Now the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying to them,

"Speak to the children of Israel, saying, 'These are the animals which you may eat among all the animals that are on the earth:

Among the animals, whatever divides the hoof, having cloven hooves and chewing the cud--that you may eat.

Nevertheless these you shall not eat among those that chew the cud or those that have cloven hooves: the camel, because it chews the cud but does not have cloven hooves, is unclean to you;

the rock hyrax, because it chews the cud but does not have cloven hooves, is unclean to you;

the hare, because it chews the cud but does not have cloven hooves, is unclean to you;

and the swine, though it divides the hoof, having cloven hooves, yet does not chew the cud, is unclean to you.

Their flesh you shall not eat, and their carcasses you shall not touch. They are unclean to you.

'These you may eat of all that are in the water: whatever in the water has fins and scales, whether in the seas or in the rivers--that you may eat.

But all in the seas or in the rivers that do not have fins and scales, all that move in the water or any living thing which is in the water, they are an abomination to you.

They shall be an abomination to you; you shall not eat their flesh, but you shall regard their carcasses as an abomination.

Whatever in the water does not have fins or scales--that shall be an abomination to you.

'And these you shall regard as an abomination among the birds; they shall not be eaten, they are an abomination: the eagle, the vulture, the buzzard,

the kite, and the falcon after its kind;

every raven after its kind,

the ostrich, the short-eared owl, the sea gull, and the hawk after its kind;

the little owl, the fisher owl, and the screech owl;

the white owl, the jackdaw, and the carrion vulture;

the stork, the heron after its kind, the hoopoe, and the bat.

'All flying insects that creep on all fours shall be an abomination to you.

Yet these you may eat of every flying insect that creeps on all fours: those which have jointed legs above their feet with which to leap on the earth.

These you may eat: the locust after its kind, the destroying locust after its kind, the cricket after its kind, and the grasshopper after its kind.

But all other flying insects which have four feet shall be an abomination to you.

'By these you shall become unclean; whoever touches the carcass of any of them shall be unclean until evening;

whoever carries part of the carcass of any of them shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening:

The carcass of any animal which divides the foot, but is not cloven-hoofed or does not chew the cud, is unclean to you. Everyone who touches it shall be unclean.

And whatever goes on its paws, among all kinds of animals that go on all fours, those are unclean to you. Whoever touches any such carcass shall be unclean until evening.

Whoever carries any such carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening. It is unclean to you.

'These also shall be unclean to you among the creeping things that creep on the earth: the mole, the mouse, and the large lizard after its kind;

the gecko, the monitor lizard, the sand reptile, the sand lizard, and the chameleon.

These are unclean to you among all that creep. Whoever touches them when they are dead shall be unclean until evening.

Anything on which any of them falls, when they are dead shall be unclean, whether it is any item of wood or clothing or skin or sack, whatever item it is, in which any work is done, it must be put in water. And it shall be unclean until evening; then it shall be clean.

Any earthen vessel into which any of them falls you shall break; and whatever is in it shall be unclean:

in such a vessel, any edible food upon which water falls becomes unclean, and any drink that may be drunk from it becomes unclean.

And everything on which a part of any such carcass falls shall be unclean; whether it is an oven or cooking stove, it shall be broken down; for they are unclean, and shall be unclean to you.

Nevertheless a spring or a cistern, in which there is plenty of water, shall be clean, but whatever touches any such carcass becomes unclean.

And if a part of any such carcass falls on any planting seed which is to be sown, it remains clean.

But if water is put on the seed, and if a part of any such carcass falls on it, it becomes unclean to you.

'And if any animal which you may eat dies, he who touches its carcass shall be unclean until evening.

He who eats of its carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening. He also who carries its carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening.

'And every creeping thing that creeps on the earth shall be an abomination. It shall not be eaten.

Whatever crawls on its belly, whatever goes on all fours, or whatever has many feet among all creeping things that creep on the earth--these you shall not eat, for they are an abomination.

