A Walk Through The Word

5 Moses called together all Israel and said this to them: Listen, Israel, to the statutes and ordinances that I am speaking in your hearing today so that you learn them and are conscientious about carrying them out. ² The Lord our God made a covenant with us at Horeb. ³ The Lord did not make this covenant with our fathers, but with us, with those who are here today, all of us who are living today. ⁴ Face-to-face the Lord spoke with you at the mountain from the middle of the fire. ⁵ At that time I was standing between the Lord and you to relate to you the word of the Lord, because you were afraid of the fire and you did not go up on the mountain.

Then the Lord said:

²² These are the words the Lord spoke to your whole assembly at the mountain from the middle of the fire, the thick cloud, and the gloom, with a loud voice, and he did not add anything. He wrote them on two tablets of stone and gave them to me. ²³ When you heard the voice from the middle of the darkness while the mountain was burning with fire, you approached me—all the heads of your tribes and your elders.

²⁴ Then you said, “See how the Lord our God has shown us his glory and his greatness, and we have heard his voice from the middle of the fire. Today we have seen that a man can live even though God has spoken to him. ²⁵ But now, why should we die, because this great fire will consume us? If we continue to hear the voice of the Lord our God any longer, we will die. ²⁶ For who of all flesh has ever heard the voice of the living God speaking from the middle of fire as we have and has lived? ²⁷ You go near and listen to everything that the Lord our God says, and then you speak to us everything that the Lord our God speaks to you, and we will hear and do it.”

²⁸ The Lord heard what you said when you spoke to me. So the Lord said to me, “I heard what these people said when they spoke to you. Everything that they spoke to you is good. ²⁹ If only this would be in their hearts—to fear me and to keep all my commandments always, so that it might go well for them and for their children continually. ³⁰ Go and say to them, ‘Go back to your tents.’ ³¹ As for you, stand here with me and I will speak to you all the commands and the statutes and the ordinances that you are to teach them and that they are to do in the land that I am giving them as a possession. ³² Tell them:^[f] ‘Be conscientious about doing just as the Lord your God commanded you. Do not turn aside to the right or to the left. ³³ Walk in every way the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live and it may be good for you and you may live long in the land that you will possess.’”

6 Moses spoke as follows:^[g]

Now this is the body of commands, and these are the statutes and the ordinances that the Lord your God commanded me to teach you, so you may carry them out in the land to which you are crossing over to receive as a possession, ² so that you may fear the Lord your God by keeping all his statutes and his commandments, which I am commanding to you, as well as to your children and grandchildren, all the days of your life, and so that your days may be long.

³ Listen, O Israel, and be conscientious about doing those things, so it may go well for you and so you may increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the Lord, the God of your fathers, promised you. ⁴ Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God. The Lord is one! ⁵ Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul^[h] and with all your might. ⁶ These words that I am commanding you today are to be on your heart. ⁷ Teach them diligently to your children, and speak about them when you sit in your house and when you walk on the road, when you lie down and when you get up. ⁸ Tie them as a sign on your wrists, and they will serve as symbols on your forehead. ⁹ Write them on the doorposts of your houses and on your gates.

¹⁰ When the Lord your God brings you to the land about which he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, that he would give it to you, he will bring you to great and good cities that you did not build, ¹¹ to houses full of all kinds of good things that you did not fill, to wells that you did not dig, and to vineyards and olives that you did not plant. Then, when you eat and are full, ¹² watch yourself, so that you do not forget the Lord, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, where you were slaves. ¹³ Fear the Lord your God, serve him, and swear by his name. ¹⁴ Do not go after other gods from among the gods of the peoples around you. ¹⁵ If you do, the Lord your God will be a jealous God in your midst, and the anger of the Lord your God will burn against you, and he will destroy you from the face of the earth.

¹⁶ Do not put the Lord your God to the test the way you tested him at Massah. ¹⁷ Be very conscientious about keeping the commandments of the Lord your God and his testimonies and his statutes, which he commanded you. ¹⁸ Do what is right and good in the eyes of the Lord, so that it may go well for you and you may go and take possession of the good land that the Lord promised to your fathers with an oath, ¹⁹ driving out all your enemies from your presence, as the Lord promised.

²⁰ When your son asks you in the future, “What are these testimonies and statutes and ordinances that the Lord our God has commanded for you?” ²¹ then you are to say to your son, “We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, but the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a strong hand. ²² Right before our eyes the Lord gave great, devastating signs and wonders in Egypt against Pharaoh and against his whole household. ²³ Then he brought us out of there to bring us in and give us the land that he promised to our fathers with an oath.”

²⁴ Then the Lord commanded us to carry out all of these statutes, to fear the Lord our God for our own lasting good, to keep us alive, even as we are today. ²⁵ Righteousness will be ours when we are conscientious about carrying out this entire set of commands in the presence of the Lord our God as he commanded us.

Jesus Raises a Widow’s Son

¹¹ Soon afterward^[a] Jesus went on his way to a town called Nain, and^[b] his disciples and a large crowd were traveling with him. ¹² As he was approaching the town gate, there was a dead man being carried out, the only son of his mother. She was a widow, and a considerable crowd from the town was with her. ¹³ When the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not cry.” ¹⁴ He went up to the open coffin, touched it, and the pallbearers stopped. He said, “Young man, I say to you, get up!” ¹⁵ The dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother.

¹⁶ Fear gripped all of them, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us” and “God has visited his people!” ¹⁷ This was reported about him in all of Judea and in all the surrounding countryside.

John the Baptist and Christ

¹⁸ John’s disciples told him about all these things. ¹⁹ Calling two of his disciples to him, he sent them to Jesus^[c] to ask, “Are you the one who was to come or should we look for someone else?” ²⁰ When the men had arrived, they said to Jesus, “John the Baptist sent us to ask you, ‘Are you the one who was to come or should we look for someone else?’”

²¹ At that time Jesus healed many people of their diseases, afflictions, and evil spirits. And he gave many blind people the ability to see. ²² Jesus answered them, “Go, tell John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are healed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. ²³ Blessed is the one who does not fall away on account of me.”

²⁴ After John’s messengers had left, Jesus began to talk to the crowds about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? ²⁵ No. Then what did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Yet those who are dressed in splendid clothing and live in luxury are in royal palaces. ²⁶ But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and much more than a prophet. ²⁷ This is the one about whom it is written: ‘Look, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.’^[d]

²⁸ “Yes, I tell you,^[e] among those born of women there is no prophet^[f] greater than John. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”

²⁹ When all the people (including the tax collectors) heard this, they declared that God was just, since they were baptized with the baptism of John. ³⁰ But the Pharisees and the legal experts rejected God’s purpose for themselves by not being baptized by him.

³¹ “To what then will I compare the people of this generation? What are they like? ³² They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another, ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance. We sang a dirge, and you did not weep.’ ³³ For John the Baptist has come without eating bread or drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ ³⁴ The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look, a man who is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ ³⁵ Yet wisdom is declared right by all her children.”

God’s Daily Care

God’s Future Victories

God’s Procession Into the Temple

Prayer for Future Victory

God Rules the Nations

Closing Praise

Review of the Covenant for a New Generation

4 So now, Israel, listen to the statutes and the ordinances that I am teaching you, and carry them out so that you may live and so that you may enter the land that the Lord, the God of your fathers, is giving to you and take possession of it. ² Do not add to the word that I am commanding you, and do not subtract from it, so that you keep the commandments of the Lord your God that I am commanding you. ³ With your own eyes you have been observing what the Lord did at Baal Peor. Indeed, the Lord your God destroyed from among you every man who followed the Baal of Peor.

⁴ But all of you, who are clinging to the Lord your God, are still alive today. ⁵ Note well now, I have taught you statutes and ordinances, as the Lord my God commanded me, so that you may carry them out also in the land that you are entering to take as a possession. ⁶ Keep them and put them into practice, because in this way your wisdom and your understanding will be recognized by all the people who hear about all these statutes; and they will say, “This great nation is certainly a wise and understanding people,” ⁷ because what other great nation is there that has a god as close to it as the Lord our God is to us whenever we call on him? ⁸ What other great nation is there that has statutes and ordinances as righteous as this entire law that I am presenting to you today?

⁹ But guard yourselves and guard your whole being^[a] diligently, so that you do not forget the things that your eyes have seen and so that those things do not disappear from your heart all the rest of the days of your life. Make them known to your children and to your children’s children. ¹⁰ Tell about the day that you stood before the Lord your God at Horeb when the Lord said to me, “Bring the people near to me and I will make sure that they hear my words, so that they may learn to fear me all the days that they are living in the land, and so that they may teach their children.” ¹¹ So you drew near and you stood under the mountain while the mountain was burning with fire up to the very heavens. There was darkness, a thick cloud, and gloom. ¹² Then the Lord your God spoke to you from the middle of the fire. You heard the sound of the words, but you did not see a form. You only heard the sound. ¹³ He declared to you his covenant that he commanded you to carry out, namely, the Ten Commandments.^[b] Then he wrote them on two tablets of stone. ¹⁴ At that time the Lord commanded me to teach you the statutes and ordinances for you to carry out in the land that you are entering in order to occupy it.

¹⁵ So guard your hearts very carefully, because you did not see any form on the day that the Lord your God spoke to you at Horeb from the middle of the fire. ¹⁶ Do this so that you do not act corruptly and make for yourselves an idol of any form. Do not make an image of a male or female, ¹⁷ an image of any animal that walks on the earth, an image of any bird that flies in the sky, ¹⁸ an image of anything that creeps on the ground, or an image of any fish that swims in the water below the earth. ¹⁹ Beware so that you do not lift up your eyes to the heavens and see the sun and the moon and the stars, all the vast army of the heavens, and you are lured away, and you bow down to them and worship them—things that the Lord your God has allotted to all the nations under all the heavens.

²⁰ But you are the ones that the Lord has chosen and has brought out of the iron furnace of Egypt, to be a nation that is his possession, as is the case today. ²¹ But the Lord was angry with me because of your words, and he swore that I would not cross the Jordan and would not come into the good land that the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance. ²² I will die in this land without crossing over the Jordan, but you will cross over and take possession of this good land. ²³ Be on guard so that you do not forget the covenant that the Lord your God made^[c] with you and so that you do not make an idol for yourselves in the form of anything that the Lord your God prohibited. ²⁴ For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.^[d]

²⁵ But when you become the father of children, and you have grandchildren, and you have grown old in the land, if you then act corruptly by making an idol of any form, and you do evil in the eyes of the Lord your God, provoking him to anger, ²⁶ I today call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you, that you will most certainly perish quickly from the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess. You will not live many days in it, because you will most certainly be destroyed. ²⁷ The Lord will scatter you among the peoples, and you will be left as a people that are few in number among the nations where the Lord your God will force you to go. ²⁸ There you will worship gods, the work of human hands, made of wood and stone—things that do not see or hear or eat or smell.

²⁹ But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find him when you search for him with all your heart and with all your soul. ³⁰ When you experience misery and all these things have happened to you in future days, then you will return to the Lord your God, and you will be obedient to his voice. ³¹ For the Lord your God is a compassionate God. He will not leave you or destroy you or forget the covenant that he promised to your fathers with an oath.

