Legacy Standard Bible

Leviticus 11 - 12

Clean and Unclean Animals

11Yahweh spoke again to Moses and to Aaron, saying to them, 2“Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘aThese are the creatures which you may eat from all the animals that are on the earth. 3‘Whatever divides a hoof, thus making split hoofs, and chews the cud, among the animals, that you may eat. 4‘Nevertheless, ayou shall not eat of these, among those which chew the cud or among those which divide the hoof: the camel, for though it chews cud, it does not divide the hoof; it is unclean to you. 5‘Likewise, the 1shaphan, for though it chews cud, it does not divide the hoof; it is unclean to you; 6the 1rabbit also, for though it chews cud, it does not divide the hoof; it is unclean to you; 7and the pig, for though it divides the hoof, thus making a split hoof, it does not chew cud; it is unclean to you. 8‘You shall not eat of their flesh, and you shall not touch their carcasses; they are unclean to you.
9‘aThese you may eat, whatever is in the water: all that have fins and scales, those in the water, in the seas, or in the rivers, you may eat. 10‘aBut 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, 11and they shall be detestable to you; you may not eat of their flesh, and their carcasses you shall detest. 12‘Whatever in the water does not have fins and scales is detestable to you.
13‘These, moreover, ayou shall detest among the birds; they shall not be eaten; they are detestable: the 1eagle and the vulture and the 2buzzard, 14and the kite and the falcon in its kind, 15every raven in its kind, 16and the ostrich and the owl and the gull and the hawk in its kind, 17and the little owl and the cormorant and the 1great owl, 18and the white owl and the 1pelican and the carrion vulture, 19and the stork, the heron in its kinds, and the hoopoe, and the bat.
20‘All the swarming things that fly and that walk on all fours are detestable to you. 21‘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. 22‘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. 23‘But all other swarming things that fly and that are four-footed are detestable to you.
24‘By these, moreover, you will be made unclean: whoever touches their carcasses becomes unclean until evening, 25and awhoever picks up any of their carcasses shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening. 26‘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. 27‘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, 28and the one who picks up their carcasses shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening; they are unclean to you.
29‘Now these are to you the unclean among the swarming things which swarm on the earth: the mole and the mouse and the 1great lizard in its kinds, 30and the gecko and the 1crocodile and the lizard and the 2sand reptile and the chameleon. 31‘These are to you the unclean among all the swarming things; whoever touches them when they are dead becomes unclean until evening. 32‘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—ait shall be put in the water and be unclean until evening, then it becomes clean. 33‘As for any aearthenware vessel into which one of them may fall, whatever is in it becomes unclean, and you shall break 1the vessel. 34‘Any of the 1food which may be eaten, on which water comes, shall become unclean, and any 2liquid which may be drunk in every vessel shall become unclean. 35‘Everything, moreover, on which part of their carcass may fall becomes unclean; an oven or a 1stove shall be smashed; they are unclean and shall continue as unclean to you. 36‘Nevertheless a spring or a cistern 1collecting water shall be clean, though the one who touches their carcass shall be unclean. 37‘And if a part of their carcass falls on any seed for sowing which is to be sown, it is clean. 38‘Though if water is put on the seed and a part of their carcass falls on it, it is unclean to you.
39‘Also if one of the animals dies which you have for food, the one who touches its carcass becomes unclean until evening. 40‘aHe 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.
41‘aNow every swarming thing that swarms on the earth is detestable; it shall not be eaten. 42‘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. 43‘aDo not render 1yourselves detestable through any of the swarming things that swarm; and you shall not make yourselves unclean with them so that you become unclean. 44‘For aI am Yahweh your God. Therefore, set yourselves apart as holy and bbe holy, for I am holy. And you shall not make yourselves unclean with any of the swarming things that move on the earth. 45‘aFor I am Yahweh who brought you up from the land of Egypt to be your God; thus byou shall be holy, for I am holy.’”
46This 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, 47ato separate between the unclean and the clean, and between the edible creature and the creature which is not to be eaten.

