31. Emor

Parasha 31: Emor

Leviticus 21:1–24:23 (LEB)

Regulations Concerning Priests

21 Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Speak to the priests, Aaron’s sons, and say to them, ‘One must not make himself unclean for a dead person among his own people, ² except for his direct relative closest to him: his mother and his father, and his son and his daughter, and his brother, ³ and for his sister, a virgin, who is closest to him, _⌊who has not had a husband_⌋—for her he may defile himself. ⁴ He must not make himself unclean as _⌊a kinsman by marriage_⌋, defiling himself.

⁵ “ ‘And they shall not shave bald patches on their head, and they shall not shave off the corner of their beard, and they shall not make a cut in their body. ⁶ They shall be holy to their God, and they shall not profane the name of their God, because they are bringing near the offerings made by fire to Yahweh—their God’s food—and they shall be holy.

⁷ “ ‘They shall not _⌊marry_⌋ a woman who is a prostitute and defiled, nor shall they _⌊marry_⌋ a woman divorced from her husband, because each priest is holy for his God. ⁸ And you shall consecrate him, because he is bringing near your God’s food; he shall be holy to you, since I, Yahweh, who consecrates you, am holy.

⁹ “ ‘As for the daughter of any priest, if she is defiled by prostituting, she is disgracing her father—she shall be burned in the fire.

¹⁰ “ ‘As for the priest who is higher than his brothers, on whose head the oil of anointment is poured and _⌊he was ordained_⌋ to wear the garments, he shall not dishevel his head, and he shall not tear his garments. ¹¹ And he shall not go near any dead person, nor shall he make himself unclean for his father or for his mother. ¹² And he shall not go out from the sanctuary, and he shall not profane his God’s sanctuary, because the dedication of his God’s oil of anointment is on him; I am Yahweh.

¹³ “ ‘And he himself must take a wife in her virginity. ¹⁴ A widow or a divorced woman or a defiled woman, a prostitute—these he must not take; he shall take only a virgin from his people as wife. ¹⁵ And he shall not profane his offspring among his people, because I am Yahweh, who consecrates him.’ ”

¹⁶ Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, ¹⁷ “Speak to Aaron, saying, ‘A man from your offspring throughout their generations, in whom is a physical defect, shall not come near to present your God’s food. ¹⁸ Indeed, any man in whom is a physical defect shall not come near: a blind man or lame or disfigured or deformed, ¹⁹ or a man in whom is a broken foot or a broken hand, ²⁰ or a hunchback or a dwarf, or a spot in his eye or a skin disorder or a skin eruption or a crushed testicle. ²¹ Any man from Aaron the priest’s offspring in whom is a physical defect shall not come near to present offerings made by fire to Yahweh; a physical defect is in him; he shall not come near to present his God’s food. ²² He may eat his God’s food, from _⌊the most holy things_⌋ and from the holy things. ²³ But he must not enter the curtain, and he must not come near to the altar, because a physical defect is in him, and he must not profane my sanctuary, because I am Yahweh, who consecrates them.’ ”

²⁴ Thus Moses spoke to Aaron and to his sons and to all the _⌊Israelites_⌋.

Priests and Their Food

22 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, ² “Tell Aaron and his sons that they must deal respectfully with the _⌊Israelites_⌋’ votive offerings, and they must not profane my holy name, which they are consecrating to me; I am Yahweh.

³ “Say to them, ‘Throughout your generations, any man from any of your offspring who comes near the votive offerings that the _⌊Israelites_⌋ consecrate to Yahweh with his uncleanness on him, that person shall be cut off from _⌊before me_⌋; I am Yahweh.