³² So ask now about the former days, long before your time, beginning from the day when God created man on the earth. Search from one end of the heavens to the other. Has there ever been anything like this great event, or has anything like it ever been heard? ³³ Has a people ever heard the voice of God speaking from the middle of fire as you heard and yet continued to live? ³⁴ Or has a god ever tried to go and take for himself a nation from inside another nation by tests, signs, and warnings, or by war, by a strong hand and an outstretched arm, and by great awe-inspiring acts like all those that the Lord your God did for you in Egypt in front of your very eyes? ³⁵ You yourselves were shown this so that you could know that the Lord—he is God! There is none except him alone. ³⁶ He let you hear his voice from the heavens to discipline you, and on earth he let you see his great fire, and you heard his words from the middle of the fire. ³⁷ Yes, because he loved your fathers and chose their descendants after them, he brought you out of Egypt by the great power of his Presence, ³⁸ driving out from your presence nations greater and stronger than you are, to bring you in, to give you their land as an inheritance, as it is this day. ³⁹ Therefore know this today and again take it to heart that the Lord is God in the heavens above and on the earth below. There is no other. ⁴⁰ Keep his statutes and his commandments that I am commanding you today, so that it may go well for you and for your children after you, and so that you may live long on the land^[e] that the Lord your God is giving you for all time.^[f]

Cities of Refuge

⁴¹ Then Moses set aside three cities in the region east of the Jordan, the place where the sun rises, ⁴² so that someone who killed a man could flee to them, that is, someone who killed his neighbor unintentionally and who did not previously hate him—he could flee to one of these cities and remain alive: ⁴³ Bezer in the wilderness in the tableland belonging to the Reubenites, Ramoth in Gilead belonging to the Gadites, and Golan in Bashan belonging to the Manassites.

A Review of the Law

⁴⁴ This is the Law that Moses set before the people of Israel. ⁴⁵ These are the testimonies and statutes and ordinances that Moses spoke to the people of Israel when they went out of Egypt, ⁴⁶ in the region east of the Jordan opposite Beth Peor in the land of Sihon king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon, whom Moses and the children of Israel struck down when they came out of Egypt. ⁴⁷ So they took possession of his land as well as the land of Og king of Bashan, the two kings of the Amorites who were in the region east of the Jordan, where the sun rises. ⁴⁸ They took possession from Aroer, which is on the edge of the Arnon Canyon, all the way to Mount Siyon, that is, Mount Hermon, ⁴⁹ including all of the Arabah on the east side of the Jordan, up to the Sea of the Arabah^[g] below the slopes of Pisgah.

³⁹ He also told them a parable: “A blind man cannot guide a blind man, can he? Won’t they both fall into a pit? ⁴⁰ A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher. ⁴¹ Why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but fail to notice the beam in your own eye? ⁴² Or how can you tell your brother, ‘Brother, let me remove the speck in your eye,’ when you do not see the beam in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the beam from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck in your brother’s eye.

Listen and Do

⁴³ “Certainly a good tree does not produce bad fruit, and a bad tree does not produce good fruit. ⁴⁴ In fact, each tree is known by its own fruit. For people do not gather figs from thorn bushes, and they do not gather grapes from a bramble bush. ⁴⁵ The good person brings what is good out of the good stored in his heart, and the evil person brings what is evil out of the evil within.^[a] To be sure, what his mouth speaks flows from the heart.

⁴⁶ “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? ⁴⁷ Everyone who comes to me and listens to my words and does them—I will show you what he is like: ⁴⁸ He is like a man building a house who dug down deep and laid a foundation on bedrock. When a flood came, the river beat against that house but could not shake it, because it was founded on bedrock.^{[b] 49} But the one who listened to my words and did not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the river broke against it, it fell immediately, and that house was completely destroyed.”

A Believing Centurion

7 After Jesus had finished saying all these things to the people who were listening, he went into Capernaum. ² A centurion’s servant, who was valuable to him, was sick and about to die. ³ When the centurion heard about Jesus, he sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant. ⁴ When they came to Jesus, they begged him earnestly, saying, “He is worthy of having you do this for him, ⁵ because he loves our nation, and he built our synagogue for us.”

⁶ Jesus went with them. When he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to tell Jesus, “Lord, do not trouble yourself, because I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. ⁷ That is why I did not consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. ⁸ For I am also a man placed under authority, having soldiers under me. I say to this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes; and to another one, ‘Come!’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

⁹ When Jesus heard these things, he was amazed at him. He turned to the crowd that was following him and said, “I tell you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel.” ¹⁰ And when the men who had been sent returned to the house, they found the servant well.

Psalm 68

The Procession of God

Heading
For the choir director. By David. A psalm. A song.

Judgment on God’s Enemies

Blessing on God’s People

God Brings His People Into His Land

The Lord Defeats the Kings of the Land

The Lord Makes His Dwelling in Zion

2 Then we turned and traveled toward the wilderness on the road to the Red Sea, as the Lord had told me, and we traveled for many days to get around the area of Mount Seir.^[a]

The Journey Past Edom

² Then the Lord said to me, ³ “You have been traveling around this mountainous region long enough. Turn north ⁴ and command the people, ‘You are about to pass through the territory of your brothers, the people of Esau, who are living in Seir, and they will be afraid of you. So be very careful. ⁵ Do not wage war against them because I am not going to give you any of their land, not even an area the size of a footprint, because I have given the Mount Seir region to Esau as a possession. ⁶ You may buy food from them with money so you can eat, and you may purchase water from them with money so you can drink. ⁷ For the Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He knows your trek through this vast wilderness. These forty years the Lord your God has been with you. You have not lacked anything.’” ⁸ So we passed by the territory of our brothers, the people of Esau, who were living in Seir. After leaving the Arabah Road, Elat, and Ezion Geber behind us, we turned and we traveled along the road of the Wilderness of Moab.

The Journey Past Moab

⁹ Then the Lord said to me, “Do not be hostile toward Moab and do not wage war against them in battle, because I am not going to give you any of their land as a possession, since I have given Ar to the people of Lot as a possession.”

¹⁰ (The Emites formerly lived in it, a strong, numerous people and tall like the Anakites. ¹¹ They, like the Anakites, are also considered to be Rephaim,^[b] but the Moabites call them Emites. ¹² The Horites also lived in Seir formerly, but the people of Esau took possession of their land and destroyed them from their midst. They settled there in their place, just as Israel did in the land that the Lord gave to them as their possession.)

¹³ Then the Lord told us:^[c] “Now get ready and cross the Zered Canyon.” So we crossed over the Zered Canyon. ¹⁴ The time that we traveled from Kadesh Barnea until we crossed over the Zered Canyon was thirty-eight years, until that whole generation of fighting men were eliminated from the camp, just as the Lord had sworn to them. ¹⁵ Yes indeed, the hand of the Lord was against them to destroy them from the camp until they were eliminated.

The Journey Past Ammon

¹⁶ Just as soon as all those fighting men were eliminated from the people by their death, ¹⁷ the Lord spoke to me: ¹⁸ “Today you are going to cross the border of Moab at Ar. ¹⁹ When you come near the people of Ammon, do not be hostile toward them and do not wage war against them, because I am not going to give any of the land of the people of Ammon to you as a possession, since I have given it to the people of Lot as a possession.”

²⁰ (It also is considered to be the land of the Rephaim. The Rephaim lived in it formerly, but the Ammonites call them Zamzumites. ²¹ They are a strong and numerous people and as tall as the Anakites. But the Lord destroyed the Rephaim from among the Ammonites. The Ammonites took possession of their land and lived there in their place. ²² The Lord had done the same things for the people of Esau, who live in Seir, when he destroyed the Horites before them, and they took possession of their land and settled there in their place and remain there to this day. ²³ Now the Caphtorites, who came out of Caphtor,^[d] destroyed the Avvites who were living in villages as far as Gaza and settled in their place.)

Confrontation With the Amorites

²⁴ Then the Lord told us:^[e] “Get ready to travel and cross over the Arnon Canyon. See, I have given into your hands Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land. Start to take possession of it and wage war against him. ²⁵ This very day I will begin to put dread and fear of you on the faces of the people everywhere under heaven, so that they will hear reports about you and they will tremble, and they will be shaking because of you.”

²⁶ So I sent messengers from the Wilderness of Kedmoth to Sihon king of Heshbon with an offer of peace. I said, ²⁷ “Let us pass through your land. We will proceed only on the road. We will not turn aside to the right or to the left. ²⁸ You can sell us food in exchange for money so we can eat, and you can give us water in exchange for money so we can drink. Only let us pass through on foot, ²⁹ as did the people of Esau living in Seir and the Moabites living in Ar, until we can cross over the Jordan into the land that the Lord our God is giving us.”

³⁰ But Sihon king of the Amorites was not willing to let us pass through on the road, because the Lord your God gave him a stubborn attitude by making his heart obstinate, in order to give him over into your hands, as is now the case today. ³¹ Then the Lord said to me, “Look now, I have begun to give you Sihon and his land. Start taking action to take possession of his land.”

³² Then Sihon and all of his people went out to meet us in battle at Jahaz. ³³ The Lord our God gave him to us, and we struck him down, as well as his sons and all his people. ³⁴ So we captured each of his cities at that time. We devoted each city to destruction, with the men, women, and children. We did not leave a survivor. ³⁵ We took only the livestock as plunder for ourselves, as well as the spoils of war from the cities that we captured. ³⁶ From Aroer, which is on the edge of the Arnon Canyon, from the city that is in the canyon, all the way up to Gilead, there was not a city that was out of reach for us. The Lord our God gave us everything. ³⁷ But it was only the land of the people of Ammon that you did not approach: the land along both sides of the Jabbok Canyon, the cities of the hill country, and everything that the Lord our God had forbidden us to take.

3 Then we turned and went up on the road to Bashan, and Og the king of Bashan came out to confront us. He and all his people came for war at Edrei. ² But the Lord said to me, “Do not be afraid of him, because I have given him into your hands, as well as all of his people and his land. Do to him as you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who lived at Heshbon.” ³ So the Lord our God gave into our hands also Og king of Bashan and all his people. We struck them down until they had no survivor remaining.

⁴ So we took all of his cities at that time. There was not a city that we did not take from them—sixty cities, the whole area of Argob, the kingdom of Og in Bashan. ⁵ All of these were fortified cities with high walls, gates, and bars, besides very many small unwalled towns.^{[f] 6} We devoted them to destruction, just as we had done to Sihon king of Heshbon. There was a total destruction of every city, of men, women, and children, ⁷ but all of the cattle and the plunder of the cities we took as spoils for ourselves.

⁸ So at that time we took the land out of the hands of the two kings of the Amorites who were east of the Jordan, from the Arnon Canyon to Mount Hermon. ⁹ (The Sidonians call Hermon Sirion, but the Amorites call it Senir.) ¹⁰ We took all the cities of the tableland and all of Gilead and all of Bashan, up to Salecah and Edrei, cities of the kingdom of Og in Bashan. ¹¹ (Only Og king of Bashan had remained from what was left of the Rephaim. His bed,^[g] a bed of iron, is it not in Rabbah of the people of Ammon? Its length is thirteen feet, and its width is six feet,^[h] according to the standard measure.)

