Parasha 32: B’har-Bechukotai
Leviticus 25:1–27:34 (LEB)
The Sabbath Year
25 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses on ⌊Mount Sinai⌋, saying, 2 “Speak to the ⌊Israelites⌋, and say to them, ‘When you come into the land that I am about to give to you, then the land shall observe a Sabbath for Yahweh. 3 Six years you shall sow your field, and six years you shall prune your vineyard, and you shall gather its yield. 4 But in the seventh year it shall be ⌊a Sabbath of complete rest⌋ for the land—a Sabbath for Yahweh; you must not sow your field, and you must not prune your vineyard. 5 You must not reap your harvest’s aftergrowth, and you must not harvest the grapes of your unpruned vines—it shall be ⌊a year of complete rest⌋ for the land. 6 And a Sabbath of the land shall be for food for you: for you and for your slave and for your slave woman and for your hired worker and for your temporary residents who are dwelling as aliens with you; 7 and all its yield shall be for your domestic animal and for the wild animal, which are in your land to eat.
The Year of Jubilee
8 “ ‘And you shall count for yourself seven Sabbaths of years, seven times seven years, and they shall be for you ⌊time periods of⌋ seven Sabbaths of years: ⌊forty-nine⌋ years. 9 And you shall cause ⌊a loud horn blast⌋ to be heard on the seventh month on the tenth of the month; on the Day of Atonement you shall cause a ram’s horn to be heard in all your land. 10 And you shall consecrate the fiftieth year, and you shall proclaim a release in the land for all its inhabitants. It is a Jubilee; it shall be for you, and you shall return. You must return—everyone to his property and everyone to his clan. 11 ⌊You shall have the fiftieth year as a Jubilee⌋; you must not sow and you must not reap its aftergrowth, and you must not harvest its unpruned vines. 12 Because it is a Jubilee, it shall be holy to you. You must eat its produce from the field.
13 “ ‘In this Year of Jubilee ⌊each of you shall return⌋ to his property. 14 And when you sell something to your fellow citizen or you buy from your neighbor’s hand, you must not oppress ⌊one another⌋. 15 You must buy from your fellow citizen according to the number of years after the Jubilee; he must sell to you according to the number of years of yield. 16 You must increase its price ⌊according to a greater number of years⌋, but you must decrease its price ⌊according to a lesser number of years⌋, because he is selling its yields to you. 17 And you must not oppress ⌊one another⌋, but you shall revere your God, because I am Yahweh, your God.
18 “ ‘And you shall do my statutes, and you must keep my regulations, and you shall do them, so that you shall live ⌊securely⌋ on the land. 19 And the land shall give its fruit, and you shall eat ⌊your fill⌋, and you shall live ⌊securely⌋ on it. 20 And if you should say, “What shall we eat in the seventh year, ⌊if⌋ we do not sow and we do not gather its yield?” 21 then I will command my blessing for you in the sixth year, so that it will make the yield for three years. 22 And you will sow in the eighth year, and you shall eat from the old yield; until the ninth year, until the coming of its yield, you shall eat the old yield.
23 “ ‘But the land must not be sold in perpetuity, because the land is mine, because you are aliens and temporary residents with me. 24 And in all your property’s land you must provide redemption for the land.
25 “ ‘When your brother becomes poor and he sells part of his property, then ⌊his nearest redeemer⌋ shall come, and he shall redeem the thing sold by his brother. 26 But if a man ⌊does not have⌋ a redeemer, then ⌊he prospers⌋ and he finds enough for his redemption, 27 then he shall calculate the years of its selling, and he shall refund the balance to the man to whom he sold it, and he shall return to his property. 28 But if his hand does not find enough to refund to him, then ⌊what he has sold⌋ shall be in the buyer’s hand until the Year of Jubilee; and it shall go out of the buyer’s hand in the Jubilee, and he shall return to his property.
29 “ ‘And if a man sells ⌊a residential house in a walled city⌋, then it shall be his redemption until completing ⌊a year after his selling⌋; its redemption ⌊shall last⌋ ⌊a year⌋. 30 But if it is not redeemed ⌊before a full year has passed⌋, then the house that is ⌊in the walled city⌋ shall belong to the buyer in perpetuity throughout his generations; it shall not go out of the buyer’s hand in the Jubilee. 31 However, village houses that have no surrounding wall shall be considered ⌊open country⌋; there is redemption for it, and in the Jubilee it shall go out of the buyer’s hand.
