Paraphrase of the Hard Texts of Scripture, Scripture 3
LEVITICVS.
CAP. I.
IF any of you offer an ordinary sacrifice unto the Lord,2 If any man of you bring an offering unto the Lord, ye shall bring your offering of the cattel, even of the herd, and of the flocke. ye shall offer your sacrifice of those cattel which are most common for their use, namely, Beeves, and Sheepe, or Goates.
If it be a sacrifice to be consumed by fire, of beeves from the herd.3 If his offering be a burnt sacrifice of the herd.
And the Priest shall kill the bullocke,5 And he shall kill the bullocke before the Lord. before the Lord for him.
CAP. II.
WHen any man will voluntarily,1 And when any will offer a meat offering unto the Lord: besides the set occasions, offer a meat offering unto the Lord.
In this oblation of the first fruits onelyonly,12 As for the oblation of the first fruits, ye shall offer them unto the Lord, &c. ye shall offer leaven unto the Lord, in the two loaves which shall bee for the shake offering. Whereof see Levit. 23.17. &c.
CAP. III.
1 And if his oblation be a sacrifice of peace offering, if he offer it of the herd.ANd if his oblation be a peace offering, that is, such as whereby the offerer doth thankfully present himselfe to God, acknowledging to have received all blessings from him, &c.
3 And he shall offer of the sacrifice of the peace offering, an offering made by fire unto the Lord, the fat that covereth the inwards.So the Priest shall offer of the peace offering, the fat that covereth the inwards, &c. as a sacrifice to be consumed by fire unto the Lord.
CAP. IIII.
3 If the Priest that is annointed, doe sinne according to the sinne of the people, then let him bring for his sinne, which hee hath sinned, a young bullocke without blemish.IF the Priest, which is annointed, and thereby consecrated to God, shall sinne, so as occasion may be given therfore unto the people to offend, then shall he according to the greater eminence of his place, offer for his sin, a young bullocke, &c.
He shall put his hand upon the bullockes head, in token that that sinne of his is transferred to him,4 And shall lay his hand upon the bullocks head, and kill the bullocke before the Lord. that is the true propitiatorie sacrifice for sinne, &c.
So he shall cause all the rest of the bullocke, besides the blood, the fat, the kidneis, and the caull, to be carried out of the host,12 Even the whole bullocke shall he carry forth without the campe, vntounto a cleane place where the ashes are powred out, & burne him on the wood with fire, &c. into some cleane place, to be consumed; both to shew detestation unto the sinne, for which it is offered, and to signifie, that the true sacrifice must be offered without the gates.
CAP. V.
11 He shall bring for his sinne offering a tenth part of an Ephah of fine floure, he shall put no oyle upon, it neither shall he put any frankincense thereon, for it is a sin-offering.HE shall bring the quantity of a pottle of fine flower, as an offering for his sin; he shall put neither oyle, nor frankincense upon it; for these two are figures of grace, and obedience, wherewith sinne hath no affinity.
If a man shall through ignorance doe any act, whereby he offends, in the use of any thing that is consecrated to God,15 If a soule commit a trespasse through ignorance, in the holy things of the Lord, then shall hee bring for his trespasse unto the Lord a ram without blemish out of the flockes, with thy estimation by shekels of silver, after the shekel of the sanctuary. whether in the omission of any due circumstance concerning it, or in mis-imploying it to any other purpose, then that whereto it is set apart; he shall bring to the Lord, as an offering for such trespasse, a ram without any blemish, out of the flockes, worth, in the Priests valuation, two Shekels of silver at the least; according to the largest proportion of the Shekel; which is that of the Sanctuary; weighing three hundred and twenty graines.
CAP. VI.
IN the court of the Sanctuary where these holy Oblations were dressed.16 In the holy place, in the court of the Tabernacle of the Congregation they shall eate it.
Every one that toucheth them shall be before hand sanctified, and free from all legall pollutions.18 Every one that toucheth them shall bee holy.
The peices of the cake, which shall be broken for the use of the meat offering, by the Priest.21 And the baken peices of the meat offering.
CAP. VII.
HE shall receive no benefit by it.18 It shall not be imputed to him.
