Cleansing From Defiling Skin Diseases

14 The Lord said to Moses, ² “These are the regulations for any diseased person at the time of their ceremonial cleansing, when they are brought to the priest:^{(A) 3} The priest is to go outside the camp and examine them.^(B) If they have been healed of their defiling skin disease,^{[a](C) 4} the priest shall order that two live clean birds and some cedar wood, scarlet yarn and hyssop^(D) be brought for the person to be cleansed.^{(E) 5} Then the priest shall order that one of the birds be killed over fresh water in a clay pot.^{(F) 6} He is then to take the live bird and dip it, together with the cedar wood, the scarlet yarn and the hyssop, into the blood of the bird that was killed over the fresh water.^{(G) 7} Seven times^(H) he shall sprinkle^(I) the one to be cleansed of the defiling disease, and then pronounce them clean. After that, he is to release the live bird in the open fields.^(J)

⁸ “The person to be cleansed must wash their clothes,^(K) shave off all their hair and bathe with water;^(L) then they will be ceremonially clean.^(M) After this they may come into the camp,^(N) but they must stay outside their tent for seven days. ⁹ On the seventh day^(O) they must shave off all their hair;^(P) they must shave their head, their beard, their eyebrows and the rest of their hair. They must wash their clothes and bathe themselves with water, and they will be clean.^(Q)

¹⁰ “On the eighth day^(R) they must bring two male lambs and one ewe lamb^(S) a year old, each without defect, along with three-tenths of an ephah^[b](T) of the finest flour mixed with olive oil for a grain offering,^(U) and one log^[c] of oil.^{(V) 11} The priest who pronounces them clean shall present^(W) both the one to be cleansed and their offerings before the Lord at the entrance to the tent of meeting.^(X)

¹² “Then the priest is to take one of the male lambs and offer it as a guilt offering,^(Y) along with the log of oil; he shall wave them before the Lord as a wave offering.^{(Z) 13} He is to slaughter the lamb in the sanctuary area^(AA) where the sin offering^[d] and the burnt offering are slaughtered. Like the sin offering, the guilt offering belongs to the priest;^(AB) it is most holy. ¹⁴ The priest is to take some of the blood of the guilt offering and put it on the lobe of the right ear of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of their right hand and on the big toe of their right foot.^{(AC) 15} The priest shall then take some of the log of oil, pour it in the palm of his own left hand,^{(AD) 16} dip his right forefinger into the oil in his palm, and with his finger sprinkle some of it before the Lord seven times.^{(AE) 17} The priest is to put some of the oil remaining in his palm on the lobe of the right ear of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of their right hand and on the big toe of their right foot, on top of the blood of the guilt offering.^{(AF) 18} The rest of the oil in his palm the priest shall put on the head of the one to be cleansed^(AG) and make atonement for them before the Lord.

¹⁹ “Then the priest is to sacrifice the sin offering and make atonement for the one to be cleansed from their uncleanness.^(AH) After that, the priest shall slaughter the burnt offering ²⁰ and offer it on the altar, together with the grain offering, and make atonement for them,^(AI) and they will be clean.^(AJ)

²¹ “If, however, they are poor^(AK) and cannot afford these,^(AL) they must take one male lamb as a guilt offering to be waved to make atonement for them, together with a tenth of an ephah^[e] of the finest flour mixed with olive oil for a grain offering, a log of oil, ²² and two doves or two young pigeons,^(AM) such as they can afford, one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering.^(AN)

²³ “On the eighth day they must bring them for their cleansing to the priest at the entrance to the tent of meeting,^(AO) before the Lord.^{(AP) 24} The priest is to take the lamb for the guilt offering,^(AQ) together with the log of oil,^(AR) and wave them before the Lord as a wave offering.^{(AS) 25} He shall slaughter the lamb for the guilt offering and take some of its blood and put it on the lobe of the right ear of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of their right hand and on the big toe of their right foot.^{(AT) 26} The priest is to pour some of the oil into the palm of his own left hand,^{(AU) 27} and with his right forefinger sprinkle some of the oil from his palm seven times before the Lord. ²⁸ Some of the oil in his palm he is to put on the same places he put the blood of the guilt offering—on the lobe of the right ear of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of their right hand and on the big toe of their right foot. ²⁹ The rest of the oil in his palm the priest shall put on the head of the one to be cleansed, to make atonement for them before the Lord.^{(AV) 30} Then he shall sacrifice the doves or the young pigeons, such as the person can afford,^{(AW) 31} one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering,^(AX) together with the grain offering. In this way the priest will make atonement before the Lord on behalf of the one to be cleansed.^(AY)”

³² These are the regulations for anyone who has a defiling skin disease^(AZ) and who cannot afford the regular offerings^(BA) for their cleansing.

Cleansing From Defiling Molds

³³ The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, ³⁴ “When you enter the land of Canaan,^(BB) which I am giving you as your possession,^(BC) and I put a spreading mold in a house in that land, ³⁵ the owner of the house must go and tell the priest, ‘I have seen something that looks like a defiling mold in my house.’ ³⁶ The priest is to order the house to be emptied before he goes in to examine the mold, so that nothing in the house will be pronounced unclean. After this the priest is to go in and inspect the house. ³⁷ He is to examine the mold on the walls, and if it has greenish or reddish^(BD) depressions that appear to be deeper than the surface of the wall, ³⁸ the priest shall go out the doorway of the house and close it up for seven days.^{(BE) 39} On the seventh day^(BF) the priest shall return to inspect the house. If the mold has spread on the walls, ⁴⁰ he is to order that the contaminated stones be torn out and thrown into an unclean place outside the town.^{(BG) 41} He must have all the inside walls of the house scraped and the material that is scraped off dumped into an unclean place outside the town. ⁴² Then they are to take other stones to replace these and take new clay and plaster the house.

