Month: February 2024

The Ordination of the Priests

29 This is what you shall do to them to set them apart as holy, so that they can minister to me in the priest’s office:

Take one young bull and two rams without defect, ² unleavened bread, unleavened rolls mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed^[a] with oil. Make them from fine wheat flour. ³ Put them into one basket and bring them in the basket when you bring the bull and the two rams. ⁴ Bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting and wash them with water. ⁵ Take the garments and put them on Aaron: the tunic, the robe to be worn under the vest, the vest, and the pouch. Clothe him with the sash of the vest. ⁶ Set the turban on his head and put the holy crest on the turban. ⁷ Then take the anointing oil and pour it on his head to anoint him. ⁸ You shall bring his sons and put tunics on them. ⁹ Clothe them with sashes—Aaron and his sons—and bind small pointed turbans on them. Then they shall possess the priesthood by means of a perpetual regulation. You shall ordain Aaron and his sons for their work.^[b]

¹⁰ Bring the bull in front of the Tent of Meeting. Then Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the bull. ¹¹ Slaughter the bull in the presence of the Lord at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting. ¹² Take some of the bull’s blood and put it on the horns of the altar with your finger, and pour out all the rest of the blood at the base of the altar. ¹³ Take all the fat that covers the internal organs, the lobe of the liver, the two kidneys with the fat that is on them, and burn them on the altar. ¹⁴ But the meat of the bull, its hide, and its intestines and their contents, you shall burn with fire outside of the camp. This is a sin offering.

¹⁵ Then take the first ram. Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the ram. ¹⁶ Slaughter the ram, and take its blood and splash it all around on the altar. ¹⁷ You shall cut the ram into pieces, wash its internal organs and its legs, and put them with the other pieces and with its head. ¹⁸ You shall burn the whole ram on the altar. This is a whole burnt offering to the Lord. It is a pleasant aroma, an offering made by fire^[c] to the Lord.

¹⁹ Then take the other ram. Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the ram. ²⁰ Then you shall slaughter the ram. Take some of its blood and put it on the tip of Aaron’s right ear, on the tip of the right ear of his sons, on the thumb of their right hand, and on the big toe of their right foot, and splash the blood all around on the altar. ²¹ Take some of the blood that is on the altar and some of the anointing oil and spatter it on Aaron and on his garments and on his sons and on the garments of his sons, who are with him. So he and his garments and his sons and his sons’ garments shall be consecrated. ²² From this ram take the fat, the fat tail, the fat that covers the internal organs, the lobe of the liver, the two kidneys with the fat that is on them, and the right thigh (for this is a ram for the dedication), ²³ and one loaf of bread, one roll made with oil, and one wafer out of the basket of unleavened bread that is before the Lord. ²⁴ You shall put all of this in Aaron’s hands and in his sons’ hands, and you shall wave them as a wave offering before the Lord. ²⁵ Then you shall take them from their hands and burn them on the altar for the burnt offering as a pleasant aroma before the Lord. This is an offering made by fire to the Lord.

²⁶ Take the breast from Aaron’s ram of ordination and wave it as a wave offering before the Lord, and it shall be your portion of the sacrifice. ²⁷ Consecrate the breast of the wave offering and the thigh of the elevated offering, which are waved and lifted up,^[d] from the ram of ordination. They are for Aaron and for his sons. ²⁸ It shall belong to Aaron and his sons perpetually as their portion of the offering from the people of Israel, because it is an elevated offering. It shall be an elevated offering from the people of Israel from their sacrifices, from their fellowship offerings, that is, their elevated offering to the Lord.

²⁹ The holy garments of Aaron shall belong to his descendants after him, so they are to wear them while they are being anointed and ordained for their work. ³⁰ The son who is to be high priest in Aaron’s place shall put them on for seven days when he comes into the Tent of Meeting to minister in the Holy Place.

³¹ Take the ram of ordination and boil its meat in a holy place. ³² Aaron and his sons shall eat the meat of the ram and the bread that is in the basket at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting. ³³ They shall eat those things with which atonement was made at their ordination and consecration, but a non-priest^[e] shall not eat them, because they are holy. ³⁴ If any of the meat or the bread from the ordination remains until the next morning, you shall burn the remainder with fire. It must not be eaten, because it is holy.

³⁵ This is what you shall do to Aaron and to his sons, exactly as I have commanded you. You shall ordain them^[f] for seven days. ³⁶ Every day you shall offer a bull as a sin offering for atonement, and you shall purify the altar when you make atonement for it, and you shall anoint it to make it holy. ³⁷ For seven days you shall make atonement for the altar to make it holy. The altar shall be most holy. Whatever touches the altar shall become holy.

The Regular Daily Offerings

³⁸ Now this is what you shall offer on the altar regularly, every day: two lambs a year old. ³⁹ The first lamb you shall offer in the morning, and the other lamb you shall offer at twilight.^{[g] 40} With the first lamb offer two quarts^[h] of fine flour mixed with a quart^[i] of beaten olive oil,^[j] and a quart of wine for a drink offering. ⁴¹ The other lamb you shall offer at twilight, and you shall offer with it the same grain offering and the same drink offering as in the morning, for a pleasant aroma, an offering made by fire^[k] to the Lord. ⁴² It shall be presented as a regular burnt offering throughout your generations at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting before the Lord. There I will meet with you to speak to you. ⁴³ There I will meet with the people of Israel, and the place will be made holy by my glory. ⁴⁴ I will consecrate the Tent of Meeting and the altar. I will also consecrate Aaron and his sons to minister to me in the priest’s office. ⁴⁵ I will dwell among the people of Israel and I will be their God. ⁴⁶ They will know that I am the Lord their God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt, so that I may dwell among them. I am the Lord their God.

