The Daily Audio Bible
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Laws about Flows from the Body
15 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 2 “Say to the people of Israel, ‘When a man has something flowing from his body, what is flowing is unclean. 3 If it flows, or if it fills up and stops flowing, he will be unclean. 4 Every bed on which the person with the flow lies will be unclean. 5 Whoever touches his bed must wash his clothes and wash himself in water. And he will be unclean until evening. 6 Whoever sits where the man with the flow has been sitting must wash his clothes and wash himself with water. He will be unclean until evening. 7 Whoever touches the person with the flow must wash his clothes and wash himself in water. And he will be unclean until evening. 8 If the man with the flow spits on one who is clean, then he must wash his clothes, wash himself in water, and be unclean until evening. 9 Any leather seat on which the man who is unclean has been sitting will be unclean. 10 Whoever touches anything that was under him will be unclean until evening. 11 Anyone the man with the flow touches must wash his clothes and wash himself in water. He will be unclean until evening. 12 The clay pot that the man with the flow touches must be broken. And anything made of wood must be washed in water.
13 ‘When the flow of the man stops, he will take seven days to make himself clean. Then he will wash his clothes and wash his body in running water. And he will be clean. 14 On the eighth day he will take two turtle-doves or two young pigeons, come before the Lord at the door of the meeting tent, and give them to the religious leader. 15 The religious leader will give them, one for a sin gift, and the other for a burnt gift. So the religious leader will pay for his sins before the Lord because of his flow.
16 ‘If a man’s seed comes from his sex part, he must wash his whole body in water. And he will be unclean until evening. 17 Any clothing or leather on which the seed touches must be washed with water. It will be unclean until evening. 18 If a man lies with a woman so that seed goes out from him, they must both wash themselves in water and will be unclean until evening.
19 ‘When a woman has something flowing from her body, and if it is blood, she will be unclean for seven days. Whoever touches her will be unclean until evening. 20 Everything she lies on while she is unclean will be unclean. And everything she sits on will be unclean. 21 Whoever touches her bed must wash his clothes and wash himself in water and be unclean until evening. 22 Whoever touches anything she sits on must wash his clothes and wash himself in water and be unclean until evening. 23 If he touches anything on her bed or where she sat, he will be unclean until evening. 24 If a man lies with her so that her blood is on him, he will be unclean for seven days. And every bed he lies on will be unclean.
25 ‘If a woman has a flow of blood for many days, at a different time than when it happens each month, or if the blood flows longer at that time, all the days the blood flows she will be unclean. It will be as if it were the time when she is unclean each month. She will be unclean. 26 Any bed she lies on while her blood is flowing will be like the bed during the time she is unclean and whatever she sits on will be unclean. 27 Whoever touches them will be unclean. He must wash his clothes and wash himself in water and be unclean until evening. 28 When she becomes clean from her flow, she will wait seven days. After that she will be clean. 29 On the eighth day she will take two turtle-doves or two young pigeons, and bring them to the religious leader at the door of the meeting tent. 30 The religious leader will give one for a sin gift and the other for a burnt gift. In this way the woman will be clean before the Lord from the flow of blood that made her unclean.’
31 “In this way you will keep the people of Israel away from whatever makes them unclean or they will die because of making My meeting tent unclean that is among them.” 32 This is the law for him who has something flowing from his body, and for the man whose seed flows from his sex part and makes him unclean. 33 And this is the law for the woman who is sick because of her flow of blood, and for the man or woman who has something flowing from the body, and for the man who lies with a woman who is unclean.
Animals Pay the Price for Man’s Sin
16 The Lord spoke to Moses after the death of Aaron’s two sons, when they had come near the Lord and died. 2 The Lord said to Moses, “Tell your brother Aaron that he must not come just any time into the holy place inside the curtain, in front of the mercy-seat on the special box of the agreement or he will die. For I will show Myself in the cloud over the mercy-seat. 3 Only this way will Aaron go into the holy place, with a bull for a sin gift and a ram for a burnt gift. 4 He will put on the holy linen coat. And the linen under-clothing will be next to his body. He will be wearing the linen belt and the linen head-covering. These are holy clothing. He will wash his body in water and then dress himself. 5 He will take from the people of Israel two male goats for a sin gift and one ram for a burnt gift. 6 Then Aaron will give the bull as a sin gift for himself, to pay for the sins of himself and those in his house. 7 He will take the two goats and set them before the Lord at the door of the meeting tent. 8 Aaron will draw names for the two goats, choosing one for the Lord and the other to be sent away. 9 Then Aaron will bring the goat that was chosen for the Lord and give it as a sin gift. 10 But the goat that was chosen to be sent away will be brought alive before the Lord, for the taking away of sin. And it will be sent into the desert.
11 “Then Aaron will give the bull as the sin gift for himself, to pay for the sins of himself and those in his house. He will kill the bull as the sin gift for himself. 12 He will take a fire pan full of fire from the altar before the Lord, and enough fine, ground, sweet perfume to fill two hands. And he will bring it inside the curtain. 13 He will put the special perfume on the fire before the Lord so that the cloud of the special perfume covers the mercy-seat on the special box of the agreement or he will die. 14 He will take some of the bull’s blood and put it with his finger on the east side of the mercy-seat. And with his finger he will put some of the blood seven times in front of the mercy-seat.
