The Daily Audio Bible
Today's audio is from the CEB. Switch to the CEB to read along with the audio.
22 “Suppose two men are fighting and ·hit [injure] a pregnant woman, causing ·the baby to come out [or a miscarriage; C the Hebrew is not clear whether dead or alive]. If there is no further ·injury [harm], the man who caused the accident must pay money—whatever amount the woman’s husband says and the court allows. 23 But if there is further ·injury [harm], then ·the punishment that must be paid is [L you shall give] life for life, 24 eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 25 burn for burn, wound for wound, and bruise for bruise [C to guard against excessive punishment].
26 “If a man ·hits [strikes] his male or female slave in the eye, and ·the eye is blinded [L destroys it], the man is to free the slave to pay for the eye. 27 If a master knocks out a tooth of his male or female slave, the man is to free the slave to pay for the tooth.
28 “If a man’s ·bull [ox] kills a man or woman, you must kill that bull by ·throwing stones at [stoning] it, and you should not eat ·the bull [L its meat]. But the owner of the bull is ·not guilty [innocent]. 29 However, suppose the ·bull [ox] has ·hurt [gored] people in the past and the owner, though warned, did not ·keep it in a pen [restrain/confine it]. Then if it kills a man or woman, the ·bull [ox] must be stoned to death, and the owner must also be put to death. 30 But if ·the family of the dead person accepts money [L a ransom is imposed on him], the owner of the bull must pay whatever is demanded ·to buy back his life [for his redemption]. 31 Use this same ·law [rule] if the ·bull [ox] ·kills [gores] a person’s son or daughter. 32 If the ·bull [ox] ·kills [gores] a male or female slave, the owner must pay the master ·the price for a new slave, or twelve ounces [L thirty shekels] of silver, and the ·bull [ox] must also be stoned to death.
33 “If a man takes the cover off a pit, or digs a pit and does not cover it, and another man’s ox or donkey comes and falls into it, 34 the owner of the pit must ·pay [compensate] the owner of the animal for the loss. The dead animal will belong to the one who pays.
35 “If a man’s ·bull [ox] ·kills [gores] another man’s ·bull [ox] and it dies, they must sell the ·bull [ox] that is alive. Both men will get half of the money and half of the bull that was killed. 36 But if a person’s ·bull [ox] has ·hurt [gored] other animals in the past and the owner did not ·keep it in a pen [restrain/confine it], that owner must pay bull for bull, and the dead animal is his.
Property Laws
22 “If a man steals a ·bull [ox] or a sheep and ·kills [slaughters] or sells it, he must ·pay back [compensate] five ·bulls [oxen] for the one bull he stole and four sheep for the one sheep he stole.
“If a thief is killed while breaking into a house at night, the one who killed him is not guilty of ·murder [bloodshed]. But if this happens ·during the day [L after the sun is risen], he is guilty of ·murder [bloodshed].
5 “If a man lets his farm animal graze in his field or vineyard, and it wanders into another man’s field or vineyard, the owner of the animal must ·pay back the loss [make restitution] from the best of his ·crop [L field and from the best of his vineyard].
6 “Suppose a man starts a fire that ·spreads through the thornbushes to his neighbor’s field [L catches in the thorns]. If the fire burns ·his neighbor’s growing [L the standing] grain or grain that has been stacked, or if it burns his whole field, the person who started the fire must pay ·for what was burned [full restitution].
7 “Suppose a man gives his neighbor money or other things ·to keep for him [for safekeeping] and those things are stolen from the neighbor’s house. If the thief is caught, he must pay back twice as much as he stole. 8 But if the thief is never ·found [caught], the owner of the house must ·make a promise [L be brought] before ·God [or the judges] that he has not ·stolen [L sent out his hand toward] his neighbor’s things.
9 “Suppose ·two men disagree about who owns something [L there is a matter/report of transgression]—whether ox, donkey, sheep, clothing, or something else that is lost. If each says, ‘This is mine,’ each man must bring his case ·to God [or before the judges]. ·God’s judges [L God; T The judges; C Hebrew: Elohim] will decide who is guilty, and that person must pay the other man twice as much as the object is worth.
