The Daily Audio Bible
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Laws about Right Living
19 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Say to all the people of Israel, ‘Be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy. 3 Every one of you must have respect for his mother and his father. And keep My Days of Rest. I am the Lord your God. 4 Do not turn to false gods or make gods for yourselves. I am the Lord your God.
5 ‘When you give the Lord a peace gift, give it so you will be pleasing Him. 6 It will be eaten the same day you give it, and the next day. But what is left until the third day will be burned with fire. 7 If it is eaten at all on the third day, it is a sin. It will not be received. 8 Every one who eats it will carry his guilt. For he has made the holy thing of the Lord sinful. That person will not be among God’s people.
9 ‘When you pick the food of your land at gathering time, do not pick all the way to the corners of your field. And do not gather the food left on the ground there after you have picked. 10 Do not gather what is left among your vines, or gather the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for those in need and for the stranger. I am the Lord your God.
11 ‘Do not steal. Be honest in what you do. Do not lie to one another. 12 Do not lie when you make a promise in My name, and so put the name of your God to shame. I am the Lord.
13 ‘Do not make it hard for your neighbor or rob him. You should not keep the pay of a man who works for you until the next morning. 14 Do not say bad things against a man who cannot hear. Do not put something in the way of a man who cannot see. But fear your God. I am the Lord.
15 ‘Be fair in how you judge. Do not show favor to the poor or to the great. Be fair in how you judge your neighbor. 16 Do not go around saying things that hurt your people. Do not do things against the life of your neighbor. I am the Lord.
17 ‘In your heart do not hate someone from your own country. You may speak sharp words to your neighbor, but do not sin because of him. 18 Do not hurt someone who has hurt you. Do not keep on hating the sons of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.
19 ‘Keep My Laws. Do not let your cattle have young by a different kind. Do not plant your field with two kinds of seed. Do not wear clothing made of two kinds of cloth. 20 If a man lies with a woman who is a servant, promised to another man, but has not been paid for or made free, they must be punished. But they will not be put to death, because she was not free. 21 He will bring his guilt gift to the Lord at the door of the meeting tent. A ram will be used for the guilt gift before the Lord. 22 With it the religious leader will go through the worship of washing to take away the man’s sin, and he will be forgiven for the sin he has done.
23 ‘When you come into the land and plant all kinds of trees for food, think of their fruit as being something you should not touch. You should not touch it for three years. It must not be eaten. 24 But in the fourth year all their fruit will be holy, a gift of praise to the Lord. 25 In the fifth year you may eat of their fruit, so they may give more food for you. I am the Lord your God.
26 ‘Do not eat anything with the blood in it. Do not tell the future or do witchcraft. 27 Do not cut the hair on the side of your head or face. 28 Do not make any cuts on your body for the dead. Do not burn any pictures that will stay on your body. I am the Lord.
29 ‘Do not put your daughter to shame by making her sell the use of her body. Or the land will become full of shame and sin. 30 Keep My Days of Rest and honor My holy place. I am the Lord.
31 ‘Do not ask what you should do from those who speak with bad spirits or talk to the dead. Do not find them or you will be unclean. I am the Lord your God.
32 ‘Show respect to the person with white hair. Honor an older person and you will honor your God. I am the Lord.
33 ‘If a stranger lives with you in your land, do not do wrong to him. 34 You should act toward the stranger who lives among you as you would toward one born among you. Love him as you love yourself. For you were strangers in the land of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.
35 ‘Do not lie about the weight or price of anything. 36 Always tell the truth about it. I am the Lord your God, Who brought you out of the land of Egypt. 37 Keep all My Laws and do all that I tell you. I am the Lord.’”
Punishment for Those Who Do Not Obey the Law
20 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Say to the people of Israel, ‘Any man of Israel or of the strangers living in Israel, who gives any of his children to the false god Molech, must be put to death. The people of the land will kill him with stones. 3 I Myself will go against that man and he will not be numbered among God’s people, because he has given some of his children to Molech, making My holy place sinful and bringing shame on My holy name. 4 If the people of the land close their eyes when a man gives any of his children to Molech, and do not put him to death, 5 then I Myself will go against that man and his family. They will not be numbered among God’s people, and all who follow him to sell themselves to Molech.
6 ‘I will go against the person who turns to those who speak with bad spirits and talk to the dead. In doing this, he sells himself to them. He will not be numbered among God’s people. 7 So you should set yourselves apart and be holy. For I am the Lord your God. 8 Keep My Laws and live by them. I am the Lord Who sets you apart.
9 ‘If there is anyone who curses his father or mother, he will for sure be put to death. Because he has cursed his father or mother, his blood will be on his own head.
10 ‘If a man does sex sins with another man’s wife, even his friend’s wife, both the sinful man and woman must be put to death. 11 If a man lies with his father’s wife, he has put his father to shame. Both of the guilty ones must be put to death. They will suffer for their own sin. 12 If a man lies with his daughter-in-law, both of them must be put to death. They have done a bad sex sin. They will suffer for their own sin. 13 If a man lies with a male as if he were a woman, both of them have done a very sinful act. They must be put to death. They will suffer for their own sin. 14 If a man marries a woman and her mother, it is sin. Both he and they will be burned with fire, so this kind of sin will not be among you. 15 If a man lies with an animal, he must be put to death. Kill the animal also. 16 If a woman goes near any animal to have sex with it, you must kill the woman and the animal. They must be put to death. They will suffer for their own sin.
