Click here to listen to an audio version of the Daily Bible Reading for today.

Leviticus 7

(Click here to view commentary on this chapter)

Further Instructions for the Guilt Offering

7 “These are the instructions for the guilt offering. It is most holy.^2 The animal sacrificed as a guilt offering must be slaughtered at the place where the burnt offerings are slaughtered, and its blood must be splattered against all sides of the altar. ^3 The priest will then offer all its fat on the altar, including the fat of the broad tail, the fat around the internal organs, ^4 the two kidneys and the fat around them near the loins, and the long lobe of the liver. These are to be removed with the kidneys, ^5 and the priests will burn them on the altar as a special gift presented to the Lord. This is the guilt offering.^6 Any male from a priest’s family may eat the meat. It must be eaten in a sacred place, for it is most holy.

^7 “The same instructions apply to both the guilt offering and the sin offering. Both belong to the priest who uses them to purify someone, making that person right with the Lord. ^8 In the case of the burnt offering, the priest may keep the hide of the sacrificed animal. ^9 Any grain offering that has been baked in an oven, prepared in a pan, or cooked on a griddle belongs to the priest who presents it. ^10 All other grain offerings, whether made of dry flour or flour moistened with olive oil, are to be shared equally among all the priests, the descendants of Aaron.

Further Instructions for the Peace Offering

^11 “These are the instructions regarding the different kinds of peace offerings that may be presented to the Lord. ^12 If you present your peace offering as an expression of thanksgiving, the usual animal sacrifice must be accompanied by various kinds of bread made without yeast—thin cakes mixed with olive oil, wafers spread with oil, and cakes made of choice flour mixed with olive oil. ^13 This peace offering of thanksgiving must also be accompanied by loaves of bread made with yeast. ^14 One of each kind of bread must be presented as a gift to the Lord. It will then belong to the priest who splatters the blood of the peace offering against the altar. ^15 The meat of the peace offering of thanksgiving must be eaten on the same day it is offered. None of it may be saved for the next morning.

^16 “If you bring an offering to fulfill a vow or as a voluntary offering, the meat must be eaten on the same day the sacrifice is offered, but whatever is left over may be eaten on the second day. ^17 Any meat left over until the third day must be completely burned up. ^18 If any of the meat from the peace offering is eaten on the third day, the person who presented it will not be accepted by the Lord. You will receive no credit for offering it. By then the meat will be contaminated; if you eat it, you will be punished for your sin.

^19 “Meat that touches anything ceremonially unclean may not be eaten; it must be completely burned up. The rest of the meat may be eaten, but only by people who are ceremonially clean. ^20 If you are ceremonially unclean and you eat meat from a peace offering that was presented to the Lord, you will be cut off from the community. ^21 If you touch anything that is unclean (whether it is human defilement or an unclean animal or any other unclean, detestable thing) and then eat meat from a peace offering presented to the Lord, you will be cut off from the community.â€

The Forbidden Blood and Fat

^22 Then the Lord said to Moses, ^23 “Give the following instructions to the people of Israel. You must never eat fat, whether from cattle, sheep, or goats. ^24 The fat of an animal found dead or torn to pieces by wild animals must never be eaten, though it may be used for any other purpose. ^25 Anyone who eats fat from an animal presented as a special gift to the Lord will be cut off from the community. ^26 No matter where you live, you must never consume the blood of any bird or animal. ^27 Anyone who consumes blood will be cut off from the community.â€

A Portion for the Priests

^28 Then the Lord said to Moses, ^29 “Give the following instructions to the people of Israel. When you present a peace offering to the Lord, bring part of it as a gift to the Lord. ^30 Present it to the Lord with your own hands as a special gift to the Lord. Bring the fat of the animal, together with the breast, and lift up the breast as a special offering to the Lord. ^31 Then the priest will burn the fat on the altar, but the breast will belong to Aaron and his descendants. ^32 Give the right thigh of your peace offering to the priest as a gift. ^33 The right thigh must always be given to the priest who offers the blood and the fat of the peace offering. ^34 For I have reserved the breast of the special offering and the right thigh of the sacred offering for the priests. It is the permanent right of Aaron and his descendants to share in the peace offerings brought by the people of Israel. ^35 This is their rightful share. The special gifts presented to the Lord have been reserved for Aaron and his descendants from the time they were set apart to serve the Lord as priests. ^36 On the day they were anointed, the Lord commanded the Israelites to give these portions to the priests as their permanent share from generation to generation.â€

