenth [T tithe] to the Levites as a reward. That is why I said about the Levites: ‘They will not inherit any land among the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel].’”
25 The Lord said to Moses, 26 “Speak to the Levites and tell them: ‘You will receive a ·tenth [T tithe] of everything the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] make, which I will give to you. But you must give a ·tenth of that [L tenth of a tenth; T tithe of a tithe] back to the Lord. 27 I will accept your offering just as much as I accept the offerings from others, who give ·new grain [L the grain of the threshing floor] or ·new wine [L the fullness of the winepress]. 28 In this way you will present an offering to the Lord as the other ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] do. When you receive a ·tenth [T tithe] from the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel], you will give a ·tenth [tithe] of that to Aaron, the priest, as the Lord’s share. 29 Choose the best and holiest part from what you are given as the portion you must give to the Lord.’
30 “Say to the Levites: ‘When you present the best, it will be accepted as much as the ·grain [L product of the threshing floor] and ·wine [L product of the wine press] from the other people. 31 You and your ·families [L house] may eat all that is left anywhere, because it is your pay for your work in the Meeting Tent. 32 And if you always give the best part to the Lord, you will never be guilty. If you do not ·sin against [profane] the holy offerings of the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel], you will not die.’”
The Offering for Cleansing
19 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 2 “These are the ·teachings [statutes; ordinances; requirements] that the Lord commanded. Tell the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] to get a young red ·cow [T heifer] that does not have ·anything wrong with it [L a defect and is without a blemish] and that has never ·been worked [L worn a yoke]. 3 Give the ·cow [T heifer] to Eleazar the priest; he will take it outside the camp and ·kill [slaughter] it in his presence. 4 Then Eleazar the priest must put some of its blood on his finger and sprinkle it seven times toward the front of the Meeting Tent. 5 The whole ·cow [T heifer] must be burned while he watches; the skin, the meat, the blood, and ·the intestines [L its dung] must all be burned. 6 Then the priest must take a cedar stick, a hyssop branch, and a red string [C the redness of the heifer and these objects probably represent blood] and throw them onto the burning ·cow [T heifer]. 7 After the priest has washed himself and his clothes with water, he may come back into the camp, but he will be unclean [C in a ritual sense] until evening. 8 The man who burns the ·cow [T heifer] must wash himself and his clothes in water; he will be unclean until evening.
9 “Then someone who is clean [C in a ritual sense] will collect the ashes from the ·cow [T heifer] and put them in a clean place outside the camp. The ·Israelites [L community/congregation/assembly of the sons/T children of Israel] will keep these ashes to use in the cleansing water, in a ·special ceremony to cleanse away sin [L sin offering; or purification offering; Lev. 4:3]. 10 The man who collected the ·cow’s [T heifer’s] ashes must wash his clothes and be unclean until evening. This is a lasting ·rule [statute; ordinance; requirement] ·for the Israelites [L in their midst] and for the ·foreigners [resident aliens] among them.
11 “Those who touch a dead person’s body will be unclean [C in a ritual sense] for seven days. 12 They must ·wash themselves with the cleansing [purify themselves with the] water on the third day and on the seventh day; then they will be clean. But if they do not ·wash themselves [purify themselves] on the third day and the seventh day, they cannot be clean. 13 If those who touch a dead person’s body ·stay unclean [do not purify themselves] and go to the Lord’s ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle], it becomes unclean; they must be cut off from Israel. If the cleansing water is not sprinkled on them, they are unclean and will stay unclean.
14 “This is the ·teaching [instruction; law] about someone who dies in a tent: Anyone in the tent or anyone who enters it will be unclean [C in a ritual sense] for seven days. 15 And every open jar or pot without a cover becomes unclean. 16 If anyone is ·outside [L in the open field] and touches someone who was killed by a sword or who died [C a natural death], or if anyone touches a human bone or a grave, that person will be unclean for seven days.