¹² So we took possession of this land at that time. I gave to Reuben and to Gad the land starting at Aroer, which is at the Arnon Canyon, and half of the hill country^[i] of Gilead, as well as its cities. ¹³ I gave to the half tribe of Manasseh the remainder of Gilead and all of Bashan, the kingdom of Og, all the territory of Argob (all that part of Bashan is called the land of the Rephaim). ¹⁴ Jair, the descendant of Manasseh, took all the territory of Argob up to the border of the Geshurites and the Ma’acathites, and he named the villages of Bashan after himself, Havvoth Jair,^[j] as they are called to this day. ¹⁵ I gave Gilead to Makir. ¹⁶ To the Reubenites and to the Gadites I gave the land of Gilead from the Arnon Canyon (that is, from the middle of the canyon), which served as one of their borders, up to the Jabbok Canyon, which served as their border with the people of Ammon. ¹⁷ Also the Arabah and the Jordan served as their border from the Sea of Kinneret^[k] to the Sea of the Arabah, that is, the Salt Sea,^[l] under the slopes of Pisgah on the east.

¹⁸ I gave you a command at that time: “The Lord your God gave you this land as a possession. All of your soldiers, armed for battle, are to cross over before your brother Israelites. ¹⁹ Only your wives and your children and your livestock (I know that you have a lot of livestock) may stay in your cities that I have given you, ²⁰ until the Lord gives rest to your brothers as he has to you, and they also have taken possession of the land that the Lord your God is giving them on the other side of the Jordan. After that you may return, each man to his possession that I have given you.”

²¹ I also gave a command to Joshua at that time: “With your own eyes you have been observing everything that the Lord your God has done to these two kings. The Lord will do the same to all the kingdoms to which you are crossing. ²² Do not be afraid of them, because the Lord your God himself is fighting for you.”

²³ I also begged the favor of the Lord at that time: ²⁴ “My Lord God, you have begun to show your servant your greatness and your strong hand. Indeed, what god in heaven or on earth is there that has done anything like your works and your mighty deeds? ²⁵ Let me cross over, please, and let me see the good land on the other side of the Jordan—this good hill country and the mountains of Lebanon.”

²⁶ But the Lord was furious with me because of you, and he did not listen to me but said to me, “Enough from you! Do not continue to speak to me anymore about this matter. ²⁷ Go up to the top of Pisgah and lift up your eyes toward the west and the north and the south and the east. Take a good look, because you will not be crossing over this Jordan. ²⁸ But commission Joshua for duty and strengthen him and encourage him, because he will cross over in front of these people, and he will enable them to take possession of the land that you will only see.” ²⁹ So we stayed in the valley opposite Beth Peor.

Jesus Sends Out the Twelve

¹² It happened in those days that Jesus went up on the mountain to pray, and he spent all night in prayer to God. ¹³ When it was day, he summoned his disciples and chose twelve of them, whom he also called apostles: ¹⁴ Simon, whom he also named Peter, and his brother Andrew; James and John; Philip and Bartholomew; ¹⁵ Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, also Simon, who was called the Zealot; ¹⁶ Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

Jesus Heals Many

¹⁷ He went down with them and stood on a level place with a large crowd of his disciples and a large number of people from all Judea and Jerusalem, as well as from the coastal area of Tyre and Sidon. These people came to listen to him and to be healed of their diseases. ¹⁸ Those who were troubled by unclean spirits were also cured. ¹⁹ The whole crowd kept trying to touch him, because power was going out from him and healing them all.

Blessings and Woes

²⁰ He lifted up his eyes to his disciples and said:

²³ “Rejoice in that day and leap for joy because of this: Your reward is great in heaven! The fact is, their fathers constantly did the same things to the prophets.”

Love Your Enemies

²⁷ “But I say to you who are listening: Love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. ²⁸ Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who mistreat you. ²⁹ If someone strikes you on one cheek, offer the other too. If someone takes away your coat, do not withhold your shirt. ³⁰ Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes away your things, do not demand them back.

³¹ “Treat others just as you would want them to treat you. ³² If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? To be sure, even the sinners love those who love them. ³³ And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? Even the sinners do the same thing. ³⁴ If you lend to those from whom you expect to be repaid, what credit is that to you? Even the sinners lend to sinners in order to be paid back in full. ³⁵ Instead, love your enemies, do good and lend, expecting nothing in return. Your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the unthankful and the evil. ³⁶ Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

Consider the Beam in Your Own Eye

³⁷ “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. ³⁸ Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be poured into your lap. In fact, the measure with which you measure will be measured back to you.”

Psalm 67

Your Kingdom Come

Heading
For the choir director. With stringed instruments. A psalm. A song.

The Prayer

The Rights of Women to Inherit Land

36 The heads of the households whose families were descended from Gilead, son of Machir and grandson of Manasseh, (families of Joseph’s descendants) came and spoke to Moses and the leaders of the other Israelite households. ² They said, “Sir, the Lord commanded you to give the Israelites their land by drawing lots. The Lord also commanded you to give the land of our relative Zelophehad to his daughters. ³ Suppose they marry men from the other tribes of Israel. Their land will be taken away from that of our ancestors and added to the land of the tribe they marry into. Then we will have lost part of our land. ⁴ When the Israelites’ jubilee year comes, their land will be added to that of the tribe they married into. Then part of the land of our ancestors’ tribe will be gone.”

⁵ So Moses gave the Israelites a command from the Lord. “The tribe of Joseph’s descendants is right. ⁶ This is what the Lord commands for Zelophehad’s daughters: They may marry anyone they want to, but only within a family of their ancestor’s tribe. ⁷ In this way no land of the Israelites will pass from one tribe to another. Every Israelite must keep the tribal land inherited from his ancestors. ⁸ A woman who inherits land in any of the tribes of Israel may marry a man from any family in her ancestor’s tribe. In this way every Israelite keeps the land inherited from his ancestors. ⁹ No land may pass from one tribe to another. Each Israelite tribe must keep the land it inherits.”

¹⁰ Zelophehad’s daughters did as the Lord commanded Moses. ¹¹ Mahlah, Tirzah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Noah married their cousins on their father’s side of the family. ¹² They married within the families of the descendants of Manasseh, son of Joseph. So their land stayed in the tribe of their father’s family.

¹³ These are the commands and rules the Lord gave the Israelites through Moses on the plains of Moab near the Jordan River across from Jericho.

Moses Speaks to the People 40 Years after Leaving Egypt

1 This is the speech Moses gave in the desert east of the Jordan River, on the plains, near Suph, between Paran and Tophel, and near Laban, Hazeroth, and Di Zahab. He spoke to all the Israelites. ² (It takes 11 days to go from Mount Horeb to Kadesh Barnea by way of Mount Seir.)

³ On the first day of the eleventh month in the fortieth year ⌞after they had left Egypt⌟, Moses told the Israelites everything the Lord had commanded him to tell them. ⁴ This was after he had defeated King Sihon of the Amorites, who ruled in Heshbon, and King Og of Bashan, who ruled in Ashtaroth and ^[a] in Edrei. ⁵ The Israelites were east of the Jordan River in Moab when Moses began to review God’s teachings.

Moses Reminds Israel of the Events at Mount Horeb

This is what he said:

⁶ At Mount Horeb the Lord our God said to us, “You have stayed at this mountain long enough. ⁷ Break camp, and get ready! Go to the mountain region of the Amorites, and go to everyone living on the plains, in the mountains, in the foothills, in the Negev, on the whole Mediterranean coast (the land of the Canaanites), and into Lebanon as far as the Euphrates River. ⁸ I’m giving you this land. Enter, and take possession of the land the Lord swore to give to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and to you, their descendants.”

⁹ At that time I said to you, “I’m not able to take care of you by myself. ¹⁰ The Lord your God has made your population increase so that you are now as numerous as the stars in the sky. ¹¹ May the Lord God of your ancestors make you a thousand times more numerous, and may he bless you as he has promised. ¹² How can I take care of your problems, your troubles, and your disagreements all by myself? ¹³ From each of your tribes, choose some men who are wise, intelligent, and experienced, and I’ll appoint them to be your leaders.”

¹⁴ You agreed that this was a good idea.

¹⁵ So I took the heads of your tribes who were wise and experienced men and made them officers for each of your tribes. I put them in charge of groups of 1,000, or 100, or 50, or 10 people. ¹⁶ Also at that time I gave these instructions to your judges: “Hear the cases that your people bring. Judge each case fairly, no matter whether it is ⌞a dispute⌟ between two Israelites or ⌞a dispute⌟ between an Israelite and a non-Israelite. ¹⁷ Be impartial in your decisions. Listen to the least important people the same way you listen to the most important people. Never be afraid of anyone, since your decisions come from God. You may bring me any case that’s too hard for you, and I will hear it.” ¹⁸ So I told you how to handle these situations.

Moses Reminds Israel of the Events at Kadesh Barnea

¹⁹ So we left Mount Horeb, as the Lord our God had commanded. We traveled through all that vast and dangerous desert you saw on the way to the mountain region of the Amorites. At last we came to Kadesh Barnea. ²⁰ Then I said to you, “We have come to the mountain region of the Amorites, which the Lord our God is giving us. ²¹ The Lord your God is giving you this land. Go ahead! Take possession of it, as the Lord God of your ancestors told you. Don’t be afraid or terrified.”

²² All of you came to me and said, “Let’s send men ahead of us to gather information about the land for us. Have them report to us about the route we should take and the cities we’ll come to.”

²³ It seemed like a good idea to me. So I chose 12 of your men, one from each tribe. ²⁴ They left and went into the mountains. When they came to the Eshcol Valley, they explored it. ²⁵ They took some of the region’s fruit with them and brought it back to us. They reported, “The land that the Lord our God is giving us is good.”

²⁶ But you rebelled against the command of the Lord your God and refused to go. ²⁷ You complained in your tents and said, “The Lord hates us! That’s why he brought us out of Egypt. He wanted to hand us over to the Amorites so that they could destroy us! ²⁸ Where are we going anyway? Our own men have discouraged us by saying, ‘The people there are taller and stronger than we are. The cities are big with sky-high walls! We even saw the people of Anak there.’ ”

²⁹ Then I said to you, “Don’t tremble. Don’t be afraid of them. ³⁰ The Lord your God, who is going ahead of you, will fight for you as you saw him fight for you in Egypt ³¹ and in the desert.” There you saw how the Lord your God carried you, as parents carry their children. He carried you wherever you went until you came to this place.

³² In spite of this, you didn’t trust the Lord your God, ³³ who went ahead of you to find places for you to camp. He appeared in a column of fire at night and in a column of smoke during the day to show you which route to take.

³⁴ When the Lord heard what you said, he was angry and took this oath: ³⁵ “Not one of these evil people will ever see the good land that I swore to give to your ancestors, ³⁶ except Caleb, son of Jephunneh. He will see it, and I will give the land that he set his feet on to him and his descendants, because he wholeheartedly followed the Lord.”