^37 These are the instructions for the burnt offering, the grain offering, the sin offering, and the guilt offering, as well as the ordination offering and the peace offering. ^38 The Lord gave these instructions to Moses on Mount Sinai when he commanded the Israelites to present their offerings to the Lord in the wilderness of Sinai.

Leviticus 8

(Click here to view commentary on this chapter)

Ordination of the Priests

8 Then the Lord said to Moses, ^2 “Bring Aaron and his sons, along with their sacred garments, the anointing oil, the bull for the sin offering, the two rams, and the basket of bread made without yeast,^3 and call the entire community of Israel together at the entrance of the Tabernacle.â€

^4 So Moses followed the Lord’s instructions, and the whole community assembled at the Tabernacle entrance. ^5 Moses announced to them, “This is what the Lord has commanded us to do!â€Â ^6 Then he presented Aaron and his sons and washed them with water. ^7 He put the official tunic on Aaron and tied the sash around his waist. He dressed him in the robe, placed the ephod on him, and attached the ephod securely with its decorative sash. ^8 Then Moses placed the chestpiece on Aaron and put the Urim and the Thummim inside it. ^9 He placed the turban on Aaron’s head and attached the gold medallion—the badge of holiness—to the front of the turban, just as the Lord had commanded him.

^10 Then Moses took the anointing oil and anointed the Tabernacle and everything in it, making them holy. ^11 He sprinkled the oil on the altar seven times, anointing it and all its utensils, as well as the washbasin and its stand, making them holy. ^12 Then he poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron’s head, anointing him and making him holy for his work. ^13 Next Moses presented Aaron’s sons. He clothed them in their tunics, tied their sashes around them, and put their special head coverings on them, just as the Lord had commanded him.

^14 Then Moses presented the bull for the sin offering. Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the bull’s head, ^15 and Moses slaughtered it. Moses took some of the blood, and with his finger he put it on the four horns of the altar to purify it. He poured out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar. Through this process, he made the altar holy by purifying it. ^16 Then Moses took all the fat around the internal organs, the long lobe of the liver, and the two kidneys and the fat around them, and he burned it all on the altar. ^17 He took the rest of the bull, including its hide, meat, and dung, and burned it on a fire outside the camp, just as the Lord had commanded him.

^18 Then Moses presented the ram for the burnt offering. Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the ram’s head, ^19 and Moses slaughtered it. Then Moses took the ram’s blood and splattered it against all sides of the altar. ^20 Then he cut the ram into pieces, and he burned the head, some of its pieces, and the fat on the altar.^21 After washing the internal organs and the legs with water, Moses burned the entire ram on the altar as a burnt offering. It was a pleasing aroma, a special gift presented to the Lord, just as the Lordhad commanded him.

^22 Then Moses presented the other ram, which was the ram of ordination. Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the ram’s head,^23 and Moses slaughtered it. Then Moses took some of its blood and applied it to the lobe of Aaron’s right ear, the thumb of his right hand, and the big toe of his right foot. ^24 Next Moses presented Aaron’s sons and applied some of the blood to the lobes of their right ears, the thumbs of their right hands, and the big toes of their right feet. He then splattered the rest of the blood against all sides of the altar.

^25 Next Moses took the fat, including the fat of the broad tail, the fat around the internal organs, the long lobe of the liver, and the two kidneys and the fat around them, along with the right thigh. ^26 On top of these he placed a thin cake of bread made without yeast, a cake of bread mixed with olive oil, and a wafer spread with olive oil. All these were taken from the basket of bread made without yeast that was placed in the Lord’s presence. ^27 He put all these in the hands of Aaron and his sons, and he lifted them up as a special offering to theLord. ^28 Moses then took all the offerings back from them and burned them on the altar on top of the burnt offering. This was the ordination offering. It was a pleasing aroma, a special gift presented to the Lord. ^29 Then Moses took the breast and lifted it up as a special offering to the Lord. This was Moses’ portion of the ram of ordination, just as the Lord had commanded him.