17 “So you must use the ashes from the burnt sin [or purification; Lev. 4:3] offering to make that person clean [C in a ritual sense] again. Pour ·fresh [running; L living] water over the ashes into a jar. 18 A clean person must take a hyssop branch and dip it into the water, and then he must sprinkle it over the tent and all its objects. He must also sprinkle the people who were there, as well as anyone who touched a bone, or the body of someone who was killed, or a dead person, or a grave. 19 The person who is clean must sprinkle this water on the unclean people on the third day and on the seventh day. On the seventh day they will ·become clean [be purified]. They must wash their clothes and take a bath, and they will be clean that evening. 20 If any who are unclean do not become ·clean [purified], they must be cut off from the ·community [assembly; crowd]. Since they were not sprinkled with the cleansing water, they stay unclean, and they could make the Lord’s ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle] unclean. 21 This is a lasting ·rule [statute; ordinance; requirement]. Those who sprinkle the cleansing water must also wash their clothes, and anyone who touches the water will be unclean until evening. 22 Anything an unclean person touches becomes unclean, and whoever touches it will be unclean until evening.”
More than Five Thousand Fed(A)
30 The apostles gathered around Jesus and told him about all the things they had done and taught. 31 Crowds of people were coming and going so that Jesus and his ·followers [disciples] did not even have time to eat. He said to them, “Come away by yourselves, and we will go to a ·lonely [isolated; deserted] place to get some rest.”
32 So they went in a boat by themselves to a ·lonely [isolated; deserted] place. 33 But many people saw them leave and recognized them. So from all the towns they ran to the place where Jesus was going, and they got there before him. 34 When he ·arrived [landed; came ashore], he saw a great crowd waiting. He ·felt sorry [had compassion] for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began to teach them many things.
35 When it was late in the day, his ·followers [disciples] came to him and said, “·No one lives in this place [This is a remote/deserted place], and it is already very late. 36 Send the people away so they can go to the countryside and towns around here to buy themselves something to eat.”
37 But Jesus answered, “You give them something to eat.”
They said to him, ·“We would all have to work a month to earn enough money to buy that much bread!” [L “Should we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give it to them to eat?”]
38 Jesus asked them, “How many loaves of bread do you have? Go and see.”
When they found out, they said, “Five loaves and two fish.”
39 Then Jesus ·told [commanded; ordered] ·his followers [L them] to have the people sit [recline; C the posture for a banquet or dinner party; 2:15] in groups on the green grass. 40 So they sat in groups of hundreds and fifties. 41 Jesus took the five loaves and two fish and, looking up to heaven, he ·thanked God for [blessed] the food. He ·divided [broke] the bread and gave it to his ·followers [disciples] for them to give to the people. Then he divided the two fish among them all. 42 All the people ate and were satisfied. 43 ·The followers [L They] filled twelve baskets with the leftover pieces of bread and fish. 44 There were five thousand men who ate.
Jesus Walks on the Water(B)
45 Immediately Jesus ·told [compelled; made] his ·followers [disciples] to get into the boat and go ahead of him to Bethsaida [C a town on the northern shore of Lake Galilee, east of the Jordan River] across the lake. He stayed there to ·send the people home [dismiss the crowd]. 46 After ·sending them away [saying goodbye], he went into the hills to pray.
47 That night, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and Jesus was alone on the land. 48 He saw his ·followers [disciples] struggling hard to row the boat, because the wind was blowing against them. ·Between three and six o’clock in the morning [L At about the fourth watch of the night], Jesus came to them, walking on the water, and he ·wanted [intended; was about] to ·walk past [pass by] the boat. 49 But when they saw him walking on the ·water [lake; sea], they thought he was a ghost and cried out. 50 They all saw him and were afraid. But ·quickly [immediately] Jesus spoke to them and said, “Have courage! It is I. Do not be afraid.” 51 Then he got into the boat with them, and the wind ·became calm [ceased; stopped]. They were greatly amazed. 52 [For] They did not understand ·about the miracle of the five loaves [the significance of the loaves; L about the loaves], because their ·minds were closed [hearts were hardened/stubborn/dull].
53 When they had crossed the lake, they came to shore at Gennesaret [C either the plain on the northwestern shore of the lake, or a town in that region] and tied the boat there. 54 When they got out of the boat, people immediately recognized Jesus. 55 They ran everywhere in that ·area [region] and began to bring sick people on ·mats [cots] wherever they heard he was. 56 And everywhere he went—into towns, cities, or countryside—the people brought the sick to the marketplaces. They begged him to let them touch just the ·edge [fringe; tassels] of his coat, and all who touched it were healed.
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