Shall suffer the punishment of his iniquity that hath not taken the prescribed course for the expiating of his uncleannesse.20 Shall beare his iniquitie, that hath his uncleannesse upon him.
CAP. VIII.
HE put in the brest-plate those two precious stones,8 He put in the brest-plate the Vrim and the Thummim. which signified light and perfection; by the meanes whereof the people should receive answers from God.
That it might be duely prepared to receive those sacrifices,15 To make reconciliation upon it. by which reconciliation might be made for the sinnes of the people.
To signifie that the hearing of his eares,23 On the tip of Aarons right eare, &c. and actions of his hands, and motions of his feet, are, and should bee sanctified.
It was the portion appointed for Moses in the right of that Priesthood,29 It was Moses part &c. which he did yet extraordinarily execute.
Therefore ye shall not goe out of the bounds of the court-yard of the Tabernacle,35 Therefore shall ye abide at the doore of the Tabernacle of the Congregation, day and night seven dayes, and keep the charge of the Lord, that yee die not. for the space of seven dayes, and seven nights, and shall duely keepe all these observations, which the Lord hath injoyned you; that so God may not be provoked to strike you with death.
CAP. IX.
THe Lord shall give you some visible,6 And the glory of the Lord shall appeare unto you. and glorious signe of his presence.
23 And the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people.And in the sight of all the people there came a fire, whether out of the Tabernacle, or from heaven, and fell upon the Altar, and consumed the sacrifice of burnt offering,24 And there came a fire out from before the Lord, and consumed upon the Altar the burnt offring. which lay ready upon it.
CAP. X.
1 And offered strange fire before the Lord.ANd tooke up in their censers common and unsanctified fire, whereon they burnt the holy incense to the Lord.
6 Vncover not your heads, neither rend your garments, lest you die.Give no testimonies of a repining griefe, and discontentment at this just judgement of God, lest in his displeasure he consume you also, &c.
9 When ye goe into the Tabernacle.When ye are to goe into the inner Court of the Tabernacle, there to doe your service to the Lord.
14 In a cleane place.In a place free from legall pollution; or within the compasse of the camp of Israel, or that selected City, where God will have his worship to be fixed.
19 Behold, this day have they offered their sin offering, and their burnt offering before the Lord, and such, &c.Behold, the children of Israel have this day offred their sinne offring, and their burnt offring before the Lord, but as for me, you doe well know what cause of just sorrow I have had this day in that heavie judgement, which hath befallen my sonnes, and if in this mourning, and sad dejectednesse, I had eaten of the sinne offring, how could it have beene well taken of that God, who requires cheerfulnesse in all that thus partake of his holy things?
CAP. XI.
2 These are the beasts, &c.I Would have your diet a figure of your conversation; beasts to be figures of men, those men which put just differences betwixt their actions,3 Whatsoever parteth the hoofe, & cheweth the cud among the beasts, that shall ye eate. and that doe meditate and chew upon the Law of God continually, those are fit for you to converse with, and to be received of you into your entyre fellowship, these are represented to you by beasts that divide the hoofe, and chew the cudde.
The sinnes of the fish are for steering of their motion, the scales are for smoothnesse of passage,10 All that have not sinnes & scales in the seas, &c. shall be an abomination to you. for safegard, for ornament; those men that have no knowledge and faith to guide them, no good dispositions to set them forward, nor good workes to set them forth, are not for your entyre conversation.
CAP. XII.
THat sicknesse which in ordinary course is every monethmonth incident to her sexe.2 Her infirmitie.
CAP. XIII.
IF the whole flesh be so covered over,13 If the leprosie have covered all the flesh, hee shall pronounce him cleane that hath the plague, all is turned white: he is cleane. that there is no appearance of difference in the skinne, it is a signe that the strength of nature hath wholly driven out that inward matter, which was the cause of the leprosie, and therefore it argues, that the party is delivered from his disease.
In signe of mourning for this judgement,45 He shall put a covering upon his upper lip. and for restraint of that breath, which is infectious, he shall muffle up himselfe.
CAP. XIV.
VNtoUnto some place which is in it selfe unhallowed,45 VntoUnto an uncleane place. and is now polluted by these uncleane materialls, that are cast upon it.