^30 Next Moses took some of the anointing oil and some of the blood that was on the altar, and he sprinkled them on Aaron and his garments and on his sons and their garments. In this way, he made Aaron and his sons and their garments holy.

^31 Then Moses said to Aaron and his sons, “Boil the remaining meat of the offerings at the Tabernacle entrance, and eat it there, along with the bread that is in the basket of offerings for the ordination, just as I commanded when I said, ‘Aaron and his sons will eat it.’^32 Any meat or bread that is left over must then be burned up.^33 You must not leave the Tabernacle entrance for seven days, for that is when the ordination ceremony will be completed. ^34 Everything we have done today was commanded by the Lord in order to purify you, making you right with him. ^35 Now stay at the entrance of the Tabernacle day and night for seven days, and do everything the Lordrequires. If you fail to do this, you will die, for this is what the Lordhas commanded.â€Â ^36 So Aaron and his sons did everything the Lordhad commanded through Moses.

Leviticus 9

(Click here to view commentary on this chapter)

The Priests Begin Their Work

9 After the ordination ceremony, on the eighth day, Moses called together Aaron and his sons and the elders of Israel. ^2 He said to Aaron, “Take a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering, both without defects, and present them to the Lord. ^3 Then tell the Israelites, ‘Take a male goat for a sin offering, and take a calf and a lamb, both a year old and without defects, for a burnt offering.^4 Also take a bull and a ram for a peace offering and flour moistened with olive oil for a grain offering. Present all these offerings to theLord because the Lord will appear to you today.’â€

^5 So the people presented all these things at the entrance of the Tabernacle, just as Moses had commanded. Then the whole community came forward and stood before the Lord. ^6 And Moses said, “This is what the Lord has commanded you to do so that the glory of the Lord may appear to you.â€

^7 Then Moses said to Aaron, “Come to the altar and sacrifice your sin offering and your burnt offering to purify yourself and the people. Then present the offerings of the people to purify them, making them right with the Lord, just as he has commanded.â€

^8 So Aaron went to the altar and slaughtered the calf as a sin offering for himself. ^9 His sons brought him the blood, and he dipped his finger in it and put it on the horns of the altar. He poured out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar. ^10 Then he burned on the altar the fat, the kidneys, and the long lobe of the liver from the sin offering, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. ^11 The meat and the hide, however, he burned outside the camp.

^12 Next Aaron slaughtered the animal for the burnt offering. His sons brought him the blood, and he splattered it against all sides of the altar. ^13 Then they handed him each piece of the burnt offering, including the head, and he burned them on the altar. ^14 Then he washed the internal organs and the legs and burned them on the altar along with the rest of the burnt offering.

^15 Next Aaron presented the offerings of the people. He slaughtered the people’s goat and presented it as an offering for their sin, just as he had first done with the offering for his own sin. ^16 Then he presented the burnt offering and sacrificed it in the prescribed way.^17 He also presented the grain offering, burning a handful of the flour mixture on the altar, in addition to the regular burnt offering for the morning.

^18 Then Aaron slaughtered the bull and the ram for the people’s peace offering. His sons brought him the blood, and he splattered it against all sides of the altar. ^19 Then he took the fat of the bull and the ram—the fat of the broad tail and from around the internal organs—along with the kidneys and the long lobes of the livers. ^20 He placed these fat portions on top of the breasts of these animals and burned them on the altar. ^21 Aaron then lifted up the breasts and right thighs as a special offering to the Lord, just as Moses had commanded.

^22 After that, Aaron raised his hands toward the people and blessed them. Then, after presenting the sin offering, the burnt offering, and the peace offering, he stepped down from the altar. ^23 Then Moses and Aaron went into the Tabernacle, and when they came back out, they blessed the people again, and the glory of the Lord appeared to the whole community. ^24 Fire blazed forth from the Lord’s presence and consumed the burnt offering and the fat on the altar. When the people saw this, they shouted with joy and fell face down on the ground.