The Altar for Incense

30 You shall make an altar on which to burn incense. Make it of acacia wood. ² It is to be eighteen inches long and eighteen inches wide. It is to be square, and three feet high. Its horns are to be one piece with it. ³ Overlay it with pure gold—its top, all its sides, and its horns. Make a gold border^[l] around it. ⁴ Make two gold rings to place under its border. Make them for each of its two opposite sides. They will serve as holders for poles with which to carry it. ⁵ Make the poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold.

⁶ Put the altar in front of the veil that hides the Ark of the Testimony, in front of the atonement seat that is above the Testimony, where I will meet with you. ⁷ Aaron shall burn incense made of fragrant spices on it every morning. When he tends the lamps, he shall burn the incense. ⁸ When Aaron lights the lamps at twilight, he shall burn it as the regular incense before the Lord throughout your generations. ⁹ You shall offer no other incense on it, no burnt offering, and no grain offering, and you shall pour no drink offering on it. ¹⁰ Aaron shall make atonement on its horns once a year. With the blood of the sin offering for atonement, once a year he shall make atonement for it throughout your generations. It is most holy to the Lord.

Judas Plans to Betray Jesus

¹⁴ Then one of the Twelve, the one named Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests ¹⁵ and said, “What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?” They paid him thirty pieces of silver. ¹⁶ From that time on Judas was looking for an opportunity to betray Jesus.

Jesus Celebrates the Passover

¹⁷ On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Where do you want us to make preparations for you to eat the Passover?”

¹⁸ He said, “Go into the city to a certain man and tell him the Teacher says, ‘My time is near. I will observe the Passover with my disciples at your house.’”

¹⁹ The disciples did as Jesus commanded them and prepared the Passover. ²⁰ When evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the Twelve.^[a]

One Will Betray Jesus

²¹ As they were eating, he said, “Amen I tell you: One of you will betray me.”

²² They were very sad and began to say to him one after another, “Surely, not I, Lord?”

²³ He replied, “The one who dipped his hand in the bowl with me will betray me. ²⁴ The Son of Man is going just as it is written about him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would be better for that man if he had not been born.”

²⁵ Judas, who betrayed him, replied, “Surely, not I, Rabbi?”

He said to him, “Yes, you are the one.”^[b]

The Lord’s Supper

²⁶ While they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples. He said, “Take, eat, this is my body.” ²⁷ Then he took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it all of you, ²⁸ for this is my blood of the new^[c] testament,^[d] which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. ²⁹ I tell you that I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.” ³⁰ After they sang a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial

³¹ Then Jesus said to them, “This night you will all fall away on account of me, for it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’^{[e] 32} But after I have been raised, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.”

³³ Peter answered him, “Even if all fall away because of you, I will never fall away.”

³⁴ Jesus said to him, “Amen I tell you: Tonight before the rooster crows you will deny me three times.”

³⁵ Peter said to him, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never deny you.” And all the disciples said the same.

Gethsemane

³⁶ Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane. He told his disciples, “Sit here, while I go over there and pray.” ³⁷ He took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and he began to be sorrowful and distressed. ³⁸ Then he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to the point of death. Stay here, and keep watch with me.”

³⁹ He went a little farther, fell on his face, and prayed. He said, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”

⁴⁰ He came to the disciples and found them sleeping. He said to Peter, “So, were you not able to stay awake with me for one hour? ⁴¹ Watch and pray, so that you do not enter into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

⁴² He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to pass from me^[f] unless I drink it, may your will be done.” ⁴³ Again he returned and found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. ⁴⁴ He left them again, went away, and prayed a third time. He said the same words as before. ⁴⁵ Then he returned to his disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour is near, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. ⁴⁶ Rise. Let us go. Look, my betrayer is near.”

Closing Praise

Wisdom Is the Craftsman of Creation

The Priests and Their Vestments

28 Bring Aaron your brother near to you from among the people of Israel, and his sons with him, so that he may minister to me in the priest’s office. Bring Aaron and Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar, Aaron’s sons. ² You shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother to give him honor and splendor. ³ Speak to all the skilled craftsmen, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom,^[a] so that they make Aaron’s garments to consecrate him, so that he may minister to me in the priest’s office. ⁴ These are the garments which they shall make: a chest pouch, a special vest, a robe, a specially woven tunic, a turban, and a sash.^[b] They shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother and for his sons, so that he may minister to me in the priest’s office. ⁵ The craftsmen shall use the gold, and the blue, purple, and scarlet material, and the fine linen.

The Special Vest

⁶ They shall make the special vest^[c] of gold and of blue, purple, and scarlet material and of fine woven linen, the work of a skillful craftsman. ⁷ It is to have two shoulder straps, one on each side, so that the vest can be fastened together. ⁸ The decorated band, which is attached to the vest, is to be just like it: made of gold, and of blue, purple, and scarlet material and of fine woven linen. ⁹ Take two onyx stones and engrave the names of the sons of Israel on them— ¹⁰ six of their names on one stone and the names of the other six on the other stone, in the order of their birth. ¹¹ Engrave the two stones with the names of the sons of Israel, in the same way that a gem cutter engraves a seal. Mount them in settings of gold. ¹² Put the two stones on the shoulder straps of the vest to be memorial stones for the people of Israel. Aaron shall bear their names on his two shoulders as a memorial before the Lord. ¹³ Make settings of gold ¹⁴ and two chains of pure gold. Make them like braided cords, and attach the braided chains to the settings.

