The Daily Audio Bible

Rules for diseases in the skin

13 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, ² ‘A person may have a kind of mark on his skin that might be a disease. He might give the disease to other people. If he has a mark like that, you must bring him to the priest. ³ The priest must look at the mark. If the hair on the mark is white, it might be a disease. If the mark is under the skin and on the skin it might be a disease. The priest must say that the person is not clean. ⁴ If the mark on the skin is white but not under the skin it might not be a disease. If the hair on the skin is not white, it might not be a bad disease. The priest must keep him separate from the people for seven days. ⁵ On the seventh day, the priest must look at the person. The mark may not be any bigger. If it is not, he must keep the person separate from the people for seven more days. ⁶ On the seventh day, the priest must look at the person. The mark may not be so dark and it may not be any bigger. The priest can say that the disease has left that person. The person must wash his clothes. ⁷ A person might see that the mark on his skin had grown. This might happen after the priest had said that the disease had left him. Then the person must go again to the priest. ⁸ The priest must look at the person. The mark might be bigger. The priest must say that the person has a disease. It is a disease that he could give to other people.

⁹ If a person has a disease on his skin, you must bring him to the priest. ¹⁰ The priest must look at the person. If the skin has a white mark and white hair on it, the person has a disease. If the mark has no skin on part of it, the person has a disease. But it may not be a disease that he could give to other people. ¹¹ The priest must say that the person is not clean. The priest need not keep him separate from the people. He already has a disease.

¹² If the disease is all over the body of the person, the priest must look at the person. ¹³ If the skin is all white the priest must say that the person is clean. ¹⁴ If there is an open hole in the skin, the person is not clean. ¹⁵ The priest will see the hole in the skin. He must say that the person has a disease. ¹⁶ The hole might close up and the skin might go white. If it does, the person must go to the priest. ¹⁷ The priest must look at the skin. It may be white. The priest must say that the disease has left the person. Then he will be clean.

¹⁸ A person might have a boil on his skin. Then it might get better. ¹⁹ If there is still a red or white mark on the skin, the person must go to the priest. ²⁰ The priest must look at the person's skin. The red mark might be under the skin and the hair on the skin might be white. Then the priest must say that the person has a disease. The person is not clean. ²¹ If the red mark is not under the skin, it might not be a bad disease. There may not be any white hair on the red mark and the mark may be less red. If that is true, it might not be a bad disease. The priest must keep the person separate from the people for seven days. ²² If the red mark becomes bigger, the priest must say that the person has a bad disease. ²³ If the red mark is not becoming bigger, the disease is getting better. It is a mark that remains on the skin from the boil. The priest must say that the person is now clean again.

²⁴ A person who has burnt his skin might have a red or white mark. It might be where he burnt himself. ²⁵ The priest must look at him. If the hair on the mark is white, it is a disease. If the mark is under the skin and on the skin, it is a disease. The priest must say that the person is not clean. He might give the disease to other people. ²⁶ There may not be any white hair and the mark may not be under the skin. The disease is leaving the person. Then the priest must keep him separate from the people for seven days. ²⁷ On the seventh day, the priest must look at the person. If the mark is getting bigger, it is a disease. The priest must say that the person is not clean. ²⁸ If the mark is getting smaller, it is not a disease. The mark is because the person burnt himself. The priest must say that the person is clean.

²⁹ A person may have a mark that hurts on his head. ³⁰ The priest must look at the mark. The mark may be under the skin and on the skin, and it may have thin yellow hair on it. That is a bad disease. He could give that disease to other people. The priest must say that the person is not clean. ³¹ If the mark is not under the skin, it might not be a bad disease. If there is not any black hair on the mark, it might not be a disease. The priest must keep that person separate from the people for seven days. ³² On the seventh day, the priest must look at the mark that is hurting. The mark might not be under the skin. There might not be any yellow hair on it. ³³ The person must cut the hair off his head. He must not cut the hair off where the mark is. Then the priest must keep the person separate from everyone else for seven more days. ³⁴ On the seventh day, the priest must look at the mark that is hurting. The mark may be no bigger and not under the skin. The priest can say that the person is clean. The person must wash his clothes. ³⁵ The mark might get bigger after the priest has said that the disease has left the person. ³⁶ The priest must look at the mark. If it is bigger, he need not look for yellow hair. The person is not clean. ³⁷ The mark may be no bigger and black hair may have grown on it. If that is true, the disease has left the person.

³⁸ If a person has white marks on his skin, ³⁹ the priest must look at the marks. If the colour of the marks is not bright, it is not a disease. The person is clean.

⁴⁰ The hair may fall from the head of a man until he is bald. That man remains clean. ⁴¹ If the hair falls from the front of the man's head, it is bald. The man is clean. ⁴² If the man has a red and white mark on his bald head, it is a disease. ⁴³ The priest must look at the red and white mark on the bald head. ⁴⁴ The priest must say that the man has a disease. It is a disease that he might give to other people,

⁴⁵ A person with this disease must tear his clothes. He must not comb his hair. He must cover the lower part of his face. He must shout, “I am not clean.” ⁴⁶ He must be alone all the time that he has a disease. He must live outside the camp.

