Feb 25th

But whatever is in the seas and in the rivers that does not have fins and scales among all the swarming life of the water, and among all the living creatures that are in the water, they are detestable things to you,

and they shall be detestable to you; you may not eat of their flesh, and their carcasses you shall detest.

Whatever in the water does not have fins and scales is detestable to you.

‘These, moreover, you shall detest among the birds; they shall not be eaten; they are detestable: the eagle and the vulture and the buzzard,

and the kite and the falcon in its kind,

every raven in its kind,

and the ostrich and the owl and the gull and the hawk in its kind,

and the little owl and the cormorant and the great owl,

and the white owl and the pelican and the carrion vulture,

and the stork, the heron in its kinds, and the hoopoe, and the bat.

‘All the swarming things that fly and that walk on all fours are detestable to you.

Yet these you may eat among all the swarming things that fly and that walk on all fours: those which have above their feet jointed legs with which to jump on the earth.

These of them you may eat: the locust in its kinds and the devastating locust in its kinds and the cricket in its kinds and the grasshopper in its kinds.

But all other swarming things that fly and that are four-footed are detestable to you.

‘By these, moreover, you will be made unclean: whoever touches their carcasses becomes unclean until evening,

and whoever picks up any of their carcasses shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening.

Concerning all the animals which divide the hoof but do not make a split hoof or which do not chew cud, they are unclean to you: whoever touches them becomes unclean.

Also whatever walks on its paws, among all the creatures that walk on all fours, are unclean to you; whoever touches their carcasses becomes unclean until evening,

and the one who picks up their carcasses shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening; they are unclean to you.

‘Now these are to you the unclean among the swarming things which swarm on the earth: the mole and the mouse and the great lizard in its kinds,

and the gecko and the crocodile and the lizard and the sand reptile and the chameleon.

These are to you the unclean among all the swarming things; whoever touches them when they are dead becomes unclean until evening.

Also anything on which one of them may fall when they are dead becomes unclean, including any wooden article or clothing or a skin or a sack—any article by which work is done—it shall be put in the water and be unclean until evening, then it becomes clean.

As for any earthenware vessel into which one of them may fall, whatever is in it becomes unclean, and you shall break the vessel.

Any of the food which may be eaten, on which water comes, shall become unclean, and any liquid which may be drunk in every vessel shall become unclean.

Everything, moreover, on which part of their carcass may fall becomes unclean; an oven or a stove shall be smashed; they are unclean and shall continue as unclean to you.

Nevertheless a spring or a cistern collecting water shall be clean, though the one who touches their carcass shall be unclean.

And if a part of their carcass falls on any seed for sowing which is to be sown, it is clean.

Though if water is put on the seed and a part of their carcass falls on it, it is unclean to you.

‘Also if one of the animals dies which you have for food, the one who touches its carcass becomes unclean until evening.

He too, who eats some of its carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening, and the one who picks up its carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening.

‘Now every swarming thing that swarms on the earth is detestable; it shall not be eaten.

Whatever goes on its belly, and whatever goes on all fours, whatever has many feet, in respect to every swarming thing that swarms on the earth, you shall not eat them, for they are detestable.

Do not render yourselves detestable through any of the swarming things that swarm; and you shall not make yourselves unclean with them so that you become unclean.

For I am Yahweh your God. Therefore, set yourselves apart as holy and be holy, for I am holy. And you shall not make yourselves unclean with any of the swarming things that move on the earth.

For I am Yahweh who brought you up from the land of Egypt to be your God; thus you shall be holy, for I am holy.’ ”

This is the law regarding the animal and the bird and every living thing that moves in the waters and everything that swarms on the earth,

to separate between the unclean and the clean, and between the edible creature and the creature which is not to be eaten.

Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

“Speak to the sons of Israel, saying:

‘When a woman gives birth and bears a male child, then she shall be unclean for seven days, as in the days of her menstruation she shall be unclean.

Now on the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised.

Then she shall remain in the blood of her cleansing for thirty-three days; she shall not touch any holy thing; and she shall not enter the sanctuary until the days of her cleansing are fulfilled.

But if she bears a female child, then she shall be unclean for two weeks, as in her menstruation; and she shall remain in the blood of her cleansing for sixty-six days.

‘When the days of her cleansing are fulfilled, for a son or for a daughter, she shall bring to the priest at the doorway of the tent of meeting a one year old lamb for a burnt offering and a young pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering.

Then he shall bring it near before Yahweh and make atonement for her, and she shall be cleansed from the flow of her blood. This is the law for her who bears a child, whether a male or a female.