The Chest Pouch

¹⁵ You shall make a chest pouch to be used for making decisions, the work of a skillful craftsman. You shall make it with the same workmanship as the vest. Make it from gold and from blue, purple, and scarlet material and from fine woven linen. ¹⁶ It is to be square when it is folded, nine inches by nine inches. ¹⁷ You shall arrange settings for precious stones on it, four rows of stones: The first row is to be carnelian, diamond, and jacinth; ¹⁸ the second row agate, sapphire,^[d] and emerald; ¹⁹ the third row beryl, jasper, and ruby; ²⁰ and the fourth row topaz, onyx, and turquoise.^[e] They are to be mounted in gold settings. ²¹ There are to be twelve stones corresponding to the names of the sons of Israel. Each one shall be like an engraved seal, each with the name of one of the twelve tribes.

²² You shall make braided chains of pure gold as cords for the pouch. ²³ Make two gold rings for the pouch, and attach the two rings to the top corners of the pouch. ²⁴ Put the two braided chains of gold into the two rings at the top corners of the pouch. ²⁵ Attach the other ends of the two braided chains to the two settings, and then attach them to the shoulder straps on the front of the vest. ²⁶ Make two rings of gold, and put them on the two lower corners of the pouch, on its inside edge, which is toward the vest. ²⁷ Make two more gold rings, and attach them to the two shoulder straps of the vest in the front, close to the bottom where it is joined to the band of the vest. ²⁸ Tie the rings on the pouch to the rings on the vest with a blue cord, so that the pouch is right next to the band of the vest, so that the pouch does not swing out from the vest. ²⁹ Whenever he goes into the Holy Place, Aaron shall wear the pouch for making decisions, which bears the names of the sons of Israel, over his heart as a constant memorial before the Lord. ³⁰ You shall put the Urim and the Thummim^[f] into the pouch for making decisions, and they shall be over Aaron’s heart whenever he goes before the Lord. Aaron shall bear the means of making decisions for the people of Israel on his heart before the Lord continually.

The Robe

³¹ You shall make the robe that is to be worn under the vest. It is to be all blue. ³² It is to have an opening in the middle of the top of it for the head. It is to have a woven binding around the opening, like the opening of a collar,^[g] to prevent it from tearing. ³³ To be placed around its hem you shall make pomegranates of blue, purple, and scarlet material. Alternate them with gold bells ³⁴ (a gold bell, then a pomegranate, a gold bell, then a pomegranate), all around the hem of the robe. ³⁵ The robe shall be on Aaron when he ministers, and its sound will be heard when he goes into the Holy Place before the Lord and when he comes out, so that he will not die.

The Gold Medallion

³⁶ You shall make a medallion of pure gold and engrave on it (like the engravings on a seal): Holy to the Lord. ³⁷ You shall attach it to a blue cord to fasten it to the turban. It is to be placed on the front of the turban. ³⁸ It shall be on Aaron’s forehead, and Aaron will bear any guilt in regard to the holy things, which the people of Israel consecrate as their holy gifts. The medallion shall always be on his forehead, so that the offerings may be accepted in the presence of the Lord.

Tunic, Turban, Sash

³⁹ You shall weave the tunic of fine linen, and you shall make a turban of fine linen, and you shall make a sash, the work of an embroiderer.

The Tunics and Pants for the Other Priests

⁴⁰ You shall make tunics for Aaron’s sons, and you shall make sashes for them, and you shall make small pointed turbans for them, to give them honor and splendor. ⁴¹ Put them on your brother Aaron and on his sons along with him, anoint them, and ordain them for their work^[h] and consecrate them, so that they may minister to me in the priest’s office. ⁴² Make linen pants for them to cover their naked flesh. The pants shall reach from the waist to the thighs. ⁴³ They are to be worn by Aaron and his sons whenever they go into the Tent of Meeting, or whenever they come near the altar to minister in the Holy Place, so that they do not incur guilt and die. This shall be a permanent regulation for him and for his descendants after him.

Jesus Will Judge the World

³¹ “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. ³² All the nations will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. ³³ He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. ³⁴ Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. ³⁵ For I was hungry and you gave me food to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink. I was a stranger and you welcomed me. ³⁶ I was lacking clothes and you clothed me. I was sick and you took care of me. I was in prison and you visited me.’

³⁷ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you a drink? ³⁸ When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or lacking clothes and clothe you? ³⁹ When did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’

⁴⁰ “The King will answer them, ‘Amen I tell you: Just as you did it for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it for me.’

⁴¹ “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire, which is prepared for the Devil and his angels. ⁴² For I was hungry and you did not give me food to eat. I was thirsty and you did not give me anything to drink. ⁴³ I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, lacking clothes and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not take care of me.’

⁴⁴ “Then they will also answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or lacking clothes or sick or in prison and did not serve you?’

⁴⁵ “At that time he will answer them, ‘Amen I tell you: Just as you did not do it for one of the least of these, you did not do it for me.’ ⁴⁶ And they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

The Plot to Kill Jesus

26 When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he said to his disciples, ² “You know that after two days it will be the Passover, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.”

³ Then the chief priests and the elders of the people assembled in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas. ⁴ They plotted together how to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him. ⁵ But they said, “Not during the Festival, or else there might be a riot among the people.”

Mary Anoints Jesus

⁶ When Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, ⁷ a woman approached him holding an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume. She poured it on his head as he was reclining at the table. ⁸ But when his disciples saw this, they were upset and said, “Why this waste? ⁹ This perfume could have been sold for a lot of money and given to the poor.”

¹⁰ Jesus was aware of this and said to them, “Why are you causing trouble for this woman? She has done a beautiful thing for me. ¹¹ You are always going to have the poor with you, but you are not always going to have me. ¹² When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. ¹³ Amen I tell you: Wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told in memory of her.”