³⁷ The Lord became angry with me because of you. He said, “You won’t go there either. ³⁸ But your assistant Joshua, son of Nun, will go there. Encourage him, because he will help Israel take possession of the land. ³⁹ Although you thought the little children would be captured in war, your children, who are still too young to know the difference between good and evil, will enter that land. I will give it to them, and they will take possession of it. ⁴⁰ Turn around, go back into the desert, and follow the road that goes to the Red Sea.”

⁴¹ You responded, “We have sinned against the Lord. We’ll go and fight, as the Lord our God commanded us to do.” Each of you armed yourself for war, thinking you could easily invade the mountain region.

⁴² But the Lord said to me, “Tell them, ‘Don’t go and fight, because I won’t be with you. You will be defeated by your enemies.’ ”

⁴³ I told you, but you wouldn’t listen. You defied the Lord’s command and invaded the mountain region. ⁴⁴ The Amorites who lived there came out and attacked you and chased you like a swarm of bees. They defeated you, chasing you from Seir all the way to Hormah. ⁴⁵ When you came back, you cried to the Lord, but the Lord didn’t listen to you or hear you. ⁴⁶ That’s why you stayed in Kadesh as long as you did.

²⁹ Levi held a large reception at his home for Jesus. A huge crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them.

³⁰ The Pharisees and their experts in Moses’ Teachings complained to Jesus’ disciples. They asked, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”

³¹ Jesus answered them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor; those who are sick do. ³² I’ve come to call sinners to change the way they think and act, not to call people who think they have God’s approval.”

Jesus Is Questioned about Fasting^(A)

³³ They said to him, “John’s disciples frequently fast and say prayers, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees. But your disciples eat and drink.”

³⁴ Jesus asked them, “Can you force wedding guests to fast while the groom is still with them? ³⁵ The time will come when the groom will be taken away from them. At that time they will fast.”

³⁶ He also used these illustrations: “No one tears a piece of cloth from a new coat to patch an old coat. Otherwise, the new cloth will tear the old. Besides, the patch from the new will not match the old. ³⁷ People don’t pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the new wine will make the skins burst. The wine will run out, and the skins will be ruined. ³⁸ Rather, new wine is to be poured into fresh skins.

³⁹ “No one who has been drinking old wine wants new wine. He says, ‘The old wine is better!’ ”

Jesus Has Authority over the Day of Rest—a Holy Day^(B)

6 Once, on a day of rest—a holy day, Jesus was walking through some grainfields. His disciples were picking the heads of grain, removing the husks, and eating the grain.

² Some of the Pharisees asked, “Why are your disciples doing something that is not right to do on the day of rest—a holy day?”

³ Jesus answered them, “Haven’t you read what David did when he and his men were hungry? ⁴ Haven’t you read how he went into the house of God, ate the bread of the presence, and gave some of it to the men who were with him? He had no right to eat those loaves. Only the priests have that right.”

⁵ Then he added, “The Son of Man has authority over the day of rest—a holy day.”

Jesus Heals on the Day of Rest—a Holy Day^(C)

⁶ On another day of rest—a holy day, Jesus went into a synagogue to teach. A man whose right hand was paralyzed was there. ⁷ The experts in Moses’ Teachings and the Pharisees were watching Jesus closely. They wanted to see whether he would heal the man on the day of rest—a holy day, so that they could find a way to accuse him of doing something wrong.

⁸ But Jesus knew what they were thinking. So he told the man with the paralyzed hand, “Get up, and stand in the center ⌞of the synagogue⌟!” The man got up and stood there. ⁹ Then Jesus said to them, “I ask you—what is the right thing to do on a day of rest—a holy day: to do good or evil, to give a person his health or to destroy it?” ¹⁰ He looked around at all of them and then said to the man, “Hold out your hand.” The man did so, and his hand became normal again.

¹¹ The experts in Moses’ Teachings and Pharisees were furious and began to discuss with each other what they could do to Jesus.

For the choir director; a song; a psalm.

⁴⁰ (The Canaanite king of Arad, who lived in the Negev, which was in Canaan, heard that the Israelites were coming.)

⁴¹ They moved from Mount Hor and set up camp at Zalmonah.

⁴² They moved from Zalmonah and set up camp at Punon.

⁴³ They moved from Punon and set up camp at Oboth.

⁴⁴ They moved from Oboth and set up camp at Iye Abarim on the border of Moab.

⁴⁵ They moved from Iyim ^[a] and set up camp at Dibon Gad.

⁴⁶ They moved from Dibon Gad and set up camp at Almon Diblathaim.

⁴⁷ They moved from Almon Diblathaim and set up camp in the Abarim Mountains east of Nebo.

⁴⁸ They moved from the Abarim Mountains and set up camp on the plains of Moab near the Jordan River across from Jericho. ⁴⁹ They set up camp on the plains of Moab along the Jordan. Their camp extended from Beth Jeshimoth to Abel Shittim.

The Canaanites Must Be Forced Out

⁵⁰ The Lord said to Moses on the plains of Moab near the Jordan River across from Jericho, ⁵¹ “Tell the Israelites, ‘You will be crossing the Jordan River and entering Canaan. ⁵² As you advance, force out all the people who live there. Get rid of all their stone and metal idols, and destroy all their places of worship. ⁵³ Take possession of the land and live there, because I will give it to you for your own. ⁵⁴ Divide the land among your families by drawing lots. Give more land to larger families and less land to smaller ones. The land must be given to each family by drawing lots. Divide it among your ancestors’ tribes.

⁵⁵ “ ‘But if you do not force out those who live in the land, they will be like splinters in your eyes and thorns in your sides. They will constantly fight with you over the land you live in. ⁵⁶ Then I will do to you what I planned to do to them.’ ”

The Boundaries of Israel’s Land

34 The Lord said to Moses, ² “Give the Israelites these instructions. When you enter Canaan, the land that will be given to you as your inheritance has these borders:

³ “The southern side includes part of the Desert of Zin along the border of Edom. In the east the southern border starts from the end of the Dead Sea ⁴ and turns south of the Akrabbim Pass. It then goes past Zin and ends at Kadesh Barnea. From there it goes to Hazar Addar and on to Azmon. ⁵ From Azmon it turns toward the River of Egypt so that the border ends at the Mediterranean Sea.

⁶ “The western border is the coastline of the Mediterranean Sea.

⁷ “The northern border extends from the Mediterranean Sea to Mount Hor, ⁸ and from Mount Hor to the border of Hamath so that it ends at Zedad. ⁹ From there the border goes to Ziphron and ends at Hazar Enan.

¹⁰ “The eastern border extends from Hazar Enan to Shepham. ¹¹ From Shepham the border goes down to Riblah, east of Ain, and continues along the eastern slope of the Sea of Galilee. ¹² Then the border goes along the Jordan River so that it ends at the Dead Sea.

“This will be your land and the borders around it.”

¹³ Moses commanded the Israelites, “This is the land you will divide by drawing lots. The Lord has commanded that this land will be given to the nine-and-a-half tribes. ¹⁴ The households from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half of the tribe of Manasseh have already received their land. ¹⁵ Those two-and-a-half tribes received land east of the Jordan River across from Jericho.”

Men Are Appointed to Divide the Land

¹⁶ The Lord said to Moses, ¹⁷ “These are the names of the men who will divide the land for you: the priest Eleazar and Joshua, son of Nun. ¹⁸ You must also take one leader from each tribe to divide the land. ¹⁹ These are their names:

Caleb, son of Jephunneh, from the tribe of Judah;

²⁰ Shemuel, son of Ammihud, from the tribe of Simeon;

²¹ Elidad, son of Kislon, from the tribe of Benjamin;

²² Bukki, son of Jogli, the leader of the tribe of Dan;

²³ Hanniel, son of Ephod, the leader of the tribe of Manasseh;

²⁴ Kemuel, son of Shiphtan, the leader of the tribe of Ephraim;

(Manasseh and Ephraim are Joseph’s descendants.) ^[b]

²⁵ Elizaphan, son of Parnach, the leader of the tribe of Zebulun;

²⁶ Paltiel, son of Azzan, the leader of the tribe of Issachar;

²⁷ Ahihud, son of Shelomi, the leader of the tribe of Asher;

²⁸ Pedahel, son of Ammihud, the leader of the tribe of Naphtali.”

²⁹ These are the men the Lord commanded to divide Canaan for the Israelites.

Cities for the Levites

35 The Lord spoke to Moses on the plains of Moab near the Jordan River across from Jericho. He said, ² “Tell the Israelites to give the Levites some cities from their own property. They must also give the Levites the pastureland around those cities. ³ Then the Levites will have cities to live in and pastureland for their cattle, the flocks they own, and any other animals they have.

⁴ “The land around the cities that you give the Levites will extend 1,500 feet from the city wall. ⁵ Outside the city measure off 3,000 feet on the east side, 3,000 feet on the south side, 3,000 feet on the west side, and 3,000 feet on the north side, with the city in the center. This will be their pastureland around the city.

⁶ “Six of the cities you give the Levites will be cities of refuge. You must allow murderers to escape to these cities. In addition, you must also give the Levites 42 other cities. ⁷ So you will give a total of 48 cities with pastureland to the Levites. ⁸ The cities you give the Levites from the property of the other Israelites must be given based on the amount of land each tribe owns. Take more cities from larger tribes and fewer from smaller tribes.”

Cities of Refuge

⁹ The Lord said to Moses, ¹⁰ “Tell the Israelites: When you cross the Jordan River and enter Canaan, ¹¹ select certain cities to be places of refuge. Anyone who unintentionally kills another person may run to them. ¹² These cities will be places of refuge from any relative who can avenge the death. So anyone accused of murder will not have to die until he has had a trial in front of the community. ¹³ There will be six cities you select as places of refuge, ¹⁴ three on the east side of the Jordan River and three in Canaan. ¹⁵ These six cities will be places of refuge for Israelites, foreigners, and strangers among you. Anyone who unintentionally kills another person may flee to these cities.

¹⁶ “But if any of you uses an iron weapon to kill another person, you are a murderer. Murderers must be put to death. ¹⁷ If any of you picks up a stone as a weapon and uses it to kill another person, you are a murderer. Murderers must be put to death. ¹⁸ Or if any of you picks up a piece of wood as a weapon and uses it to kill another person, you are a murderer. Murderers must be put to death. ¹⁹ The relative who can avenge the death must make sure a murderer is put to death. When he catches up with the murderer, he must kill him. ²⁰ If any of you kills someone you hate by shoving him or by deliberately throwing something at him, ²¹ or if you beat your enemy to death with your bare hands, you must be put to death. You are a murderer. The relative who can avenge the death must kill you when he catches up with you, because you are a murderer.

²² “But suppose you accidentally kill someone who wasn’t your enemy. Maybe you shoved him or threw something at him but didn’t mean to kill him. ²³ Or suppose you drop a big stone, and someone is killed. However, you didn’t know the person was there, he wasn’t your enemy, and you weren’t trying to harm him. ²⁴ Then the community must use these rules in order to decide if you ⌞are innocent⌟ or if the dead person’s relative can avenge the death. ²⁵ ⌞If you are innocent,⌟ the community must protect you from that relative. They must take you back to the city of refuge you fled to. You must live there until the death of the high priest who was anointed with the holy oil.

