13 ^tTake care that you do not offer your burnt offerings at any place that you see, 14 but at ^jthe place that the Lord will choose in one of your tribes, there you shall offer your burnt offerings, and there you shall do all that I am commanding you.

15 “However, you may slaughter and eat meat within any of your towns, as much as you desire, ^uaccording to the blessing of the Lord your God that he has given you. ^vThe unclean and the clean may eat of it, as of the gazelle and as of the deer. 16 ^wOnly you shall not eat the blood; you shall pour it out on the earth like water. 17 You may not eat within your towns ^kthe tithe of your grain or of your wine or of your oil, or the firstborn of your herd or of your flock, or any of your vow offerings that you vow, or your freewill offerings or the contribution that you present, 18 but ^myou shall eat them before the Lord your God in ^jthe place that the Lord your God will choose, you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant, and the Levite who is within your towns. And ⁿyou shall rejoice before the Lord your God in all that you undertake. 19 ^xTake care that you do not neglect the Levite as long as you live in your land.

20 “When the Lord your God ^yenlarges your territory, ^zas he has promised you, and you say, ‘I will eat meat,’ because you crave meat, you may eat meat whenever you desire. 21 If ^athe place that the Lord your God will choose to put his name there is too far from you, ^bthen you may kill any of your herd or your flock, which the Lord has given you, as I have commanded you, and you may eat within your towns whenever you desire. 22 Just ^cas the gazelle or the deer is eaten, so you may eat of it. ^cThe unclean and the clean alike may eat of it. 23 ^dOnly be sure that you do not eat the blood, ^efor the blood is the life, and you shall not eat the life with the flesh. 24 You shall not eat it; you shall pour it out on the earth like water. 25 You shall not eat it, ^fthat all may go well with you and with your children after you, ^gwhen you do what is right in the sight of the Lord. 26 But the ^hholy things that are due from you, and ⁱyour vow offerings, you shall take, and you shall go to ^athe place that the Lord will choose, 27 and ^joffer your burnt offerings, the flesh and the blood, on the altar of the Lord your God. The blood of your sacrifices shall be poured out on the altar of the Lord your God, but the flesh you may eat. 28 Be careful to obey all these words that I command you, ^fthat it may go well with you and with your children after you forever, when you do what is good and right in the sight of the Lord your God.

Warning Against Idolatry

29 “When ^kthe Lord your God cuts off before you the nations whom you go in to dispossess, and you dispossess them and dwell in their land, 30 take care ^lthat you be not ensnared to follow them, after they have been destroyed before you, and that you do not inquire about their gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods?—that I also may do the same.’ 31 ^mYou shall not worship the Lord your God in that way, for every ⁿabominable thing that the Lord hates they have done for their gods, for ^othey even burn their sons and their daughters in the fire to their gods.

32 “Everything that I command you, you shall be careful to do. ^pYou shall not add to it or take from it.

The Sign of Jonah

38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, “Teacher, ^wwe wish to see a sign from you.” 39 But he answered them, ^x“An evil and ^yadulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For ^zjust as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, ^aso will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41 ^bThe men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and ^ccondemn it, for ^dthey repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, ^esomething greater than Jonah is here. 42 ^fThe queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, ^esomething greater than Solomon is here.

Return of an Unclean Spirit

43 “When ^gthe unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through ^hwaterless places seeking rest, but finds none. 44 Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds the house empty, swept, and put in order. 45 Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there, and ⁱthe last state of that person is worse than the first. So also will it be with this ^jevil generation.”

Jesus’ Mother and Brothers

46 While he was still speaking to the people, behold, ^khis mother and his ^lbrothers¹ stood outside, asking to speak to him.² 48 But he replied to the man who told him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” 49 And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 50 For ^mwhoever ⁿdoes the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”