10 “Suppose a man ·asks [L gives] his neighbor to ·keep [safeguard] his donkey, ox, sheep, or some other animal for him, and that animal dies, gets ·hurt [injured; L broken], or is taken away, without anyone seeing what happened. 11 ·That neighbor must promise before the Lord [L An oath before God will decide] that he did not ·harm or kill [L send his hand against] the other man’s animal, and the owner of the animal must accept ·his promise made before God [the oath]. The neighbor does not have to ·pay the owner for the animal [make restitution]. 12 But if the animal was stolen from the neighbor, ·he must pay the owner for it [restitutiton must be made to the owner]. 13 If wild animals killed it, the neighbor must bring ·the body [L it] as proof, and ·he will not have to pay for the animal that was killed [L restitution will not be made for the torn-up remains].
14 “If a man borrows an animal from his neighbor, and it gets ·hurt [injured; L broken] or dies while the owner is not there, the one who borrowed it must pay [L restitution to] the owner for the animal. 15 But if the owner is with the animal, the one who borrowed it does not ·have to pay [make restitution]. If the animal was ·rented [hired], the ·rental [hiring] price covers the loss.
Laws and Relationships
16 “Suppose a man finds a woman who is not ·pledged [engaged] to be married and ·has never had sexual relations with a man [L is a virgin]. If he ·tricks [or seduces] her into having sexual relations with him, he must give ·her family the payment to marry [L the bride-price for] her, and she will become his wife. 17 But if her father refuses to allow his daughter to marry him, the man must still give the usual ·payment for a bride who has never had sexual relations [bride-price for a virgin].
18 “·Put to death any woman who does evil magic [L You shall not let a female sorceress live].
19 “Put to death anyone who ·has sexual relations [L lies] with an animal.
20 “·Destroy completely [Devote to destruction; Put under the ban] any person who makes a sacrifice to any god except the Lord.
21 “Do not ·cheat [wrong; maltreat] or ·hurt [oppress] a ·foreigner [sojourner; resident alien], because you were ·foreigners [sojourners; resident aliens] in the land of Egypt.
22 “Do not ·cheat [abuse; L afflict] a widow or an orphan. 23 If you ·do [cheat; abuse; L afflict], and they cry out to me for help, I certainly will ·hear [or act on] their cry. 24 And I will be very angry and kill you ·in war [L with the sword]. Then your wives will become widows, and your children will become orphans.
25 “If you lend money to one of my people who is poor, do not treat him as a ·moneylender [creditor] would. ·Charge him nothing for using your money [L Take no interest; Lev. 25:36–37; Deut. 23:19; Ps. 15:5]. 26 If your neighbor gives you his coat as ·a promise for the money he owes you [collateral], you must give it back to him by sunset, 27 because his coat is the only cover to keep his body warm. He has nothing else to sleep in. If he cries out to me for help, I will ·hear [or act], because I am ·merciful [gracious; compassionate].
28 “You must not ·speak against [revile; trifle with; disrespect] God or curse a leader of your people.
29 “Do not hold back your offering from the first of your harvest and the first wine that you make. Also, you must give me your firstborn sons. 30 You must do the same with your ·bulls [oxen] and your sheep. Let the firstborn males stay with their mothers for seven days, and on the eighth day you must give them to me.
31 “You are to be my ·holy [consecrated; sanctified; set-apart] people. You must not eat the meat of any animal that has been ·killed [torn up] by wild animals. Instead, ·give [L throw] it to the dogs.
Laws About Fairness
23 “You must not ·tell lies [L give a false report]. If you are a witness in court, ·don’t help [L you shall not set hands with] a wicked person ·by telling lies [with a false/violent/malicious witness].
2 “You must not ·do wrong just because everyone else is doing it [follow the crowd in evil]. ·If you are a witness in court, you must not ruin a fair trial. You must not tell lies just because everyone else is [L You are not to give testimony in an accusation by siding with everyone else in order to distort justice]. 3 ·If a poor person is in court, you must not take his side just because he is poor [L You must not be partial to a poor person in his dispute/lawsuit].
4 “If you ·see [L encounter] your enemy’s ox or donkey wandering away, you must return it to him. 5 If you see that ·your enemy’s donkey [L the donkey of one who hates you] has fallen because its load is too heavy, do not leave it there. You must ·help your enemy get the donkey back on its feet [set it free; or rearrange its load].
6 “You must not ·be unfair to [pervert the justice of] a poor person when he is in court. 7 ·You must not lie when you accuse someone in court [L Keep yourself far from a false charge/report]. Never allow an innocent or honest person to be put to death as punishment, because I will not ·treat guilty people as if they were innocent [acquit the guilty].