The Prayer for Delivery

Confident Petition

Wisdom’s Benefit

The Curtains and Covers for the Dwelling

26 The curtain that forms the dwelling^[a] itself you shall make with ten panels^[b] of fine woven linen,^[c] with blue, purple, and scarlet material. Decorate them with cherubim, which are to be the work of a skillful craftsman. ² The length of each panel of the curtain is to be forty-two feet, and the width of each panel six feet. All the panels are to be the same size. ³ Five panels of the curtain are to be connected together into one panel, and the other five panels are to be connected together into one. ⁴ Attach blue loops to the edge of the last panel in the first set of curtains. In the same way attach loops to the edge of the last panel of the second set. ⁵ Make fifty loops for the edge of the first set of curtains, and make fifty loops for the edge of the second set of curtains. The loops are to be opposite one another. ⁶ Make fifty gold clasps,^[d] and connect the two sets of curtains to each other with the clasps, so that the dwelling becomes one connected piece.

⁷ You shall make panels for a curtain made from goats’ hair to serve as a tent over the dwelling. Make eleven panels. ⁸ The length of each panel is to be forty-five feet, and the width of each panel six feet. The eleven panels are to be the same size. ⁹ Connect five panels of the curtain into one unit, and connect six panels into another unit. Fold the sixth panel of the curtain over the front edge of the Tent.^{[e] 10} Attach fifty loops to the edge of the last panel of one set of curtains, and fifty loops to the edge of the last panel in the second set. ¹¹ Make fifty bronze clasps, and put the clasps into the loops to join the two pieces of the tent^[f] together, so that it forms one unit. ¹² The excess part of the curtains that form the tent, which is left over, that is, the half curtain that is extra, is to hang down over the back of the Dwelling. ¹³ The eighteen inches left over on one side and the eighteen inches left over on the other side, all along the length of the tent coverings, are to be left hanging down over the sides of the Dwelling on either side to cover it.^[g]

¹⁴ You shall also make a covering for the tent made from rams’ skins dyed red and a covering made from hides of sea cows to go above that one.

The Framework for the Dwelling

¹⁵ You shall make upright boards^[h] of acacia wood to serve as a framework for the Dwelling. ¹⁶ The length of each board is to be fifteen feet, and the width of each board is to be twenty-seven inches. ¹⁷ There are to be two pegs on each board for connecting them to the next board.^[i] That is the way you are to make all the boards for the Dwelling.

¹⁸ Make these boards for the Dwelling:

Make twenty boards for the south side. ¹⁹ Make forty socket bases of silver to be placed under the twenty boards—two sockets to go under the first board to hold its two pegs, and two sockets to go under the next board for its two pegs.

²⁰ For the second side of the Dwelling, the north side, make twenty boards, ²¹ with forty socket bases of silver—two sockets to go under the first board, and two sockets to go under the next board.

²² For the far side of the Dwelling, the west side, make six boards. ²³ Then make two boards for each of the back corners of the Dwelling. ²⁴ For the two corners there are to be twin boards from the bottom to the top, but they are to be joined at the top by one ring^[j]—both cornerpieces are to be made like this. ²⁵ Altogether there will be eight boards with silver socket bases, sixteen socket bases—two socket bases to go under each board.

²⁶ You shall make crossbars of acacia wood—five crossbars for the boards on one side of the Dwelling, ²⁷ five crossbars for the boards on the other side of the Dwelling, and five crossbars for the boards on the backside of the Dwelling on the west. ²⁸ The middle bar, placed halfway up the boards, shall pass through from one end of the boards to the other end. ²⁹ Overlay the boards with gold. Attach gold rings to them to hold the crossbars, and overlay the crossbars with gold.

³⁰ You shall set up the Dwelling according to the design that is being shown to you on the mountain.

The Veil and the Screen

³¹ You shall make a special veil of blue, purple, and scarlet material and of fine woven linen, decorated with cherubim. It shall be made as the work of a skillful craftsman. ³² Hang it on four posts of acacia wood overlaid with gold, which stand on four socket bases of silver. The hooks are to be made of gold. ³³ Hang up the veil below the spot where the clasps join the two parts of the dwelling. Then bring the Ark of the Testimony inside the veil. The veil shall separate the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place for you. ³⁴ You shall put the atonement seat on top of the Ark of the Testimony in the Most Holy Place. ³⁵ You shall set the table outside the veil, and the lampstand opposite the table on the south side of the Dwelling. You shall put the table on the north side.

³⁶ You shall make a screen^[k] for the entry to the tent from blue, purple, and scarlet material and of fine woven linen, the work of an embroiderer. ³⁷ Make five posts of acacia wood to support the screen, and overlay them with gold. Their hooks shall be gold, and you shall cast five bronze socket bases for them.

The Altar for Sacrifices

27 You shall make the altar of acacia wood, seven and a half feet long and seven and a half feet wide. The altar shall be square, and it shall be four and a half feet high. ² You shall make horns on its four corners. These horns are to be made as one piece with the altar, and you are to overlay the altar with bronze.

³ Make pails to take away its fat-drenched ashes. Make shovels, basins, meat hooks,^[l] and fire pans for the altar. Make all its utensils of bronze.

⁴ Make a grate for it which is a latticework of bronze, and make four bronze rings for the four corners of the latticework grate. ⁵ Set the grate in place below the top edge of the altar, so that the grate rests halfway down from the top of the altar.^[m]

⁶ Make poles for the altar, poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with bronze. ⁷ These poles are to be put through the rings on the two sides of the altar whenever it is carried. ⁸ You are to make the altar hollow, with sides made of boards. They are to make it as it is being shown to you on the mountain.

