Deuteronomy 25–27
1 If there is a controversy between men, they are to go to court for judgment, so that the judges may judge them. Then they shall justify the righteous and condemn the wicked. 2 It must be, if the wicked man is worthy to be beaten, then the judge must make him lie down and be beaten in his presence, with the number of strikes his guilt deserves. 3 He may give him forty stripes, but no more, lest, if he should exceed and beat him more with numerous stripes, then your brother may appear contemptible to you.
4 You must not muzzle the ox when he treads out the grain.
5 If brothers dwell together, and one of them dies without having had a child, the wife of the deceased may not marry outside the family to a stranger. Her husband’s brother must go to her and take her to himself as a wife and perform the duty of a husband’s brother to her. 6 It shall be, that the firstborn whom she bears shall continue in the name of his brother who is deceased, so that his name will not be blotted out of Israel.
7 If the man does not want to take his brother’s wife, then let his brother’s wife go up to the gate to the elders and say, “My husband’s brother refuses to raise up his brother’s name in Israel. He will not perform the duty of my husband’s brother.” 8 Then the elders of his city shall call him, and speak to him, and if he persists and says, “I do not want to take her,” 9 then his brother’s wife must come to him in the presence of the elders and remove his sandal from his foot, and spit in his face, and answer and say, “So shall it be done to that man who will not build up his brother’s house.” 10 His name will be called in Israel, “The house of him who has his sandal removed.”
11 When a man and his brother fight one another, and the wife of the one draws near in order to deliver her husband out of the hand of him who fights him, and reaches out her hand and seizes him by the private parts, 12 then you must cut off her hand. You must not pity her.
13 You must not have in your bag different weights, a large and a small. 14 You must not have in your house differing measures, a large and a small. 15 But you must have a perfect and just weight—a perfect and just measure you must have, so that your days may be lengthened in the land which the Lord your God is giving you. 16 For all who do such things and all who act unjustly are an abomination to the Lord your God.
17 Remember what Amalek did to you by the road when you were coming out of Egypt, 18 how he met you by the way and attacked at your rear all that were stragglers behind you, when you were exhausted and weary. He did not fear God. 19 Therefore it shall be, when the Lord your God has given you rest from all your surrounding enemies, in the land which the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance to possess, that you must blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven. You must not forget it.
Chapter 26
1 And it must be, when you come into the land which the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance, and you possess it, and dwell in it, 2 that you shall take from the first of all the produce of the ground which you shall bring from your land that the Lord your God is giving you, and put it in a basket and go to the place where the Lord your God chooses to make His name abide. 3 You shall go to the priest in office at that time and say to him, “I profess this day to the Lord your God that I have come into the land which the Lord promised to our fathers to give us.” 4 The priest will take the basket out of your hand and set it down before the altar of the Lord your God. 5 Then you must answer and say before the Lord your God, “A wandering Aramean was my father, and he went down into Egypt, and sojourned there with only a few in number, but there he became a great, mighty, and populous nation. 6 However, the Egyptians mistreated and afflicted us, and laid upon us harsh labor. 7 And when we cried to the Lord God of our fathers, the Lord heard our voice, and looked on our affliction, our labor, and our oppression. 8 And the Lord brought us forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand and with an outstretched arm and with great terror, and with signs and wonders. 9 Then He brought us into this place, and has given us this land, a land that flows with milk and honey. 10 Now, indeed, I have brought the first fruits of the land, which you, O Lord, have given me.” Then you must set it before the Lord your God and worship before the Lord your God. 11 You must rejoice in every good thing which the Lord your God has given to you and your house, you, and the Levite, as well as the foreigner who is among you.
12 When you have finished tithing all the tithes of your income the third year, which is the year of tithing, and have given it to the Levite, the foreigner, the orphan, and the widow, that they may eat within your towns and be satisfied, 13 then you shall say before the Lord your God, “I have removed the sacred things out of my house and also have given them to the Levite, and to the foreigner, to the orphan, and to the widow, according to all Your commandments which You have commanded me. I have not transgressed Your commandments or forgotten them. 14 I have not eaten anything when in mourning, nor have I removed anything while unclean, nor offered anything to the dead. I have listened to the voice of the Lord my God and have done according to all that You have commanded me. 15 Look down from Your holy habitation, from heaven, and bless Your people Israel and the land which You have given us, as You swore to our fathers, a land flowing with milk and honey.”
16 Today the Lord your God has commanded you to do these statutes and judgments. You must therefore keep and do them with all your heart and with all your soul. 17 You have affirmed today that the Lord is your God and vowed to walk in His ways, and to keep His statutes, and His commandments, and His judgments, and to listen to His voice. 18 And the Lord has affirmed today that you are His special people, just as He has promised you, and that you should keep all His commandments. 19 He will exalt you above all nations which He has made, in praise, and in name, and in honor; and that you may be a holy people to the Lord your God, just as He has spoken.