8 “You must not accept ·money from a person who wants you to lie in court [L a bribe], because ·such money will not let you see what is right [L a bribe blinds officials; Prov. 15:27; 17:8; 18:16]. Such money ·makes good people tell lies [undermines the cause of the righteous].
9 “You must not ·mistreat [oppress] a ·foreigner [sojourner; resident alien]. You know how it feels to be a ·foreigner [sojourner; resident alien], because you were ·foreigners [sojourners; resident aliens] in Egypt [22:21].
Laws for the Sabbath
10 “For six years you are to ·plant [sow] and harvest crops on your land. 11 Then during the seventh year, ·do not plow or plant your land [L you will let it lie fallow and untilled]. If any food grows there, allow the poor people to have it, and let the wild animals eat what is left. You should do the same with your vineyards and your orchards of olive trees [Lev. 25:1–7].
12 “You should work six days a week, but on the seventh day you must ·rest [stop]. This lets your ox and your donkey rest, and it also lets the slave born in your house and the ·foreigner [sojourner; resident alien] be refreshed.
13 “Be sure to do all that I have said to you. You must not ·even say [invoke; bring to mind] the names of other gods; those names must not ·come out of [L be heard from] your mouth.
The Temple Will Be Destroyed(A)
24 As Jesus left the Temple [courts] and was walking away, his ·followers [disciples] came up to ·show [point out to] him the Temple’s buildings. 2 Jesus asked, “Do you see all these buildings? I tell you the truth, not one stone will be left on another. Every stone will be ·thrown [pulled; torn] down.”
3 Later, as Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, his ·followers [disciples] came to be alone with him. They said, “Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign ·that it is time for you to come again [of your coming/return] and ·for this age to end [the end/consummation of the age]?”
4 Jesus answered, “·Be careful [Watch out] that no one ·fools [misleads; deceives] you. 5 Many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the ·Christ [Messiah],’ and they will ·fool [mislead; deceive] many people. 6 You will hear about wars and ·stories of wars that are coming [rumors/reports of wars], but don’t be ·afraid [alarmed]. These things must happen ·before the end comes [or but that is not yet the end]. 7 Nations will ·fight [L rise up] against other nations, and kingdoms against other kingdoms. There will be ·times when there is no food for people to eat [famines], and there will be earthquakes in ·different [various] places. 8 All these things are ·like the first pains when something new is about to be born [L the beginning of the birth pains].
9 “Then people will arrest you, hand you over to be ·hurt [persecuted; tortured], and kill you. ·They [The world; L All nations] will hate you because ·you believe in me [you follow me; L of my name]. 10 At that time, many will ·lose their faith [turn/fall away], and they will ·turn against [betray] each other and hate each other. 11 Many false prophets will ·come [appear; arise] and ·cause many people to believe lies [deceive many]. 12 There will be more and more ·evil [sin; lawlessness] in the world, so ·most people will stop showing their love for each other [L the love of many/most will grow cold]. 13 But those people who ·keep their faith [endure; stand firm; persevere] until the end will be saved. 14 ·The Good News [This Gospel] about God’s kingdom will be preached in all the world, [L as a testimony] to every nation. Then the end will come.
15 “You will see ‘·a blasphemous object that brings destruction [T the abomination of desolation; C a phrase taken from Dan. 9:27; 11:31; 12:11, and originally referring to the desecration of the Temple by Antiochus Epiphanes in 168 bc],’ which Daniel the prophet spoke about. ·It [or He] will be standing in the holy place.” (You who read this should understand what it means [C probably a reference to the soon-to-occur destruction of Jerusalem in ad 70].) 16 “At that time, the people in Judea should ·run away [flee] to the mountains. 17 If people are on the roofs of their houses [C roofs in Palestine were flat and used as spare rooms and for storage], they must not go down to get anything out of their houses. 18 If people are in the fields, they must not go back to get their ·coats [cloaks]. 19 At that time, ·how terrible it will be for [L woe to] women who are pregnant or have nursing babies! 20 Pray that it will not be ·winter [bad weather] or a Sabbath day when these things happen and you have to run away, 21 because at that time there will be much ·trouble [distress; T tribulation]. There will be more ·trouble [distress; T tribulation]. than there has ever been since the beginning of the world until now, and nothing as bad will ever happen again [Dan. 12:1]. 22 ·God has decided to make that terrible time short [L If those days had not been shortened (by God)…; C the passive verb implies God as subject]. Otherwise, no one would ·go on living [survive; L be saved]. But God will make that time short ·to help the people he has chosen [for the sake of the elect]. 23 At that time, someone might say to you, ‘Look, there is the ·Christ [Messiah]!’ Or another person might say, ‘There he is!’ But don’t believe them. 24 False ·Christs [messiahs] and false prophets will ·come [appear; rise up] and perform great ·wonders [signs; miracles] and ·miracles [wonders; marvels]. They will try to ·fool [mislead; deceive] even the ·people God has chosen [elect], if that is possible. 25 Now I have warned you about this before it happens.