⁴³ “If the defiling mold reappears in the house after the stones have been torn out and the house scraped and plastered, ⁴⁴ the priest is to go and examine it and, if the mold has spread in the house, it is a persistent defiling mold; the house is unclean.^{(BH) 45} It must be torn down—its stones, timbers and all the plaster—and taken out of the town to an unclean place.

⁴⁶ “Anyone who goes into the house while it is closed up will be unclean till evening.^{(BI) 47} Anyone who sleeps or eats in the house must wash their clothes.^(BJ)

⁴⁸ “But if the priest comes to examine it and the mold has not spread after the house has been plastered, he shall pronounce the house clean,^(BK) because the defiling mold is gone. ⁴⁹ To purify the house he is to take two birds and some cedar wood, scarlet yarn and hyssop.^{(BL) 50} He shall kill one of the birds over fresh water in a clay pot.^{(BM) 51} Then he is to take the cedar wood, the hyssop,^(BN) the scarlet yarn and the live bird, dip them into the blood of the dead bird and the fresh water, and sprinkle the house seven times.^{(BO) 52} He shall purify the house with the bird’s blood, the fresh water, the live bird, the cedar wood, the hyssop and the scarlet yarn. ⁵³ Then he is to release the live bird in the open fields^(BP) outside the town. In this way he will make atonement for the house, and it will be clean.^(BQ)”

⁵⁴ These are the regulations for any defiling skin disease,^(BR) for a sore, ⁵⁵ for defiling molds^(BS) in fabric or in a house, ⁵⁶ and for a swelling, a rash or a shiny spot,^{(BT) 57} to determine when something is clean or unclean.

These are the regulations for defiling skin diseases and defiling molds.^(BU)

Psalm 64^[a]

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

6 As God’s co-workers^(A) we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain.^{(B) 2} For he says,

I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.

Paul’s Hardships

³ We put no stumbling block in anyone’s path,^(D) so that our ministry will not be discredited. ⁴ Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; ⁵ in beatings, imprisonments^(E) and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger;^{(F) 6} in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit^(G) and in sincere love;^{(H) 7} in truthful speech^(I) and in the power of God;^(J) with weapons of righteousness^(K) in the right hand and in the left; ⁸ through glory and dishonor,^(L) bad report^(M) and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors;^{(N) 9} known, yet regarded as unknown; dying,^(O) and yet we live on;^(P) beaten, and yet not killed; ¹⁰ sorrowful, yet always rejoicing;^(Q) poor, yet making many rich;^(R) having nothing,^(S) and yet possessing everything.^(T)

¹¹ We have spoken freely to you, Corinthians, and opened wide our hearts to you.^{(U) 12} We are not withholding our affection from you, but you are withholding yours from us. ¹³ As a fair exchange—I speak as to my children^(V)—open wide your hearts^(W) also.

Warning Against Idolatry

¹⁴ Do not be yoked together^(X) with unbelievers.^(Y) For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?^{(Z) 15} What harmony is there between Christ and Belial^[b]?^(AA) Or what does a believer^(AB) have in common with an unbeliever?^{(AC) 16} What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols?^(AD) For we are the temple^(AE) of the living God.^(AF) As God has said:

¹⁷ Therefore,

¹⁸ And,

7 Therefore, since we have these promises,^(AL) dear friends,^(AM) let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness^(AN) out of reverence for God.

Paul’s Joy Over the Church’s Repentance

² Make room for us in your hearts.^(AO) We have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have exploited no one. ³ I do not say this to condemn you; I have said before that you have such a place in our hearts^(AP) that we would live or die with you. ⁴ I have spoken to you with great frankness; I take great pride in you.^(AQ) I am greatly encouraged;^(AR) in all our troubles my joy knows no bounds.^(AS)

⁵ For when we came into Macedonia,^(AT) we had no rest, but we were harassed at every turn^(AU)—conflicts on the outside, fears within.^{(AV) 6} But God, who comforts the downcast,^(AW) comforted us by the coming of Titus,^{(AX) 7} and not only by his coming but also by the comfort you had given him. He told us about your longing for me, your deep sorrow, your ardent concern for me, so that my joy was greater than ever.

⁸ Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter,^(AY) I do not regret it. Though I did regret it—I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while— ⁹ yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. ¹⁰ Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation^(AZ) and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. ¹¹ See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern,^(BA) what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter. ¹² So even though I wrote to you,^(BB) it was neither on account of the one who did the wrong^(BC) nor on account of the injured party, but rather that before God you could see for yourselves how devoted to us you are. ¹³ By all this we are encouraged.

In addition to our own encouragement, we were especially delighted to see how happy Titus^(BD) was, because his spirit has been refreshed by all of you. ¹⁴ I had boasted to him about you,^(BE) and you have not embarrassed me. But just as everything we said to you was true, so our boasting about you to Titus^(BF) has proved to be true as well. ¹⁵ And his affection for you is all the greater when he remembers that you were all obedient,^(BG) receiving him with fear and trembling.^{(BH) 16} I am glad I can have complete confidence in you.^(BI)