Rules for clothes that have mildew

⁴⁷ Clothes might become bad because of mildew.^{[a] 48} People might have made the clothes from wool, linen or leather. ⁴⁹ If the mark in the clothes is green or red, the mildew is growing. People must show these clothes to the priest. ⁵⁰ The priest must look at the mildew. And he must keep the clothes separate from other clothes for seven days. ⁵¹ On the seventh day, the priest must look at the clothes. If the disease is getting bigger, the person must not wear them. ⁵² The priest must burn the wool, leather or linen clothes. They have a disease that will destroy them.

⁵³ When the priest looks at the clothes, the mildew might not be getting bigger. ⁵⁴ He must tell the people that they must wash the clothes. The people must keep these clothes separate from their other clothes for seven more days. ⁵⁵ The priest will look at the clothes after the people have washed them. If the mildew still seems the same, the people must not wear the clothes. The people must burn the clothes whether the mark is inside or outside them. ⁵⁶ The colour of the mark might be less bright, after the people have washed the clothes. If it is, the priest must tear the marked part out of the clothes. ⁵⁷ If the mildew comes back to the clothes, the people must burn them. ⁵⁸ If there is no mildew in the washed clothes, the people must wash the clothes again. Then the clothes will be clean.’

⁵⁹ These are the rules for mildew in linen cloth. They are rules for wool or leather clothes. They tell the priest how to know whether they are clean or not clean.

Jesus goes to Nazareth

6 Jesus left that place. He went to his own town. His disciples went with him.^[a]

² When it was the Jewish day of rest, Jesus went to their meeting place. He began to teach the people who were there. Many of them were surprised about the things that he was saying to them. They said to each other, ‘How did this man learn all these things? How did he become so wise? How does he do all these powerful things? ³ We know he is an ordinary man. He is the carpenter.^[b] He is the son of Mary and the brother of James, Joses, Simon and Judas. His sisters live here in the town among us. Isn't that true?’ So the people there turned against Jesus.

⁴ Then Jesus said to them, ‘If a man is a prophet from God, people everywhere will respect him. But the people in his own town will not accept him. Even his own people and his own family will not respect him.’

⁵ Jesus could not do any powerful miracles in his own town. But he did put his hands on a few sick people and he made them well. ⁶ Jesus was very surprised because the people there would not believe in him.

Then he went to visit the other villages that were near there. He was teaching the people who lived in those villages.

Jesus sends the 12 apostles to tell God's message

⁷ Jesus asked his 12 apostles to come to him. He started to send them out to tell God's message to people. He sent them out two by two and he gave them authority over bad spirits.

⁸ Jesus told the disciples, ‘Only take a stick for the journey, nothing else. Do not take any bread or a bag. Do not take any money in your pockets. ⁹ Wear shoes but do not take extra clothes. ¹⁰ In each town, stay at the first house that you go into. Continue to stay there until you leave that town. ¹¹ Perhaps you might go to a town where the people do not accept you. They will not listen to you. So you should leave that town. Clean that town's dirt off your feet. Then it will be clear that they have done something wrong.’

¹² So the 12 apostles went out. They told people that they must change the way that they live. They must stop doing wrong things. ¹³ The disciples caused many bad spirits to come out of people. They also put olive oil on many sick people, and the sick people became well.

Herod kills John the Baptist

¹⁴ People were talking about Jesus. King Herod heard about what was happening.^[c] Some people were saying that Jesus was really John the Baptist. They said that John had died, but he had become alive again. ‘That is why this man can do these very powerful things,’ they said.

¹⁵ Other people said, ‘This man is Elijah.’ And other people said, ‘He is a prophet. He is like one of God's prophets who lived a long time ago.’^[d]

¹⁶ But when someone told Herod, he said, ‘This man is surely John. I sent a soldier to cut off his head. But he has become alive again!’

¹⁷ Herod himself had sent his soldiers to take hold of John. He had said to his soldiers, ‘Tie his hands and feet and put him in prison.’ Herod had done that because of his wife, Herodias. She had been the wife of Herod's brother, Philip. But Herod had married her. ¹⁸ John had said to him, ‘Herodias is your brother's wife. It is not right for you to have her as your wife.’^[e]

¹⁹ So Herodias was angry with John. She wanted to kill him. But she could not do that, ²⁰ because Herod was afraid of John. Herod knew that John was a good man and a servant of God. So Herod kept John safe. Herod liked to listen to the things that John said. But he did not know what to think about those things.

²¹ One day, Herodias had her chance. It was Herod's birthday and he asked many people to come to a special meal. Important men and officers came. The rulers from Galilee were also there. ²² The daughter of Herodias came in and she danced. Herod and his visitors were very happy when they saw her dance.

King Herod said to the girl, ‘Ask me for anything that you want. I will give it to you.’ ²³ He made a strong promise, ‘I will give you anything that you ask me to give to you. I will even give you half of everything that I rule over.’

²⁴ The girl went out and she said to her mother, ‘What should I ask him for?’ Her mother replied, ‘Ask for the head of John the Baptist.’

²⁵ The girl went quickly to Herod and she said to him, ‘I want the head of John the Baptist. Put it on a plate! Do it now!’

²⁶ Then Herod felt very sad. Because he had made a special promise, he did not want to refuse her. All his visitors had heard him. ²⁷ So immediately, the king sent a soldier to go to John. The king told the soldier that he must bring John's head. So the soldier went to the prison and he cut off John's head there. ²⁸ Then he brought it back on a plate. He gave it to the girl, and she gave it to her mother. ²⁹ People told John's disciples about what had happened. So they went to the prison. They took away John's body and they buried it.

David wrote this song for Jeduthun, the leader of the music.

Life is short^[a]