⁴ “ ‘_⌊Anyone_⌋ from Aaron’s offspring, if he is afflicted with a skin disease or a fluid discharge, shall not eat in the sanctuary _⌊until_⌋ he is clean; and the one who touches any unclean person or a man from whom an emission of semen goes out, ⁵ or a man who touches any swarmer that is unclean for him or who touches a person who is unclean for him _⌊due to_⌋ whatever his uncleanness, ⁶ a person who touches such a thing shall be unclean until the evening, and he shall not eat from the votive offerings, except when he washes his body with water ⁷ and _⌊the sun sets_⌋, and he shall be clean; then afterward he may eat from the votive offerings, because it is his food. ⁸ He shall not eat a naturally dead body or a mangled carcass, _⌊so that he becomes unclean_⌋ by it; I am Yahweh.

⁹ “ ‘And they shall keep my obligation, and they shall not incur guilt because of it, so that they die through it, because they have profaned it; I am Yahweh who consecrates them.

¹⁰ “ ‘_⌊No stranger shall eat_⌋ the votive offering; nor shall a temporary resident with a priest or a hired worker eat the votive offering. ¹¹ But a priest, if with his money he buys a person as _⌊his possession_⌋, that one may eat it, and the descendants of his house themselves may eat his food. ¹² And a priest’s daughter, when _⌊she marries a layman_⌋, she herself may not eat _⌊the votive offering_⌋. ¹³ But a priest’s daughter, when she becomes a widow or divorced or there is no offspring for her, and she returns to her father’s house as in her childhood, she may eat from her father’s food, but _⌊no layman may eat it_⌋. ¹⁴ And if a man eats the votive offering unintentionally, then he shall add to it a fifth of it, and he shall give the votive offering to the priest. ¹⁵ And they shall not profane the _⌊Israelites_⌋’ votive offerings that they present to Yahweh, ¹⁶ and so cause them, by their eating their votive offerings, to bear guilt requiring a guilt offering, because I am Yahweh, who consecrates them.’ ”

Acceptable Offerings

¹⁷ Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, ¹⁸ “Speak to Aaron and to his sons and to all the _⌊Israelites_⌋, and say to them, ‘Anyone from the house of Israel or from the alien in Israel who presents his offering for any of their vows or for any of their freewill offerings that they present to Yahweh as a burnt offering, ¹⁹ it must be without defect _⌊to be acceptable for you_⌋: a male among the cattle, among the sheep, or among the goats. ²⁰ You shall not present any animal in which is a physical defect, because it shall not be _⌊acceptable_⌋ for you. ²¹ And if anyone brings a sacrifice of fellowship offerings for Yahweh to fulfill a vow or as a freewill offering from the cattle or from the flock, it must be without defect _⌊to be acceptable_⌋; there must not be any physical defect in it. ²² The blind or the injured or the maimed or the seeping or one with a skin disorder or one with a skin eruption—these you shall not present to Yahweh, nor shall you give from them an offering made by fire on the altar for Yahweh. ²³ As for an ox or sheep that is deformed or that is stunted, you may present it as a freewill offering, but for a vow it will not be accepted. ²⁴ And you shall not present anything for Yahweh with bruised or shattered or torn or cut-off testicles, and you shall not _⌊sacrifice_⌋ such in your land. ²⁵ And you shall not present your God’s food from any of these by the hand of _⌊a foreigner_⌋, because their deformity is in them; a physical defect is in them; they shall not be accepted for you.’ ”

²⁶ Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, ²⁷ “When an ox or a sheep or a goat is born, then it shall be under its mother for seven days, and from the eighth day and beyond it is acceptable as an offering made by fire for Yahweh. ²⁸ And you shall not slaughter an ox or a sheep and _⌊its young_⌋ on _⌊the same day_⌋. ²⁹ And when you sacrifice a sacrifice of thanksgiving to Yahweh, you must sacrifice it to be acceptable for you. ³⁰ It must be eaten on that day; you must not leave over anything from it until morning; I am Yahweh.

³¹ “Thus you shall keep my commands, and you shall do them; I am Yahweh.

³² “And you shall not profane my holy name, so that I may be consecrated in the midst of the _⌊Israelites_⌋; I am Yahweh, who consecrates you, ³³ the one who brought you out from the land of Egypt to be as God for you; I am Yahweh.”

