The men feared the <sc>Lordsc><n id="1" /> greatly,<n id="2" /> and earnestly vowed<n id="3" /> to offer lavish sacrifices<n id="4" /> to the Lord.<n id="5" />p>

<p class="poetry">But as for me, I promise to offer a sacrifice to you with a public declaration<n id="1" /> of praise;<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">I will surely do<n id="3" /> what I have promised.<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">Salvation<n id="5" /> belongs to the <sc>Lordsc>!&#8221;<n id="6" />p>

<p class="poetry">Because of his success<n id="1" /> he offers sacrifices to his throw netp> <p class="poetry">and burns incense to his dragnet;<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">for because of them he has plenty of food,<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">and more than enough to eat.<n id="4" />p>

But Moses said, &#8220;That would not be the right thing to do,<n id="1" /> for the sacrifices we make<n id="2" /> to the <sc>Lordsc> our God would be an abomination<n id="3" /> to the Egyptians.<n id="4" /> If we make sacrifices that are an abomination to the Egyptians right before their eyes,<n id="5" /> will they not stone us?<n id="6" />

This is so that<n id="1" /> the Israelites will bring their sacrifices that they are sacrificing in the open field<n id="2" /> to the <sc>Lordsc> at the entrance of the Meeting Tent to the priest and sacrifice them there as peace offering sacrifices to the <sc>Lordsc>.

Solomon offered as peace offerings<n id="1" /> to the <sc>Lordsc> 22,000 cattle and 120,000 sheep. Then the king and all the Israelites dedicated the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s temple.

He offered sacrifices to the gods of Damascus whom he thought had defeated him.<n id="1" /> He reasoned,<n id="2" /> &#8220;Since the gods of the kings of Damascus helped them, I will sacrifice to them so they will help me.&#8221; But they caused him and all Israel to stumble.

<p class="poetry">Everyone shares the same fate<n id="1" /> &#8211;p> <p class="poetry">the righteous and the wicked,p> <p class="poetry">the good and the bad,<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">the ceremonially clean and unclean,p> <p class="poetry">those who offer sacrifices and those who do not.p> <p class="poetry">What happens to the good person, also happens to the sinner;<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">what happens to those who make vows, also happens to those who are afraid to make vows.p>

<t /><p class="bodytext">So Israel began his journey, taking with him all that he had.<n id="1" /> When he came to Beer Sheba<n id="2" /> he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.

<p class="bodytext">Then Pharaoh summoned<n id="1" /> Moses and Aaron and said, &#8220;Pray<n id="2" /> to the <sc>Lordsc> that he may take the frogs away<n id="3" /> from me and my people, and I will release<n id="4" /> the people that they may sacrifice<n id="5" /> to the <sc>Lordsc>.&#8221;

<p class="bodytext">Pharaoh said, &#8220;I will release you<n id="1" /> so that you may sacrifice<n id="2" /> to the <sc>Lordsc> your God in the desert. Only you must not go very far.<n id="3" /> Do<n id="4" /> pray for me.&#8221;p>

Be careful<n id="1" /> not to make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, for when<n id="2" /> they prostitute themselves<n id="3" /> to their gods and sacrifice to their gods, and someone invites you,<n id="4" /> you will eat from his sacrifice;

and an ox and a ram for peace offerings to sacrifice before the <sc>Lordsc>, and a grain offering mixed with olive oil, for today the <sc>Lordsc> is going to appear<n id="1" /> to you.&#8217;&#8221;

So they must no longer offer<n id="1" /> their sacrifices to the goat demons,<n id="2" /> acting like prostitutes by going after them.<n id="3" /> This is to be a perpetual statute for them throughout their generations.<n id="4" />p>

If they have any kind of blemish &#8211; lameness, blindness, or anything else<n id="1" /> &#8211; you may not offer them as a sacrifice to the <sc>Lordsc> your God.

You must sacrifice the Passover animal<n id="1" /> (from the flock or the herd) to the <sc>Lordsc> your God in the place where he<n id="2" /> chooses to locate his name.

There must not be a scrap of yeast within your land<n id="1" /> for seven days, nor can any of the meat you sacrifice on the evening of the first day remain until the next morning.<n id="2" />

You must not sacrifice to him<n id="1" /> a bull or sheep that has a blemish or any other defect, because that is considered offensive<n id="2" /> to the <sc>Lordsc> your God.

This shall be the priests&#8217; fair allotment<n id="1" /> from the people who offer sacrifices, whether bull or sheep &#8211; they must give to the priest the shoulder, the jowls, and the stomach.

<p class="poetry">They sacrificed to demons, not God,p> <p class="poetry">to gods they had not known;p> <p class="poetry">to new gods who had recently come along,p> <p class="poetry">gods your ancestors<n id="1" /> had not known about.p>