15 “Then he will kill the goat as the sin gift for the people. He will bring its blood inside the curtain, and do the same with its blood as he did with the bull’s blood. He will put it on the seat and in front of the mercy-seat. 16 He will make the holy place, and also the meeting tent which is in the center of the camp, clean and pure because all the sins of the people make them unclean. 17 When he goes in to pay for sins in the holy place, no one will be in the meeting tent until he comes out. He will pay for the sins of himself, of those in his house, and of all the people of Israel. 18 Then he will go out to the altar before the Lord and make it clean and pure. He will take some of the bull’s blood and goat’s blood and put it on the horns of the altar on all sides. 19 With his finger he will put some of the blood on the altar seven times so it will be clean. He will set it apart from what is unclean among the people of Israel.
20 “When he finishes making the holy place, the meeting tent and the altar free from sin, he will give the live goat. 21 Aaron will lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, and tell of all the sins and wrong-doings of the people of Israel. He will lay them upon the head of the goat and send it away into the desert by the hand of a man ready to help. 22 The goat will carry upon itself all their sins to a land where no one lives. Then the man will let the goat go free there.
23 “Aaron will come into the meeting tent. He will take off the linen clothing he put on when he went into the holy place. And he will leave them there. 24 He will wash his body with water in a holy place and put on his clothes. Then he will come out and give his burnt gift and the people’s burnt gift, to pay for the sins of himself and the people. 25 He will burn the fat of the sin gift on the altar. 26 The man who let the goat carry away the sins will wash his clothes and wash his body with water. Then he may come among the tents. 27 The bull and the goat for the sin gift, whose blood was brought in to pay for sins in the holy place, will be taken away from the tents. Their skin, their flesh and their waste will be burned with fire. 28 Whoever burns them will wash his clothes and wash his body with water. Then he may come among the tents.
Jesus Speaks Sharp Words to the Leaders (A)
7 The proud religious law-keepers and some of the teachers of the Law had come from Jerusalem. They gathered around Jesus. 2 They had seen some of His followers eat bread without washing their hands. 3 The proud religious law-keepers and all the Jews never eat until they wash their hands. They keep the teaching that was given to them by their early fathers. 4 When they come from the stores, they never eat until they wash. There are many other teachings they keep. Some are the washing of cups and pots and pans in a special way.
5 Then the proud religious law-keepers and the teachers of the Law asked Jesus, “Why do Your followers not obey the teaching given to them by their early fathers? They eat bread without washing their hands.” 6 He said to them, “Isaiah told about you who pretend to be someone you are not. Isaiah wrote, ‘These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. 7 Their worship of Me is worth nothing. They teach what men say must be done.’ (B) 8 You put away the Laws of God and obey the laws made by men.”
9 Jesus said to them, “You put away the Laws of God but keep your own teaching. 10 Moses said, ‘Respect your father and mother.’ (C) ‘He who curses his father and mother will be put to death!’ (D) 11 But you say that it is right if a man does not help his father and mother because he says he has given to God what he could have given to them. 12 You are not making him do anything for his father and mother. 13 You are putting away the Word of God to keep your own teaching. You are doing many other things like this.”
14 Jesus called the people to Him again. He said, “Listen to Me, all of you, and understand this. 15 It is not what goes into a man’s mouth from the outside that makes his mind and heart sinful. It is what comes out from the inside that makes him sinful. 16 You have ears, then listen!”
17 He went into the house away from all the people. His followers began to ask about the picture-story. 18 He said to them, “Do you not understand yet? Do you not understand that whatever goes into a man cannot make him sinful? 19 It does not go into his heart, but into his stomach and then on out of his body.” In this way, He was saying that all food is clean. 20 He said, “Whatever comes out of a man is what makes the man sinful. 21 From the inside, out of the heart of men come bad thoughts, sex sins of a married person, sex sins of a person not married, killing other people, 22 stealing, wanting something that belongs to someone else, doing wrong, lying, having a desire for sex sins, having a mind that is always looking for sin, speaking against God, thinking you are better than you are and doing foolish things. 23 All these bad things come from the inside and make the man sinful.”
11 O Lord, You will not keep Your loving-pity from me. Your loving-kindness and Your truth will always keep me safe. 12 Too many troubles gather around me. My sins have taken such a hold on me that I am not able to see. There are more of them than there are hairs on my head. And the strength of my heart has left me.
13 Be pleased to save me, O Lord. Hurry, O Lord, to help me. 14 Let all who want to destroy my life be ashamed and troubled. Let those who want to hurt me be turned away without honor. 15 Let those who say to me, “O! O!” be filled with fear because of their shame. 16 But let all who look for You have joy and be glad in You. Let those who love Your saving power always say, “The Lord be honored!” 17 Because I suffer and am in need, let the Lord think of me. You are my help and the One Who sets me free. O my God, do not wait.
13 Wisdom is found on the lips of him who has understanding, but a stick is for the back of him who has no understanding.
14 Wise men store up learning, but the foolish will be destroyed with their mouths.
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