32 “ ‘As for the cities of the Levites, that is, the houses in their property’s cities, it shall be ⌊a lasting redemption⌋ for the Levites. 33 And whatever anyone redeems from the Levites then must go out of the buyer’s hand in the Jubilee, including a house’s selling ⌊in his city’s property⌋, because the houses in the cities of the Levites are their property in the midst of the ⌊Israelites⌋. 34 But a field of their cities’ pastureland must not be sold, because ⌊it is their property for all time⌋.
35 “ ‘And if your countryman becomes poor and ⌊if he becomes dependent on you⌋, then you shall support him like an alien and like a temporary resident, and he shall live with you. 36 You must not take interest or usury from him, but you shall revere your God, and your countryman shall live with you. 37 You must not give your money to him with interest or give your food for profit. 38 I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out from the land of Egypt to give ⌊you⌋ the land of Canaan, to be as God for you.
39 “ ‘And if your countryman who is with you becomes poor, and he is sold to you, ⌊you shall not treat him as a slave⌋. 40 He shall be with you like a hired worker, like a temporary resident; he shall work with you until the Year of Jubilee. 41 And he and his sons with him shall go out from you, and he shall return to his clan, and to the property of his ancestors he shall return. 42 Because they are my servants whom I brought out from the land of Egypt, they shall not be sold ⌊as a slave⌋. 43 You shall not rule over him with ruthlessness, but you shall revere your God.
44 “ ‘As for your slave and your slave woman who are yours, from the nations that are all around you, from them you may buy a slave or a slave woman. 45 And you may buy also from the children of the temporary residents who are dwelling with you as aliens and from their clan who are with you, who have children in your land; indeed, they may be as property for you. 46 And you may pass them on as an inheritance to your sons after you to take possession of as property ⌊for all time⌋—you may let them work. But as for your countrymen, the ⌊Israelites⌋, you shall not rule with ruthlessness over ⌊one another⌋.
47 “ ‘And if the alien or the temporary resident who are with you ⌊prosper⌋, but your countryman who is with him becomes poor and he is sold to an alien, a temporary resident who is with you, or to a descendant of an alien’s clan, 48 after he is sold redemption shall be for him; one of his brothers may redeem him, 49 or his uncle or his uncle’s son may redeem him, or ⌊one of⌋ ⌊his close relatives⌋ from his clan may redeem him; or if ⌊he prospers⌋, he may redeem himself. 50 And he shall calculate with his buyer from the year of ⌊his selling himself⌋ until the Jubilee; and the value of his selling shall be according to the number of years—it shall be with him like a hired worker’s days. 51 If there are still many years, ⌊in keeping with them⌋ he shall restore his redemption ⌊in proportion to his purchase price⌋. 52 And if there are a few years left until the Year of Jubilee, then he shall calculate for himself; he shall restore his redemption ⌊according to the number of his years⌋. 53 He shall be with him ⌊as a yearly hired worker⌋; he shall not rule over him with ruthlessness ⌊in your sight⌋. 54 And if he is not redeemed by any of these ways, then he and his sons with him shall go out in the Year of Jubilee. 55 Indeed, the ⌊Israelites⌋ are servants for me; they are my servants whom I brought out from the land of Egypt. I am Yahweh your God.’ ”
Blessings for Obedience
26 “ ‘You shall not make for yourselves idols and divine images, and you shall not raise up stone pillars for yourselves, and you shall not put a sculptured stone in your land in order to worship before it, because I am Yahweh your God.
2 “ ‘You shall keep my Sabbaths, and you shall revere my sanctuary; I am Yahweh.
3 “ ‘If you walk in my statutes and you keep my commands and you do them, 4 then I will give you rains in their time, and the land shall give its produce, and the trees of the field shall give their fruit. 5 And for you the threshing season shall overtake the grape harvest, and the grape harvest shall overtake the sowing, and you shall eat your food ⌊to your fill⌋ and you shall live ⌊securely⌋ in your land. 6 And I will give peace in the land, and you shall lie down, and there shall not be ⌊anybody who makes you afraid⌋, and I will remove harmful animals from the land, and ⌊no sword shall pass through your land⌋. 7 And you shall pursue your enemies, and they shall fall by the sword ⌊before you⌋. 8 And five of you shall pursue a hundred, and a hundred of you shall pursue a myriad; and your enemies shall fall by the sword ⌊before you⌋. 9 And I will turn to you, and I will make you fruitful, and I will make you numerous; and I will keep my covenant with you. 10 And you shall eat ⌊old grain⌋, and ⌊you shall clear away the old before the new⌋. 11 And I will put my dwelling place in your midst, and my inner self shall not abhor you. 12 And I will walk about in your midst, and I shall be your God, and you shall be my people. 13 I am Yahweh, your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt, from being their slaves; and I broke the bars of your yoke, and I caused you to walk erectly.
