Tzav, צַו — 2/1/25

Passages

Torah: Leviticus 8:22 - 8:29
Gospel: Matthew 9:1-38

Torah — Leviticus 8:22 - 8:29

8:22 Then he brought the second ram near, the ram of the consecration, and Aaron and his sons placed their hands on the ram’s head,

8:23 and he slaughtered it. Then Moses took some of its blood and put it on Aaron’s right ear lobe and on his right hand’s thumb and on his right foot’s big toe.

8:24 Then he brought Aaron’s sons near, and Moses put some of the blood on their right ear lobe and on their right hand’s thumb and on their right foot’s big toe, and Moses sprinkled the blood on the altar all around.

8:25 Then he took the fat and the fat tail and all of the fat that was on the inner parts and the lobe of the liver and the two kidneys and their fat and the right upper thigh;

8:26 and from the basket of the unleavened bread that was before Yahweh he took one ring-shaped unleavened bread and one ring-shaped bread with oil and one wafer, and he placed them on the fat parts and on the right upper thigh.

8:27 Then he put all of these on Aaron’s palms and on his sons’ palms, and he waved them as a wave offering before Yahweh.

8:28 Then Moses took them from upon their palms, and he turned them into smoke upon the burnt offering on the altar; they were a consecration offering as an appeasing fragrance—it was an offering made by fire for Yahweh.

8:29 Then Moses took the breast section, and he waved it as a wave offering before Yahweh from the ram of the consecration offering; it was Moses’ share, just as Yahweh had commanded Moses.

8:22 Then he brought the other ram. It was sacrificed to prepare the priests for serving the Lord. Aaron and his sons placed their hands on its head.

8:23 Moses killed the ram. He put some of its blood on Aaron’s right ear lobe. He put some on the thumb of Aaron’s right hand. He also put some on the big toe of Aaron’s right foot.

8:24 Then Moses brought Aaron’s sons to the people. He put some of the blood on their right ear lobes. He put some on the thumbs of their right hands. He also put some on the big toes of their right feet. Then he sprinkled the rest of the blood against every side of the altar.

8:25 He removed the fat, the fat tail and all of the fat around the inside parts. He removed the covering of the liver. He removed both kidneys and their fat. And he removed the right thigh.

8:26 Then he took a flat cake of bread from the basket of bread that was made without yeast. The basket was in front of the Lord. Moses took a cake of bread that was made with olive oil. He also took a wafer. He put all of it on the fat parts of the ram and on its right thigh.

8:27 He put everything in the hands of Aaron and his sons. He told them to lift it up and wave it in front of the Lord as a wave offering.

8:28 Then Moses took it from their hands. He burned it on the altar on top of the burnt offering. It was the offering that was sacrificed to prepare the priests for serving the Lord. It had a pleasant smell. It was an offering that was made to the Lord with fire.

8:29 Moses also lifted the ram’s breast up and waved it in front of the Lord as a wave offering. The breast was Moses’ share of the ram that was sacrificed to prepare the priests for serving the Lord. Moses did everything just as the Lord had commanded him.

Gospel — Matthew 9:1-38

9:1 A Paralytic Healed And getting into a boat, he crossed over and came to his own town.

9:2 And behold, they brought to him a paralytic lying on a stretcher, and when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Have courage, child, your sins are forgiven.”

9:3 And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming!”

9:4 And knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts?

9:5 For which is easier to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’?

9:6 But in order that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,” then he said to the paralytic, “Get up, pick up your stretcher and go to your home.”

9:7 And he got up and went to his home.

9:8 But when the crowds saw this, they were afraid and glorified God who had given such authority to men.

9:9 Matthew Called to Follow Jesus And as Jesus was going away from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth and said to him, “Follow me!” And he stood up and followed him.

9:10 And it happened as he was dining in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners were coming and dining with Jesus and his disciples.

9:11 And when they saw it, the Pharisees began to say to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

9:12 And when he heard it, he said, “Those who are healthy do not have need of a physician, but those who are sick.

9:13 But go and learn what it means, “I want mercy and not sacrifice.” For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

9:14 On Fasting Then the disciples of John approached him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?”

9:15 And Jesus said to them, “The bridegroom’s attendants are not able to mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them. But days are coming when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.

9:16 But no one puts a patch of unshrunken cloth on an old garment, for its patch pulls away from the garment, and the tear becomes worse.

9:17 Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise the wineskins burst and the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are destroyed. But they put new wine into new wineskins and both are preserved.”

9:18 A Woman Healed and a Daughter Raised As he was saying these things to them, behold, one of the rulers came and knelt down before him, saying, “My daughter has just now died, but come, place your hand on her and she will live!”

9:19 And Jesus and his disciples got up and followed him.

9:20 And behold, a woman who had been suffering with a hemorrhage twelve years approached from behind and touched the edge of his cloak,

9:21 for she said to herself, “If only I touch his cloak I will be healed.”

9:22 But Jesus, turning around and seeing her, said, “Have courage, daughter! Your faith has healed you.” And the woman was healed from that hour.

9:23 And when Jesus came into the ruler’s house and saw the flute players and the disorderly crowd,

9:24 he said, “Go away, because the girl is not dead, but is sleeping.” And they ridiculed him.