The Courtyard

⁹ You shall make the courtyard for the Dwelling.

For the south side of the courtyard there shall be hangings of fine woven linen, one hundred fifty feet long for that side. ¹⁰ There shall be twenty posts for it, and their twenty socket bases shall be bronze. The hooks for the posts and the connectors^[n] shall be silver.

¹¹ In the same way, for the north side there shall be hangings one hundred fifty feet long, with twenty posts and twenty bronze socket bases. The hooks for the posts and their connectors shall be silver.

¹² For the courtyard on the west side there shall be hangings seventy-five feet wide, with ten posts and ten socket bases.

¹³ The width of the courtyard on the east side shall be seventy-five feet. ¹⁴ The hangings on one side of the entry gate shall be twenty-two feet six inches wide with three posts and three socket bases. ¹⁵ For the other side there shall be hangings twenty-two feet six inches wide with three posts and three socket bases.

¹⁶ For the entryway into the courtyard there shall be a screen thirty feet wide, made of blue, purple, and scarlet material and of fine woven linen, the work of an embroiderer. Make four posts for it and four socket bases. ¹⁷ All the posts around the courtyard shall be connected with silver.^[o] Their hooks shall be silver, and their socket bases bronze. ¹⁸ The length of the courtyard shall be one hundred fifty feet, and the width seventy-five feet on both ends. The height of the hangings of fine woven linen shall be seven and a half feet. Its socket bases shall be bronze. ¹⁹ All the utensils for all the services of the Dwelling, all its tent stakes, and all the stakes for the courtyard shall be bronze.

Oil for the Lamps

²⁰ You shall command the people of Israel to bring you pure oil from beaten olives^[p] for the Light so that the lamp may burn every night.^{[q] 21} In the Tent of Meeting, in front of the veil which is in front of the Testimony, Aaron and his sons shall tend the lamp before the Lord from evening to morning. This shall be a permanent regulation throughout their generations for the people of Israel.

The Parable of the Ten Virgins

25 “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. ² Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. ³ When the foolish ones took their lamps, they did not take any oil with them; ⁴ but the wise took oil in their containers with their lamps. ⁵ While the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep. ⁶ But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Look, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ ⁷ Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps. ⁸ The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil because our lamps are going out.’ ⁹ But the wise answered, ‘No, there may not be enough for us and for you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’ ¹⁰ But while they were away buying oil, the bridegroom came. Those who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet, and the door was shut. ¹¹ Later, the other virgins also came and said, ‘Lord, Lord, let us in.’ ¹² But he answered, ‘Amen I tell you: I do not know you.’ ¹³ Therefore, keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.

The Parable of the Talents

¹⁴ “You see, the kingdom of heaven is like a man going on a journey. He called his servants and entrusted his possessions to them. ¹⁵ To one he gave five talents,^[a] to another two talents, and to still another one talent, each according to his own ability. Then he went on his journey. ¹⁶ The servant who had received the five talents immediately put them to work and gained five more talents. ¹⁷ In the same way, the servant who had received the two talents gained two more. ¹⁸ But the servant who had received one talent went away, dug a hole in the ground, and hid his master’s money.

¹⁹ “After a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. ²⁰ The servant who received the five talents came and brought five more talents. He said, ‘Master, you entrusted five talents to me. See, I have gained five more talents.’

²¹ “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You were faithful with a few things. I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master.’

²² “The servant who received the two talents came and said, ‘Master, you entrusted me with two talents. See, I have gained two more talents.’

²³ “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You were faithful with a few things. I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master.’

²⁴ “Then the servant who received one talent came and said, ‘Master, I knew that you are a hard man, reaping where you did not plant and gathering where you did not scatter seed. ²⁵ Since I was afraid, I went away and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.’

²⁶ “His master answered him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant! You knew that I reap where I did not plant and gather where I did not scatter seed? ²⁷ Well then, you should have deposited my money with the bankers so that when I came I would get my money back with interest. ²⁸ Take the talent away from him and give it to the servant who has the ten talents. ²⁹ Because everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. But the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. ³⁰ Throw that worthless servant into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

Psalm 31

Into Your Hands I Commit My Spirit

Heading
For the choir director. A psalm by David.

A Declaration of Confidence

Petition

The Basis for Confidence

Wisdom’s Invitation

Three Annual Festivals

(Exodus 34.18-26; Deuteronomy 16.1-17)

The Lord said:

¹⁴ Celebrate three festivals each year in my honor.

^15 (A) Celebrate the Festival of Thin Bread by eating bread made without yeast, just as I have commanded.^[a] Do this at the proper time during the month of Abib,^[b] because it is the month when you left Egypt. And make certain that everyone brings the proper offerings.

^16 (B) Celebrate the Harvest Festival^[c] each spring when you start harvesting your wheat, and celebrate the Festival of Shelters^[d] each autumn when you pick your fruit.

¹⁷ Your men must come to these three festivals each year to worship me.

¹⁸ Do not offer bread made with yeast when you sacrifice an animal to me. And make sure that the fat of the animal is burned that same day.

^19 (C) Each year bring the best part of your first harvest to the place of worship.

Don't boil a young goat in its mother's milk.

A Promise and a Warning

The Lord said:

²⁰ I am sending an angel to protect you and to lead you into the land I have ready for you. ²¹ Carefully obey everything the angel says, because I am giving him complete authority, and he won't tolerate rebellion. ²² If you faithfully obey him, I will be a fierce enemy of your enemies. ²³ My angel will lead you into the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites, and Jebusites, and I will wipe them out. ²⁴ Don't worship their gods or follow their customs. Instead, destroy their idols and shatter their stone images.

