Matthew 14:1-21; Leviticus 20; Leviticus 21; Proverbs 30

Matthew 14:1-21

1 At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the report about Jesus

2 and said to his servants, "This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work in him."

3 For Herod had laid hold of John and bound him, and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife.

4 Because John had said to him, "It is not lawful for you to have her."

5 And although he wanted to put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet.

6 But when Herod's birthday was celebrated, the daughter of Herodias danced before them and pleased Herod.

7 Therefore he promised with an oath to give her whatever she might ask.

8 So she, having been prompted by her mother, said, "Give me John the Baptist's head here on a platter."

9 And the king was sorry; nevertheless, because of the oaths and because of those who sat with him, he commanded it to be given to her.

10 So he sent and had John beheaded in prison.

11 And his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother.

12 Then his disciples came and took away the body and buried it, and went and told Jesus.

13 When Jesus heard it, He departed from there by boat to a deserted place by Himself. But when the multitudes heard it, they followed Him on foot from the cities.

14 And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick.

15 When it was evening, His disciples came to Him, saying, "This is a deserted place, and the hour is already late. Send the multitudes away, that they may go into the villages and buy themselves food."

16 But Jesus said to them, "They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat."

17 And they said to Him, "We have here only five loaves and two fish."

18 He said, "Bring them here to Me."

19 Then He commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass. And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitudes.

20 So they all ate and were filled, and they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments that remained.

21 Now those who had eaten were about five thousand men, besides women and children.

Leviticus 20

1 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

2 "Again, you shall say to the children of Israel: 'Whoever of the children of Israel, or of the strangers who dwell in Israel, who gives any of his descendants to Molech, he shall surely be put to death. The people of the land shall stone him with stones.

3 I will set My face against that man, and will cut him off from his people, because he has given some of his descendants to Molech, to defile My sanctuary and profane My holy name.

4 And if the people of the land should in any way hide their eyes from the man, when he gives some of his descendants to Molech, and they do not kill him,

5 then I will set My face against that man and against his family; and I will cut him off from his people, and all who prostitute themselves with him to commit harlotry with Molech.

6 'And the person who turns to mediums and familiar spirits, to prostitute himself with them, I will set My face against that person and cut him off from his people.

7 Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am the Lord your God.

8 'And you shall keep My statutes, and perform them: I am the Lord who sanctifies you.

9 For everyone who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death. He has cursed his father or his mother. His blood shall be upon him.

10 The man who commits adultery with another man's wife, he who commits adultery with his neighbor's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress, shall surely be put to death.

11 The man who lies with his father's wife has uncovered his father's nakedness; both of them shall surely be put to death. Their blood shall be upon them.

12 If a man lies with his daughter-in-law, both of them shall surely be put to death. They have committed perversion. Their blood shall be upon them.

13 If a man lies with a male as he lies with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination. They shall surely be put to death. Their blood shall be upon them.

14 If a man marries a woman and her mother, it is wickedness. They shall be burned with fire, both he and they, that there may be no wickedness among you.

15 If a man mates with an animal, he shall surely be put to death, and you shall kill the animal.

16 If a woman approaches any animal and mates with it, you shall kill the woman and the animal. They shall surely be put to death. Their blood is upon them.

17 If a man takes his sister, his father's daughter or his mother's daughter, and sees her nakedness and she sees his nakedness, it is a wicked thing. And they shall be cut off in the sight of their people. He has uncovered his sister's nakedness. He shall bear his guilt.

18 If a man lies with a woman during her sickness and uncovers her nakedness, he has exposed her flow, and she has uncovered the flow of her blood. Both of them shall be cut off from their people.

19 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your mother's sister nor of your father's sister, for that would uncover his near of kin. They shall bear their guilt.

20 If a man lies with his uncle's wife, he has uncovered his uncle's nakedness. They shall bear their sin; they shall die childless.

21 If a man takes his brother's wife, it is an unclean thing. He has uncovered his brother's nakedness. They shall be childless.

22 'You shall therefore keep all My statutes and all My judgments, and perform them, that the land where I am bringing you to dwell may not vomit you out.

23 And you shall not walk in the statutes of the nation which I am casting out before you; for they commit all these things, and therefore I abhor them.

24 But I have said to you, "You shall inherit their land, and I will give it to you to possess, a land flowing with milk and honey." I am the Lord your God, who has separated you from the peoples.

25 You shall therefore distinguish between clean animals and unclean, between unclean birds and clean, and you shall not make yourselves abominable by beast or by bird, or by any kind of living thing that creeps on the ground, which I have separated from you as unclean.

26 And you shall be holy to Me, for I the Lord am holy, and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be Mine.

27 'A man or a woman who is a medium, or who has familiar spirits, shall surely be put to death; they shall stone them with stones. Their blood shall be upon them.' "

Leviticus 21

1 And the Lord said to Moses, "Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them: 'None shall defile himself for the dead among his people,

2 except for his relatives who are nearest to him: his mother, his father, his son, his daughter, and his brother;

3 also his virgin sister who is near to him, who has had no husband, for her he may defile himself.