Matthew 26:1-46

(Click here to view commentary on this chapter)

The Plot to Kill Jesus

26 When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he said to his disciples, ^2 “As you know, Passover begins in two days, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.â€

^3 At that same time the leading priests and elders were meeting at the residence of Caiaphas, the high priest, ^4 plotting how to capture Jesus secretly and kill him. ^5 “But not during the Passover celebration,†they agreed, “or the people may riot.â€

Jesus Anointed at Bethany

^6 Meanwhile, Jesus was in Bethany at the home of Simon, a man who had previously had leprosy. ^7 While he was eating, a woman came in with a beautiful alabaster jar of expensive perfume and poured it over his head.

^8 The disciples were indignant when they saw this. “What a waste!†they said. ^9 “It could have been sold for a high price and the money given to the poor.â€

^10 But Jesus, aware of this, replied, “Why criticize this woman for doing such a good thing to me? ^11 You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me. ^12 She has poured this perfume on me to prepare my body for burial. ^13 I tell you the truth, wherever the Good News is preached throughout the world, this woman’s deed will be remembered and discussed.â€

Judas Agrees to Betray Jesus

^14 Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve disciples, went to the leading priests ^15 and asked, “How much will you pay me to betray Jesus to you?†And they gave him thirty pieces of silver. ^16 From that time on, Judas began looking for an opportunity to betray Jesus.

The Last Supper

^17 On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Where do you want us to prepare the Passover meal for you?â€

^18 “As you go into the city,â€Â he told them, “you will see a certain man. Tell him, ‘The Teacher says: My time has come, and I will eat the Passover meal with my disciples at your house.’â€Â ^19 So the disciples did as Jesus told them and prepared the Passover meal there.

^20 When it was evening, Jesus sat down at the table with the twelve disciples. ^21 While they were eating, he said, “I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me.â€

^22 Greatly distressed, each one asked in turn, “Am I the one, Lord?â€

^23 He replied, “One of you who has just eaten from this bowl with me will betray me. ^24 For the Son of Man must die, as the Scriptures declared long ago. But how terrible it will be for the one who betrays him. It would be far better for that man if he had never been born!â€

^25 Judas, the one who would betray him, also asked, “Rabbi, am I the one?â€

And Jesus told him, “You have said it.â€

^26 As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take this and eat it, for this is my body.â€

^27 And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them and said, “Each of you drink from it, ^28 for this is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many. ^29 Mark my words—I will not drink wine again until the day I drink it new with you in my Father’s Kingdom.â€

^30 Then they sang a hymn and went out to the Mount of Olives.

Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial

^31 On the way, Jesus told them, “Tonight all of you will desert me. For the Scriptures say,

‘God will strike the Shepherd,

and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’

^32 But after I have been raised from the dead, I will go ahead of you to Galilee and meet you there.â€

^33 Peter declared, “Even if everyone else deserts you, I will never desert you.â€

^34 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, Peter—this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny three times that you even know me.â€

^35 “No!†Peter insisted. “Even if I have to die with you, I will never deny you!†And all the other disciples vowed the same.

Jesus Prays in Gethsemane

^36 Then Jesus went with them to the olive grove called Gethsemane, and he said, “Sit here while I go over there to pray.â€Â ^37 He took Peter and Zebedee’s two sons, James and John, and he became anguished and distressed. ^38 He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.â€

^39 He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.â€

^40 Then he returned to the disciples and found them asleep. He said to Peter, “Couldn’t you watch with me even one hour? ^41 Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak!â€

^42 Then Jesus left them a second time and prayed, “My Father! If this cup cannot be taken away unless I drink it, your will be done.â€^43 When he returned to them again, he found them sleeping, for they couldn’t keep their eyes open.

^44 So he went to pray a third time, saying the same things again.^45 Then he came to the disciples and said, “Go ahead and sleep. Have your rest. But look—the time has come. The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. ^46 Up, let’s be going. Look, my betrayer is here!â€