²⁵ Worship only me, the Lord your God! I will bless you with plenty of food and water and keep you strong. ²⁶ Your women will give birth to healthy children, and everyone will live a long life.

²⁷ I will terrify those nations and make your enemies so confused that they will run from you. ²⁸ I will make the Hivites, Canaanites, and Hittites panic as you approach. ²⁹ But I won't do all this in the first year, because the land would become poor, and wild animals would be everywhere. ³⁰ Instead, I will force out your enemies little by little and give your nation time to grow strong enough to take over the land.

³¹ I will see that your borders reach from the Red Sea^[e] to the Euphrates River and from the Mediterranean Sea to the desert. I will let you defeat the people who live there, and you will force them out of the land. ³² But you must not make any agreements with them or with their gods. ³³ Don't let them stay in your land. They will trap you into sinning against me and worshiping their gods.

The People Agree To Obey God

24 The Lord said to Moses, “Come up to me on this mountain. Bring along Aaron, as well as his two sons Nadab and Abihu, and 70 of Israel's leaders. They must worship me at a distance, ² but you are to come near. Don't let anyone else come up.”

³ Moses gave the Lord's instructions to the people, and they all promised, “We will do everything the Lord has commanded!” ⁴ Then Moses wrote down what the Lord had said.

The next morning Moses got up early. He built an altar at the foot of the mountain and set up a large stone for each of the twelve tribes of Israel. ⁵ He also sent some young men to burn offerings and to sacrifice bulls as special offerings^[f] to the Lord. ⁶ Moses put half of the blood from the animals into bowls and sprinkled the rest on the altar. ⁷ Then he read aloud the Lord's commands and promises, and the people shouted, “We will obey the Lord and do everything he has commanded!”

^8 (D) Moses took the blood from the bowls and sprinkled it on the people. Next, he told them, “With this blood the Lord makes his agreement with you.”

⁹ Moses and Aaron, together with Nadab and Abihu and the 70 leaders, went up the mountain ¹⁰ and saw the God of Israel. Under his feet was something that looked like a pavement made out of sapphire,^[g] and it was as bright as the sky.

¹¹ Even though these leaders of Israel saw God, he did not punish them. So they ate and drank.

Moses on Mount Sinai

¹² The Lord said to Moses, “Come up on the mountain and stay here for a while. I will give you the two flat stones on which I have written the laws that my people must obey.” ¹³ Moses and Joshua his assistant got ready, then Moses started up the mountain to meet with God.

¹⁴ Moses had told the leaders, “Wait here until we come back. Aaron and Hur will be with you, and they can settle any arguments while we are away.”

¹⁵ When Moses went up on Mount Sinai, a cloud covered it, ¹⁶ and the bright glory of the Lord came down and stayed there. The cloud covered the mountain for six days, and on the seventh day the Lord told Moses to come into the cloud. ^17-18 (E) Moses did so and stayed there 40 days and nights. To the people, the Lord's glory looked like a blazing fire on top of the mountain.

The Sacred Tent

(Exodus 35.4-9)

25 The Lord said to Moses:

² Tell everyone in Israel who wants to give gifts that they must bring them to you. ³ Here is a list of what you are to collect: Gold, silver, and bronze; ⁴ blue, purple, and red wool; fine linen; goat hair; ⁵ tanned ram skins; fine leather; acacia wood; ⁶ olive oil for the lamp; sweet-smelling spices to mix with the incense and with the oil for dedicating the tent and ordaining the priests; ⁷ and onyx^[h] stones and other gems for the sacred vest and the breastpiece. ⁸ I also want them to build a special place where I can live among my people. ⁹ Make it and its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you.

The Sacred Chest

(Exodus 37.1-9)

The Lord said to Moses:

¹⁰ Tell the people to build a chest of acacia wood 110 centimeters long, 66 centimeters wide, and 66 centimeters high. ¹¹ Cover it inside and out with pure gold and put a gold edging around the lid. ¹² Make four gold rings and attach one of them to each of the four legs of the chest. ¹³ Make two poles of acacia wood. Cover them with gold ¹⁴ and put them through the rings, so the chest can be carried by the poles. ¹⁵ Don't ever remove the poles from the rings. ¹⁶ When I give you the Ten Commandments written on two flat stones, put them inside the chest.

^17 (F) Make the lid of the chest out of pure gold. ^18-19 Then hammer out two winged creatures of pure gold and fasten them to the lid at the ends of the chest. ²⁰ The creatures must face each other with their wings spread over the chest. ²¹ Inside it place the two flat stones with the Ten Commandments on them and put the gold lid on top of the chest. ²² I will meet you there^[i] between the two creatures and tell you what my people must do and what they must not do.

The Table for the Sacred Bread

(Exodus 37.10-16)

The Lord said:

²³ Make a table of acacia wood 88 centimeters long, 44 centimeters wide, and 66 centimeters high. ^24-25 Cover it with pure gold and put a gold edging around it with a border 75 millimeters thick.^{[j] 26} Make four gold rings and attach one to each of the legs ^27-28 near the edging. The poles for carrying the table are to be placed through these rings and are to be made of acacia wood covered with gold. ^29-30 (G) The table is to be kept in the holy place, and the sacred loaves of bread must always be on it. All bowls, plates, jars, and cups for wine offerings are to be made of pure gold and set on this table.

