The Daily Audio Bible
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22 ‘Keep all My Laws and do what I tell you, so the land where I am bringing you to live will not spit you out. 23 Do not follow the ways of the nation which I am driving out before you. For they did all these things, and so I hated them. 24 But I have said to you, “Their land will belong to you. I Myself will give it to you for your own, a land flowing with milk and honey.” I am the Lord your God, Who has set you apart from all other peoples. 25 You are to know the difference between the clean animal and the animal that is unclean, and between the clean bird and the bird that is unclean. Do not make yourselves a sinful people with animal or bird or anything that moves on the ground, which I have set apart from you as being unclean. 26 Be holy to Me, for I the Lord am holy. I have divided you from the nations, so you belong to Me.
27 ‘A man or woman who speaks with bad spirits or who talks to the dead must be put to death. They will be killed with stones. They will suffer for their own sin.’”
How the Religious Leaders Should Live
21 The Lord said to Moses, “Say to the religious leaders, the sons of Aaron, ‘No one should make himself unclean for a dead person among his people, 2 except for his own family, his mother, father, son, daughter and brother, 3 or his young sister who is near to him because she has had no husband. For her he may make himself unclean. 4 He should not make himself unclean as a husband among his people, and so make himself sinful. 5 They should not cut all the hair from any part on their heads, or cut part of the hair off their face, or make cuts in their flesh. 6 They should be holy to their God and not put the name of their God to shame. For they give the gifts by fire to the Lord, the bread of their God. So they must be holy. 7 They should not take a woman who is unclean because of selling the use of her body. They should not take a woman who is divorced from her husband. For the religious leader is holy to his God. 8 So you must set him apart, for he gives the bread of your God. He will be holy to you. For I, the Lord Who sets you apart, am holy. 9 If the daughter of any religious leader makes herself sinful by selling the use of her body, she puts her father to shame. She will be burned with fire.
10 ‘The head religious leader on whose head the holy oil has been poured, and who has been set apart to wear the clothing, must not take the covering off his head or tear his clothes. 11 He must not go near any dead person or make himself unclean even for his father or mother. 12 He must not go out of the holy place or sin against the holy place of his God. For the crown of the holy oil of his God is on him. I am the Lord. 13 He should take a wife who has never had a man before. 14 He should not marry a woman whose husband has died, or a divorced woman, or one who has made herself sinful by selling the use of her body. But he should marry a woman from his own people, who has never had a man. 15 By doing this he will not sin against his children among his people. For I am the Lord Who makes him holy.’”
16 Then the Lord said to Moses, 17 “Say to Aaron, ‘None of your children or their children who has something wrong with his body should go near to give the bread as a gift to his God. 18 For no one whose body is not perfect should come near, no blind man, or man who cannot walk, or one with a marked face, or a bad arm or leg, 19 or a man who has a broken foot or hand, 20 or a man with a crooked upper back from birth, or a very little man, or one who has a bad eye or skin trouble or sores, or one whose sex parts have been crushed. 21 No man among the children of Aaron the religious leader, who has something wrong with his body, should come near to give the Lord’s gifts by fire. He should not come near to give the bread of his God, because he has something wrong with him. 22 He may eat the bread of his God, both of the most holy and of the holy. 23 But he should not come near the curtain or the altar, because he has something wrong with him, and so he may not sin against My holy places. For I am the Lord Who makes them holy.’” 24 So Moses spoke to Aaron and to his sons and to all the people of Israel.
22 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Tell Aaron and his sons to be careful with the holy gifts that the people of Israel set apart for Me. So they will not sin against My holy name. I am the Lord. 3 Say to them, ‘If any one of all your children comes near the holy gifts that the people of Israel set apart for the Lord, while he is unclean, he will be cut off from My holy place. I am the Lord. 4 None of the children of Aaron who has a bad skin disease or something flowing from his body may eat of the holy gifts until he is clean. If one touches anything that is unclean because of a dead body, or has had his seed come from his sex part, 5 or touches anything that is unclean that moves on the ground, or touches any man who makes him unclean, for whatever reason, 6 the man who touches any such thing will be unclean until evening. He must not eat of the holy gifts unless he has washed his body in water. 7 When the sun has gone down, he will be clean. After that he may eat of the holy gifts, for they are his food. 8 He should not eat an animal that dies of itself or is killed by wild animals. He will be unclean if he does. I am the Lord. 9 The religious leaders must obey My Law, so they will not be sinful because of it and die because they sin against My Law. I am the Lord Who makes them holy.