9:25 But when the crowd had been sent out, he entered and took her hand, and the girl got up.

9:26 And this report went out into that whole region.

9:27 Two Blind Men Healed And as Jesus was going away from there, two blind men followed him, crying out and saying, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!”

9:28 And when he came into the house, the blind men approached him, and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to him, “Yes, Lord.”

9:29 Then he touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith let it be done for you.”

9:30 And their eyes were opened, and Jesus sternly warned them, saying, “See that no one finds out.”

9:31 But they went out and spread the report about him in that whole region.

9:32 A Demon Expelled Now as they were going away, behold, they brought to him a demon-possessed man who was unable to speak.

9:33 And after the demon had been expelled, the one who had been mute spoke, and the crowds were astonished, saying, “This has never been seen before in Israel!”

9:34 But the Pharisees were saying, “By the ruler of demons he expels the demons!”

9:35 A Plentiful Harvest But Few Workers And Jesus was going around all the towns and the villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and every sickness.

9:36 And when he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were weary and dejected, like sheep that did not have a shepherd.

9:37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.

9:38 Therefore ask the Lord of the harvest that he send out workers into his harvest.”

9:1 Jesus Heals a Man Who Could Not Walk Jesus stepped into a boat. He went over to the other side of the lake and came to his own town.

9:2 Some men brought to him a man who could not walk. He was lying on a mat. Jesus saw that they had faith. So he said to the man, “Don’t lose hope, son. Your sins are forgiven.”

9:3 Then some teachers of the law said to themselves, “This fellow is saying a very evil thing!”

9:4 Jesus knew what they were thinking. So he said, “Why do you have evil thoughts in your hearts?

9:5 Is it easier to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven’? Or to say, ‘Get up and walk’?

9:6 I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” Then he spoke to the man who could not walk. “Get up,” he said. “Take your mat and go home.”

9:7 The man got up and went home.

9:8 When the crowd saw this, they were filled with wonder. They praised God for giving that kind of authority to men.

9:9 Jesus Chooses Matthew As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew. He was sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” Jesus told him. Matthew got up and followed him.

9:10 Later Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house. Many tax collectors and “sinners” came. They ate with Jesus and his disciples.

9:11 The Pharisees saw this. So they asked the disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and ‘sinners’?”

9:12 Jesus heard that. So he said, “Those who are healthy don’t need a doctor. Sick people do.

9:13 Go and learn what this means, ‘I want mercy and not sacrifice.’ () I have not come to get those who think they are right with God to follow me. I have come to get sinners to follow me.”

9:14 Jesus Is Asked About Fasting One day John’s disciples came. They said to Jesus, “We and the Pharisees go without eating. Why don’t your disciples go without eating?”

9:15 Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the groom be sad while he is with them? The time will come when the groom will be taken away from them. Then they will fast.

9:16 “People don’t sew a patch of new cloth on old clothes. The new piece will pull away from the old. That will make the tear worse.

9:17 “People don’t pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst. The wine will run out, and the wineskins will be destroyed. No, everyone pours new wine into new wineskins. Then both are saved.”

9:18 A Dead Girl and a Suffering Woman While Jesus was saying this, a ruler came. He got down on his knees in front of Jesus. He said, “My daughter has just died. But come and place your hand on her. Then she will live again.”

9:19 Jesus got up and went with him. So did his disciples.

9:20 Just then a woman came up behind Jesus. She had a sickness that made her bleed. It had lasted for 12 years. She touched the edge of his clothes.

9:21 She thought, “I only need to touch his clothes. Then I will be healed.”

9:22 Jesus turned and saw her. “Dear woman, don’t give up hope,” he said. “Your faith has healed you.” The woman was healed at that very moment.

9:23 When Jesus entered the ruler’s house, he saw the flute players there. And he saw the noisy crowd.

9:24 He said, “Go away. The girl is not dead. She is sleeping.” But they laughed at him.

9:25 After the crowd had been sent outside, Jesus went in. He took the girl by the hand, and she got up.

9:26 News about what Jesus had done spread all over that area.

9:27 Jesus Heals Two Blind Men As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him. They called out, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!”

9:28 When Jesus went indoors, the blind men came to him. He asked them, “Do you believe that I can do this?” “Yes, Lord,” they replied.

9:29 Then he touched their eyes. He said, “It will happen to you just as you believed.”

9:30 They could now see again. Jesus strongly warned them, “Be sure that no one knows about this.”

9:31 But they went out and spread the news. They talked about him all over that area.

9:32 While they were going out, another man was brought to Jesus. A demon controlled him, and he could not speak.

9:33 When the demon was driven out, the man spoke. The crowd was amazed. They said, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.”

9:34 But the Pharisees said, “He drives out demons by the power of the prince of demons.”

9:35 There Are Only a Few Workers Jesus went through all the towns and villages. He taught in their synagogues. He preached the good news of the kingdom. And he healed every illness and sickness.

9:36 When he saw the crowds, he felt deep concern for them. They were beaten down and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

9:37 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “The harvest is huge. But there are only a few workers.

9:38 So ask the Lord of the harvest to send workers out into his harvest field.”

Passages

Torah — Leviticus 8:22 - 8:29

LEB translation

NIRV translation

Gospel — Matthew 9:1-38

LEB translation

NIRV translation