Punishment for Disobedience
14 “ ‘But if you do not listen to me and you do not carry out all these commands, 15 and if you reject my statutes and if your inner self abhors my regulations, to not carry out all my commands by your breaking my covenant, 16 I ⌊in turn⌋ will do this to you: then I will summon onto you horror, the wasting disease, and the fever that wastes eyes and that drains away life; and you shall sow your seed ⌊in vain⌋, and your enemies shall eat it. 17 And I will set my face against you, and you shall be defeated ⌊before⌋ your enemies; and your haters shall rule over you, and you shall flee away, but there shall not be ⌊anybody who is pursuing⌋ you.
18 “ ‘And if in spite of these things you do not listen to me, then I will continue to discipline you seven times for your sins. 19 And I will break the pride of your strength; and I will make your heaven like iron and your land like copper. 20 And your strength shall be consumed ⌊in vain⌋; and your land shall not give its produce, and the land’s trees shall not give their fruit.
21 “ ‘And if you go against me in hostility and you are not willing to listen to me, then I will add a plague onto you seven times according to your sins. 22 And I will send ⌊wild animals⌋ out among you, and they shall make you childless, and they shall cut down your domestic animals, and they shall make you fewer; and your roads shall be desolate.
23 “ ‘And if you do not accept correction from me through these things, but you go against me in hostility, 24 then I myself will also go against you in hostility, and I myself also will strike you seven times for your sins. 25 And I will bring upon you a sword that seeks vengeance for the covenant, and you shall be gathered to your cities; and I will send a plague in your midst, and you shall be given into the hand of an enemy. 26 At my breaking the ⌊supply⌋ of bread for you, then ten women shall bake your bread in one oven, and they shall return your bread by weight; and you shall eat it, and you shall not be satisfied.
27 “ ‘And if through this you do not listen to me and you go against me in hostility, 28 then I will go against you in hostile anger, and also I myself will discipline you seven times for your sins. 29 And you shall eat the flesh of your sons; and the flesh of your daughters you shall eat. 30 And I will destroy your high places, and I will cut down your incense altars, and I will place your corpses on your idols’ corpses; and my inner self shall abhor you. 31 And I will lay your cities in ruins, and I will lay waste your sanctuaries; and I shall not smell your sacrifices’ appeasing fragrance. 32 And I myself will lay waste the land, and your enemies who are living in it shall be appalled over it. 33 And I will scatter you among the nations, and I will draw a sword behind you; and your land shall be a desolation, and your cities shall be a ruin. 34 Then the land shall enjoy its Sabbaths all the days of its lying desolate, and you shall be in the land of your enemies; then the land shall rest, and it shall enjoy its Sabbaths. 35 All the days of its lying desolate it shall rest for the time that it had not rested during your Sabbaths while you were living on it. 36 As for the ones who remain among you, I will bring fearfulness in their hearts in the land of their enemies; and a sound of a windblown leaf shall pursue them, and they shall flee like flight ⌊before⌋ a sword, and they shall fall, but there shall not be a pursuer. 37 And they shall stumble over ⌊one another⌋ as ⌊from before⌋ a sword, but there shall not be a pursuer; and ⌊you shall have no resistance⌋ ⌊before⌋ your enemies. 38 And you shall perish among the nations, and the land of your enemies shall eat you. 39 And because of their guilt, the ones among you who remain shall decay in the land of their enemies; and also because of the iniquities of their ancestors, they shall decay with them.
40 “ ‘But when they confess their guilt and the guilt of their ancestors in their infidelity that they displayed against me, and moreover that they went against me in hostility— 41 I myself also went against them in hostility, and I brought them into the land of their enemies—or if then their uncircumcised heart is humbled and then they pay for their guilt, 42 I will remember my covenant with Jacob; and I will remember also my covenant with Isaac and also my covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the land. 43 And the land shall be deserted by them, and it shall enjoy its Sabbaths in its being desolate from them, and they themselves must pay for their guilt, ⌊simply because⌋ they rejected my regulations, and their inner self abhorred my statutes. 44 And ⌊in spite of⌋ this, ⌊when they are⌋ in the land of their enemies I will not reject them, and I will not abhor them to destroy them, to break my covenant with them, because I am Yahweh their God. 45 And I will remember the first covenant for them—whom I brought out from the land of Egypt ⌊in the sight of⌋ the nations ⌊to be their God⌋. I am Yahweh.’ ”
46 These are the rules and the regulations and the laws that Yahweh gave between himself and the ⌊Israelites⌋ on ⌊Mount Sinai⌋ ⌊through⌋ Moses.