26 “If people tell you, ‘[L Look,] ·the Christ [L he] is in the ·desert [wilderness],’ don’t go there. If they say, ‘[L Look,] he is ·in the inner room [or hiding here; in this secret place],’ don’t believe it. 27 When the Son of Man comes [Dan. 7:13–14], he will be like lightning flashing from the east to the west [C he will be seen by everyone]. 28 Wherever the ·dead body [carcass] is, there the vultures will gather.
God in the Thunderstorm
A psalm of David.
29 ·Praise [T Ascribe to] the Lord, you ·angels [L sons of God; C God’s council];
·Praise the Lord’s [T Ascribe to the Lord] glory and power.
2 ·Praise the Lord for [T Ascribe to the Lord] the glory of his name;
worship the Lord ·because he is holy [L in the splendor of his holiness].
3 The Lord’s voice [C thunder] is heard over the ·sea [L waters; C a symbol of chaos].
The glorious God thunders;
the Lord thunders over the ·ocean [L many/mighty waters].
4 The Lord’s voice is powerful;
the Lord’s voice is ·majestic [splendid; awesome].
5 The Lord’s voice breaks the ·trees [L cedars];
the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon [C the most famous cedar forests].
6 He makes the land of Lebanon dance like a calf
and ·Mount Hermon [L Sirion] jump like a baby bull.
7 The Lord’s voice ·makes the lightning flash [strikes with flashes of lightning].
8 The Lord’s voice shakes the ·desert [wilderness];
the Lord shakes the ·Desert [Wilderness] of Kadesh.
9 The Lord’s voice ·shakes the oaks [or makes the deer give birth]
and strips the ·leaves off the trees [L forests bare].
In his Temple everyone says, “Glory!”
10 The Lord ·controls [L is enthroned over] the flood [C controls chaos].
The Lord ·will be [L is enthroned as] King forever.
11 The Lord gives strength to his people;
the Lord blesses his people with peace.
6 Once while I was at the window of my house
I looked out through the ·shutters [lattice; curtains]
7 and saw some ·foolish [simpleminded; immature; naive], young men.
I noticed one of them ·had no wisdom [had no sense; L lacked heart].
8 He was ·walking down [crossing] the street near the corner
on the road leading to her house.
9 It was the twilight of the evening;
the darkness of the night was just beginning.
10 Then the woman ·approached [or propositioned] him,
dressed like a prostitute
and ·planning to trick him [L with a guarded heart].
11 She was ·loud [boisterous; noisy] and ·stubborn [defiant]
and ·never stayed at [L her feet do not rest in her own] home.
12 ·She was always out [L A foot] in the streets ·or in [L a foot in] the city squares,
·waiting around [lurking] on the corners of the streets.
13 She grabbed him and kissed him.
·Without shame [L Her face was brazen as] she said to him,
14 “I made my fellowship offering [Lev. 3; 7:11–21; C the offerer ate the meat of the offering].
Today I have ·kept [paid back] my ·special promises [vows].
15 So I have come out to meet you;
I have been ·looking for you [L seeking your face] and have found you.
16 I have ·covered [ornamented] my bed
with colored sheets from Egypt.
17 I have ·made my bed smell sweet [L sprinkled my bed]
with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
18 Come, let’s ·make [be intoxicated with] love until morning.
Let’s ·enjoy each other’s [rejoice in] love.
19 My husband is not home;
he has gone on a ·long [faraway] trip.
20 He took a ·lot of money with him [L pouch of money in his hand]
and won’t be home ·for weeks [L until the new moon].”
21 By her clever words she ·made him give in [seduces him];
by ·her pleasing words [L the flattery of her lips] she ·led him into doing wrong [persuades/compels him].
22 All at once he followed her,
like an ox led to the ·butcher [slaughter],
like a ·deer caught in a trap [or fool to the stocks]
23 ·and shot through the liver with an arrow [until an arrow pierces his liver].
Like a bird ·caught in [L hurrying to] a trap,
he didn’t know ·what he did would kill him [it would cost him his life].
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.