The Daily Audio Bible
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Laws about Animals for Food
11 The Lord spoke again to Moses and Aaron, saying to them, 2 “Speak to the children of Israel, saying, ‘Among all the animals which are on the earth, these are the animals which you may eat.(A) 3 You may eat any animal that has a divided hoof [that is, a hoof split into two parts especially at its distal extremity] and chews the cud. 4 Nevertheless, you are not to eat these, among those which chew the cud or divide the hoof: the camel, because it chews the cud but does not divide the hoof; it is [ceremonially] unclean to you. 5 And the [a]shaphan, because it chews the cud but does not divide the hoof; it is unclean to you. 6 And the hare, because it chews the cud but does not divide the hoof; it is unclean to you. 7 And the swine, because it divides the hoof and makes a split hoof, but does not chew the cud; it is unclean to you. 8 You shall not eat their meat nor touch their carcasses; they are unclean to you.
9 ‘These you may eat, whatever is in the water: whatever has fins and scales in the waters, in the seas, and in the rivers, these you may eat; 10 but whatever does not have fins and scales in the seas and in the rivers, of all the teeming life in the waters, and of all the living creatures that are in the waters, they are [to be considered] detestable to you.(B) 11 They shall be [b]hated things to you. You may not eat their meat; you shall detest their carcasses. 12 Everything in the water that does not have fins and scales is detestable to you.
Avoid the Unclean
13 ‘These you shall detest among the birds; they are not to be eaten, for they are [c]hated things: the eagle and the vulture and the buzzard, 14 the kite, every kind of falcon, 15 every kind of raven, 16 the ostrich, the nighthawk, the sea gull, every species of hawk, 17 the little owl and the cormorant and the great owl, 18 the white owl, the pelican, the carrion vulture, 19 the stork, all kinds of heron, the hoopoe, and the bat.
20 ‘All winged insects that walk on all fours are detestable to you; 21 yet of all winged insects that walk on all fours you may eat those which have legs above their feet with which to leap on the ground. 22 Of these you may eat: the whole species of migratory locust, of bald locust, of cricket, and of grasshopper.(C) 23 But all other winged insects which are four footed are detestable to you.
24 ‘By [contact with] these you will become unclean; whoever touches their carcasses becomes unclean until the evening (dusk), 25 and whoever picks up any of their carcasses shall wash his clothes and be unclean until the evening. 26 Concerning all the animals which divide the hoof, but do not have a split hoof, or which do not chew the cud, they are unclean to you; whoever touches them becomes unclean. 27 Also all animals that walk on their paws, among all kinds of animals that walk on four legs, are unclean to you; whoever touches their carcasses becomes unclean until the evening, 28 and the one who picks up their carcasses shall wash his clothes and be unclean until the evening; they are unclean to you.
29 ‘These also are unclean to you among the swarming things that crawl around on the ground [and multiply profusely]: the mole, the mouse, and any kind of great lizard, 30 the gecko, the crocodile, the lizard, the sand reptile, and the chameleon. 31 These [creatures] are unclean to you among all that swarm; whoever touches them when they are dead becomes unclean until evening. 32 Also anything on which one of them falls after dying becomes unclean, whether it is an article of wood or clothing, or a skin, or a sack—any article that is used—it must be put in water, and will be unclean until the evening; then it becomes clean. 33 As for any earthenware container into which any of these [crawling things] falls, whatever is in it becomes unclean, and you shall break the container. 34 Any of the food which may be eaten, but on which [unclean] water falls, shall become unclean, and any liquid that may be drunk in every container shall become unclean. 35 Everything that part of their carcass falls on becomes unclean; an oven, or a small stove shall be smashed; they are unclean, and shall be unclean to you. 36 Nevertheless a spring or a cistern (reservoir) collecting water shall be clean; but whoever touches one of these carcasses shall be unclean. 37 If a part of their carcass falls on any seed for sowing which is to be sown, it is clean; 38 but if water is put on the seed and a part of their carcass falls on it, it is unclean to you.
39 ‘If one of the animals that you may eat dies [of natural causes], whoever touches its carcass becomes unclean until the evening. 40 And whoever eats some of its meat shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until evening; also whoever picks up its carcass shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the evening.
41 ‘Now everything that swarms on the ground is detestable; it is not to be eaten. 42 Whatever crawls on its belly, and whatever walks on all fours, and whatever has many feet among all things that swarm on the ground, you shall not eat; for they are detestable. 43 Do not make yourselves loathsome (impure, repulsive) by [eating] any swarming thing; you shall not make yourselves unclean by them so as to defile yourselves. 44 For I am the Lord your God; so consecrate yourselves and be holy, for I am holy. You shall not make yourselves unclean with any of the swarming things that swarm or crawls on the ground.(D) 45 For I am the Lord who brought you up from the land of Egypt to be your God; therefore you shall be holy, for I am holy.’”(E)
46 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, 47 to make a distinction between the [ceremonially] unclean and the [ceremonially] clean, and between the animal that may be eaten and the animal that may not be eaten.
Laws of Motherhood
12 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the children of Israel, saying,
‘If a woman conceives and gives birth to a male child, she shall be [ceremonially] unclean for seven days, unclean as during her monthly period. 3 On the eighth day the flesh of the male child’s foreskin shall be circumcised. 4 Then she shall remain [intimately separated] thirty-three days to be purified from the blood; she shall not touch any consecrated thing nor enter the [courtyard of the] sanctuary until the days of her purification are over. 5 But if she gives birth to a female child, then she shall be unclean for two weeks, as during her monthly period, and she shall remain [intimately separated] sixty-six days to be purified from the blood.