Yahweh’s Feasts

23 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, ² “Speak to the _⌊Israelites_⌋, and say to them, ‘The festivals of Yahweh that you shall proclaim are holy assemblies; these are my appointed times.

Yahweh’s Sabbath

³ “ ‘For six days work is to be done, and on the seventh day shall be _⌊a Sabbath of complete rest_⌋, a holy assembly; you shall not do any work; it shall be a Sabbath for Yahweh in all your dwellings.

The Passover

⁴ “ ‘These are Yahweh’s appointed times, holy assemblies, which you shall proclaim at their appointed time. ⁵ In the first month, on the fourteenth of the month at the evening is Yahweh’s Passover. ⁶ And on the fifteenth day of this month is Yahweh’s Feast of Unleavened Bread; for seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. ⁷ On the first day there shall be a holy assembly for you; you shall not do _⌊any regular work_⌋. ⁸ And you shall present an offering for Yahweh made by fire for seven days; on the seventh day there shall be a holy assembly; you shall not do _⌊any regular work_⌋.’ ”

The Feast of Firstfruits

⁹ Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, ¹⁰ “Speak to the _⌊Israelites_⌋, and say to them, ‘When you come to the land that I am about to give to you and you reap its harvest, then you shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruit of your harvest to the priest. ¹¹ And he shall wave the sheaf _⌊before_⌋ Yahweh for your acceptance; the priest shall wave it _⌊on the day after_⌋ the Sabbath. ¹² And on the day of your waving the sheaf you shall _⌊offer_⌋ a _⌊yearling_⌋ male lamb without defect as a burnt offering to Yahweh. ¹³ And its grain offering shall be two-tenths of an ephah of finely milled flour mixed with oil, an offering made by fire for Yahweh, an appeasing fragrance; and its libation shall be a fourth of a hin of wine. ¹⁴ And you shall not eat bread or roasted grain or ripe grain until _⌊this very same day_⌋, until you present your God’s offering. This must be _⌊a lasting statute_⌋ for your generations in all your dwellings.

The Feast of Weeks

¹⁵ “ ‘And you shall count for yourselves _⌊from the day after_⌋ the Sabbath, from the day of your bringing the wave offering’s sheaf—there shall be seven full weeks. ¹⁶ Until _⌊the day after_⌋ the seventh Sabbath you shall count fifty days; then you shall present a new grain offering for Yahweh. ¹⁷ You shall bring from your dwellings for a wave offering two loaves of bread _⌊made with_⌋ two-tenths of an ephah of finely milled flour; they must be baked with leaven—the firstfruits _⌊belonging to_⌋ Yahweh. ¹⁸ And, in addition to the bread, you shall present seven _⌊yearling_⌋ male lambs without defects and one _⌊young bull_⌋ and two rams—they shall be a burnt offering for Yahweh with their grain offering and their libations, an offering made by fire, an appeasing fragrance for Yahweh. ¹⁹ And you shall _⌊offer_⌋ one he-goat as a sin offering and two _⌊yearling_⌋ male lambs as a sacrifice of fellowship offerings. ²⁰ And the priest shall wave them with the bread of the firstfruits as a wave offering _⌊before_⌋ Yahweh; in addition to the two male lambs, they shall be holy for Yahweh for the priest. ²¹ And _⌊you shall make a proclamation_⌋ on _⌊this very same day_⌋; it shall be a holy assembly for you; you shall not do _⌊any regular work_⌋; this is a _⌊lasting statute_⌋ in all your dwellings throughout your generations. ²² And when you reap the harvest of your land, you must not finish the edge of your field at your reaping, and you must not glean the remnants of your harvest—you shall leave them behind for the needy and for the alien; I am Yahweh your God.’ ”