²⁶ “But don’t go outside the city of refuge you fled to. ²⁷ If the relative who can avenge the death finds you outside the city of refuge and kills you, the relative is not guilty of murder. ²⁸ Accused murderers must stay in their city of refuge until the death of the high priest. They may go back to their own property only after his death.

²⁹ “These will be the rules for future generations wherever you live.

³⁰ “Whoever kills another person will be put to death as a murderer only on the testimony of more than one witness. No one can be put to death on the testimony of only one witness.

³¹ “Never accept a cash payment in exchange for the life of a convicted murderer who has been given the death penalty. Murderers must be put to death.

³² “An accused murderer who has fled to a city of refuge must never go back and live on his own land before the death of the high priest. Don’t accept a cash payment to allow him to do this.

³³ “You must not pollute the land where you live. Murder is what pollutes the land. The land where a murder was committed can never make peace with the Lord except through the death of the murderer. ³⁴ Never make the land where you and I live unclean.^[c] I, the Lord, live among the Israelites.”

Jesus Cures a Man with a Skin Disease^(A)

¹² One day Jesus was in a city where there was a man covered with a serious skin disease. When the man saw Jesus, he bowed with his face to the ground. He begged Jesus, “Sir, if you want to, you can make me clean.” ^[a]

¹³ Jesus reached out, touched him, and said, “I want to. So be clean!” Immediately, his skin disease went away.

¹⁴ Jesus ordered him, “Don’t tell anyone. Instead, show yourself to the priest. Then offer the sacrifice as Moses commanded as proof to people that you are clean.”

¹⁵ The news about Jesus spread even more. Large crowds gathered to hear him and have their diseases cured. ¹⁶ But he would go away to places where he could be alone for prayer.

Jesus Forgives Sins^(B)

¹⁷ One day when Jesus was teaching, some Pharisees and experts in Moses’ Teachings were present. They had come from every village in Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem. Jesus had the power of the Lord to heal.

¹⁸ Some men brought a paralyzed man on a stretcher. They tried to take him into the house and put him in front of Jesus. ¹⁹ But they could not find a way to get him into the house because of the crowd. So they went up on the roof. They made an opening in the tiles and let the man down on his stretcher among the people. (They lowered him in front of Jesus.)

²⁰ When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Sir, your sins are forgiven.” ²¹ The experts in Moses’ Teachings and the Pharisees thought, “Who is this man? He’s dishonoring God! Who besides God can forgive sins?”

²² Jesus knew what they were thinking. So he said to them, “What are you thinking? ²³ Is it easier to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? ²⁴ I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” Then he said to the paralyzed man, “Get up, pick up your stretcher, and go home.”

²⁵ The man immediately stood up in front of them and picked up the stretcher he had been lying on. Praising God, he went home.

²⁶ Everyone was amazed and praised God. They were filled with awe and said, “We’ve seen things today we can hardly believe!”

Jesus Chooses Levi [Matthew] to Be a Disciple^(C)

²⁷ After that, Jesus left. He saw a tax collector named Levi sitting in a tax office. Jesus said to him, “Follow me!” ²⁸ So Levi got up, left everything, and followed him.

For the choir director; a psalm by David; a song.

The Petition of the Reubenites and Gadites

32 ^[a] Now the Reubenites and the Gadites possessed a very large number of cattle. When they saw that the lands of Jazer and Gilead were ideal for cattle,^{[b] 2} the Gadites and the Reubenites came and addressed Moses, Eleazar the priest, and the leaders of the community. They said, ³ “Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam,^[c] Nebo, and Beon,^{[d] 4} the land that the Lord subdued^[e] before the community of Israel, is ideal for cattle, and your servants have cattle.” ⁵ So they said, “If we have found favor in your sight,^[f] let this land be given to your servants for our inheritance. Do not have us cross^[g] the Jordan River.”^[h]

Moses’ Response

⁶ Moses said to the Gadites and the Reubenites, “Must your brothers go to war while you^[i] remain here? ⁷ Why do you frustrate the intent^[j] of the Israelites to cross over into the land that the Lord has given them? ⁸ Your fathers did the same thing when I sent them from Kadesh Barnea to see the land. ⁹ When^[k] they went up to the Eshcol Valley and saw the land, they frustrated the intent of the Israelites so that they did not enter^[l] the land that the Lord had given^[m] them. ¹⁰ So the anger of the Lord was kindled that day, and he swore, ¹¹ ‘Because they have not followed me wholeheartedly,^[n] not^[o] one of the men twenty years old and upward^[p] who came from Egypt will see the land that I swore to give^[q] to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, ¹² except Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite, and Joshua son of Nun, for they followed the Lord wholeheartedly.’ ¹³ So the Lord’s anger was kindled against the Israelites, and he made them wander in the wilderness for forty years, until all that generation that had done wickedly before^[r] the Lord was finished.^{[s] 14} Now look, you are standing in your fathers’ place, a brood of sinners, to increase still further the fierce wrath of the Lord against the Israelites. ¹⁵ For if you turn away from following him, he will once again abandon^[t] them in the wilderness, and you will be the reason for their destruction.”^[u]

The Offer of the Reubenites and Gadites

¹⁶ Then they came very close to him and said, “We will build sheep folds here for our flocks and cities for our families,^{[v] 17} but we will maintain ourselves in armed readiness^[w] and go before the Israelites until whenever we have brought them to their place. Our descendants will be living in fortified towns as a protection against^[x] the inhabitants of the land. ¹⁸ We will not return to our homes until every Israelite has his inheritance. ¹⁹ For we will not accept any inheritance on the other side of the Jordan River^[y] and beyond, because our inheritance has come to us on this eastern side of the Jordan.”

²⁰ Then Moses replied,^[z] “If you will do this thing, and if you will arm yourselves for battle before the Lord, ²¹ and if all your armed men cross the Jordan before the Lord until he drives out his enemies from his presence ²² and the land is subdued before the Lord, then afterward you may return and be free of your obligation to the Lord and to Israel. This land will then be your possession in the Lord’s sight.

²³ “But if you do not do this, then look, you will have sinned^[aa] against the Lord. And know that your sin will find you out. ²⁴ So build cities for your descendants and pens for your sheep, but do what you have said^[ab] you would do.”

²⁵ So the Gadites and the Reubenites replied to Moses, “Your servants will do as my lord commands. ²⁶ Our children, our wives, our flocks, and all our livestock will be there in the cities of Gilead, ²⁷ but your servants will cross over, every man armed for war, to do battle in the Lord’s presence, just as my lord says.”

²⁸ So Moses gave orders about them to Eleazar the priest, to Joshua son of Nun, and to the heads of the families of the Israelite tribes. ²⁹ Moses said to them: “If the Gadites and the Reubenites cross the Jordan with you, each one equipped for battle in the Lord’s presence, and you conquer the land,^[ac] then you must allot them the territory of Gilead as their possession. ³⁰ But if they do not cross over with you armed, they must receive possessions among you in Canaan.” ³¹ Then the Gadites and the Reubenites answered, “Your servants will do what the Lord has spoken.^{[ad] 32} We will cross armed in the Lord’s presence into the land of Canaan, and then the possession of our inheritance that we inherit will be ours on this side of the Jordan River.”^[ae]

Land Assignment

³³ So Moses gave to the Gadites, the Reubenites, and to half the tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph the realm of King Sihon of the Amorites, and the realm of King Og of Bashan, the entire land with its cities and the territory surrounding them.^{[af] 34} The Gadites rebuilt Dibon, Ataroth, Aroer, ³⁵ Atroth Shophan, Jazer, Jogbehah, ³⁶ Beth Nimrah, and Beth Haran as fortified cities, and constructed pens for their flocks. ³⁷ The Reubenites rebuilt Heshbon, Elealeh, Kiriathaim, ³⁸ Nebo, Baal Meon (with a change of name), and Sibmah. They renamed^[ag] the cities they built.

³⁹ The descendants of Machir son of Manasseh went to Gilead, took it, and dispossessed the Amorites who were in it. ⁴⁰ So Moses gave Gilead to Machir, son of Manasseh, and he lived there.^{[ah] 41} Now Jair son of Manasseh went and captured their small towns and named them Havvoth Jair.^{[ai] 42} Then Nobah went and captured Kenath and its villages and called it Nobah after his own name.

Wanderings from Egypt to Sinai

33 ^[aj] These are the journeys of the Israelites, who went out of the land of Egypt by their divisions under the authority^[ak] of Moses and Aaron. ² Moses recorded their departures^[al] according to their journeys, by the commandment^[am] of the Lord; now these are their journeys according to their departures. ³ They departed from Rameses in the first month, on the fifteenth day of the first month; on the day after^[an] the Passover the Israelites went out defiantly^[ao] in plain sight^[ap] of all the Egyptians. ⁴ Now the Egyptians were burying all their firstborn, whom the Lord had killed among them; the Lord also executed judgments on their gods.

⁵ The Israelites traveled from Rameses and camped in Sukkoth.

⁶ They traveled from Sukkoth, and camped in Etham, which is on the edge of the desert. ⁷ They traveled from Etham, and turned again to Pi Hahiroth, which is before Baal Zephon; and they camped before Migdal. ⁸ They traveled from Pi Hahiroth,^[aq] and passed through the middle of the sea into the wilderness, and went three days’ journey in the wilderness of Etham, and camped in Marah. ⁹ They traveled from Marah and came to Elim; in Elim there are twelve fountains of water and seventy palm trees, so they camped there.

¹⁰ They traveled from Elim, and camped by the Red Sea. ¹¹ They traveled from the Red Sea and camped in the wilderness of Sin. ¹² They traveled from the wilderness of Sin and camped in Dophkah. ¹³ And they traveled from Dophkah, and camped in Alush.

¹⁴ They traveled from Alush and camped at Rephidim, where there was no water for the people to drink. ¹⁵ They traveled from Rephidim and camped in the desert of Sinai.

Wanderings in the Wilderness

¹⁶ They traveled from the desert of Sinai and camped at Kibroth Hattaavah. ¹⁷ They traveled from Kibroth Hattaavah and camped at Hazeroth. ¹⁸ They traveled from Hazeroth and camped in Rithmah. ¹⁹ They traveled from Rithmah and camped at Rimmon Perez. ²⁰ They traveled from Rimmon Perez and camped in Libnah. ²¹ They traveled from Libnah and camped at Rissah. ²² They traveled from Rissah and camped in Kehelathah. ²³ They traveled from Kehelathah and camped at Mount Shepher. ²⁴ They traveled from Mount Shepher and camped in Haradah. ²⁵ They traveled from Haradah and camped in Makheloth. ²⁶ They traveled from Makheloth and camped at Tahath. ²⁷ They traveled from Tahath and camped at Terah. ²⁸ They traveled from Terah and camped in Mithcah. ²⁹ They traveled from Mithcah and camped in Hashmonah. ³⁰ They traveled from Hashmonah and camped in Moseroth. ³¹ They traveled from Moseroth and camped in Bene Jaakan. ³² They traveled from Bene Jaakan and camped at Hor Haggidgad. ³³ They traveled from Hor Haggidgad and camped in Jotbathah. ³⁴ They traveled from Jotbathah and camped in Abronah. ³⁵ They traveled from Abronah and camped at Ezion Geber. ³⁶ They traveled from Ezion Geber and camped in the wilderness of Zin, that is, Kadesh.

