The Daily Audio Bible
Today's audio is from the CSB. Switch to the CSB to read along with the audio.
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.
The Things that Truly Please God(A)
7 When some Pharisees and some ·teachers of the law [scribes] came from Jerusalem, they gathered around Jesus. 2 They saw that some of Jesus’ ·followers [disciples] ate food with hands that were not clean, that is, they hadn’t [ceremonially] washed them. 3 ([For] The Pharisees and all the Jews never eat before washing their hands ·in the way required [L with a fist; C the meaning of the idiom is uncertain; it could mean “with a handful of water,” “with cupped hand,” “up to the wrist” or something else] by ·their unwritten laws [L the traditions of the elders]. 4 ·And when they buy something in the market, they never eat it [or, And when they come from the market (where they might have touched something “unclean”), they do not eat] until they wash themselves in a special way. They also ·follow [hold fast to; observe] many other ·unwritten laws [traditions], such as the washing of cups, pitchers, and pots.[a])
5 The Pharisees and the ·teachers of the law [scribes] asked Jesus, “Why don’t your ·followers [disciples] ·obey [walk according to] the ·unwritten laws which have been handed down to us [traditions of the elders]? Why do they eat their food with hands that are ·not clean [defiled]?”
6 Jesus answered, “Isaiah was right when he ·spoke [prophesied] about you hypocrites. ·He wrote [As it is written],
‘These people show honor to me with ·words [L their lips],
but their hearts are far from me.
7 Their worship of me is ·worthless [futile; in vain].
The things they teach are nothing but human ·rules [commandments; Is. 29:13].’
8 You ·have stopped following [neglected; abandoned] the commands of God, and you ·follow [hold on to] only human ·teachings[b] [traditions].”
9 Then Jesus said to them, “You ·cleverly ignore [are very good at ignoring/despising] the commands of God so you can follow your own ·teachings [tradition]. 10 [For] Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’ [Ex. 20:12; Deut. 5:16], and ‘Anyone who ·says cruel things to [speaks evil of; curses] his father or mother must be put to death’ [Ex. 21:17; Lev. 20:9]. 11 But you say a person can tell his father or mother, ‘I have something I could use to help you, but it is Corban—a gift to God.’ [C Corban is a Hebrew term meaning dedicated or set aside to God.] 12 You no longer let that person ·use that money [do anything] for his father or his mother. 13 By your own ·rules [tradition], which you ·teach people [have handed down], you are ·rejecting [nullifying; canceling] what God said. And you do many things like that.”
14 After Jesus called the crowd to him again, he said, “Listen to me, everyone, and understand what I am saying. 15 There is nothing people put into their bodies that ·makes them unclean [pollutes/defiles them]. [But rather] People are ·made unclean [polluted; defiled] by the things that come out of them. |16 ·Let those with ears use them and listen [see 4:23].|”[c]
17 When Jesus left the ·people [crowd] and went into the house, his ·followers [disciples] asked him about this ·story [parable; see 3:23]. 18 Jesus said, “·Do you still not understand [Are you so dull]? ·Surely you know [L Don’t you know…?] that nothing that enters someone from the outside can make that person ·unclean [polluted; defiled]. 19 [Because] It does not go into the ·mind [heart], but into the stomach. Then it goes ·out of the body [L into the sewer/latrine].” ·(When Jesus said this, he meant that no longer was any food unclean for people to eat.) [or, (In this way, Jesus cleansed all food.)]
20 And Jesus said, “The things that come out of people are the things that make them ·unclean [defiled]. 21 ·All these evil things begin inside people, in the mind [L For from within, out of human hearts, come]: evil ·thoughts [intentions; ideas], sexual sins, stealing, murder, adultery, 22 greed, ·evil actions [wickedness], ·lying [deceit], ·doing sinful things [indecency; lust; lewdness], ·jealousy [envy; L evil eye], ·speaking evil of others [slander; blasphemy], pride, and foolish living. 23 All these evil things come from inside and make people ·unclean [defiled].”
11 Lord, do not ·hold back [restrain] your ·mercy [compassion] from me;
let your ·love [loyalty] and ·truth [faithfulness] always protect me.
12 ·Troubles [Evils] have surrounded me;
·there are too many to count [L without number].
My ·sins [iniquities] have ·caught [overtaken] me
so that I cannot see [C a way to escape].
I have more ·sins [iniquities] than hairs on my head,
and ·I have lost my courage [L my heart fails/abandons/forsakes me].
13 ·Please [L Be pleased], Lord, ·save [rescue; T deliver] me.
Hurry, Lord, to help me.
14 People are ·trying to kill me [L seeking my life].
Shame them and disgrace them.
People want to hurt me.
Let them ·run away [be turned back] in disgrace.
15 People are ·making fun of me [L saying to me, “Aha! Aha!”].
Let them be ·shamed into silence [L devastated by their own shame].
16 But let those who ·follow [L seek] you
be happy and glad.
They love you for ·saving [delivering] them.
May they always say, “·Praise [Magnify; Great is] the Lord!”
17 Lord, because I am poor and ·helpless [needy],
please ·remember [L think of; consider] me.
You are my helper and ·savior [rescuer; T deliverer].
My God, do not ·wait [delay].
13 ·Wise people speak with understanding [L Wisdom is found on understanding lips],
but ·people without wisdom should be punished [L a rod is for the backs of those who lack sense/heart].
14 The wise ·don’t tell [store up; treasure] everything they know,
but the ·foolish talk too much and are ruined [L mouth of a fool means imminent ruin].
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.