The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Saturday February 10, 2018 (NIV)

The Tax for the Tent of the Lord's Presence

¹¹ The Lord said to Moses, ¹² “When you take a census of the people of Israel, each man is to pay me a price for his life, so that no disaster will come on him while the census is being taken. ^13 (A)Everyone included in the census must pay the required amount of money, weighed according to the official standard. Everyone must pay this as an offering to me. ¹⁴ Everyone being counted in the census, that is, every man twenty years old or older, is to pay me this amount. ¹⁵ The rich man is not to pay more, nor the poor man less, when they pay this amount for their lives. ¹⁶ Collect this money from the people of Israel and spend it for the upkeep of the Tent of my presence. This tax will be the payment for their lives, and I will remember to protect them.”

The Bronze Basin

¹⁷ The Lord said to Moses, ^18 (B)“Make a bronze basin with a bronze base. Place it between the Tent and the altar, and put water in it. ¹⁹ Aaron and his sons are to use the water to wash their hands and feet ²⁰ before they go into the Tent or approach the altar to offer the food offering. Then they will not be killed. ²¹ They must wash their hands and feet, so that they will not die. This is a rule which they and their descendants are to observe forever.”

The Anointing Oil

^22 (C)The Lord said to Moses, ²³ “Take the finest spices—12 pounds of liquid myrrh, 6 pounds of sweet-smelling cinnamon, 6 pounds of sweet-smelling cane, ²⁴ and 12 pounds of cassia (all weighed according to the official standard). Add one gallon of olive oil, ²⁵ and make a sacred anointing oil, mixed like perfume. ²⁶ Use it to anoint the Tent of my presence, the Covenant Box, ²⁷ the table and all its equipment, the lampstand and its equipment, the altar for burning incense, ²⁸ the altar for burning offerings, together with all its equipment, and the washbasin with its base. ²⁹ Dedicate these things in this way, and they will be completely holy, and anyone or anything that touches them will be harmed by the power of its holiness.^{[a] 30} Then anoint Aaron and his sons, and ordain them as priests in my service. ³¹ Say to the people of Israel, ‘This holy anointing oil is to be used in my service for all time to come. ³² It must not be poured on ordinary men, and you must not use the same formula to make any mixture like it. It is holy, and you must treat it as holy. ³³ Whoever makes any like it or uses any of it on anyone who is not a priest will no longer be considered one of my people.’”

The Incense

³⁴ The Lord said to Moses, “Take an equal part of each of the following sweet spices—stacte, onycha, galbanum, and pure frankincense. ³⁵ Use them to make incense, mixed like perfume. Add salt to keep it pure and holy. ³⁶ Beat part of it into a fine powder, take it into the Tent of my presence, and sprinkle it in front of the Covenant Box. Treat this incense as completely holy. ³⁷ Do not use the same formula to make any incense like it for yourselves. Treat it as a holy thing dedicated to me. ³⁸ If anyone makes any like it for use as perfume, he will no longer be considered one of my people.”

Craftsmen for the Tent of the Lord's Presence^(D)

31 The Lord said to Moses, ² “I have chosen Bezalel, the son of Uri and grandson of Hur, from the tribe of Judah, ³ and I have filled him with my power.^[b] I have given him understanding, skill, and ability for every kind of artistic work— ⁴ for planning skillful designs and working them in gold, silver, and bronze; ⁵ for cutting jewels to be set; for carving wood; and for every other kind of artistic work. ⁶ I have also selected Oholiab son of Ahisamach, from the tribe of Dan, to work with him. I have also given great ability to all the other skilled workers, so that they can make everything I have commanded to be made: ⁷ the Tent of my presence, the Covenant Box and its lid, all the furnishings of the Tent, ⁸ the table and its equipment, the lampstand of pure gold and all its equipment, the altar for burning incense, ⁹ the altar for burnt offerings and all its equipment, the washbasin and its base, ¹⁰ the magnificent priestly garments for Aaron and his sons to use when they serve as priests, ¹¹ the anointing oil, and the sweet-smelling incense for the Holy Place. In making all these things, they are to do exactly as I have commanded you.”

Sabbath, the Day of Rest

¹² The Lord commanded Moses ¹³ to tell the people of Israel, “Keep the Sabbath, my day of rest, because it is a sign between you and me for all time to come, to show that I, the Lord, have made you my own people. ¹⁴ You must keep the day of rest, because it is sacred. Whoever does not keep it, but works on that day, is to be put to death. ^15 (E)You have six days in which to do your work, but the seventh day is a solemn day of rest dedicated to me. Whoever does any work on that day is to be put to death. ¹⁶ The people of Israel are to keep this day as a sign of the covenant. ^17 (F)It is a permanent sign between the people of Israel and me, because I, the Lord, made heaven and earth in six days, and on the seventh day I stopped working and rested.”

¹⁸ When God had finished speaking to Moses on Mount Sinai, he gave him the two stone tablets on which God himself had written the commandments.

The Arrest of Jesus^(A)

⁴⁷ Jesus was still speaking when Judas, one of the twelve disciples, arrived. With him was a large crowd armed with swords and clubs and sent by the chief priests and the elders. ⁴⁸ The traitor had given the crowd a signal: “The man I kiss is the one you want. Arrest him!”

⁴⁹ Judas went straight to Jesus and said, “Peace be with you, Teacher,” and kissed him.

⁵⁰ Jesus answered, “Be quick about it, friend!”^[a]

Then they came up, arrested Jesus, and held him tight. ⁵¹ One of those who were with Jesus drew his sword and struck at the High Priest's slave, cutting off his ear. ⁵² “Put your sword back in its place,” Jesus said to him. “All who take the sword will die by the sword. ⁵³ Don't you know that I could call on my Father for help, and at once he would send me more than twelve armies of angels? ⁵⁴ But in that case, how could the Scriptures come true which say that this is what must happen?”

^55 (B)Then Jesus spoke to the crowd, “Did you have to come with swords and clubs to capture me, as though I were an outlaw? Every day I sat down and taught in the Temple, and you did not arrest me. ⁵⁶ But all this has happened in order to make come true what the prophets wrote in the Scriptures.”

Then all the disciples left him and ran away.

Jesus before the Council^(C)

⁵⁷ Those who had arrested Jesus took him to the house of Caiaphas, the High Priest, where the teachers of the Law and the elders had gathered together. ⁵⁸ Peter followed from a distance, as far as the courtyard of the High Priest's house. He went into the courtyard and sat down with the guards to see how it would all come out. ⁵⁹ The chief priests and the whole Council tried to find some false evidence against Jesus to put him to death; ⁶⁰ but they could not find any, even though many people came forward and told lies about him. Finally two men stepped up ^61 (D)and said, “This man said, ‘I am able to tear down God's Temple and three days later build it back up.’”

⁶² The High Priest stood up and said to Jesus, “Have you no answer to give to this accusation against you?” ⁶³ But Jesus kept quiet. Again the High Priest spoke to him, “In the name of the living God I now put you under oath: tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.”

^64 (E)Jesus answered him, “So you say. But I tell all of you: from this time on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right side of the Almighty and coming on the clouds of heaven!”

^65 (F)At this the High Priest tore his clothes and said, “Blasphemy! We don't need any more witnesses! You have just heard his blasphemy! ⁶⁶ What do you think?”

They answered, “He is guilty and must die.”

^67 (G)Then they spat in his face and beat him; and those who slapped him ⁶⁸ said, “Prophesy for us, Messiah! Guess who hit you!”

Confession and Forgiveness^[a]