Wanderings from Kadesh to Moab

³⁷ They traveled from Kadesh and camped at Mount Hor at the edge of the land of Edom. ³⁸ Aaron the priest ascended Mount Hor at the command^[ar] of the Lord, and he died there in the fortieth year after the Israelites had come out of the land of Egypt on the first day of the fifth month. ³⁹ Now Aaron was 123 years old when he died on Mount Hor.

Ministry in Capernaum

³¹ So^[a] he went down to Capernaum,^[b] a town^[c] in Galilee, and on the Sabbath he began to teach the people.^{[d] 32} They^[e] were amazed^[f] at his teaching, because he spoke^[g] with authority.^[h]

³³ Now^[i] in the synagogue^[j] there was a man who had the spirit of an unclean^[k] demon, and he cried out with a loud voice, ³⁴ “Ha! Leave us alone,^[l] Jesus the Nazarene! Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One^[m] of God.” ³⁵ But^[n] Jesus rebuked him:^[o] “Silence! Come out of him!”^[p] Then, after the demon threw the man^[q] down in their midst, he came out of him without hurting him.^{[r] 36} They^[s] were all amazed and began to say^[t] to one another, “What’s happening here?^[u] For with authority and power^[v] he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out!” ³⁷ So^[w] the news^[x] about him spread into all areas of the region.^[y]

³⁸ After Jesus left^[z] the synagogue, he entered Simon’s house.^[aa] Now Simon’s mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever, and they asked Jesus^[ab] to help her.^{[ac] 39} So^[ad] he stood over her, commanded^[ae] the fever, and it left her. Immediately^[af] she got up and began to serve^[ag] them.

⁴⁰ As the sun was setting, all those who had any relatives^[ah] sick with various diseases brought them to Jesus.^[ai] He placed^[aj] his hands on every one of them and healed them. ⁴¹ Demons also came out^[ak] of many, crying out,^[al] “You are the Son of God!”^[am] But he rebuked^[an] them, and would not allow them to speak,^[ao] because they knew that he was the Christ.^[ap]

⁴² The next morning^[aq] Jesus^[ar] departed and went to a deserted place. Yet^[as] the crowds were seeking him, and they came to him and tried to keep him from leaving them. ⁴³ But Jesus^[at] said to them, “I must^[au] proclaim the good news of the kingdom^[av] of God to the other towns^[aw] too, for that is what I was sent^[ax] to do.”^{[ay] 44} So^[az] he continued to preach in the synagogues of Judea.^[ba]

The Call of the Disciples

5 Now^[bb] Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret,^[bc] and the crowd was pressing around him^[bd] to hear the word of God. ² He^[be] saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gotten out of them and were washing their nets. ³ He got into^[bf] one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little way from the shore. Then^[bg] Jesus^[bh] sat down^[bi] and taught the crowds from the boat.^{[bj] 4} When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and lower^[bk] your nets for a catch.” ⁵ Simon^[bl] answered,^[bm] “Master,^[bn] we worked hard all night and caught nothing! But at your word^[bo] I will lower^[bp] the nets.” ⁶ When^[bq] they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets started to tear.^{[br] 7} So^[bs] they motioned^[bt] to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both boats, so that they were about to sink.^{[bu] 8} But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Go away from me, Lord,^[bv] for I am a sinful man!”^{[bw] 9} For^[bx] Peter^[by] and all who were with him were astonished^[bz] at the catch of fish that they had taken, ¹⁰ and so were James and John, Zebedee’s sons, who were Simon’s business partners.^[ca] Then^[cb] Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on^[cc] you will be catching people!”^{[cd] 11} So^[ce] when they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed^[cf] him.

Psalm 64^[a]

For the music director, a psalm of David.

Vows Made by Men

30 ^[a] Moses told the leaders^[b] of the tribes concerning the Israelites, “This is what^[c] the Lord has commanded: ² If a man^[d] makes a vow^[e] to the Lord or takes an oath^[f] of binding obligation on himself,^[g] he must not break his word, but must do whatever he has promised.^[h]

Vows Made by Single Women

³ “If a young^[i] woman who is still living^[j] in her father’s house makes a vow to the Lord or places herself under an obligation, ⁴ and her father hears of her vow or the obligation to which she has pledged herself, and her father remains silent about her,^[k] then all her vows will stand,^[l] and every obligation to which she has pledged herself will stand. ⁵ But if her father overrules her when he hears^[m] about it, then none^[n] of her vows or her obligations that she has pledged for herself will stand. And the Lord will release^[o] her from it, because her father overruled her.

Vows Made by Married Women

⁶ “And if she marries a husband while under a vow,^[p] or she uttered anything impulsively^[q] by which she has pledged herself, ⁷ and her husband hears about it but remains silent about her when he hears about it, then her vows will stand and her obligations that she has pledged for herself will stand. ⁸ But if when her husband hears it he overrules her, then he will nullify^[r] the vow she has taken,^[s] and whatever she uttered impulsively that she has pledged for herself. And the Lord will release her from it.

Vows Made by Widows

⁹ “But every vow of a widow or of a divorced woman which she has pledged for herself will remain intact.^{[t] 10} If she made the vow in her husband’s house or put herself under obligation with an oath, ¹¹ and her husband heard about it, but remained silent about her, and did not overrule her, then all her vows will stand, and every obligation which she pledged for herself will stand. ¹² But if her husband clearly nullifies^[u] them when he hears them, then whatever she says^[v] by way of vows or obligations will not stand. Her husband has made them void, and the Lord will release her from them.

¹³ “Any vow or sworn obligation that would bring affliction to her,^[w] her husband can confirm or nullify.^{[x] 14} But if her husband remains completely silent^[y] about her from day to day, he thus confirms all her vows or all her obligations which she is under; he confirms them because he remained silent about her when he heard them. ¹⁵ But if he should nullify them after he has heard them, then he will bear her iniquity.”^[z]

¹⁶ These are the statutes that the Lord commanded Moses, relating to^[aa] a man and his wife, and a father and his young daughter who is still living in her father’s house.

The Midianite War

31 ^[ab] The Lord spoke to Moses: ² “Exact vengeance^[ac] for the Israelites from the Midianites^[ad]—after that you will be gathered to your people.”^[ae]

³ So Moses spoke to the people: “Arm^[af] men from among you for the war, to attack the Midianites and to execute^[ag] the Lord’s vengeance on Midian. ⁴ You must send to the battle 1,000 men from every tribe throughout all the tribes of Israel.”^{[ah] 5} So 1,000 from every tribe, 12,000 armed for battle in all, were provided out of the thousands of Israel.

Campaign Against the Midianites

⁶ So Moses sent them to the war, 1,000 from every tribe, with Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest, who was in charge^[ai] of the holy articles^[aj] and the signal trumpets. ⁷ They fought against the Midianites, as the Lord commanded Moses, and they killed every male.^{[ak] 8} They killed the kings of Midian in addition to those slain—Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba—five Midianite kings.^[al] They also killed Balaam son of Beor with the sword.^[am]

⁹ The Israelites took the women of Midian captive along with their little ones, and took all their herds, all their flocks, and all their goods as plunder. ¹⁰ They burned^[an] all their towns^[ao] where they lived and all their encampments. ¹¹ They took all the plunder and all the spoils, both people and animals. ¹² They brought the captives and the spoils and the plunder to Moses, to Eleazar the priest, and to the Israelite community, to the camp on the rift valley plains^[ap] of Moab, along the Jordan River^[aq] across from Jericho.^{[ar] 13} Moses, Eleazar the priest, and all the leaders of the community went out to meet them outside the camp.

The Death of the Midianite Women

¹⁴ But Moses was furious with the officers of the army, the commanders over thousands and commanders over hundreds, who had come from service in the war. ¹⁵ Moses said to them, “Have you allowed all the women to live?^{[as] 16} Look, these people through the counsel of Balaam caused the Israelites to act treacherously against the Lord in the matter of Peor—which resulted in the plague among the community of the Lord! ¹⁷ Now therefore kill every boy,^[at] and kill every woman who has been intimate with a man in bed.^{[au] 18} But all the young women^[av] who have not experienced a man’s bed^[aw] will be yours.^[ax]

Purification After Battle

¹⁹ “Any of you who has killed anyone or touched any of the dead, remain outside the camp for seven days; purify yourselves and your captives on the third day, and on the seventh day. ²⁰ You must purify each garment and everything that is made of skin, everything made of goats’ hair, and everything made of wood.”^[ay]

²¹ Then Eleazar the priest said to the men of war who had gone into the battle, “This is the ordinance of the law that the Lord commanded Moses: ²² ‘Only the gold, the silver, the bronze, the iron, the tin, and the lead, ²³ everything that may stand the fire, you are to pass through the fire,^[az] and it will be ceremonially clean, but it must still be purified with the water of purification. Anything that cannot withstand the fire you must pass through the water. ²⁴ You must wash your clothes on the seventh day, and you will be ceremonially clean, and afterward you may enter the camp.’”

The Distribution of Spoils

²⁵ Then the Lord spoke to Moses: ²⁶ “You and Eleazar the priest, and all the family leaders of the community, take the sum^[ba] of the plunder that was captured, both people and animals. ²⁷ Divide the plunder into two parts, one for those who took part in the war—who went out to battle—and the other for all the community.

²⁸ “You must exact^[bb] a tribute for the Lord from the fighting men who went out to battle: one life out of 500, from the people, the cattle, and from the donkeys and the sheep. ²⁹ You are to take it from their half share and give it to Eleazar the priest for a raised offering to the Lord. ³⁰ From the Israelites’ half share you are to take one portion out of fifty of the people, the cattle, the donkeys, and the sheep—from every kind of animal—and you are to give them to the Levites, who are responsible for the care of the Lord’s tabernacle.”

³¹ So Moses and Eleazar the priest did as the Lord commanded Moses. ³² The spoil that remained of the plunder that the fighting men^[bc] had gathered^[bd] was 675,000 sheep, ³³ 72,000 cattle, ³⁴ 61,000 donkeys, ³⁵ and 32,000^[be] young women who had not experienced a man’s bed.^[bf]

³⁶ The half portion of those who went to war numbered 337,500 sheep; ³⁷ the Lord’s tribute from the sheep was 675. ³⁸ The cattle numbered^[bg] 36,000; the Lord’s tribute was 72. ³⁹ The donkeys were 30,500, of which the Lord’s tribute was 61. ⁴⁰ The people were 16,000, of which the Lord’s tribute was 32 people.^[bh]

⁴¹ So Moses gave the tribute, which was the Lord’s raised offering, to Eleazar the priest, as the Lord commanded Moses.