The Lampstand

(Exodus 37.17-24)

The Lord said:

³¹ Make a lampstand of pure gold. The whole lampstand, including its decorative flowers, must be made from a single piece of hammered gold ³² with three branches on each of its two sides. ³³ There are to be three decorative almond blossoms on each branch ³⁴ and four on the stem. ³⁵ There must also be a blossom where each pair of branches comes out from the stem. ³⁶ The lampstand, including its branches and decorative flowers, must be made from a single piece of hammered pure gold. ³⁷ The lamp on the top and those at the end of each of its six branches must be made so as to shine toward the front of the lampstand. ³⁸ The tongs and trays for taking care of the lamps are to be made of pure gold. ³⁹ The lampstand and its equipment will require 35 kilograms of pure gold, ^40 (H) and they must be made according to the pattern I showed you on the mountain.

When the Son of Man Appears

(Mark 13.24-27; Luke 21.25-28)

^29 (A) Right after those days of suffering,

^30 (B) Then a sign will appear in the sky. And there will be the Son of Man.^[b] All nations on earth will weep when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. ³¹ At the sound of a loud trumpet, he will send his angels to bring his chosen ones together from all over the earth.

A Lesson from a Fig Tree

(Mark 13.28-31; Luke 21.29-33)

³² Learn a lesson from a fig tree. When its branches sprout and start putting out leaves, you know summer is near. ³³ So when you see all these things happening, you will know the time has almost come.^{[c] 34} I can promise you that some of the people of this generation will still be alive when all this happens. ³⁵ The sky and the earth won't last forever, but my words will.

No One Knows the Day or Time

(Mark 13.32-37; Luke 17.26-30,34-36)

³⁶ No one knows the day or hour. The angels in heaven don't know, and the Son himself doesn't know.^[d] Only the Father knows. ^37 (C) When the Son of Man appears, things will be just as they were when Noah lived. ³⁸ People were eating, drinking, and getting married right up to the day the flood came and Noah went into the big boat. ^39 (D) They didn't know anything was happening until the flood came and swept them all away. This is how it will be when the Son of Man appears.

⁴⁰ Two men will be in the same field, but only one will be taken. The other will be left. ⁴¹ Two women will be together grinding grain, but only one will be taken. The other will be left. ⁴² So be on your guard! You don't know when your Lord will come. ^43 (E) Homeowners never know when a thief is coming, and they are always on guard to keep one from breaking in. ⁴⁴ Always be ready! You don't know when the Son of Man will come.

Faithful and Unfaithful Servants

(Luke 12.35-48)

⁴⁵ Who are faithful and wise servants? Who are the ones the master will put in charge of giving the other servants their food supplies at the proper time? ⁴⁶ Servants are fortunate if their master comes and finds them doing their job. ⁴⁷ You may be sure a servant who is always faithful will be put in charge of everything the master owns. ⁴⁸ But suppose one of the servants thinks the master won't return until late. ⁴⁹ Suppose this evil servant starts beating the other servants and eats and drinks with people who are drunk. ⁵⁰ If that happens, the master will surely come on a day and at a time when the servant least expects him. ⁵¹ This servant will then be punished and thrown out with the ones who only pretended to serve their master. There they will cry and grit their teeth in pain.

(A psalm by David for the dedication of the temple.)

A Prayer of Thanks

Laws About Festivals

¹⁴ Three times a year you shall observe pilgrimage festivals for me:

¹⁵ You shall observe the Festival of Unleavened Bread.^[a] For seven days you shall eat bread without yeast, as I commanded you, at the appointed time in the month of Abib (for during that month you came out from Egypt). No one is to appear before me empty-handed.

¹⁶ Next observe the Festival of Reaping^[b] by presenting the first ripe produce of your labors, which you sow in the field.

Finally, observe the Festival of Ingathering,^[c] at the end of the year, when you pick the fruits of your labors from the fields. ¹⁷ Three times a year all your males shall appear before the Lord God.

¹⁸ You shall not offer any bread made with yeast together with the blood of my sacrifices. None of the fat from my festival shall remain until morning. ¹⁹ The very first produce from your soil you shall bring into the house of the Lord your God.

You shall not boil a baby goat in its mother’s milk.

The Angel of the Lord Will Lead Israel

²⁰ Look, I will send an angel before you to guard you on your way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared. ²¹ Pay attention to him. Listen to his voice. Do not provoke him, because he will not pardon your disobedience, for my Name is in him. ²² But if you carefully listen to his voice and carry out all that I speak, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries.

²³ Yes, my Angel shall go ahead of you and bring you into the territory of the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. Then I will cut them off. ²⁴ You shall not bow down to their gods. Do not serve them or follow their practices, but you must completely overthrow them and demolish their sacred memorial stones. ²⁵ You shall serve the Lord your God, and he will bless your bread and your water, and I will take sickness away from your midst. ²⁶ No one will miscarry or be childless^[d] in your land. I will grant you the full number of your days.

²⁷ I will send my terror before you, and I will spread confusion among all the people to whom you come, and I will make all your enemies turn their backs and flee from you. ²⁸ I will send the hornet ahead of you. It will drive out the Hivites, the Canaanites, and the Hittites from your presence. ²⁹ I will not drive them out from before you in a single year, or the land would become desolate, and the wild animals would become too numerous for you. ³⁰ As you advance, I will drive them out little by little, until you have grown in number and taken possession of the land.

³¹ I will establish your border from the Red Sea^[e] all the way to the Mediterranean Sea,^[f] and from the Wilderness^[g] to the River.^[h] So I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand, and you will drive them out before you. ³² You shall not make a treaty^[i] with them or with their gods. ³³ They are not to dwell in your land, or they will make you sin against me, because if you serve their gods, this will surely be a trap for you.

The Covenant Is Ratified

24 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Come up to the Lord, you and Aaron, along with Nadab and Abihu and seventy of the elders of Israel, and worship me from a distance. ² Only Moses is allowed to come near the Lord, but the others are not to come near, and the people are not to go up with him.”