But if she cannot afford a lamb, then she shall take two turtledoves or two young pigeons, the one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering; and the priest shall make atonement for her, and she will be clean.’ ”

Then Yahweh spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying,

“When a man has on the skin of his body a swelling or a scab or a bright spot, and it becomes an infection of leprosy on the skin of his body, then he shall be brought to Aaron the priest or to one of his sons the priests.

Then the priest shall look at the mark on the skin of the body, and if the hair in the infection has turned white and the infection appears to be deeper than the skin of his body, it is an infection of leprosy; when the priest has looked at him, he shall pronounce him unclean.

But if the bright spot is white on the skin of his body, and it does not appear to be deeper than the skin, and the hair on it has not turned white, then the priest shall isolate him who has the infection for seven days.

Then the priest shall look at him on the seventh day, and if in his eyes the infection has not changed and the infection has not spread on the skin, then the priest shall isolate him for seven more days.

And the priest shall look at him again on the seventh day, and if the infection has faded and the mark has not spread on the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him clean; it is only a scab. And he shall wash his clothes and be clean.

“But if the scab spreads farther on the skin after he has shown himself to the priest for his cleansing, he shall appear again to the priest.

And the priest shall look, and if the scab has spread on the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean; it is leprosy.

“When the infection of leprosy is on a man, then he shall be brought to the priest.

The priest shall then look, and if there is a white swelling in the skin, and it has turned the hair white, and there is raw flesh still alive in the swelling,

it is a chronic leprosy on the skin of his body, and the priest shall pronounce him unclean; he shall not isolate him, for he is unclean.

But if the leprosy breaks out farther on the skin, and the leprosy covers all the skin of him who has the infection from his head even to his feet, as far as the priest can see,

then the priest shall look, and behold, if the leprosy has covered all his body, he shall pronounce clean him who has the infection; it has all turned white, and he is clean.

But whenever raw flesh appears on him, he shall be unclean.

And the priest shall look at the raw flesh, and he shall pronounce him unclean; the raw flesh is unclean; it is leprosy.

Or if the raw flesh turns again and is changed to white, then he shall come to the priest,

and the priest shall look at him, and behold, if the infection has turned to white, then the priest shall pronounce clean him who has the infection; he is clean.

For Herod himself had sent and had John arrested and bound in prison on account of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, because he had married her.

For John had been saying to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.”

Now Herodias was holding a grudge against him and was wanting to put him to death and was not able;

for Herod was afraid of John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he was keeping him safe. And when he heard him, he was very perplexed; but he used to enjoy listening to him.

And a strategic day came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his great men and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee;

and when the daughter of Herodias herself came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his dinner guests; and the king said to the girl, “Ask me for whatever you want and I will give it to you.”

And he swore to her, “Whatever you ask of me, I will give it to you; up to half of my kingdom.”

And she went out and said to her mother, “What shall I ask for?” And she said, “The head of John the Baptist.”

And immediately she came in a hurry to the king and asked, saying, “I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.”

And although the king was very sorry, yet because of his oaths and because of his dinner guests, he did not want to refuse her.

And immediately the king sent an executioner and commanded him to bring back his head. And he went and beheaded him in the prison,

and brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl; and the girl gave it to her mother.

And when his disciples heard this, they came and took away his body and laid it in a tomb.

And the apostles *gathered together with Jesus; and they reported to Him all that they had done and taught.

And He *said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” (For there were many people coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.)

And they went away in the boat to a desolate place by themselves.

And the people saw them going, and many recognized them and ran there together on foot from all the cities, and got there ahead of them.

And when Jesus went ashore, He saw a large crowd, and He felt compassion for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and He began to teach them many things.

And when it was already quite late, His disciples came to Him and began saying, “This place is desolate and it is already quite late;

send them away so that they may go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.”

But He answered and said to them, “You give them something to eat!” And they *said to Him, “Shall we go and spend two hundred denarii on bread and give them something to eat?”

And He *said to them, “How many loaves do you have? Go look!” And when they found out, they *said, “Five, and two fish.”

And He commanded them all to sit down by groups on the green grass.

And they sat down in groups of hundreds and of fifties.

And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up toward heaven, He blessed the food and broke the loaves. And He kept giving them to the disciples to set before them, and He divided up the two fish among them all.

And they all ate and were satisfied,

and they picked up twelve full baskets of the broken pieces, and also of the fish.

And there were five thousand men who ate the loaves.