perfume

³And then Mary took twelve ounces of pure spikenard ointment, very precious, and she anointed the feet of Jesus, and she wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the ointment.

¹Therefore, as most beloved sons, be imitators of God. ²And walk in love, just as Christ also loved us and delivered himself for us, as an oblation and a sacrifice to God, with a fragrance of sweetness. ³But let not any kind of fornication, or impurity, or rapacity so much as be named among you, just as is worthy of the saints, ⁴nor any indecent, or foolish, or abusive talk, for this is without purpose; but instead, give thanks. ⁵For know and understand this: no one who is a fornicator, or lustful, or rapacious (for these are a kind of service to idols) holds an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. ⁶Let no one seduce you with empty words. For because of these things, the wrath of God was sent upon the sons of unbelief.

³³Whatever man will have composed such a thing and have given it to a stranger, he shall be exterminated from his people.’ ” ³⁴And the Lord said to Moses: “Take to yourself aromatics: stacte, and onycha, galbanum of sweet odor, and the clearest frankincense, all these shall be of equal weight. ³⁵And you shall make incense composed with the skills of a perfumer, diligently mixed, and pure, and most worthy of sanctification. ³⁶And when you have crushed all these into a very fine powder, you shall place some of it before the tabernacle of the testimony, in the place where I will appear to you. The Holy of holies shall this incense be to you. ³⁷You shall not make such a compound for your own uses, because it is holy to the Lord.

³And when he was in Bethania, in the house of Simon the leper, and was reclining to eat, a woman arrived having an alabaster container of ointment, of precious spikenard. And breaking open the alabaster container, she poured it over his head.

¹⁴But thanks be to God, who always brings triumph to us in Christ Jesus, and who manifests the fragrance of his knowledge through us in every place. ¹⁵For we are the sweet fragrance of Christ for God, both with those who are being saved and with those who are perishing. ¹⁶To the one, certainly, the fragrance is of death unto death. But to the other, the fragrance is of life unto life. And concerning these things, who is so suitable? ¹⁷For we are not like many others, adulterating the Word of God. But instead, we speak with sincerity: from God, before God, and in Christ.

¹Why is it necessary for a man to seek things that are greater than himself, when he does not know what is advantageous for himself in his life, during the number of the days of his sojourn, and while time passes by like a shadow? Or who will be able to tell him what will be in the future after him under the sun?

¹Then six days before the Passover, Jesus went to Bethania, where Lazarus had died, whom Jesus raised up. ²And they made a dinner for him there. And Martha was ministering. And truly, Lazarus was one of those who were sitting at table with him. ³And then Mary took twelve ounces of pure spikenard ointment, very precious, and she anointed the feet of Jesus, and she wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the ointment. ⁴Then one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was soon to betray him, said, ⁵“Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the needy?” ⁶Now he said this, not out of concern for the needy, but because he was a thief and, since he held the purse, he used to carry what was put into it.

³⁶Then certain Pharisees petitioned him, so that they might eat with him. And he went into the house of the Pharisee, and he reclined at table. ³⁷And behold, a woman who was in the city, a sinner, found out that he was reclining at table in the house of the Pharisee, so she brought an alabaster container of ointment. ³⁸And standing behind him, beside his feet, she began to wash his feet with tears, and she wiped them with the hair of her head, and she kissed his feet, and she anointed them with ointment. ³⁹Then the Pharisee, who had invited him, upon seeing this, spoke within himself, saying, “This man, if he were a prophet, would certainly know who and what kind of woman is this, who is touching him: that she is a sinner.” ⁴⁰And in response, Jesus said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” So he said, “Speak, Teacher.” ⁴¹“A certain creditor had two debtors: one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty.

⁹Ointment and various perfumes delight the heart. And the good advice of a friend is sweet to the soul.

¹¹And entering the home, they found the boy with his mother Mary. And so, falling prostrate, they adored him. And opening their treasures, they offered him gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

¹And so, I beg you, brothers, by the mercy of God, that you offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, with the subservience of your mind. ²And do not choose to be conformed to this age, but instead choose to be reformed in the newness of your mind, so that you may demonstrate what is the will of God: what is good, and what is well-pleasing, and what is perfect. ³For I say, through the grace that has been given to me, to all who are among you: Taste no more than it is necessary to taste, but taste unto sobriety and just as God has distributed a share of the faith to each one.

¹Now there was a certain sick man, Lazarus of Bethania, from the town of Mary and her sister Martha. ²And Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair; her brother Lazarus was sick. ³Therefore, his sisters sent to him, saying: “Lord, behold, he whom you love is sick.” ⁴Then, upon hearing this, Jesus said to them: “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by it.” ⁵Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister Mary, and Lazarus. ⁶Even so, after he heard that he was sick, he then still remained in the same place for two days.

²⁵And you shall make the holy oil of unction, an ointment composed with the skills of a perfumer, ²⁶and with it you shall anoint the tabernacle of the testimony, and the ark of the testament, ²⁷and the table with its vessels, and the lampstand and its utensils, the altars of incense ²⁸and of holocaust, and all the items that pertain to their rituals. ²⁹And you shall sanctify everything, and they shall be the Holy of holies. He who will touch them must be sanctified. ³⁰You shall anoint Aaron and his sons, and you shall sanctify them, so that they may exercise the priesthood for me.