Chapter 27
1 Then Moses and the elders of Israel commanded the people, saying: Keep all the commandments which I am commanding you today. 2 On the day when you cross over the Jordan into the land which the Lord your God is giving you, you must set up for yourself great stones, and cover them with plaster. 3 Then you must write all the words of this law on them, when you cross over, so that you may enter into the land which the Lord your God is giving you, a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the Lord God of your fathers promised you. 4 Therefore, when you cross over the Jordan, you shall set up these stones, which I am commanding you today, on Mount Ebal, and you shall cover them with plaster. 5 There you must build an altar to the Lord your God, an altar of stones. You must not use any iron tool on them. 6 You must build the altar of the Lord your God with whole stones, and you must offer burnt offerings on it to the Lord your God. 7 You must offer peace offerings and eat there, and rejoice before the Lord your God. 8 You must write all the words of this law very clearly on the stones.
9 Moses and the Levitical priests spoke to all Israel, saying: Be silent and listen, O Israel. Today you have become the people of the Lord your God. 10 Therefore, you must obey the voice of the Lord your God and do His commandments and His statutes, which I am commanding you today. 11 Moses commanded the people the same day, saying:
12 These shall stand on Mount Gerizim to bless the people when you cross over the Jordan: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin. 13 And these must stand on Mount Ebal for the curse: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali.
14 The Levites will answer and say to all the men of Israel with a loud voice:
15 “Cursed is the man who makes any graven or molded image, an abomination to the Lord, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and puts it in a secret place.” And all the people shall answer and say, “Amen.”
16 “Cursed is he who disrespects his father or his mother.” And all the people shall say, “Amen.”
17 “Cursed is he who removes his neighbor’s landmark.” And all the people shall say, “Amen.”
18 “Cursed is he who misleads the blind man on the road.” And all the people shall say, “Amen.”
19 “Cursed is he who perverts justice for the foreigner, orphan, and widow.” And all the people shall say, “Amen.”
20 “Cursed is he who lies with his father’s wife, for he dishonors his father.” And all the people shall say, “Amen.”
21 “Cursed is he who lies with any kind of beast.” And all the people shall say, “Amen.”
22 “Cursed is he who lies with his sister, the daughter of his father, or the daughter of his mother.” And all the people shall say, “Amen.”
23 “Cursed is he who lies with his mother-in-law.” And all the people shall say, “Amen.”
24 “Cursed is he who strikes down his neighbor secretly.” And all the people shall say, “Amen.”
25 “Cursed is he who receives pay to slay an innocent person.” And all the people shall say, “Amen.”
26 “Cursed is he who does not confirm all the words of this law by doing them.” And all the people shall say, “Amen.”
Mark 14:27–53
27 Jesus said to them, “All of you will fall away on account of Me this night, for it is written:
‘I will strike the shepherd,
and the sheep will be scattered.’
28 But after I have risen, I will go before you to Galilee.”
29 Peter said to Him, “Even if all fall away, I will not.”
30 Jesus said to him, “Truly, I say to you that this day, during the night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times.”
31 But he said more vehemently, “If I must die with You, I will not deny You.” They all said the same thing.
32 They came to a place which was named Gethsemane. And He said to His disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” 33 He took Peter and James and John with Him and began to be greatly distressed and very troubled. 34 And He said to them, “My soul is deeply sorrowful unto death. Remain here and keep watch.”
35 He went a little farther and fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from Him. 36 He said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Remove this cup from Me; yet not what I will, but what You will.”
37 Then He came and found them sleeping and said to Peter, “Simon, are you sleeping? Could you not keep watch one hour? 38 Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
39 Again He went away and prayed the same words. 40 When He returned, He again found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. And they did not know what to answer Him.
41 When He returned a third time, He said to them, “Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? It is enough! The hour has come. Look, the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 42 Rise up, let us go. Look! He who betrays Me is at hand.” said the same thing.
43 Immediately, while He was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, and with him a great crowd with swords and clubs, came from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders.
44 Now he who betrayed Him had given them a sign, saying, “Whomever I kiss, He is the One. Seize Him and lead Him away safely.” 45 So as soon as he came, he went to Him immediately and said, “Rabbi, Rabbi!” and kissed Him. 46 They laid hands on Him and seized Him. 47 Then one of those who stood by drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his ear.
48 Jesus said to them, “Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest Me as you would a thief? 49 Every day I was with you in the temple teaching, and you did not seize Me. But the Scriptures must be fulfilled.” 50 Then they all deserted Him and fled.
51 A young man followed Him, wearing a linen cloth around himself. And the young men laid hold of him, 52 so he left the linen cloth, and fled from them unclothed.
53 They led Jesus away to the high priest. And all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes were assembled with him.