The Feast of Trumpets

²³ Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, ²⁴ “Speak to the _⌊Israelites_⌋, saying, ‘In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, _⌊you must have_⌋ a rest period, a remembrance of the trumpet blast, a holy assembly. ²⁵ You must not do _⌊any regular work_⌋, and you shall present an offering made by fire to Yahweh.’ ”

The Day of Atonement

²⁶ Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, ²⁷ “Surely the Day of Atonement is on the tenth day of the seventh month; it shall be a holy assembly for you, and you shall deny yourselves, and you shall present an offering made by fire to Yahweh. ²⁸ And you must not do _⌊any regular work_⌋ on _⌊this very same day_⌋, because it is the Day of Atonement to make atonement for you _⌊before_⌋ Yahweh your God. ²⁹ If there is any person who does not deny himself on _⌊this very same day_⌋, then he shall be cut off from his people. ³⁰ As for any person who does any work on _⌊this very same day_⌋, I will exterminate that person from the midst of his people. ³¹ You must not do any work; it is a _⌊lasting statute_⌋ throughout your generations in all your dwellings. ³² It is _⌊a Sabbath of complete rest_⌋ for you, and you shall deny yourselves on the ninth day of the month in the evening—from evening to evening you must observe your extraordinary Sabbath.”

The Feast of Booths

³³ Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, ³⁴ “Speak to the _⌊Israelites_⌋, saying, ‘On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, this shall be the Feast of Booths for seven days for Yahweh. ³⁵ On the first day there shall be a holy assembly; you must not do any _⌊regular work_⌋. ³⁶ For seven days you must present an offering made by fire to Yahweh. On the eighth day it shall be a holy assembly for you, and you shall present an offering made by fire to Yahweh; it is a celebration; you must not do _⌊any regular work_⌋.

Summary

³⁷ “ ‘These are Yahweh’s festivals, which you must proclaim, holy assemblies to present an offering made by fire to Yahweh—burnt offering and grain offering, sacrifice and libations, _⌊each on its proper day_⌋— ³⁸ _⌊besides_⌋ Yahweh’s Sabbaths and _⌊besides_⌋ your gifts and _⌊besides_⌋ your vows and _⌊besides_⌋ all your freewill offerings that you give to Yahweh.

³⁹ “ ‘Surely on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, at your gathering the land’s produce, you shall hold Yahweh’s festival for seven days; on the first day there shall be a rest period and on the eighth day a rest period. ⁴⁰ And on the first day you shall take for yourselves the first fruit of majestic trees, branches of palm trees and branches of a leafy tree and of a brook’s poplar trees, and you shall rejoice _⌊before_⌋ Yahweh your God for seven days. ⁴¹ And you must hold it as a festival for Yahweh for seven days in the year; it shall be a _⌊lasting statute_⌋ throughout your generations; in the seventh month you must hold it. ⁴² You must live in the booths for seven days; all the natives in Israel must live in the booths, ⁴³ so that your generations shall know that I made the _⌊Israelites_⌋ live in booths when I brought them from the land of Egypt; I am Yahweh your God.’ ”

⁴⁴ Thus Moses announced to the _⌊Israelites_⌋ Yahweh’s appointed times.

The Sanctuary’s Lamp and Bread

24 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, ² “Command the _⌊Israelites_⌋ that they should bring to you pure olive oil from beaten olives for the light to _⌊present_⌋ a lamp continually. ³ Aaron shall arrange for it _⌊outside_⌋ the curtain of the testimony in the tent of assembly from evening until morning _⌊before_⌋ Yahweh continually; it shall be a _⌊lasting statute_⌋ throughout your generations. ⁴ On the pure golden lampstand he shall arrange for the lamps _⌊before_⌋ Yahweh continually.

