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

1 The LORD spoke to Moses,

2 "Tell Aaron, his sons, and all the Israelites that this is what the LORD has commanded:

3 Any Israelite who slaughters a bull, sheep, or goat inside or outside the camp

4 is guilty of bloodshed. He has shed blood and must be excluded from the people. Bring the animal to the entrance of the tent of meeting. Offer it to the LORD in front of the LORD's tent.

5 [This means] that the people of Israel must take the sacrifices they have been making in the open fields and bring them to the LORD. They must bring them to the priest at the entrance to the tent of meeting. The people will sacrifice them as fellowship offerings to the LORD.

6 The priest will pour the blood against the LORD's altar at the entrance to the tent of meeting. He will burn the fat as a soothing aroma to the LORD.

7 The people must stop sacrificing to goat idols and chasing after them as though they were prostitutes. This is a permanent law for the people and for future generations.

8 "Tell them: If Israelites or foreigners make burnt offerings or sacrifices

9 but do not bring them to the entrance of the tent of meeting to offer them to the LORD, they must be excluded from the people.

10 "If Israelites or foreigners eat any blood, I will condemn them and exclude them from the people,

11 because blood contains life. I have given this blood to you to make peace with me on the altar. Blood is needed to make peace with me.

12 That is why I have said to the people of Israel: Neither you nor foreigners should ever eat blood.

13 "If Israelites or foreigners hunt any animal or bird that may be eaten, they must pour out the animal's blood and cover it with dirt.

14 This is because the life of any creature is in its blood. So I have said to the people of Israel: Never eat any blood, because the life of any creature is in its blood. Whoever eats blood must be excluded [from the people].

15 "Native Israelites or foreigners who eat the body of an animal that dies naturally or is killed by another animal must wash their clothes and their bodies. They will be unclean until evening. Then they will be clean.

16 If they don't wash their clothes and their bodies, they will be guilty of sin."

1 The LORD spoke to Moses,

2 "Tell the Israelites: I am the LORD your God.

3 You used to live in Egypt. Don't live the way the Egyptians do. I am bringing you to Canaan. Don't live the way the Canaanites do. Never live by their standards.

4 Follow my rules, and live by my standards. I am the LORD your God.

5 Live by my standards, and obey my rules. You will have life through them. I am the LORD.

6 "Never have sexual intercourse with anyone related to you by blood. I am the LORD.

7 "Never have sexual intercourse with your mother. She is your own mother. Never have sexual intercourse with her.

8 Never have sexual intercourse with your stepmother. She is related to you through your father.

9 Never have sexual intercourse with your stepsister, whether she is your father's daughter or your mother's daughter. It makes no difference whether or not she was born in your house.

10 Never have sexual intercourse with your granddaughter, whether she is your son's daughter or your daughter's daughter, because she is related to you.

11 Never have sexual intercourse with a daughter of your father and his wife. She is your own sister.

12 Never have sexual intercourse with your father's sister. She is your paternal aunt.

13 Never have sexual intercourse with your mother's sister. She is your maternal aunt.

14 Never have sexual intercourse with the wife of your father's brother. She, too, is your aunt.

15 Never have sexual intercourse with your daughter-in-law. She is your son's wife. Never have sexual intercourse with her.

16 Never have sexual intercourse with your sister-in-law. She is your brother's wife.

17 Never have sexual intercourse with a woman and her daughter or a woman and her granddaughter. They are related. Doing this is perverted.

18 While your wife is living, never marry her sister as a rival wife and have sexual intercourse with her.

19 "Never have sexual intercourse with a woman while she is unclean during her monthly period.

20 Never have sexual intercourse with your neighbor's wife and become unclean with her.

21 Never give your children as sacrifices to the god Molech [by burning them alive]. If you do, you are dishonoring the name of your God. I am the LORD.

22 Never have sexual intercourse with a man as with a woman. It is disgusting.

23 Never have sexual intercourse with any animal and become unclean with it. A woman must never offer herself to an animal for sexual intercourse. It is unnatural.

24 "Do not become unclean in any of these ways. By these practices all the nations which I am forcing out of your way have become unclean.

25 The land has become unclean. I will punish it for its sins. The land will vomit out those who live in it.

26 Live by my standards, and obey my rules. Neither you nor any foreigner should ever do any of these disgusting things.

27 The people of the land who were there before you did all these disgusting things. As a result, the land has become unclean.

28 If you make the land unclean, it will vomit you out as it has vomited out the people who were there before you.

29 Whoever does any of these disgusting things must be excluded from the people.

30 So you must follow my instructions. Don't live by the standards of the people who lived there before you. What they do is disgusting. Never become unclean that way. I am the LORD your God."

27 Then the governor's soldiers took Jesus into the palace and gathered the whole troop around him.

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

29 They twisted some thorns into a crown, placed it on his head, and put a stick in his right hand. They knelt in front of him and made fun of him by saying, "Long live the king of the Jews!"

30 After they had spit on him, they took the stick and kept hitting him on the head with it.

31 After the soldiers finished making fun of Jesus, they took off the cape and put his own clothes back on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.

32 On the way they found a man named Simon. He was from the city of Cyrene. The soldiers forced him to carry Jesus' cross.

33 They came to a place called Golgotha (which means "the place of the skull").

34 They gave him a drink of wine mixed with a drug called gall. When he tasted it, he refused to drink it.

35 After they had crucified him, they divided his clothes among themselves by throwing dice.

36 Then they sat there and kept watch over him.

37 They placed a written accusation above his head. It read, "This is Jesus, the king of the Jews."

38 At that time they crucified two criminals with him, one on his right and the other on his left.

39 Those who passed by insulted him. They shook their heads

40 and said, "You were going to tear down God's temple and build it again in three days. Save yourself! If you're the Son of God, come down from the cross."

41 The chief priests together with the scribes and the leaders made fun of him in the same way. They said,

42 "He saved others, but he can't save himself. So he's Israel's king! Let him come down from the cross now, and we'll believe him.

43 He trusted God. Let God rescue him now if he wants. After all, this man said, 'I am the Son of God.'"

44 Even the criminals crucified with him were insulting him the same way.

45 At noon darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon.

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

47 When some of the people standing there heard him say that, they said, "He's calling Elijah."

48 One of the men ran at once, took a sponge, and soaked it in some vinegar. Then he put it on a stick and offered Jesus a drink.

49 The others said, "Leave him alone! Let's see if Elijah comes to save him."

50 Then Jesus loudly cried out once again and gave up his life.