There shall be the same ceremonies for the cleansing of the house, that are appointed for the man; such,49 And he shall take to cleanse the house, two birds, and Cedar wood, and scarlet, and hyssop. as are cleare types of the blood of the Messias cleansing the soule from the leprosie of sinne.
CAP. XV.
WHen any one hath an ordinary and insensible passage of seed, in the running of the reines.2 When any man hath a running issue out of his flesh.
Thus shall ye teach the children of Israel to separate themselves, each from other,31 Thus shall ye separate the children of Israel from their uncleannesses. in cases of their legall uncleannesses, and to cleanse themselves from their pollutions.
CAP. XVI.
2 That he come not at all times unto the holy place within the vaile, before the mercy-seat, which is upon the Arke.THat he presume not to come ofter then once a yeare, into the Holy of holies, which is within the vaile; where God in a speciall maner manifesteth his presence, betweene the Cherubims, in the merciemercy-seat, the Cover of the Arke.
19 And hallow it from the uncleannesse of the children of Israel.The sinnes and infirmities of Gods people in their devotions, doe in a sort defile the holy place, and Altar; the high Priest shall thus expiate those sinnes of the people, which have polluted the place, and vessels of Gods service.
22 And the goat shall beare upon him all their iniquities, unto a land not inhabited.As the slaine goat shall represent Christ dying for sin; so the escaping goat shall represent him freed from death, for our full justification, and taking away the sinnes of the world, so, as that they shall not appeare in the sight of God to their condemnation.
29 On the tenth day ye shall afflict your soules.It shall be a day of great and solemne humiliation in fasting, and all kind of sad and penitentiall devotion.
CAP. XVII.
3 That killeth an oxe or lambe.THat killeth an Oxe or Lambe with an intention of sacrifice unto God.
CAP. XVIII.
6 To uncover their nakednesse.TO lie with them, or to have carnall knowledge of them.
8 It is thy fathers nakednesse.That nakednesse is proper for none but thy father to uncover.
18 Neither shalt thou take a wife to her sister, &c.Having one wife, thou shalt not take another wife besides her, during her life; that the emulation, which will thereupon arise, may not be a perpetuall vexation to her, whom thou hast by lawfull wedlocke made one flesh with thee
21 Thou shalt not let any of thy seed passe through the fire to Molech.Thou shalt not give up any of thy sonnes, or daughters as a sacrifice to Molech, the Idol of the Ammonites; either to passe betweene his two fires, as in way of consecration to him; or to be consumed by the fire of that Idol, as a burnt offering to him.
CAP. XIX.
THou shalt not be any cause,16 Neither shalt thou stand against the blood of thy neighbour. or furtherer of shedding the blood of thy neighbour; neither willingly forbeare to hinder any act done against his life.
To teach thee how God loveth simplicity of heart,19 Neither shall a garment mingled of linnen & woollen come upon thee. in all thy carriage and disposition, thou shalt not be allowed mixtures, and compositions, so much as in thine outward apparell.
During the first three yeares after the plantation thereof,23 Three yeares shall (the tree) be as uncircumcised to you. the fruit of those trees shall be unlawfull to be eaten, or to be put to any other profitable use.
Ye shall not imitate the heathen fashion of your idolatrous neighbours, in cutting your haire round,27 Yee shall not round the corners of your heads, neither shalt thou mar the corners of thy beard. neither shall you, after their maner in their mournings, deforme your faces, by shaving off the haire of your beard.
Ye shall not (according to the heathen manner) cut your flesh, whiles ye mourne for the dead;28 Ye shall not make any cuttings of your flesh for the dead, nor print any markes upon you. nor make any impression in your skin and flesh, as markes of your Idolatry, and superstition.
CAP. XX.
WHosoever revileth or speaketh reproachfully of either father or mother, let him be put to death.9 Every one that curseth his father, or mother.
CAP. XXI.
NOne of the inferiour Priests may either touch a dead corps, or come into the roome where it is,1 There shall none be defiled for the dead among his people. if it be the corps of one not neere allyed to him.
Vid. 19. verse 27.5 They shall not make, &c.