Instructions About Vows
27 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the ⌊Israelites⌋, and say to them, ‘When a man makes a vow according to your proper value of persons to Yahweh, 3 if your proper value is for a male from ⌊twenty years of age⌋ up to ⌊sixty years of age⌋, then your proper value shall be fifty shekels of money according to the sanctuary’s shekel. 4 But if it is for a female, then your proper value shall be thirty shekels. 5 And if from ⌊five years of age⌋ up to ⌊twenty years of age⌋, then your proper value shall be twenty shekels for the male and ten shekels for the female. 6 And if from ⌊a month of age⌋ up to ⌊five years of age⌋, then your proper value shall be five shekels of money for the male, and your proper value for the female shall be three shekels of money. 7 And if from ⌊sixty years of age⌋ and above: if a male, then your proper value shall be fifteen shekels; and for the female, ten shekels. 8 But if he is poorer than your proper value, then he shall present himself ⌊before⌋ the priest, and the priest shall set a value on him; the priest shall value him ⌊according to⌋ what the person who made a vow ⌊can afford⌋.
9 “ ‘And if it is a domestic animal from which they present an offering for Yahweh, all that he gives from it for Yahweh shall be a holy object. 10 He shall not replace it, nor shall he exchange it, either good with bad or bad with good; and if he indeed exchanges a domestic animal with a domestic animal, then ⌊it and its substitution shall be a holy object⌋. 11 But if it is any unclean animal from which they may not present an offering for Yahweh, then he shall present the animal ⌊before⌋ the priest. 12 And the priest shall set a value on it, ⌊either good or bad⌋; as the priest sets your proper value, so it shall be. 13 And if he indeed wants to redeem it, then he shall add a fifth of it onto your proper value.
14 “ ‘And if a man consecrates his house as a holy object for Yahweh, then the priest shall set a value on it, ⌊either good or bad⌋; just as the priest sets a value on it, so it shall remain. 15 But if the one who consecrates it wants to redeem his house, then he shall add a fifth of your proper value’s money onto it, and it shall be his.
16 “ ‘And if a man consecrates ⌊some of⌋ his property’s fields for Yahweh, then your proper value shall be ⌊in accordance with its seed requirements⌋: a homer of barley seed for fifty shekels of money. 17 If he consecrates his field from the Year of Jubilee, it shall stand as your proper value. 18 But if he consecrates his field after the Jubilee, then the priest shall calculate the money for him ⌊according to the number of years⌋ that are left over until the Year of Jubilee; and it shall be deducted from your proper value. 19 And if he indeed redeems the field that is consecrated, then he shall add a fifth of your proper value’s money onto it, and it shall stand for him. 20 And if he does not redeem the field and if he sells the field to another man, it may not be redeemed again, 21 and the field shall be a holy object for Yahweh when it goes out in the Jubilee, like a devoted field; ⌊it shall be the priest’s property⌋.
22 “ ‘And if he consecrates for Yahweh his acquired field that is not the field of his inherited possession, 23 then the priest shall calculate for him the ⌊amount⌋ of your proper value until the year of the Jubilee, and he shall give your proper value on that day as a holy object for Yahweh. 24 In the Year of the Jubilee the field shall return to the one who bought it from him, to the one whose property the land is. 25 And every proper value of yours shall be in the sanctuary’s shekel—the shekel shall be twenty gerahs.
26 “ ‘However, a man shall not consecrate a firstborn among livestock, which belongs as firstborn to Yahweh; whether an ox ⌊or⌋ small livestock, it is for Yahweh. 27 And if it is among the unclean animals, then he shall ransom it according to your proper value, and he shall add a fifth of its value onto it; and if it is not redeemed, then it shall be sold according to your proper value. 28 However, anything devoted that a man has devoted to Yahweh ⌊from all that he has⌋, from human or animal, or from the field of his property, may not be sold, and it may not be redeemed; anything devoted is ⌊a most holy thing⌋ for Yahweh. 29 Anyone devoted who is devoted from ⌊human beings⌋ cannot be ransomed—he shall surely be put to death.