⁵ “And you shall take finely milled flour, and you shall bake with it twelve ring-shaped bread cakes: each one shall be two-tenths of an ephah. ⁶ And you shall place them in two rows, six to the row, on the pure gold table _⌊before_⌋ Yahweh. ⁷ And you shall put pure frankincense on each row so that it shall be for the bread as a memorial offering, an offering made by fire for Yahweh. ⁸ _⌊On every Sabbath_⌋ he shall arrange it in rows _⌊before_⌋ Yahweh continually; they are from the _⌊Israelites_⌋ as an everlasting covenant. ⁹ And it shall be for Aaron and for his sons, and they shall eat it in a holy place, because it is _⌊a most holy thing_⌋ for him from Yahweh’s offerings made by fire—a _⌊lasting rule_⌋.”

Punishment for Blasphemy

¹⁰ And an Israelite woman’s son, and he was an Egyptian man’s son, went out in the midst of the _⌊Israelites_⌋; and the Israelite woman’s son and an Israelite man fought in the camp. ¹¹ Then the Israelite woman’s son blasphemed the name, and he cursed, so they brought him to Moses—and the name of his mother was Shelomith the daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan. ¹² Then they put him in custody _⌊so that_⌋ the matter might be made clear to them in accordance with the mouth of Yahweh.

¹³ Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, ¹⁴ “Bring the curser _⌊outside the camp_⌋, and all the hearers shall place their hands on his head, and the whole community shall stone him. ¹⁵ And you shall speak to the _⌊Israelites_⌋, saying, ‘_⌊Any man_⌋ when he curses his God shall bear his sin. ¹⁶ And he who blasphemes Yahweh’s name certainly shall be put to death; the whole community certainly shall stone him. As the alien, so the native shall be put to death at blaspheming his name.

¹⁷ “ ‘And when a man kills any human being, he certainly shall be put to death. ¹⁸ And _⌊he who kills_⌋ a domestic animal must repay for it life in place of life. ¹⁹ And when a man _⌊causes_⌋ a physical defect in his fellow citizen _⌊according to_⌋ what he has done, so it shall be done to him: ²⁰ fracture in place of fracture, eye in place of eye, tooth in place of tooth—_⌊according to_⌋ the physical defect he _⌊causes_⌋ to the person, likewise it shall be _⌊caused_⌋ to him. ²¹ And a killer of a domestic animal must repay for it, and a killer of a human shall be put to death. ²² _⌊You must have_⌋ one norm; as for the alien, so it must be for the native, because I am Yahweh your God.’ ”

²³ Thus Moses spoke to the _⌊Israelites_⌋, and they brought the curser _⌊outside the camp_⌋, and they stoned him with stones, and the _⌊Israelites_⌋ did just as Yahweh had commanded Moses.

PROPHETS

Ezekiel 44:1–31 (LEB)

The Prince, the Levites, and the Priests Described

44 And he brought me back by the way of the outer gate of the sanctuary that is facing east, and it was shut. ² And Yahweh said to me, “This gate will be shut. It shall not be opened, and _⌊no one_⌋ will go through it, for Yahweh, the God of Israel, has entered it, and it will be shut. ³ The prince, he may sit in it to eat food _⌊before_⌋ Yahweh; he will come from the way of the portico of the gate and by means of its way he will also go out.”

⁴ Then he brought me by the way of the gate of the north to the front of the temple, and I looked, and look! The glory of Yahweh filled the temple of Yahweh, and I fell on my face. ⁵ And Yahweh said, “Son of man, set your heart and look with your eyes and with your ears hear _⌊everything_⌋ I am saying to you concerning all the statutes of the temple of Yahweh and concerning all its laws, and you must listen with your heart concerning the entrance of the temple with all of the exits of the sanctuary. ⁶ And you must say to the rebellious, to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord Yahweh: “Enough for you, house of Israel, of all of your detestable things! ⁷ At your bringing _⌊foreigners_⌋ who are uncircumcised of heart and uncircumcised of flesh to be in my sanctuary to profane it, my temple, _⌊as you offered my food, fat, and blood_⌋, so you broke my covenant by all of your detestable things. ⁸ And you did not observe the responsibility of my sanctuary, but you appointed them as the keepers of my responsibility in my sanctuary for you.”