4 Otherwise he shall not defile himself, being a chief man among his people, to profane himself.

5 'They shall not make any bald place on their heads, nor shall they shave the edges of their beards nor make any cuttings in their flesh.

6 They shall be holy to their God and not profane the name of their God, for they offer the offerings of the Lord made by fire, and the bread of their God; therefore they shall be holy.

7 They shall not take a wife who is a harlot or a defiled woman, nor shall they take a woman divorced from her husband; for the priest is holy to his God.

8 Therefore you shall consecrate him, for he offers the bread of your God. He shall be holy to you, for I the Lord, who sanctify you, am holy.

9 The daughter of any priest, if she profanes herself by playing the harlot, she profanes her father. She shall be burned with fire.

10 'He who is the high priest among his brethren, on whose head the anointing oil was poured and who is consecrated to wear the garments, shall not uncover his head nor tear his clothes;

11 nor shall he go near any dead body, nor defile himself for his father or his mother;

12 nor shall he go out of the sanctuary, nor profane the sanctuary of his God; for the consecration of the anointing oil of his God is upon him: I am the Lord.

13 And he shall take a wife in her virginity.

14 A widow or a divorced woman or a defiled woman or a harlot--these he shall not marry; but he shall take a virgin of his own people as wife.

15 Nor shall he profane his posterity among his people, for I the Lord sanctify him.' "

16 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

17 "Speak to Aaron, saying: 'No man of your descendants in succeeding generations, who has any defect, may approach to offer the bread of his God.

18 For any man who has a defect shall not approach: a man blind or lame, who has a marred face or any limb too long,

19 a man who has a broken foot or broken hand,

20 or is a hunchback or a dwarf, or a man who has a defect in his eye, or eczema or scab, or is a eunuch.

21 No man of the descendants of Aaron the priest, who has a defect, shall come near to offer the offerings made by fire to the Lord. He has a defect; he shall not come near to offer the bread of his God.

22 He may eat the bread of his God, both the most holy and the holy;

23 only he shall not go near the veil or approach the altar, because he has a defect, lest he profane My sanctuaries; for I the Lord sanctify them.' "

24 And Moses told it to Aaron and his sons, and to all the children of Israel.

Proverbs 30

1 The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, his utterance. This man declared to Ithiel--to Ithiel and Ucal:

2 Surely I am more stupid than any man, And do not have the understanding of a man.

3 I neither learned wisdom Nor have knowledge of the Holy One.

4 Who has ascended into heaven, or descended? Who has gathered the wind in His fists? Who has bound the waters in a garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name, and what is His Son's name, If you know?

5 Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him.

6 Do not add to His words, Lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar.

7 Two things I request of You (Deprive me not before I die):

8 Remove falsehood and lies far from me; Give me neither poverty nor riches-- Feed me with the food allotted to me;

9 Lest I be full and deny You, And say, "Who is the Lord?" Or lest I be poor and steal, And profane the name of my God.

10 Do not malign a servant to his master, Lest he curse you, and you be found guilty.

11 There is a generation that curses its father, And does not bless its mother.

12 There is a generation that is pure in its own eyes, Yet is not washed from its filthiness.

13 There is a generation--oh, how lofty are their eyes! And their eyelids are lifted up.

14 There is a generation whose teeth are like swords, And whose fangs are like knives, To devour the poor from off the earth, And the needy from among men.

15 The leech has two daughters-- Give and Give! There are three things that are never satisfied, Four never say, "Enough!":

16 The grave, The barren womb, The earth that is not satisfied with water-- And the fire never says, "Enough!"

17 The eye that mocks his father, And scorns obedience to his mother, The ravens of the valley will pick it out, And the young eagles will eat it.

18 There are three things which are too wonderful for me, Yes, four which I do not understand:

19 The way of an eagle in the air, The way of a serpent on a rock, The way of a ship in the midst of the sea, And the way of a man with a virgin.

20 This is the way of an adulterous woman: She eats and wipes her mouth, And says, "I have done no wickedness."

21 For three things the earth is perturbed, Yes, for four it cannot bear up:

22 For a servant when he reigns, A fool when he is filled with food,

23 A hateful woman when she is married, And a maidservant who succeeds her mistress.

24 There are four things which are little on the earth, But they are exceedingly wise:

25 The ants are a people not strong, Yet they prepare their food in the summer;

26 The rock badgers are a feeble folk, Yet they make their homes in the crags;

27 The locusts have no king, Yet they all advance in ranks;

28 The spider skillfully grasps with its hands, And it is in kings' palaces.

29 There are three things which are majestic in pace, Yes, four which are stately in walk:

30 A lion, which is mighty among beasts And does not turn away from any;

31 A greyhound, A male goat also, And a king whose troops are with him.

32 If you have been foolish in exalting yourself, Or if you have devised evil, put your hand on your mouth.

33 For as the churning of milk produces butter, And wringing the nose produces blood, So the forcing of wrath produces strife.