However it may bee lawfull for the inferiour Priest to mourne for, or to be present …ith the corps of those,11 Neither shall he goe in to the dead body, nor defile himselfe for his father, or for his mother. which in nearenesse of blood, or alliance they have relation unto, yet the High-priest shall not condescend to any act, or signe of publike mourning, no not for his very parents; nor goe into the the roome where their corpes are laid.
If he shall marry with any of these forbidden persons,15 Neither shall he prophane his seed amongst his people. the issue which he shall have by her, shall be accounted as unhallowed; and shall not be capable of succeeding him in executing the Priests office.
18 Or any thing superfluous.Or that hath any part, or limme more then he should, or monstrously excessive in the proportion thereof.
CAP. XXII.
14 If any man eate of the holy thing unwittingly then he shall put the fifth part unto it, and shall give it to the Priest.IF any Israelite, that is not of the Priests familie, shall ignorantly eate of those holy things, that are appropriated by Gods ordinance, to the Priests, he shall pay the price of that whereof he eateth, and adde withall a fifth part more of the full worth, by way of satisfaction to the Priest.
15 Neither from a strangers hand shall yee offer the bread of your God of any of these.Not onelyonly shall ye refuse to offer blemished, and unperfect sacrifices from the hands of Israelites; but if any heathen man, who is a stranger from the cōmonwealth of Israel, shall offer to present any such blemished, or unworthy oblation to you, ye shall also reject it, as that which is unlawfull to be offered to God.
CAP. XXIII.
Verse 27.Vid. 16. verse 29.
39 Shall be a Sabbath.ON the first and on the eight day ye shall rest from your labours.
CAP. XXIV.
14 Let all that heard him lay their hands upon his head.LEt all that heard him, as in way of ratification of their testimonie, lay their hand on his head; as thereby professing that the blood of the blasphemer shall be upon his owne head, as who doth most worthily suffer for his sinne.
CAP. XXV.
6 And the Sabbath of the land shall bee meat for you, &c.ANd that fruit (of what kinde soever) which groweth upon thy land, in the seventh yeare shall serve indifferently for meat and drinke for the servant and stranger, as well as the owner; and shall be freely taken, and used accordingly.
29 For the land is mine, &c.The land is mine, in a more peculiar manner; as that which I have set apart to be the inheritance of my chosen people on earth, and to be a figure of their happy, and glorious inheritance in heaven.
In all the land which ye possesse,24 And in all the land of your possession ye shall grant a redemption for the land. ye shall suffer a redemption to be given by him that sold or morgaged it; & shall accept thereof in the appointed yeare of Jubilee.
If the Levites might sell their houses, in their Cities, yet the fields which are about the suburbes of the City,34 But the field of the suburbes of their cities may not be sold. three thousand cubits in extent from the walls thereof, may not at all be aliened, or sold.
CAP. XXVI.
YOu shall have a continued succession of blessings,5 And your threshing shall reach unto the vintage. and variety of increase of al kinds of fruits, one in the neck of another; so as no sooner shall the threshing of your corne be finished, then your vintage shall come in hand.
I will bring divers and frequent judgments upon you for your sinnes.24 I will punish you yet seven times.
And when I have brought upon you,26 And when I have broken the staffe of your bread. famine and scarcity, and have bereaved you of that which is the staffe of your life, bread, &c.
Then shall the land be quiet;34 Then shall the land injoy her Sabbaths. as being delivered from those wicked inhabitants, which brought a curse upon it; and from those busie labours, wherewith it was worne out, and torne up continually.
CAP. XVII.
ANd if a man will consecrate unto the Lord some part of that field,16 And if a man shall sanctifie to the Lord some part of a field of his possessions, then thy estimation shall be according to the seed thereof: An Homer of barly seed shall be valued at fiftie Shekels of silver. which by inheritance is descended to him, and would redeeme it: it shall be valued according to the proportion of that seed, which is fit and sufficient to be sowne in that parcell, every ten bushells of barly seed shall be rated at fifty shekels of silver.
See Levit. 5.15.25 Shekel of the Sanctuary.
No creature, which under a solemne vow, or curse, shall be devoted to destruction,29 None devoted, which shall be devoted of men, shall bee redeemed. shall be redeemed by any price whatsoever, whether it be man, or beast, but shall undergoe that death to which it was solemnly devoted.