17 ‘If a man takes his sister, his father’s or mother’s daughter, and he sees her without clothes on and she sees him, it is a shame. They will be punished in front of their people. He has taken off his sister’s clothes. He will suffer for his own sin. 18 If a man lies with a woman who has a flow of blood, and takes her clothes off, he has made her flow to show. And she has shown the flow of her blood. So both of them will not be numbered among God’s people. 19 Do not take the clothes off your mother’s sister or father’s sister. For that is putting to shame one of your own family. They will suffer for their own sin. 20 If a man lies with the wife of his father’s or mother’s brother, he has put to shame his father’s or mother’s brother. They will suffer for their own sin. They will die without children. 21 If a man takes his brother’s wife, it is sin. He has put his brother to shame. They will have no children.
11 The proud religious law-keepers came and began to ask Him for something special to see from heaven. They wanted to trap Jesus. 12 He breathed deep within and said, “Why do the people of this day look for something special to see? For sure, I tell you, the people of this day will have nothing special to see from heaven.” 13 Then He left them. He got in the boat and went to the other side of the sea.
Jesus Shows That the Teaching of the Proud Religious Law-Keepers Is Wrong (A)
14 The followers had forgotten to take bread, only one loaf was in the boat. 15 He said to them, “Look out! Have nothing to do with the yeast of the proud religious law-keepers and of Herod.” 16 They talked about it among themselves. They said, “He said this because we forgot to bring bread.” 17 Jesus knew what they were thinking. He said to them, “Why are you talking among yourselves about forgetting to bring bread? Do you not understand? Is it not plain to you? Are your hearts still hard? 18 You have eyes, do you not see? You have ears, do you not hear? Do you not remember? 19 When I divided the five loaves of bread among the five thousand, how many baskets full of pieces did you pick up?” They said, “Twelve.” 20 “When I divided the seven loaves of bread among the four thousand, how many baskets full of pieces did you pick up?” They said, “Seven.” 21 Then He asked, “Why do you not understand yet?”
Jesus Heals a Blind Man
22 Then they came to the town of Bethsaida. Some people brought a blind man to Jesus. They asked if He would touch him. 23 He took the blind man by the hand out of town. Then He spit on the eyes of the blind man and put His hands on him. He asked, “Do you see anything?” 24 The blind man looked up and said, “I see some men. They look like trees, walking.” 25 Jesus put His hands on the man’s eyes again and told him to look up. Then he was healed and saw everything well. 26 Jesus sent him to his home and said, “Do not go into the town, *or tell it to anyone there.”
Peter Says Jesus Is the Christ (B)
27 Jesus and His followers went from there to the towns of Caesarea Philippi. As they went, He asked His followers, “Who do people say that I am?” 28 They answered, “Some say John the Baptist and some say Elijah and others say one of the early preachers.” 29 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter said, “You are the Christ.” 30 He told them with strong words that they should tell no one about Him.
Jesus Tells of His Death for the First Time (C)
31 He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things. He told them that the leaders and the religious leaders of the Jews and the teachers of the Law would have nothing to do with Him. He told them He would be killed and three days later He would be raised from the dead.
32 He had said this in plain words. Peter took Him away from the others and began to speak sharp words to Him. 33 Jesus turned around. He looked at His followers and spoke sharp words to Peter. He said, “Get behind Me, Satan! Your thoughts are not thoughts from God but from men.”
Giving Up Self and One’s Own Desires
34 Jesus called the people and His followers to Him. He said to them, “If anyone wants to be My follower, he must give up himself and his own desires. He must take up his cross and follow Me. 35 If anyone wants to keep his own life safe, he will lose it. If anyone gives up his life because of Me and because of the Good News, he will save it. 36 For what does a man have if he gets all the world and loses his own soul? 37 What can a man give to buy back his soul? 38 Whoever is ashamed of Me and My Words among the sinful people of this day, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in the shining-greatness of His Father and His holy angels.”
42 As the deer desires rivers of water, so my soul desires You, O God. 2 My soul is thirsty for God, for the living God. When will I come and meet with God? 3 My tears have been my food day and night, while men say to me all day long, “Where is your God?” 4 These things I remember, and I pour out my soul within me. For I used to go with many people and lead them to the house of God, with the voice of thankful joy, among the many happy people.
5 Why are you sad, O my soul? Why have you become troubled within me? Hope in God, for I will praise Him again for His help of being near me. 6 O my God, my soul is troubled within me. So I remember You from the land of the Jordan and the tops of Hermon, from Mount Mizar. 7 Sea calls to sea at the sound of Your waterfalls. All Your waves have rolled over me. 8 The Lord will send His loving-kindness in the day. And His song will be with me in the night, a prayer to the God of my life.
9 I will say to God my Rock, “Why have You forgotten me? Why do I have sorrow because those who hate me come against me with power?” 10 As a breaking of my bones, those who hate me speak sharp words to me. All day long they say to me, “Where is your God?” 11 Why are you sad, O my soul? Why have you become troubled within me? Hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my help and my God.
17 He who listens to teaching is on the path of life, but he who will not listen to strong words goes the wrong way.
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