You shall not make yourselves abominable with any creeping thing that creeps; nor shall you make yourselves unclean with them, lest you be defiled by them.

For I am the LORD your God. You shall therefore consecrate yourselves, and you shall be holy; for I am holy. Neither shall you defile yourselves with any creeping thing that creeps on the earth.

For I am the LORD who brings you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.

'This is the law of the animals and the birds and every living creature that moves in the waters, and of every creature that creeps on the earth,

to distinguish between the unclean and the clean, and between the animal that may be eaten and the animal that may not be eaten.'"

Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

"Speak to the children of Israel, saying: 'If a woman has conceived, and borne a male child, then she shall be unclean seven days; as in the days of her customary impurity she shall be unclean.

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

She shall then continue in the blood of her purification thirty-three days. She shall not touch any hallowed thing, nor come into the sanctuary until the days of her purification are fulfilled.

'But if she bears a female child, then she shall be unclean two weeks, as in her customary impurity, and she shall continue in the blood of her purification sixty-six days.

'When the days of her purification are fulfilled, whether for a son or a daughter, she shall bring to the priest a lamb of the first year as a burnt offering, and a young pigeon or a turtledove as a sin offering, to the door of the tabernacle of meeting.

Then he shall offer it before the LORD, and make atonement for her. And she shall be clean from the flow of her blood. This is the law for her who has borne a male or a female.

'And if she is not able to bring a lamb, then she may bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons--one as a burnt offering and the other as a sin offering. So the priest shall make atonement for her, and she will be clean.'"

And again He entered Capernaum after some days, and it was heard that He was in the house.

Immediately many gathered together, so that there was no longer room to receive them, not even near the door. And He preached the word to them.

Then they came to Him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men.

And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was. So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying.

When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven you."

And some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts,

"Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive sins but God alone?"

But immediately, when Jesus perceived in His spirit that they reasoned thus within themselves, He said to them, "Why do you reason about these things in your hearts?

Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Arise, take up your bed and walk'?

But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins"--He said to the paralytic,

"I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house."

Immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went out in the presence of them all, so that all were amazed and glorified God, saying, "We never saw anything like this!"

Then He went out again by the sea; and all the multitude came to Him, and He taught them.

As He passed by, He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, "Follow Me." So he arose and followed Him.

Now it happened, as He was dining in Levi's house, that many tax collectors and sinners also sat together with Jesus and His disciples; for there were many, and they followed Him.

And when the scribes and Pharisees saw Him eating with the tax collectors and sinners, they said to His disciples, "How is it that He eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners?"

When Jesus heard it, He said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."

The disciples of John and of the Pharisees were fasting. Then they came and said to Him, "Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?"

And Jesus said to them, "Can the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast.

But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days.

No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; or else the new piece pulls away from the old, and the tear is made worse.

And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins."

Now it happened that He went through the grainfields on the Sabbath; and as they went His disciples began to pluck the heads of grain.

And the Pharisees said to Him, "Look, why do they do what is not lawful on the Sabbath?"

But He said to them, "Have you never read what David did when he was in need and hungry, he and those with him:

how he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the showbread, which is not lawful to eat except for the priests, and also gave some to those who were with him?"

And He said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.

Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath."

Good and upright is the LORD;
Therefore He teaches sinners in the way.

The humble He guides in justice,
And the humble He teaches His way.

All the paths of the LORD are mercy and truth,
To such as keep His covenant and His testimonies.

For Your name's sake, O LORD,
Pardon my iniquity, for it is great.

Who is the man that fears the LORD?
Him shall He teach in the way He chooses.

He himself shall dwell in prosperity,
And his descendants shall inherit the earth.

The secret of the LORD is with those who fear Him,
And He will show them His covenant.

My eyes are ever toward the LORD,
For He shall pluck my feet out of the net.

The proverbs of Solomon:

A wise son makes a glad father,
But a foolish son is the grief of his mother.

Treasures of wickedness profit nothing,
But righteousness delivers from death.

The LORD will not allow the righteous soul to famish,
But He casts away the desire of the wicked.