Atonement After Giving Birth

12Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 2“Speak to the sons of Israel, saying: ‘When a woman 1gives birth and bears a male child, then she shall be unclean for seven days, aas in the days of 2her menstruation she shall be unclean. 3‘Now on athe eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. 4‘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. 5‘But if she bears a female child, then she shall be unclean for two weeks, as in her 1menstruation; and she shall remain in the blood of her cleansing for sixty-six days.
6‘aWhen 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 bfor a sin offering. 7‘Then he shall bring it near before Yahweh and make atonement for her, and she shall be cleansed from the 1flow of her blood. This is the law for her who bears a child, whether a male or a female. 8‘But if 1she cannot afford a lamb, then she shall take atwo turtledoves or two young pigeons, bthe one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering; and the cpriest shall make atonement for her, and she will be clean.’”

Acts 7

Stephen’s Defense

7And the high priest said, “Are these things so?”
2And he said, “Hear me, abrothers and fathers! bThe God of glory cappeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in 1Haran, 3and said to him, ‘aLeave your country and your relatives, and come into the land that I will show you.’ 4“aThen he left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in 1Haran. bFrom there, after his father died, God had him move to this country in which you are now living. 5“But He gave him no inheritance in it, not even a foot of ground, and aHe promised that He would give it to him as a possession, and to his seed after him, even when he had no child. 6“But aGod spoke in this way, that his seed would be sojourners in a foreign land, and that they would 1be enslaved and mistreated for four hundred years. 7“‘And I Myself will judge the nation to which they will be enslaved,’ said God, ‘and aafter that they will come out and 1serve Me in this place.’ 8“And He agave him 1the covenant of circumcision; and so bAbraham was the father of Isaac, and circumcised him on the eighth day; and cIsaac was the father of Jacob, and dJacob of the twelve epatriarchs.
9“And the patriarchs, abecoming jealous of Joseph, sold him into Egypt. Yet God was with him, 10and rescued him from all his afflictions, and agranted him favor and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and he appointed him governor over Egypt and all his household.
11“Now aa famine came over all Egypt and Canaan, and great affliction with it, and our fathers 1could find no food. 12“But awhen Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our fathers there the first time. 13“And on the second visit aJoseph 1made himself known to his brothers, and bJoseph’s family was disclosed to Pharaoh. 14“Then aJoseph sent word and invited Jacob his father and all his relatives to come to him, bseventy-five 1,cpersons in all. 15“And aJacob went down to Egypt and there he and our fathers died. 16“And from there they were removed to 1,aShechem and placed in the tomb which Abraham had purchased for a sum of money from the sons of 2Hamor in 3Shechem.
17“But as the atime of the promise was drawing near which God had assured to Abraham, bthe people increased and multiplied in Egypt, 18until aanother king arose over Egypt who did not know about Joseph. 19“It was he who adeceitfully took advantage of our family and mistreated our fathers to 1,bset their infants outside so that they would not survive. 20“It was at this time that aMoses was born, and he was lovely 1in the sight of God, and he was nurtured three months in his father’s home. 21“And after he had been set outside, aPharaoh’s daughter 1took him away and nurtured him as her own son. 22“And Moses was educated in all athe wisdom of the Egyptians, and he was powerful in words and deeds. 23“But when he was approaching the age of forty, ait entered his heart to visit his brothers, the sons of Israel. 24“And when he saw one of them being treated unjustly, he defended him and took justice for the oppressed by striking down the Egyptian. 25“And he supposed that his brothers understood that God was granting them salvation 1through him, but they did not understand. 26“aOn the following day he appeared to them as they were fighting together, and he tried to reconcile them in peace, saying, ‘Men, you are brothers, why are you treating one another unjustly?’ 27“But the one who was treating his neighbor unjustly pushed him away, saying, ‘aWho made you a ruler and judge over us? 28‘aDo you intend to kill me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?’ 29“At this remark, aMoses fled and became a sojourner in the land of 1Midian, where he bwas the father of two sons.
30“And after forty years had passed, aan angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in the flame of a burning bush. 31“When Moses saw it, he was marveling at the sight; and as he approached to look more closely, there came the voice of the 1Lord: 32‘aI am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob.’ Moses trembled with fear and would not dare to look. 33“aBut the 1Lord said to him, ‘bRemove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground. 34‘aI have surely seen the oppression of My people in Egypt and have heard their groans, and I have come down to deliver them; 1,bcome now, and I will send you to Egypt.’
35“This Moses whom they adisowned, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge?’ is the one whom God 1sent to be both a ruler and a deliverer with the 2help of the angel who appeared to him in the bush. 36“aThis man led them out, doing bwonders and 1signs in the land of Egypt and in the Red Sea and in the cwilderness for forty years. 37“This is the Moses who said to the sons of Israel, ‘aGod will raise up for you a prophet 1like me from your brothers.’ 38“This is the one who, in athe 1congregation in the wilderness, was with bthe angel who was speaking to him on Mount Sinai and with our fathers; the one who received cliving doracles to pass on to you. 39“Our fathers were unwilling to be obedient to him, but arejected him and in their hearts turned back to Egypt, 40asaying to Aaron, ‘Make for us gods who will go before us; for this Moses who led us out of the land of Egypt—we do not know what has become of him.’ 41“1At that time athey made a 2calf and brought a sacrifice to the idol, and were rejoicing in bthe works of their hands. 42“But God aturned away and delivered them up to 1serve the 2host of heaven; as it is written in the book of the prophets, ‘bDid you present Me with slain beasts and sacrifices cforty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel? 43‘aYou also took along the tabernacle of Moloch and the star of the god 1Rompha, the images which you made to worship. I also will remove you beyond Babylon.’
44“Our fathers had athe tabernacle of testimony in the wilderness, just as He, who spoke to Moses, directed him to make it baccording to the pattern which he had seen. 45“And having received it in their turn, our fathers abrought it in with 1Joshua when they dispossessed the 2nations whom God drove out before our fathers, until the time of David. 46“aDavid found favor in the sight of God, and basked that he might find a dwelling place for the 1God of Jacob. 47“But aSolomon built a house for Him. 48“However, athe Most High does not dwell in houses made by human hands, as the prophet says:
49‘aHeaven is My throne,And earth is the footstool of My feet.What kind of house will you build for Me?’ says the Lord,‘Or what place is there for My rest?50‘aWas it not My hand which made all these things?’
51“You men—astiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears—are always resisting the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you. 52“aAnd which one of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? They killed those who had previously announced the coming of bthe Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers cyou have now become; 53you who received the Law as aordained by angels, and yet did not observe it.”