⁴² From the Israelites’ half share that Moses had separated from the fighting men,^{[bi] 43} there were 337,500 sheep from the portion belonging to the community, ⁴⁴ 36,000 cattle, ⁴⁵ 30,500 donkeys, ⁴⁶ and 16,000 people.

⁴⁷ From the Israelites’ share Moses took one of every fifty people and animals and gave them to the Levites who were responsible for the care of the Lord’s tabernacle, just as the Lord commanded Moses.

⁴⁸ Then the officers who were over the thousands of the army, the commanders over thousands and the commanders over hundreds, approached Moses ⁴⁹ and said to him,^[bj] “Your servants have taken a count^[bk] of the men who were in the battle, who were under our authority,^[bl] and not one is missing. ⁵⁰ So we have brought as an offering for the Lord what each man found: gold ornaments, armlets, bracelets, signet rings, earrings, and necklaces, to make atonement for ourselves^[bm] before the Lord.”^{[bn] 51} Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold from them, all of it in the form of ornaments. ⁵² All the gold of the offering they offered up to the Lord from the commanders of thousands and the commanders of hundreds weighed 16,750 shekels.^{[bo] 53} Each soldier had taken plunder for himself. ⁵⁴ So Moses and Eleazar the priest received the gold from the commanders of thousands and commanders^[bp] of hundreds and brought it into the tent of meeting as a memorial^[bq] for the Israelites before the Lord.

The Temptation of Jesus

4 Then^[a] Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan River^[b] and was led by the Spirit^[c] in^[d] the wilderness,^{[e] 2} where for forty days he endured temptations^[f] from the devil. He^[g] ate nothing^[h] during those days, and when they were completed,^[i] he was famished. ³ The devil said to him, “If^[j] you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.”^{[k] 4} Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man^[l] does not live by bread alone.’”^[m]

⁵ Then^[n] the devil^[o] led him up^[p] to a high place^[q] and showed him in a flash all the kingdoms of the world. ⁶ And he^[r] said to him, “To you^[s] I will grant this whole realm^[t]—and the glory that goes along with it,^[u] for it has been relinquished^[v] to me, and I can give it to anyone I wish. ⁷ So then, if^[w] you will worship^[x] me, all this will be^[y] yours.” ⁸ Jesus^[z] answered him,^[aa] “It is written, ‘You are to worship^[ab] the Lord^[ac] your God and serve only him.’”^[ad]

⁹ Then^[ae] the devil^[af] brought him to Jerusalem, had him stand^[ag] on the highest point of the temple,^[ah] and said to him, “If^[ai] you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, ¹⁰ for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you, to protect you,’^{[aj] 11} and ‘with their hands they will lift you up, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”^{[ak] 12} Jesus^[al] answered him,^[am] “It is said, ‘You are not to put the Lord your God to the test.’”^{[an] 13} So^[ao] when the devil^[ap] had completed every temptation, he departed from him until a more opportune time.^[aq]

The Beginning of Jesus’ Ministry in Galilee

¹⁴ Then^[ar] Jesus, in the power of the Spirit,^[as] returned to Galilee, and news about him spread^[at] throughout the surrounding countryside.^{[au] 15} He^[av] began to teach^[aw] in their synagogues^[ax] and was praised^[ay] by all.

Rejection at Nazareth

¹⁶ Now^[az] Jesus^[ba] came to Nazareth,^[bb] where he had been brought up, and went into the synagogue^[bc] on the Sabbath day, as was his custom.^[bd] He^[be] stood up to read,^{[bf] 17} and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He^[bg] unrolled^[bh] the scroll and found the place where it was written,

²⁰ Then^[bs] he rolled up^[bt] the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fixed on^[bu] him. ²¹ Then^[bv] he began to tell them, “Today^[bw] this scripture has been fulfilled even as you heard it being read.”^{[bx] 22} All^[by] were speaking well of him, and were amazed at the gracious words coming out of his mouth. They^[bz] said, “Isn’t this^[ca] Joseph’s son?” ²³ Jesus^[cb] said to them, “No doubt you will quote to me the proverb, ‘Physician, heal yourself!’^[cc] and say, ‘What we have heard that you did in Capernaum,^[cd] do here in your hometown too.’” ²⁴ And he added,^[ce] “I tell you the truth,^[cf] no prophet is acceptable^[cg] in his hometown. ²⁵ But in truth I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in Elijah’s days,^[ch] when the sky^[ci] was shut up three and a half years, and^[cj] there was a great famine over all the land. ²⁶ Yet^[ck] Elijah was sent to none of them, but only to a woman who was a widow at Zarephath in Sidon.^{[cl] 27} And there were many lepers^[cm] in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha,^[cn] yet^[co] none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.”^{[cp] 28} When they heard this, all the people^[cq] in the synagogue were filled with rage. ²⁹ They got up, forced^[cr] him out of the town,^[cs] and brought him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that^[ct] they could throw him down the cliff.^{[cu] 30} But he passed through the crowd^[cv] and went on his way.^[cw]

Psalm 63^[a]

A psalm of David, written when he was in the Judean wilderness.^[b]

The Passover

¹⁶ “‘On the fourteenth day of the first month is the Lord’s Passover. ¹⁷ And on the fifteenth day of this month is the festival. For seven days bread made without yeast must be eaten. ¹⁸ And on the first day there is to be a holy assembly; you must do no ordinary work^[a] on it.

¹⁹ “‘But you must offer to the Lord an offering made by fire, a burnt offering of two young bulls, one ram, and seven lambs one year old; they must all be unblemished.^{[b] 20} And their grain offering is to be of finely ground flour mixed with olive oil. For each bull you must offer three-tenths of an ephah, and two-tenths for the ram. ²¹ For each of the seven lambs you are to offer one-tenth of an ephah, ²² as well as one goat for a purification offering, to make atonement for you. ²³ You must offer these in addition to the burnt offering in the morning that is for a continual burnt offering. ²⁴ In this manner you must offer daily throughout the seven days the food of the sacrifice made by fire as a sweet aroma to the Lord. It is to be offered in addition to the continual burnt offering and its drink offering. ²⁵ On the seventh day you are to have a holy assembly, you must do no regular work.

Firstfruits

²⁶ “‘Also, on the day of the firstfruits, when you bring a new grain offering to the Lord during your Feast of Weeks, you are to have a holy assembly. You must do no ordinary work. ²⁷ But you must offer as the burnt offering, as a sweet aroma to the Lord, two young bulls, one ram, seven lambs one year old, ²⁸ with their grain offering of finely ground flour mixed with olive oil: three-tenths of an ephah for each bull, two-tenths for the one ram, ²⁹ with one-tenth for each of the seven lambs, ³⁰ as well as one male goat to make an atonement for you. ³¹ You are to offer them with their drink offerings in addition to the continual burnt offering and its grain offering—they must be unblemished.

Blowing Trumpets

29 “‘On the first day of the seventh month, you are to hold a holy assembly. You must not do your ordinary work, for it is a day of blowing trumpets for you. ² You must offer a burnt offering as a sweet aroma to the Lord: one young bull, one ram, and seven lambs one year old without blemish.

³ “‘Their grain offering is to be of finely ground flour mixed with olive oil, three-tenths of an ephah for the bull, two-tenths of an ephah for the ram, ⁴ and one-tenth for each of the seven lambs, ⁵ with one male goat for a purification offering to make an atonement for you; ⁶ this is in addition to the monthly burnt offering and its grain offering, and the daily burnt offering with its grain offering and their drink offerings as prescribed, as a sweet aroma, a sacrifice made by fire to the Lord.

The Day of Atonement

⁷ “‘On the tenth day of this seventh month you are to have a holy assembly. You must humble yourselves;^[c] you must not do any work on it. ⁸ But you must offer a burnt offering as a pleasing aroma to the Lord, one young bull, one ram, and seven lambs one year old, all of them without blemish.^{[d] 9} Their grain offerings must be of finely ground flour mixed with olive oil, three-tenths of an ephah for the bull, two-tenths for the ram, ¹⁰ and one-tenth for each of the seven lambs, ¹¹ along with one male goat for a purification offering, in addition to the purification offering for atonement and the continual burnt offering with its grain offering and their drink offerings.

The Feast of Temporary Shelters

¹² “‘On the fifteenth day of the seventh month you are to have a holy assembly; you must do no ordinary work, and you must keep a festival to the Lord for seven days. ¹³ You must offer a burnt offering, an offering made by fire as a pleasing aroma to the Lord: thirteen young bulls, two rams, and fourteen lambs each one year old, all of them without blemish. ¹⁴ Their grain offerings must be of finely ground flour mixed with olive oil, three-tenths of an ephah for each of the thirteen bulls, two-tenths of an ephah for each of the two rams, ¹⁵ and one-tenth for each of the fourteen lambs, ¹⁶ along with one male goat for a purification offering, in addition to the continual burnt offering with its grain offering and its drink offering.

¹⁷ “‘On the second day you must offer twelve young bulls, two rams, fourteen lambs one year old, all without blemish, ¹⁸ and their grain offerings and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, according to their number as prescribed, ¹⁹ along with one male goat for a purification offering, in addition to the continual burnt offering with its grain offering and their drink offerings.

²⁰ “‘On the third day you must offer^[e] eleven bulls, two rams, fourteen lambs one year old, all without blemish, ²¹ and their grain offerings and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, according to their number as prescribed, ²² along with one male goat for a purification offering, in addition to the continual burnt offering with its grain offering and its drink offering.

²³ “‘On the fourth day you must offer ten bulls, two rams, and fourteen lambs one year old, all without blemish, ²⁴ and their grain offerings and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, according to their number as prescribed, ²⁵ along with one male goat for a purification offering, in addition to the continual burnt offering with its grain offering and its drink offering.

²⁶ “‘On the fifth day you must offer nine bulls, two rams, and fourteen lambs one year old, all without blemish, ²⁷ and their grain offerings and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, according to their number as prescribed, ²⁸ along with one male goat for a purification offering, in addition to the continual burnt offering with its grain offering and its drink offering.

²⁹ “‘On the sixth day you must offer eight bulls, two rams, and fourteen lambs one year old, all without blemish, ³⁰ and their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, according to their number as prescribed, ³¹ along with one male goat for a purification offering, in addition to the continual burnt offering with its grain offering and its drink offering.

³² “‘On the seventh day you must offer seven bulls, two rams, and fourteen lambs one year old, all without blemish, ³³ and their grain offerings and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, according to their number as prescribed, ³⁴ along with one male goat for a purification offering, in addition to the continual burnt offering with its grain offering and its drink offering.

³⁵ “‘On the eighth day you are to have a holy assembly; you must do no ordinary work on it. ³⁶ But you must offer a burnt offering, an offering made by fire, as a pleasing aroma to the Lord, one bull, one ram, seven lambs one year old, all of them without blemish, ³⁷ and with their grain offerings and their drink offerings for the bull, for the ram, and for the lambs, according to their number as prescribed, ³⁸ along with one male goat for a purification offering, in addition to the continual burnt offering with its grain offering and its drink offering.