30 “ ‘And any tithe of the land from the land’s seed or from the fruit of the trees is for Yahweh; it is a holy object for Yahweh. 31 And if a man indeed redeems from his tithe, he shall add a fifth of its value onto it. 32 As for every tithe of cattle or of the flock, all which crosses under the rod, the tenth shall be a holy object for Yahweh. 33 He shall not inspect between the good and the bad, and he shall not exchange it; but if he indeed exchanges it, then ⌊it and its substitution shall be⌋ a holy object—it shall not be redeemed.’ ”
34 These are the commands that Yahweh commanded Moses for the ⌊Israelites⌋ on ⌊Mount Sinai⌋.
PROPHETS
Jeremiah 16:1–17:14 (LEB)
Jeremiah is Commanded Not to Marry
16 And the word of Yahweh came to me, ⌊saying⌋, 2 “You shall not take for yourself a wife, there shall not be for you sons and daughters in this place.” 3 For thus says Yahweh concerning the sons and concerning the daughters born in this place, and concerning their mothers who gave birth to them, and concerning their fathers who fathered them in this land: 4 “They will die by diseases, they will not be mourned, and they will not be buried. They will be as dung on the face of the earth. And they will perish by the sword and they will perish by the famine. And their dead bodies will become food for the birds of the air, and for the wild animals of the earth.”
5 For thus says Yahweh, “You must not enter the house of the funeral meal, and you must not go to lament, and you must not show sympathy for them, for I have taken away my peace from this people,” ⌊declares⌋ Yahweh, “the loyal love and the compassion. 6 Both the great and small will die in this land. They will not be buried, and they will not mourn for them, and no one will cut himself with a blade, and no one will shave himself for them. 7 And they will not break bread for the mourning ceremony for them, to comfort him because of the dead. And they will not give drink to them, the cup of desolation, for their fathers, or for their mothers. 8 And you shall not enter the house of the banquet, to sit with them, to eat and drink.”
9 For thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, “Look, I am about to cause to disappear from this place, before your eyes and in your days, the voice of jubilation, and the voice of joy, and the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride. 10 ⌊And then⌋ when you tell this people all these words and they ask you, ‘⌊Why⌋ has Yahweh pronounced against us all this great evil, and what is our iniquity, and what is our sin that we have sinned against Yahweh our God?’ 11 Then you shall say to them, ‘⌊Because⌋ your ancestors have forsaken me,’ ⌊declares⌋ Yahweh, ‘and they have gone after other gods, and they have served them, and they have bowed down in worship to them, and they have forsaken me, and they have not kept my laws. 12 And ⌊you have behaved badly⌋ more than your ancestors, and look, you are going each one after the stubbornness of his evil heart, without listening to me. 13 So I will throw you from this land to the land that you have not known, you or your ancestors, and there you will serve other gods day and night, for I will not show you favor.
The Nation’s Return to the Land
14 ⌊Therefore⌋ look, days are coming,’ ⌊declares⌋ Yahweh, ‘and it will no longer be said, “⌊As Yahweh lives⌋, who led up the ⌊Israelites⌋ from the land of Egypt,” 15 ⌊but only⌋ “⌊As Yahweh lives⌋, who led up the ⌊Israelites⌋ from the land of the north, and from all the lands where he had driven them,” for I will bring them back to their ground that I gave to their ancestors. 16 Look, I am sending for many fishermen,’ ⌊declares⌋ Yahweh, ‘and they will fish them out, and ⌊afterward⌋ I will send for many hunters, and they will hunt them from every mountain, and from every hill, and from the clefts of the cliffs. 17 For my eyes are on all their ways, they are not hidden ⌊from before me⌋, and their iniquity is not concealed from before my eyes. 18 And ⌊I will first doubly repay⌋ their iniquity and their sin because of their profaning my land with the dead bodies of their abhorrences, and with their abominations they have filled up my inheritance.’ ”
19 O Yahweh, my strength, and my stronghold,
and my refuge in the day of distress,
to you the nations will come from the ends of the earth,
and they will say, “Our ancestors have inherited only lies,
vanity, and there is no profit in them.
20 Can a human make for himself gods?
Yet they are not gods!”
21 “⌊Therefore⌋ look, I am about to let them know,
this time I am going to let them know
my ⌊power⌋ and my might,
and they will know that my name is Yahweh.”
