« | Leviticus 24 | » |
1 The LORD said to Moses,
2 "Order the Israelites to bring you clear oil of crushed olives for the light, so that you may keep lamps burning regularly.
3 In the meeting tent, outside the veil that hangs in front of the commandments, Aaron shall set up the lamps to burn before the LORD regularly, from evening till morning. Thus, by a perpetual statute for you and your descendants,
4 the lamps shall be set up on the pure gold lampstand, to burn regularly before the LORD.
5 "You shall take fine flour and bake it into twelve cakes, using two tenths of an ephah of flour for each cake.
6 These you shall place in two piles, six in each pile, on the pure gold table before the LORD.
7 On each pile put some pure frankincense, which shall serve as an oblation to the LORD, a token offering for the bread.
8 Regularly on each sabbath day this bread shall be set out afresh before the LORD, offered on the part of the Israelites by an everlasting agreement.
9 It shall belong to Aaron and his sons, who must eat it in a sacred place, since, as something most sacred among the various oblations to the LORD, it is his by perpetual right."
10 Among the Israelites there was a man born of an Israelite mother (Shelomith, daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan) and an Egyptian father.
11 This man quarreled publicly with another Israelite and cursed and blasphemed the LORD'S name. So the people brought him to Moses,
12 who kept him in custody till a decision from the LORD should settle the case for them.
13 The LORD then said to Moses,
14 "Take the blasphemer outside the camp, and when all who heard him have laid their hands on his head, let the whole community stone him.
15 Tell the Israelites: Anyone who curses his God shall bear the penalty of his sin;
16 whoever blasphemes the name of the LORD shall be put to death. The whole community shall stone him; alien and native alike must be put to death for blaspheming the LORD'S name.
17 "Whoever takes the life of any human being shall be put to death;
18 whoever takes the life of an animal shall make restitution of another animal. A life for a life!
19 Anyone who inflicts an injury on his neighbor shall receive the same in return.
20 Limb for limb, eye for eye, tooth for tooth! The same injury that a man gives another shall be inflicted on him in return.
21 Whoever slays an animal shall make restitution, but whoever slays a man shall be put to death.
22 You shall have but one rule, for alien and native alike. I, the LORD, am your God."
23 When Moses told this to the Israelites, they took the blasphemer outside the camp and stoned him; they carried out the command that the LORD had given Moses.
The New American Standard Updated Version (NASU)
The New American Standard Updated Version (NASU) is a highly respected English translation of the Bible known for its rigorous adherence to the original languages of Scripture. First published in 1995 by the Lockman Foundation, the NASU is an update of the New American Standard Bible (NASB), which was originally completed in 1971. The NASU seeks to improve upon the NASB by enhancing readability and modernizing the language while maintaining the translation’s reputation for being one of the most literal translations available. This makes the NASU a preferred choice for serious Bible study, preaching, and teaching.
A key feature of the NASU is its commitment to formal equivalence, or a word-for-word translation philosophy. The translators aimed to produce a text that is as close as possible to the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek manuscripts. This approach ensures that the NASU captures the precise meaning and structure of the original texts, providing readers with a highly accurate and reliable representation of the Scriptures. The use of formal equivalence makes the NASU particularly valuable for those who desire a deep and detailed understanding of the Bible, including scholars, theologians, and students of the Word.
In updating the NASB, the NASU made several important changes to improve clarity and readability. While maintaining the accuracy and literalness of the translation, the NASU incorporates modern English expressions and smoother sentence structures. This makes the text more accessible to contemporary readers without compromising the precision that the NASB is known for. The NASU also includes updated cross-references and footnotes, which provide additional context and insights, further aiding in the study and understanding of the biblical text.
Despite its many strengths, the NASU has faced some criticism. Some readers and scholars argue that the translation’s emphasis on literalness can sometimes result in a text that feels stiff or less fluid than more dynamic translations. Additionally, while the NASU’s updated language makes it more accessible, some feel that it could go further in adapting to contemporary usage without losing its accuracy. Nevertheless, the New American Standard Updated Version remains a highly esteemed translation, valued for its fidelity to the original texts and its usefulness for in-depth study and precise interpretation of the Bible.