Stephen Is Stoned to Death

54Now when they heard this, they became afurious in their hearts, and they began gnashing their teeth at him. 55But being afull of the Holy Spirit, he bgazed intently into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing cat the right hand of God; 56and he said, “Behold, I see the aheavens opened up and bthe Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” 57But crying out with a loud voice, they covered their ears and rushed at him with one accord. 58And when they had adriven him out of the city, they began stoning him; and bthe witnesses claid aside their garments at the feet of da young man named Saul. 59They went on stoning Stephen as he awas calling out and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” 60Then afalling on his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, bdo not hold this sin against them!” And having said this, he 1,cfell asleep.

Psalm 79

How Long, O Yahweh?

79
A Psalm of Asaph.
O God, the anations have come into bYour inheritance;They have defiled Your choly temple;They have dlaid Jerusalem in ruins.2They have given the adead bodies of Your slaves for food to the birds of the heavens,The flesh of Your holy ones to the beasts of the earth.3They have poured out their blood like water round about Jerusalem;And there was ano one to bury them.4We have become a areproach to our neighbors,A mockery and derision to those around us.5aHow long, O Yahweh? Will You be angry forever?Will Your bjealousy cburn like fire?6aPour out Your wrath upon the nations which bdo not know You,And upon the kingdoms which cdo not call upon Your name.7For they have adevoured JacobAnd blaid waste his 1abode.8aDo not remember our former iniquities against us;Let Your compassion quickly bapproach us,For we are cbrought very low.9aHelp us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of bYour name;And deliver us and catone for our sins dfor Your name’s sake.10aWhy should the nations say, “Where is their God?”Let it be known among the nations before our eyes:bVengeance for the blood of Your slaves which has been poured out.11Let athe groaning of the prisoner come before You;According to the greatness of Your 1power preserve 2those who are bdoomed to die.12And return to our neighbors asevenfold binto their bosom1The creproach with which they have reproached You, O Lord.13But as for us, as Your people and the asheep of Your pasture,We will bgive thanks to You forever;From generation to generation we will crecount Your praise.