6 ‘When the days of her purification are completed, whether 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 as a burnt offering and a young pigeon or a turtledove as a sin offering; 7 and he shall offer it before the Lord and make atonement for her, and she shall be cleansed from the flow of her blood. This is the law for her who gives birth to a child, whether a male or a female child. 8 If she cannot afford a lamb then she shall take two turtledoves or young pigeons, one as a burnt offering, the other as a sin offering; the priest shall make atonement for her, and she will be clean.’”(F)
Miracles and Healing
21 When Jesus had again crossed over in the boat to the other side [of the sea], a large crowd gathered around Him; and so He stayed by the seashore. 22 One of the synagogue officials named Jairus came up; and seeing Him, fell at His feet(A) 23 and begged anxiously with Him, saying, “My little daughter is at the point of death; [please] come and lay Your hands on her, so that she will be healed and live.” 24 And Jesus went with him; and a large crowd followed Him and pressed in around Him [from all sides].
25 A woman [in the crowd] had [suffered from] a hemorrhage for twelve years, 26 and had endured much [suffering] at the hands of many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was not helped at all, but instead had become worse. 27 She had heard [reports] about Jesus, and she came up behind Him in the crowd and touched His outer robe. 28 For she thought, “If I just touch His clothing, I will get well.” 29 Immediately her flow of blood was dried up; and she felt in her body [and knew without any doubt] that she was healed of her suffering. 30 Immediately Jesus, recognizing in Himself that power had gone out from Him, turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched My clothes?” 31 His disciples said to Him, “You see the crowd pressing in around You [from all sides], and You ask, ‘Who touched Me?’” 32 Still He kept looking around to see the woman who had done it. 33 And the woman, though she was afraid and trembling, aware of what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth. 34 Then He said to her, “Daughter, your faith [your personal trust and confidence in Me] has restored you to health; go in peace and be [permanently] healed from your suffering.”
35 While He was still speaking, some people came from the synagogue official’s house, saying [to Jairus], “Your daughter has died; why bother the Teacher any longer?” 36 Overhearing what was being said, Jesus said to the synagogue official, “Do not be afraid; only keep on believing [in Me and my power].” 37 And He allowed no one to go with Him [as witnesses], except Peter and [a]James and John the brother of James. 38 They came to the house of the synagogue official; and He looked [with understanding] at the uproar and commotion, and people loudly weeping and wailing [in mourning]. 39 When He had gone in, He said to them, “Why make a commotion and weep? The child has not died, but is sleeping.” 40 They began laughing [scornfully] at Him [because they knew the child was dead]. But He made them all [b]go outside, and took along the child’s father and mother and His own [three] companions, and entered the room where the child was. 41 Taking the child’s hand, He said [tenderly] to her, “Talitha kum!”—which translated [from Aramaic] means, “Little girl, I say to you, get up!” 42 The little girl immediately got up and began to walk, for she was twelve years old. And immediately they [who witnessed the child’s resurrection] were overcome with great wonder and utter amazement. 43 He gave strict orders that no one should know about this, and He told them to give her something to eat.
Prayer in Time of Discipline.
A Psalm of David; to bring to remembrance.
38 O Lord, do not rebuke me in Your wrath,
Nor discipline me in Your burning anger.
2
For Your arrows have sunk into me and penetrate deeply,
And Your hand has pressed down on me and greatly disciplined me.
3
There is no soundness in my flesh because of Your indignation;
There is no health in my bones because of my sin.
4
For my iniquities have gone over my head [like the waves of a flood];
As a heavy burden they weigh too much for me.
5
My wounds are loathsome and foul
Because of my foolishness.
6
I am bent over and greatly bowed down;
I go about mourning all day long.
7
For my sides are filled with burning,
And there is no health in my flesh.
8
I am numb and greatly bruised [deadly cold and completely worn out];
I groan because of the disquiet and moaning of my heart.
9
Lord, all my desire is before You;
And my sighing is not hidden from You.
10
My heart throbs violently, my strength fails me;
And as for the light of my eyes, even that has also gone from me.
11
My loved ones and my friends stand aloof from my plague;
And my neighbors stand far away.(A)
12
Those who seek my life lay snares for me,
And those who seek to injure me threaten mischievous things and destruction;
They devise treachery all the day long.
13
But I, like a deaf man, do not hear;
I am like a mute man who does not open his mouth.
14
Yes, I am like a man who does not hear,
In whose mouth are no arguments.
15
For in You, O Lord, I hope;
You will answer, O Lord my God.
16
For I pray, “May they not rejoice over me,
Who, when my foot slips, would boast against me.”
17
For I am ready to fall;
My sorrow is continually before me.
18
For I do confess my guilt and iniquity;
I am filled with anxiety because of my sin.(B)
19
But my [numerous] enemies are vigorous and strong,
And those who hate me without cause are many.
20
They repay evil for good, they attack and try to kill me,
Because I follow what is good.
21
Do not abandon me, O Lord;
O my God, do not be far from me.
22
Make haste to help me,
O Lord, my Salvation.
8
The wise in heart [are willing to learn so they] will accept and obey commands (instruction),
But the babbling fool [who is arrogant and thinks himself wise] will come to ruin.
9
He who walks in integrity and with moral character walks securely,
But he who takes a crooked way will be discovered and punished.
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