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The LORD commanded Moses and Aaron
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to give the Israelites the following regulations. Bring to Moses and Aaron a red cow which has no defects and which has never been worked,
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and they will give it to Eleazar the priest. It is to be taken outside the camp and killed in his presence.
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Then Eleazar is to take some of its blood and with his finger sprinkle it seven times in the direction of the Tent.
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The whole animal, including skin, meat, blood, and intestines, is to be burned in the presence of the priest.
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Then he is to take some cedar wood, a sprig of hyssop, and a red cord and throw them into the fire.
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After that, he is to wash his clothes and pour water over himself, and then he may enter the camp; but he remains ritually unclean until evening.
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The one who burned the cow must also wash his clothes and pour water over himself, but he also remains unclean until evening.
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Then someone who is ritually clean is to collect the ashes of the cow and put them in a ritually clean place outside the camp, where they are to be kept for the Israelite community to use in preparing the water for removing ritual uncleanness. This ritual is performed to remove sin.
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The one who collected the ashes must wash his clothes, but he remains unclean until evening. This regulation is valid for all time to come, both for the Israelites and for the foreigners living among them.
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Those who touch a corpse are ritually unclean for seven days.
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They must purify themselves with the water for purification on the third day and on the seventh day, and then they will be clean. But if they do not purify themselves on both the third and the seventh day, they will not be clean.
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Those who touch a corpse and do not purify themselves remain unclean, because the water for purification has not been thrown over them. They defile the LORD's Tent, and they will no longer be considered God's people.
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In the case of a person who dies in a tent, anyone who is in the tent at the time of death or who enters it becomes ritually unclean for seven days.
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Every jar and pot in the tent that has no lid on it also becomes unclean.
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If any touch a person who has been killed or has died a natural death outdoors or if any touch a human bone or a grave, they become unclean for seven days.
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To remove the uncleanness, some ashes from the red cow which was burned to remove sin shall be taken and put in a pot, and fresh water added.
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In the first case, someone who is ritually clean is to take a sprig of hyssop, dip it in the water, and sprinkle the tent, everything in it, and the people who were there. In the second case, someone who is ritually clean is to sprinkle the water on those who had touched the human bone or the dead body or the grave.
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On the third day and on the seventh the person who is ritually clean is to sprinkle the water on the unclean persons. On the seventh day he is to purify those, who, after washing their clothes and pouring water over themselves, become ritually clean at sunset.
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Those who have become ritually unclean and do not purify themselves remain unclean, because the water for purification has not been thrown over them. They defile the LORD's Tent and will no longer be considered God's people.
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You are to observe this rule for all time to come. The person who sprinkles the water for purification must also wash his clothes; anyone who touches the water remains ritually unclean until evening.
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Whatever an unclean person touches is unclean, and anyone else who touches it remains unclean until evening.
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In the first month the whole community of Israel came to the wilderness of Zin and camped at Kadesh. There Miriam died and was buried.
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There was no water where they camped, so the people gathered around Moses and Aaron
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and complained: "It would have been better if we had died in front of the LORD's Tent along with the other Israelites.
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Why have you brought us out into this wilderness? Just so that we can die here with our animals?
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Why did you bring us out of Egypt into this miserable place where nothing will grow? There's no grain, no figs, no grapes, no pomegranates. There is not even any water to drink!"
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Moses and Aaron moved away from the people and stood at the entrance of the Tent. They bowed down with their faces to the ground, and the dazzling light of the LORD's presence appeared to them.
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The LORD said to Moses,
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"Take the stick that is in front of the Covenant Box, and then you and Aaron assemble the whole community. There in front of them all speak to that rock over there, and water will gush out of it. In this way you will bring water out of the rock for the people, for them and their animals to drink."
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Moses went and got the stick, as the LORD had commanded.
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He and Aaron assembled the whole community in front of the rock, and Moses said, "Listen, you rebels! Do we have to get water out of this rock for you?"
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Then Moses raised the stick and struck the rock twice with it, and a great stream of water gushed out, and all the people and animals drank.
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But the LORD reprimanded Moses and Aaron. He said, "Because you did not have enough faith to acknowledge my holy power before the people of Israel, you will not lead them into the land that I promised to give them."
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This happened at Meribah, where the people of Israel complained against the LORD and where he showed them that he is holy.
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Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom. They said, "This message is from your kinsmen, the tribes of Israel. You know the hardships we have suffered,
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how our ancestors went to Egypt, where we lived many years. The Egyptians mistreated our ancestors and us,
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and we cried to the LORD for help. He heard our cry and sent an angel, who led us out of Egypt. Now we are at Kadesh, a town at the border of your territory.
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Please permit us to pass through your land. We and our cattle will not leave the road or go into your fields or vineyards, and we will not drink from your wells. We will stay on the main road until we are out of your territory."
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But the Edomites answered, "We refuse to let you pass through our country! If you try, we will march out and attack you."
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The people of Israel said, "We will stay on the main road, and if we or our animals drink any of your water, we will pay for it---all we want is to pass through."
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The Edomites repeated, "We refuse!" and they marched out with a powerful army to attack the people of Israel.
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Because the Edomites would not let the Israelites pass through their territory, the Israelites turned and went another way.