⁹ Thus says the Lord Yahweh: “Every _⌊foreigner_⌋ uncircumcised of heart and uncircumcised of flesh shall not come into my sanctuary—not any of the _⌊foreigners_⌋ who are in the midst of the _⌊Israelites_⌋. ¹⁰ _⌊But_⌋ the Levites who removed themselves from me _⌊at the going astray of Israel_⌋, who went astray from me and went after their idols, as a result they will bear their guilt. ¹¹ Then they will be in my sanctuary, those serving in my sanctuary, as sentries at the gates of the temple and as those serving the temple; they will slaughter the burnt offering and the sacrifice for the people, and they will stand _⌊before them_⌋ to serve them, ¹² _⌊because_⌋ they used to serve them _⌊before_⌋ their idols and they were for the house of Israel like a stumbling block of iniquity. Therefore _⌊I swore_⌋ concerning them,” _⌊declares_⌋ the Lord Yahweh, “that they will bear their iniquity. ¹³ And they shall not approach me to serve as a priest for me and to come near to all of my holy objects, _⌊to the most holy objects_⌋, and they will bear their disgrace and the results of their detestable things they have done. ¹⁴ And I will appoint them as the keepers of the responsibility of the temple, for all of its work and _⌊everything_⌋ which will be done in it.

¹⁵ But the Levitical priests, the descendants of Zadok, who cared for the responsibility of my sanctuary _⌊when the Israelites went astray_⌋ from me, they will approach me to serve me, and they will stand _⌊before me_⌋ to offer to me fat and blood,” _⌊declares_⌋ the Lord Yahweh. ¹⁶ “They shall come to my sanctuary, and they shall approach my table to serve me, and they will observe my requirement. ¹⁷ _⌊And then_{⌋ ⌊}when they come_⌋ to the gates of the inner courtyards, they shall put on their inner linen garments and not wear wool garments _⌊when they serve_⌋ in the gates of the inner courtyard and _⌊inside_⌋ the temple. ¹⁸ Linen turbans shall be on their head and linen undergarments shall be on their waists; they shall not gird themselves with material causing perspiration. ¹⁹ When they go out to the outer courtyard to the people, they must take off their garment in which they were serving, and they must place them _⌊in the holy chambers_⌋, and they must put on other garments, so that they will not make the people holy with their garments. ²⁰ And their head they shall not shave, or long hair they shall not let grow; short they shall clip their heads. ²¹ And no priest shall drink wine when they come into the inner courtyard. ²² And a widow or divorced woman they shall not take for themselves as wives, _⌊but only_⌋ a virgin from the offspring of the house of Israel, or the widow who is a widow for a priest they may take.

²³ And they will teach my people the difference between what is holy and what is unholy, and the difference between unclean and clean they must show them. ²⁴ And at a legal dispute they themselves shall stand to judge; employing my judgments they shall judge it, and with respect to my laws and my statutes. All my festivals they shall keep and my Sabbaths they shall consecrate. ²⁵ And _⌊near a dead person_⌋ he shall not come to be defiled, _⌊but only_⌋ for a father and for a mother and for a son and for a daughter, for a brother and for a sister _⌊who was not married_⌋ may they defile themselves. ²⁶ And, after his cleansing, they shall count for him seven days, ²⁷ and then on the day of his coming into the sanctuary to the inner courtyard to serve in the sanctuary, he shall offer his sin offering,” _⌊declares_⌋ the Lord Yahweh.

²⁸ And thus it will be to them as regards inheritance, that I am their inheritance, and so you shall not give to them property in Israel; I am their property. ²⁹ The grain offering and the sin offering and the guilt offering, they themselves may eat them, and also all the consecrated possessions in Israel will be theirs. ³⁰ And also what is first of all of the firstfruits of everything, and of all of the contribution of everything from all of your contributions, to the priest _⌊it belongs_⌋, and what is first of your dough you shall give to the priest, so that a blessing may rest on your house. ³¹ Any dead body or mangled carcass from the birds or from the animals, the priests shall not eat.”