³⁹ “‘These things you must present to the Lord at your appointed times, in addition to your vows and your freewill offerings, as your burnt offerings, your grain offerings, your drink offerings, and your peace offerings.’” ⁴⁰ (30:1)^[f] So Moses told the Israelites everything, just as the Lord had commanded him.^[g]

The Genealogy of Jesus

²³ So^[a] Jesus, when he began his ministry,^[b] was about thirty years old. He was^[c] the son (as was supposed)^[d] of Joseph, the son^[e] of Heli, ²⁴ the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph, ²⁵ the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Esli, the son of Naggai, ²⁶ the son of Maath, the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein, the son of Josech, the son of Joda, ²⁷ the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel,^[f] the son of Shealtiel,^[g] the son of Neri,^{[h] 28} the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmadam, the son of Er, ²⁹ the son of Joshua, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, ³⁰ the son of Simeon, the son of Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonam, the son of Eliakim, ³¹ the son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan,^[i] the son of David,^{[j] 32} the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Sala,^[k] the son of Nahshon, ³³ the son of Amminadab, the son of Admin, the son of Arni,^[l] the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah, ³⁴ the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah,^[m] the son of Nahor, ³⁵ the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Eber, the son of Shelah, ³⁶ the son of Cainan,^[n] the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech, ³⁷ the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalalel,^[o] the son of Kenan,^{[p] 38} the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.^[q]

Psalm 62^[a]

For the music director, Jeduthun; a psalm of David.

⁵² Then the Lord spoke to Moses: ⁵³ “To these the land must be divided as an inheritance according to the number of the names. ⁵⁴ To a larger group you will give a larger inheritance,^[a] and to a smaller group you will give a smaller inheritance.^[b] To each one its inheritance must be given according to the number of people in it.^{[c] 55} The land must be divided by lot; and they will inherit in accordance with the names of their ancestral tribes. ⁵⁶ Their inheritance must be apportioned^[d] by lot among the larger and smaller groups.”

⁵⁷ And these are the Levites who were numbered according to their families: from Gershon, the family of the Gershonites; of Kohath, the family of the Kohathites; from Merari, the family of the Merarites. ⁵⁸ These are the families of the Levites: the family of the Libnites, the family of the Hebronites, the family of the Mahlites, the family of the Mushites, the family of the Korahites. Kohath became the father of Amram. ⁵⁹ Now the name of Amram’s wife was Jochebed, daughter of Levi, who was born^[e] to Levi in Egypt. And to Amram she bore Aaron, Moses, and Miriam their sister. ⁶⁰ And to Aaron were born Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. ⁶¹ But Nadab and Abihu died when they offered strange fire^[f] before the Lord. ⁶² Those of the Levites^[g] who were numbered were 23,000, all males from a month old and upward, for they were not numbered among the Israelites; no inheritance was given to them among the Israelites.

⁶³ These are those who were numbered by Moses and Eleazar the priest, who numbered the Israelites in the rift valley plains^[h] of Moab along the Jordan River opposite Jericho. ⁶⁴ But there was not a man among these who had been^[i] among those numbered by Moses and Aaron the priest when they numbered the Israelites in the desert of Sinai. ⁶⁵ For the Lord had said of them, “They will surely die in the wilderness.” And there was not left a single man of them, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.

Special Inheritance Laws

27 ^[j] Then the daughters of Zelophehad son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh of the families of Manasseh,^[k] the son of Joseph came forward. Now these are the names of his daughters: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. ² And they stood before Moses and Eleazar the priest and the leaders of the whole assembly at the entrance to the tent of meeting and said, ³ “Our father died in the wilderness, although^[l] he was not part of^[m] the company of those that gathered themselves together against the Lord in the company of Korah, but he died for his own sin,^[n] and he had no sons. ⁴ Why should the name of our father be lost from among his family because he had no son? Give us a possession^[o] among the relatives^[p] of our father.”

⁵ So Moses brought their case before the Lord. ⁶ The Lord said to Moses: ⁷ “The daughters of Zelophehad have a valid claim.^[q] You must indeed^[r] give them possession of an inheritance among their father’s relatives, and you must transfer^[s] the inheritance of their father to them. ⁸ And you must tell the Israelites, ‘If a man dies^[t] and has no son, then you must transfer his inheritance to his daughter; ⁹ and if he has no daughter, then you are to give his inheritance to his brothers; ¹⁰ and if he has no brothers, then you are to give his inheritance to his father’s brothers; ¹¹ and if his father has no brothers, then you are to give his inheritance to his relative nearest to him from his family, and he will possess it. This will be for the Israelites a legal requirement,^[u] as the Lord commanded Moses.’”

Leadership Change

^12 [v] Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go up this mountain of the Abarim range,^[w] and see^[x] the land I have given^[y] to the Israelites. ¹³ When you have seen it, you will be gathered^[z] to your ancestors,^[aa] as Aaron your brother was gathered to his ancestors.^{[ab] 14} For^[ac] in the wilderness of Zin when the community rebelled against me, you^[ad] rebelled against my command^[ae] to show me as holy^[af] before their eyes over the water—the water of Meribah in Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.”

¹⁵ Then Moses spoke to the Lord: ¹⁶ “Let the Lord, the God of the spirits of all humankind,^[ag] appoint^[ah] a man over the community, ¹⁷ who will go out before them, and who will come in before them,^[ai] and who will lead them out, and who will bring them in, so that^[aj] the community of the Lord may not be like sheep that have no shepherd.”

¹⁸ The Lord replied^[ak] to Moses, “Take Joshua son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit,^[al] and lay your hand on him;^{[am] 19} set him^[an] before Eleazar the priest and before the whole community, and commission^[ao] him publicly.^{[ap] 20} Then you must delegate^[aq] some of your authority^[ar] to him, so that the whole community of the Israelites will be obedient.^{[as] 21} And he will stand before Eleazar the priest, who^[at] will seek counsel^[au] for him before the Lord by the decision of the Urim.^[av] At his command^[aw] they will go out, and at his command they will come in, he and all the Israelites with him, the whole community.”

²² So Moses did as the Lord commanded him; he took Joshua and set^[ax] him before Eleazar the priest and before the whole community. ²³ He laid his hands on him and commissioned him, just as the Lord commanded,^[ay] by the authority^[az] of Moses.

Daily Offerings

28 ^[ba] The Lord spoke to Moses: ² “Command the Israelites:^[bb] ‘With regard to my offering,^[bc] be sure to offer^[bd] my food for my offering made by fire, as a pleasing aroma to me at its appointed time.’^{[be] 3} You will say to them, ‘This is the offering made by fire that you must offer to the Lord: two unblemished lambs one year old each day for a continual^[bf] burnt offering. ⁴ The first lamb you must offer in the morning, and the second lamb you must offer in the late afternoon,^{[bg] 5} with one-tenth of an ephah^[bh] of finely ground flour as a grain offering mixed with one-quarter of a hin^[bi] of pressed olive oil. ⁶ It is a continual burnt offering that was instituted on Mount Sinai as a pleasing aroma, an offering made by fire to the Lord.

⁷ “‘And its drink offering must be one-quarter of a hin for each lamb.^[bj] You must pour out the strong drink^[bk] as a drink offering to the Lord in the Holy Place. ⁸ And the second lamb you must offer in the late afternoon; just as you offered the grain offering and drink offering in the morning,^[bl] you must offer it as an offering made by fire, as a pleasing aroma to the Lord.

Weekly Offerings

⁹ “‘On the Sabbath day, you must offer^[bm] two unblemished lambs a year old, and two-tenths of an ephah^[bn] of finely ground flour as a grain offering, mixed with olive oil, along with its drink offering. ¹⁰ This is the burnt offering for every Sabbath,^[bo] besides the continual burnt offering and its drink offering.

Monthly Offerings

¹¹ “‘On the first day of each month^[bp] you must offer as a burnt offering to the Lord two young bulls, one ram, and seven unblemished lambs a year old, ¹² with three-tenths of an ephah of finely ground flour mixed with olive oil as a grain offering for each bull, and two-tenths of an ephah of finely ground flour mixed with olive oil as a grain offering for the ram, ¹³ and one-tenth of an ephah of finely ground flour mixed with olive oil as a grain offering for each lamb, as a burnt offering for a pleasing aroma, an offering made by fire to the Lord. ¹⁴ For their drink offerings, include^[bq] half a hin of wine with each bull, one-third of a hin for the ram, and one-fourth of a hin for each lamb. This is the burnt offering for each month^[br] throughout the months of the year. ¹⁵ And one male goat^[bs] must be offered to the Lord as a purification offering, in addition to the continual burnt offering and its drink offering.

The Ministry of John the Baptist

3 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar,^[a] when Pontius Pilate^[b] was governor of Judea, and Herod^[c] was tetrarch^[d] of Galilee, and his brother Philip^[e] was tetrarch of the region of Iturea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias^[f] was tetrarch of Abilene, ² during the high priesthood^[g] of Annas and Caiaphas, the word^[h] of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness.^{[i] 3} He^[j] went into all the region around the Jordan River,^[k] preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.^[l]

⁴ As it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah,

⁷ So John^[s] said to the crowds^[t] that came out to be baptized by him, “You offspring of vipers!^[u] Who warned you to flee^[v] from the coming wrath? ⁸ Therefore produce^[w] fruit^[x] that proves your repentance, and don’t begin to say^[y] to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’^[z] For I tell you that God can raise up children for Abraham from these stones!^{[aa] 9} Even now the ax is laid at the root of the trees,^[ab] and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be^[ac] cut down and thrown into the fire.”

¹⁰ So^[ad] the crowds were asking^[ae] him, “What then should we do?” ¹¹ John^[af] answered them,^[ag] “The person who has two tunics^[ah] must share with the person who has none, and the person who has food must do likewise.” ¹² Tax collectors^[ai] also came to be baptized, and they said to him, “Teacher, what should we do?” ¹³ He told them, “Collect no more^[aj] than you are required to.”^{[ak] 14} Then some soldiers^[al] also asked him, “And as for us—what should we do?”^[am] He told them, “Take money from no one by violence^[an] or by false accusation,^[ao] and be content with your pay.”

¹⁵ While the people were filled with anticipation^[ap] and they all wondered^[aq] whether perhaps John^[ar] could be the Christ,^{[as] 16} John answered them all,^[at] “I baptize you with water,^[au] but one more powerful than I am is coming—I am not worthy^[av] to untie the strap^[aw] of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.^{[ax] 17} His winnowing fork^[ay] is in his hand to clean out his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his storehouse,^[az] but the chaff he will burn up with inextinguishable fire.”^[ba]

¹⁸ And in this way,^[bb] with many other exhortations, John^[bc] proclaimed good news to the people. ¹⁹ But when John rebuked Herod^[bd] the tetrarch^[be] because of Herodias, his brother’s wife,^[bf] and because of all the evil deeds^[bg] that he had done, ²⁰ Herod added this to them all: He locked up John in prison.

The Baptism of Jesus

²¹ Now when^[bh] all the people were baptized, Jesus also was baptized. And while he was praying,^[bi] the heavens^[bj] opened, ²² and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove.^[bk] And a voice came from heaven, “You are my one dear Son;^[bl] in you I take great delight.”^[bm]