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The whole community of Israel left Kadesh and arrived at Mount Hor,
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on the border of Edom. There the LORD said to Moses and Aaron,
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"Aaron is not going to enter the land which I promised to give to Israel; he is going to die, because the two of you rebelled against my command at Meribah.
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Take Aaron and his son Eleazar up Mount Hor,
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and there remove Aaron's priestly robes and put them on Eleazar. Aaron is going to die there."
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Moses did what the LORD had commanded. They went up Mount Hor in the sight of the whole community,
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and Moses removed Aaron's priestly robes and put them on Eleazar. There on the top of the mountain Aaron died, and Moses and Eleazar came back down.
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The whole community learned that Aaron had died, and they all mourned for him for thirty days.
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O LORD, my defender, I call to you. Listen to my cry! If you do not answer me, I will be among those who go down to the world of the dead.
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Hear me when I cry to you for help, when I lift my hands toward your holy Temple.
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Do not condemn me with the wicked, with those who do evil--- those whose words are friendly, but who have hatred in their hearts.
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Punish them for what they have done, for the evil they have committed. Punish them for all their deeds; give them what they deserve!
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They take no notice of what the LORD has done or of what he has made; so he will punish them and destroy them forever.
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Give praise to the LORD; he has heard my cry for help.
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The LORD protects and defends me; I trust in him. He gives me help and makes me glad; I praise him with joyful songs.
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The LORD protects his people; he defends and saves his chosen king.
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Save your people, LORD, and bless those who are yours. Be their shepherd, and take care of them forever.
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Jesus and his disciples arrived on the other side of Lake Galilee, in the territory of Gerasa.
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As soon as Jesus got out of the boat, he was met by a man who came out of the burial caves there. This man had an evil spirit in him
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and lived among the tombs. Nobody could keep him tied with chains any more;
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many times his feet and his hands had been tied, but every time he broke the chains and smashed the irons on his feet. He was too strong for anyone to control him.
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Day and night he wandered among the tombs and through the hills, screaming and cutting himself with stones.
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He was some distance away when he saw Jesus; so he ran, fell on his knees before him,
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and screamed in a loud voice, "Jesus, Son of the Most High God! What do you want with me? For God's sake, I beg you, don't punish me!"
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(He said this because Jesus was saying, "Evil spirit, come out of this man!")
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So Jesus asked him, "What is your name!" The man answered, "My name is 'Mob'---there are so many of us!"
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And he kept begging Jesus not to send the evil spirits out of that region.
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There was a large herd of pigs near by, feeding on a hillside.
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So the spirits begged Jesus, "Send us to the pigs, and let us go into them."
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He let them go, and the evil spirits went out of the man and entered the pigs. The whole herd---about two thousand pigs in all---rushed down the side of the cliff into the lake and was drowned.
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The men who had been taking care of the pigs ran away and spread the news in the town and among the farms. People went out to see what had happened,
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and when they came to Jesus, they saw the man who used to have the mob of demons in him. He was sitting there, clothed and in his right mind; and they were all afraid.
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Those who had seen it told the people what had happened to the man with the demons, and about the pigs.
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So they asked Jesus to leave their territory.
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As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had had the demons begged him, "Let me go with you!"
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But Jesus would not let him. Instead, he told him, "Go back home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you and how kind he has been to you."
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So the man left and went all through the Ten Towns, telling what Jesus had done for him. And all who heard it were amazed.
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Jesus went back across to the other side of the lake. There at the lakeside a large crowd gathered around him.
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Jairus, an official of the local synagogue, arrived, and when he saw Jesus, he threw himself down at his feet
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and begged him earnestly, "My little daughter is very sick. Please come and place your hands on her, so that she will get well and live!"
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Then Jesus started off with him. So many people were going along with Jesus that they were crowding him from every side.
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There was a woman who had suffered terribly from severe bleeding for twelve years,
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even though she had been treated by many doctors. She had spent all her money, but instead of getting better she got worse all the time.
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She had heard about Jesus, so she came in the crowd behind him,
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saying to herself, "If I just touch his clothes, I will get well."
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She touched his cloak, and her bleeding stopped at once; and she had the feeling inside herself that she was healed of her trouble.
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At once Jesus knew that power had gone out of him, so he turned around in the crowd and asked, "Who touched my clothes?"
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His disciples answered, "You see how the people are crowding you; why do you ask who touched you?"
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But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it.
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The woman realized what had happened to her, so she came, trembling with fear, knelt at his feet, and told him the whole truth.
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Jesus said to her, "My daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your trouble."
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While Jesus was saying this, some messengers came from Jairus' house and told him, "Your daughter has died. Why bother the Teacher any longer?"
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Jesus paid no attention to what they said, but told him, "Don't be afraid, only believe."
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Then he did not let anyone else go on with him except Peter and James and his brother John.
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They arrived at Jairus' house, where Jesus saw the confusion and heard all the loud crying and wailing.
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He went in and said to them, "Why all this confusion? Why are you crying? The child is not dead---she is only sleeping!"
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They started making fun of him, so he put them all out, took the child's father and mother and his three disciples, and went into the room where the child was lying.
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He took her by the hand and said to her, "Talitha, koum," which means, "Little girl, I tell you to get up!"
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She got up at once and started walking around. (She was twelve years old.) When this happened, they were completely amazed.
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But Jesus gave them strict orders not to tell anyone, and he said, "Give her something to eat."