The Sin of Judah
17 “The sin of Judah is written with an iron stylus,
with a point of diamond it is engraved
on the tablet of their heart,
and on the horns of their altars.
2 As the remembering of their children,
so is the remembering of their altars
and their poles of Asherah worship
beside the leafy trees on the high hills.
3 O my mountain in the open country,
I will give your wealth, all your treasures, for spoil,
your high places, because of your sin,
throughout all your territories.
4 And ⌊you will let go your hand from your inheritance⌋
that I gave to you,
and I will make you serve your enemies
in the land that you do not know,
for you kindled a fire in my anger,
until eternity it will be kindled.”
The One Who Trusts in Humankind Contrasted With the One Who Trusts in Yahweh
5 Thus says Yahweh,
“Cursed is the person who trusts in humankind
and makes flesh his ⌊strength⌋,
and turns aside his heart from Yahweh.
6 And he will be like a juniper in the wilderness,
and he will not see when good comes,
and he will dwell in the parched places in the desert,
in a land of salt flats, where no one lives.
7 Blessed be the person who trusts in Yahweh,
and Yahweh is his trust.
8 For he will be like a tree planted by water,
and to the stream it sends its roots,
and it will not fear when heat comes,
and its leaves will be luxuriant,
and in the year of drought it will not be anxious,
and it will not cease from the bearing of fruit.
9 The heart is deceitful more than anything else,
and it is disastrous. Who can understand it?
10 I, Yahweh, examine the ⌊mind⌋,
I test the ⌊heart⌋,
and give to each one according to his way,
according to the fruit of his deeds.
11 Like a partridge that hatches eggs it did not lay
is one who amasses wealth without justice.
In the middle of his days it will leave him,
and at his end he will prove to be a fool.”
The Fountain of Living Water
12 A lofty throne of glory from the beginning
is the place of our sanctuary.
13 O Yahweh, the hope of Israel,
all those who forsake you will be put to shame,
and those who turn aside from you in the earth will be recorded,
for they have forsaken the fountain of living water, Yahweh.
14 Heal me, O Yahweh, and I will be healed,
save me, and I will be saved,
for you are my praise.
GOSPELS
Matthew 16:1–28 (LEB)
The Signs of the Times
16 And when* the Pharisees and Sadducees came to test him,* they asked him to show them a sign from heaven. 2 So he answered and* said to them, “When* evening comes you say, ‘It will be fair weather because the sky is red,’ 3 and early in the morning, ‘Today it will be stormy weather, because the sky is red and* darkening.’ You know how to evaluate correctly the appearance of the sky, but you are not able to evaluate* the signs of the times. 4 An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, and a sign will not be given to it except the sign of Jonah!” And he left them and* went away.
Beware the Leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees
5 And when* the disciples arrived at the other side, they had forgotten to take bread. 6 And Jesus said to them, “Watch out for and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees!” 7 So they were discussing this* among themselves, saying, “It is because we did not take bread.” 8 But knowing this,* Jesus said, “Why are you discussing among yourselves that you did not take bread, you of little faith? 9 Do you not yet understand or do you not remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many baskets you took up? 10 Or the seven loaves for the four thousand and how many baskets you took up? 11 How do you not understand that I did not speak to you about bread? But beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees!” 12 Then they understood that he did not say to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
Peter’s Confession at Caesarea Philippi
13 Now when* Jesus came to the region of Caesarea ⌊Philippi⌋, he began asking* his disciples, saying, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14 And they said, ⌊Some⌋ say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 And Simon Peter answered and* said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God!” 17 And Jesus answered and* said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, because flesh and blood did not reveal this* to you, but my Father who is in heaven. 18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overpower it! 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you release on earth will be released in heaven.” 20 Then he commanded the disciples that they should tell no one that he was the Christ.
Jesus Predicts His Death and Resurrection
21 From that time on Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised on the third day. 22 And Peter took him aside and* began to rebuke him, saying, ⌊God forbid⌋, Lord! This will never happen to you!” 23 But he turned around and* said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a cause for stumbling to me, because you are not intent on the things of God, but the things of people!”
Taking Up One’s Cross to Follow Jesus
24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone wants to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life on account of me will find it. 26 For what will a person be benefited if he gains the whole world but forfeits his life? Or what will a person give in exchange for his life? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and at that time he will reward each one according to ⌊what he has done⌋. 28 Truly I say to you, that there are some of those standing here who will never experience death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”
The Lexam English Bible. (n.d.). [Software].