GOSPELS

Matthew 5:1–42 (LEB)

The Sermon on the Mount: The Beatitudes

5 Now when he* saw the crowds, he went up the mountain and after he* sat down, his disciples approached him. ² And opening his mouth he began to teach them, saying,

³ “Blessed are the poor in spirit,

because theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

⁴ Blessed are the ones who mourn,

because they will be comforted.

⁵ Blessed are the meek,

because they will inherit the earth.

⁶ Blessed are the ones who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

because they will be satisfied.

⁷ Blessed are the merciful,

because they will be shown mercy.

⁸ Blessed are the pure in heart,

because they will see God.

⁹ Blessed are the peacemakers,

because they will be called sons of God.

¹⁰ Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,

because theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

¹¹ Blessed are you

when they insult you and persecute you and say all kinds of evil things against you, lying on account of me. ¹² Rejoice and be glad, because your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets before you.

The Sermon on the Mount: Salt and Light

¹³ “You are the salt of the earth. But if salt becomes tasteless, by what will it be made salty? It is good for nothing any longer except to be thrown outside and* trampled under foot by people. ¹⁴ You are the light of the world. A city located on top of a hill cannot be hidden, ¹⁵ nor do they light a lamp and place it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it shines on all those in the house. ¹⁶ In the same way let your light shine before people, so that they can see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

The Sermon on the Mount: The Law and the Prophets Fulfilled

¹⁷ “Do not think that I have come to destroy the law or the prophets. I have not come to destroy them but to fulfill them. ¹⁸ For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one tiny letter or one stroke of a letter will pass away from the law until all takes place. ¹⁹ Therefore whoever abolishes one of the least of these commandments and teaches people to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever keeps them and teaches them, this person will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. ²⁰ For I say to you that unless your righteousness greatly surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter into the kingdom of heaven.

The Sermon on the Mount: Anger Toward Others

²¹ “You have heard that it was said to the _⌊people of old_⌋, ‘Do not commit murder,’ and ‘whoever commits murder will be subject to judgment.’ ²² But I say to you that everyone who is angry at his brother will be subject to judgment, and whoever says to his brother, ‘Stupid fool!’ will be subject to the council, and whoever says, ‘Obstinate fool!’ will be subject to fiery hell. ²³ Therefore if you present your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, ²⁴ leave your gift there before the altar and first go be reconciled to your brother, and then come and* present your gift. ²⁵ _⌊Settle the case quickly with your accuser_⌋ while you are with him on the way, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. ²⁶ Truly I say to you, you will never come out of there until you have paid back the last penny!

The Sermon on the Mount: Adultery and Lust

²⁷ “You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ ²⁸ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. ²⁹ And if your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it from you! For it is better for you that one of your members be destroyed than your whole body be thrown into hell. ³⁰ And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it from you! For it is better for you that one of your limbs be destroyed than your whole body go into hell.

The Sermon on the Mount: Divorce

³¹ “And it was said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’ ³² But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except for a matter of sexual immorality, causes her to commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

The Sermon on the Mount: Taking Oaths

³³ “Again you have heard that it was said to the _⌊people of old_⌋, ‘Do not swear falsely, but fulfill your oaths to the Lord.’ ³⁴ But I say to you, do not swear at all, either by heaven, because it is the throne of God, ³⁵ or by the earth, because it is the footstool of his feet, or by Jerusalem, because it is the city of the great king. ³⁶ And do not swear by your head, because you are not able to make one hair white or black. ³⁷ But let your statement be ‘Yes, yes; no, no,’ and anything beyond these is from the evil one.

The Sermon on the Mount: Retaliation

³⁸ “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ ³⁹ But I say to you, do not resist the evildoer, but whoever strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other to him also. ⁴⁰ And the one who wants to go to court with you and take your tunic, _⌊let him have_⌋ your outer garment also. ⁴¹ And whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two. ⁴² Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.