Leviticus 17; Leviticus 18; Matthew 27:27-50

1 The Lord said to Moses,

2 "Speak to Aaron, his sons, and all the people of Israel. Tell them: 'This is what the Lord has commanded.

3 If an Israelite kills an ox, a lamb, or a goat either inside the camp or outside it,

4 when he should have brought the animal to the entrance of the Meeting Tent as a gift to the Lord in front of the Lord's Holy Tent, he is guilty of killing. He has killed, and he must be cut off from the people.

5 This rule is so people will bring their sacrifices, which they have been sacrificing in the open fields, to the Lord. They must bring those animals to the Lord at the entrance of the Meeting Tent; they must bring them to the priest and offer them as fellowship offerings.

6 Then the priest will sprinkle the blood from those animals on the Lord's altar near the entrance of the Meeting Tent. And he will burn the fat from those animals on the altar, as a smell pleasing to the Lord.

7 They must not offer any more sacrifices to their goat idols, which they have chased like prostitutes. These rules will continue for people from now on.'

8 "Tell the people this: 'If any citizen of Israel or foreigner living with you offers a burnt offering or sacrifice,

9 that person must take his sacrifice to the entrance of the Meeting Tent to offer it to the Lord. If he does not do this, he must be cut off from the people.

10 "'I will be against any citizen of Israel or foreigner living with you who eats blood. I will cut off that person from the people.

11 This is because the life of the body is in the blood, and I have given you rules for pouring that blood on the altar to remove your sins so you will belong to the Lord. It is the blood that removes the sins, because it is life.

12 So I tell the people of Israel this: "None of you may eat blood, and no foreigner living among you may eat blood."

13 "'If any citizen of Israel or foreigner living among you catches a wild animal or bird that can be eaten, that person must pour the blood on the ground and cover it with dirt.

14 If blood is still in the meat, the animal's life is still in it. So I give this command to the people of Israel: "Don't eat meat that still has blood in it, because the animal's life is in its blood. Anyone who eats blood must be cut off."

15 "'If a person, either a citizen or a foreigner, eats an animal that died by itself or was killed by another animal, he must wash his clothes and bathe in water. He will be unclean until evening; then he will be clean.

16 If he does not wash his clothes and bathe his body, he will be guilty of sin.'"

1 The Lord said to Moses,

2 "Tell the people of Israel: 'I am the Lord your God.

3 In the past you lived in Egypt, but you must not do what was done in that country. And you must not do as they do in the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you. Do not follow their customs.

4 You must obey my rules and follow them. I am the Lord your God.

5 Obey my laws and rules; a person who obeys them will live because of them. I am the Lord.

6 "'You must never have sexual relations with your close relatives. I am the Lord.

7 "'You must not shame your father by having sexual relations with your mother. She is your mother; do not have sexual relations with her.

8 You must not have sexual relations with your father's wife; that would shame your father.

9 "'You must not have sexual relations with your sister, either the daughter of your father or your mother. It doesn't matter if she was born in your house or somewhere else.

10 "'You must not have sexual relations with your son's daughter or your daughter's daughter; that would bring shame on you.

11 "'If your father and his wife have a daughter, she is your sister. You must not have sexual relations with her.

12 "'You must not have sexual relations with your father's sister; she is your father's close relative.

13 You must not have sexual relations with your mother's sister; she is your mother's close relative.

14 You must not have sexual relations with the wife of your father's brother, because this would shame him. She is your aunt.

15 "'You must not have sexual relations with your daughter-in-law; she is your son's wife. Do not have sexual relations with her.

16 "'You must not have sexual relations with your brother's wife. That would shame your brother.

17 "'You must not have sexual relations with both a woman and her daughter. And do not have sexual relations with this woman's granddaughter, either the daughter of her son or her daughter; they are her close relatives. It is evil to do this.

18 "'While your wife is still living, you must not take her sister as another wife. Do not have sexual relations with her.

19 "'You must not go near a woman to have sexual relations with her during her monthly period, when she is unclean.

20 "'You must not have sexual relations with your neighbor's wife and make yourself unclean with her.

21 "'You must not give any of your children to be sacrificed to Molech, because this would show that you do not respect your God. I am the Lord.

22 "'You must not have sexual relations with a man as you would a woman. That is a hateful sin.

23 "'You must not have sexual relations with an animal and make yourself unclean with it. Also a woman must not have sexual relations with an animal; it is not natural.

24 "'Don't make yourself unclean by any of these wrong things. I am forcing nations out of their countries because they did these sins, and I am giving their land to you.

25 The land has become unclean, and I punished it for its sins, so the land is throwing out those people who live there.

26 "'You must obey my laws and rules, and you must not do any of these hateful sins. These rules are for the citizens of Israel and for the people who live with you.

27 The people who lived in the land before you did all these hateful things and made the land unclean.

28 If you do these things, you will also make the land unclean, and it will throw you out as it threw out the nations before you.

29 Anyone who does these hateful sins must be cut off from the people.

30 Keep my command not to do these hateful sins that were done by the people who lived in the land before you. Don't make yourself unclean by doing them. I am the Lord your God.'"

27 The governor's soldiers took Jesus into the governor's palace, and they all gathered around him.

28 They took off his clothes and put a red robe on him.

29 Using thorny branches, they made a crown, put it on his head, and put a stick in his right hand. Then the soldiers bowed before Jesus and made fun of him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!"

30 They spat on Jesus. Then they took his stick and began to beat him on the head.

31 After they finished, the soldiers took off the robe and put his own clothes on him again. Then they led him away to be crucified.

32 As the soldiers were going out of the city with Jesus, they forced a man from Cyrene, named Simon, to carry the cross for Jesus.

33 They all came to the place called Golgotha, which means the Place of the Skull.

34 The soldiers gave Jesus wine mixed with galln to drink. He tasted the wine but refused to drink it.

35 When the soldiers had crucified him, they threw lots to decide who would get his clothes.

36 The soldiers sat there and continued watching him.

37 They put a sign above Jesus' head with a charge against him. It said: THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS.

38 Two robbers were crucified beside Jesus, one on the right and the other on the left.

39 People walked by and insulted Jesus and shook their heads,

40 saying, "You said you could destroy the Temple and build it again in three days. So save yourself! Come down from that cross if you are really the Son of God!"

41 The leading priests, the teachers of the law, and the older Jewish leaders were also making fun of Jesus.

42 They said, "He saved others, but he can't save himself! He says he is the king of Israel! If he is the king, let him come down now from the cross. Then we will believe in him.

43 He trusts in God, so let God save him now, if God really wants him. He himself said, 'I am the Son of God.'"

44 And in the same way, the robbers who were being crucified beside Jesus also insulted him.

45 At noon the whole country became dark, and the darkness lasted for three hours.

46 About three o'clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?" This means, "My God, my God, why have you rejected me?"

47 Some of the people standing there who heard this said, "He is calling Elijah."

48 Quickly one of them ran and got a sponge and filled it with vinegar and tied it to a stick and gave it to Jesus to drink.

49 But the others said, "Don't bother him. We want to see if Elijah will come to save him."

50 But Jesus cried out again in a loud voice and died.