Numbers 19

The Water of Purification
 ¹  The LORD said to Moses and Aaron,  ²  "Here is another legal requirement commanded by the LORD: Tell the people of Israel to bring you a red heifer, a perfect animal that has no defects and has never been yoked to a plow.  ³  Give it to Eleazar the priest, and it will be taken outside the camp and slaughtered in his presence.  ⁴  Eleazar will take some of its blood on his finger and sprinkle it seven times toward the front of the Tabernacle. [4]   ⁵  As Eleazar watches, the heifer must be burned—its hide, meat, blood, and dung.  ⁶  Eleazar the priest must then take a stick of cedar, [6]  a hyssop branch, and some scarlet yarn and throw them into the fire where the heifer is burning.
   ⁷  "Then the priest must wash his clothes and bathe himself in water. Afterward he may return to the camp, though he will remain ceremonially unclean until evening.  ⁸  The man who burns the animal must also wash his clothes and bathe himself in water, and he, too, will remain unclean until evening.  ⁹  Then someone who is ceremonially clean will gather up the ashes of the heifer and deposit them in a purified place outside the camp. They will be kept there for the community of Israel to use in the water for the purification ceremony. This ceremony is performed for the removal of sin.  ¹⁰  The man who gathers up the ashes of the heifer must also wash his clothes, and he will remain ceremonially unclean until evening. This is a permanent law for the people of Israel and any foreigners who live among them.
   ¹¹  "All those who touch a dead human body will be ceremonially unclean for seven days.  ¹²  They must purify themselves on the third and seventh days with the water of purification; then they will be purified. But if they do not do this on the third and seventh days, they will continue to be unclean even after the seventh day.  ¹³  All those who touch a dead body and do not purify themselves in the proper way defile the LORD's Tabernacle, and they will be cut off from the community of Israel. Since the water of purification was not sprinkled on them, their defilement continues.
   ¹⁴  "This is the ritual law that applies when someone dies inside a tent: All those who enter that tent and those who were inside when the death occurred will be ceremonially unclean for seven days.  ¹⁵  Any open container in the tent that was not covered with a lid is also defiled.  ¹⁶  And if someone in an open field touches the corpse of someone who was killed with a sword or who died a natural death, or if someone touches a human bone or a grave, that person will be defiled for seven days.
   ¹⁷  "To remove the defilement, put some of the ashes from the burnt purification offering in a jar, and pour fresh water over them.  ¹⁸  Then someone who is ceremonially clean must take a hyssop branch and dip it into the water. That person must sprinkle the water on the tent, on all the furnishings in the tent, and on the people who were in the tent; also on the person who touched a human bone, or touched someone who was killed or who died naturally, or touched a grave.  ¹⁹  On the third and seventh days the person who is ceremonially clean must sprinkle the water on those who are defiled. Then on the seventh day the people being cleansed must wash their clothes and bathe themselves, and that evening they will be cleansed of their defilement.
   ²⁰  "But those who become defiled and do not purify themselves will be cut off from the community, for they have defiled the sanctuary of the LORD. Since the water of purification has not been sprinkled on them, they remain defiled.  ²¹  This is a permanent law for the people. Those who sprinkle the water of purification must afterward wash their clothes, and anyone who then touches the water used for purification will remain defiled until evening.  ²²  Anything and anyone that a defiled person touches will be ceremonially unclean until evening."

<<  19:4 Hebrew the Tent of Meeting.
<<  19:6 Or juniper.

Mark 6 : 45-56

Jesus Walks on Water
 ⁴⁵  Immediately after this, Jesus insisted that his disciples get back into the boat and head across the lake to Bethsaida, while he sent the people home.  ⁴⁶  After telling everyone good-bye, he went up into the hills by himself to pray.
   ⁴⁷  Late that night, the disciples were in their boat in the middle of the lake, and Jesus was alone on land.  ⁴⁸  He saw that they were in serious trouble, rowing hard and struggling against the wind and waves. About three o'clock in the morning [48]  Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. He intended to go past them,  ⁴⁹  but when they saw him walking on the water, they cried out in terror, thinking he was a ghost.  ⁵⁰  They were all terrified when they saw him. But Jesus spoke to them at once. "Don't be afraid," he said. "Take courage! I am here!"  ⁵¹  Then he climbed into the boat, and the wind stopped. They were totally amazed.  ⁵²  They still didn't understand the significance of the miracle of the loaves. Their hearts were too hard to take it in.    ⁵³  After they had crossed the lake, they landed at Gennesaret. They brought the boat to shore  ⁵⁴  and climbed out. The people recognized Jesus at once,  ⁵⁵  and they ran throughout the whole area, carrying sick people on mats to wherever they heard he was.  ⁵⁶  Wherever he went, in villages, cities, or the countryside, they brought the sick out to the marketplaces. They begged him to let the sick touch at least the fringe of his robe, and all who touched him were healed.

<<  6:48 Greek About the fourth watch of the night.
<<  6:50 Or The `I A<%=ftSC%>M' is here; Greek reads I am. See Exod 3:14.