10 ‘But no one who is not a religious leader may eat the holy gift. One who is visiting the religious leader or working for him must not eat of the holy gift. 11 But a person whom the religious leader buys to work for him with his own money may eat of it. And those who are born in his house may eat of his food. 12 If a religious leader’s daughter is married to a man who is not a religious leader, she must not eat of the holy gifts. 13 But if a religious leader’s daughter loses her husband by death or divorce, and has no child and returns to her father’s house as when she was young, she may eat of her father’s food. But no stranger may eat of it. 14 If a man eats a holy gift by mistake, he must add a fifth of its worth to it and give the holy gift to the religious leader. 15 The religious leaders must not make the holy gifts unclean that the people of Israel give to the Lord. 16 This would bring sin upon them when they eat their holy gifts. For I am the Lord Who makes them holy.’”
A Look at What Jesus Will Be Like (A)
9 Jesus said to them, “For sure I tell you, some standing here will not die until they see the holy nation of God come with power!”
2 Six days later Jesus took Peter and James and John with Him. He led them up to a high mountain by themselves. Jesus was changed as they looked at Him. 3 His clothes did shine. They were as white as snow. No one on earth could clean them so white. 4 Moses and Elijah were seen talking to Jesus.
5 Peter said to Jesus, “Teacher, it is good for us to be here. Let us make three tents to worship in. One will be for You and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 6 Peter did not know what to say. They were very much afraid.
7 A cloud came over them and a voice from the cloud said, “This is My much-loved Son. Listen to Him.” 8 At once they looked around but saw no one there but Jesus.
9 They came down from the mountain. Then Jesus said with strong words that they should tell no one what they had seen. They should wait until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. 10 So they kept those words to themselves, talking to each other about what He meant by being raised from the dead.
11 They asked Jesus, “Why do the teachers of the Law say that Elijah must come first?” 12 He said to them, “For sure, Elijah will come first and get things ready. Is it not written that the Son of Man must suffer many things and that men will have nothing to do with Him? (B) 13 But I say to you, Elijah has already come. They did to him whatever they wanted to do. It is written that they would.”
A Boy with a Demon Is Healed (C)
14 When Jesus came back to His followers, He saw many people standing around them. The teachers of the Law were arguing with them. 15 The people saw Jesus and were surprised and ran to greet Him. 16 Jesus asked the teachers of the Law, “What are you arguing about with them?” 17 One of the people said, “Teacher, I brought my son to You. He has a demon in him and cannot talk. 18 Wherever the demon takes him, it throws him down. Spit runs from his mouth. He grinds his teeth. He is getting weaker. I asked Your followers to put the demon out but they could not.”
19 He said, “You people of this day have no faith. How long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy to Me.” 20 They brought the boy to Jesus. The demon saw Jesus and at once held the boy in his power. The boy fell to the ground with spit running from his mouth. 21 Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has he been like this?” The father said, “From the time he was a child. 22 Many times it throws him into the fire and into the water to kill him. If You can do anything to help us, take pity on us!” 23 Jesus said to him, “Why do you ask Me that? The one who has faith can do all things.” 24 At once the father cried out. He said with tears in his eyes, “Lord, I have faith. Help my weak faith to be stronger!” 25 Jesus saw that many people were gathering together in a hurry. He spoke sharp words to the demon. He said, “Demon! You who cannot speak or hear, I say to you, come out of him! Do not ever go into him again.” 26 The demon gave a cry. It threw the boy down and came out of him. The boy was so much like a dead man that people said, “He is dead!” 27 But Jesus took him by the hand and helped him and he stood up.
28 When Jesus went into the house, His followers asked Him when He was alone, “Why could we not put out the demon?” 29 He said to them, “The only way this kind of demon is put out is by prayer and by going without food so you can pray better.”
Prayer to Be Kept Safe
43 Stand by me, O God, and speak in my favor against a sinful nation. Save me from the lying and sinful man. 2 For You are the God of my strength. Why have You turned away from me? Why do I have sorrow because those who hate me come against me with power?
3 Send out Your light and Your truth. Let them lead me. Let them bring me to Your holy hill and to the places where You live. 4 Then I will go to the altar of God, the God of my joy. And I will praise You with the harp, O God, my God.
5 Why are you sad, O my soul? Why have you become troubled within me? Hope in God, for I will praise Him again, my help and my God.
18 He who hides hate has lying lips, and he who talks to hurt people is a fool.
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