³ Moses came and reported to the people all the words of the Lord and all the ordinances. Then all the people answered with one voice and said, “All the words which the Lord has spoken we will do.” ⁴ Moses wrote down all the words of the Lord.

He got up early in the morning and built an altar at the foot of the mountain. He set up twelve memorial stones for the twelve tribes of Israel. ⁵ He sent young Israelite men, who offered whole burnt offerings and sacrificed fellowship offerings of cattle to the Lord. ⁶ Moses took half of the blood and put it in bowls, and he splashed half of the blood on the altar. ⁷ He took the Book of the Covenant and read it out loud to the people and they said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do. We will obey.”

⁸ Moses took the blood and splashed it on the people. He said, “Look, here is the blood of the covenant, which the Lord made with you by means of all these words.”

⁹ Then Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up. ¹⁰ They saw the God of Israel. Under his feet they saw what looked like a pavement of sapphire^[j] as clear as the sky. ¹¹ The Lord did not lay his hand on the dignitaries of the people of Israel. They gazed at God, and they ate and drank.

¹² The Lord said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain. Wait there, and I will give you the stone tablets with the law and the commands that I have written, so that you can teach them.”

¹³ Moses set out with his assistant Joshua and went up onto the mountain of God. ¹⁴ He said to the elders, “Wait here for us, until we come back to you. Look, here are Aaron and Hur. They will be with you. Whoever is involved in a dispute can go to them.”

¹⁵ Moses went up onto the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain. ¹⁶ The Glory of the Lord settled on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered the mountain for six days. On the seventh day the Lord called to Moses out of the middle of the cloud. ¹⁷ The appearance of the Glory of the Lord looked like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the sight of the people of Israel. ¹⁸ Moses entered into the middle of the cloud and climbed up the mountain. Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights.

The Commission to Build the Dwelling^[k]

25 The Lord spoke to Moses. He said, ² “Speak to the people of Israel^[l] so that they gather a special offering^[m] for me. From everyone whose heart makes him willing you shall gather the offering for me.”

The Offering for the Dwelling

³ This is the offering which you are to gather from them: gold, silver, and bronze; ⁴ blue, purple, and scarlet material, fine linen; goats’ hair, ⁵ rams’ skins dyed red, and hides of sea cows;^[n] acacia wood, ⁶ olive oil for the Light, spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense, ⁷ onyx stones, and stones to be mounted on the special vest^[o] and on the pouch. ⁸ They are to make a sanctuary for me, so that I may dwell among them. ⁹ You are to make it exactly according to the design for the Dwelling and the designs for all of its furniture which I will show you.

The Ark of the Covenant

¹⁰ They shall make an ark^[p] of acacia wood. It is to be forty-five inches long, twenty-seven inches wide, and twenty-seven inches high.^{[q] 11} Overlay it with pure gold. Overlay it on the inside and the outside, and make a gold border around it. ¹² Cast four gold rings for it and place them next to its four feet. Two rings are for one side of it, and two rings for the other side. ¹³ Make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. ¹⁴ Put the poles which are used to carry the ark into the rings on the sides of the ark. ¹⁵ The poles are to be placed into the rings on the ark. They are not to be removed from the rings.

¹⁶ Put the Testimony, which I am about to give to you, into the ark. ¹⁷ Make an atonement seat^[r] of pure gold, forty-five inches long and twenty-seven inches wide. ¹⁸ Make two cherubim^[s] of hammered gold. You are to make them for the two ends of the atonement seat. ¹⁹ Make one cherub for one end and one cherub for the other end. The cherubim on its two ends are to form one piece with the atonement seat.^{[t] 20} The cherubim will spread their wings upward so that they cover the atonement seat with their wings, and they will face each other. The faces of the cherubim are to be looking inward toward the atonement seat. ²¹ Put the atonement seat on top of the ark, and put the Testimony, which I will give to you, into the ark. ²² There I will meet with you, and from above the atonement seat, from between the two cherubim that are on the Ark of the Testimony, I will communicate to you all the commands that I will give to you for the people of Israel.

The Table

²³ You shall make a table of acacia wood, thirty-six inches long, eighteen inches wide, and twenty-seven inches high. ²⁴ Overlay it with pure gold and make a gold border around it.^{[u] 25} Make a three-inch rim around it. Make a gold border for its rim all the way around it. ²⁶ Make four gold rings for it and fasten the rings to the four corners, above the four legs of the table. ²⁷ The rings shall be close to the border to hold the poles used to carry the table. ²⁸ Make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold, so that the table can be carried with them. ²⁹ You are to make its dishes,^[v] its small bowls,^[w] its pitchers, and its larger bowls to pour out offerings.^[x] Make them of pure gold. ³⁰ You are to set the Bread of the Presence^[y] on the table so that it is in front of me at all times.

The Lampstand

³¹ You shall make a lampstand^[z] of pure gold. The lampstand is to be made of hammered metal. Its pedestal, its shaft, its cups, its buds, and its flowers are all to be formed as one piece with the lampstand. ³² There are to be six branches going out from its two sides: Three branches of the lampstand are to go out from one side, and three branches of the lampstand are to go out from the other side. ³³ There are to be three cups shaped like almond blossoms with buds and flowers on the first branch, and three cups like almond blossoms with buds and flowers on the branch opposite it. All six branches going out from the lampstand are to be the same. ³⁴ On the lampstand itself make four cups shaped like almond blossoms with buds and flowers. ³⁵ The bud under one pair of branches is to form one piece with the lampstand, and the bud under the second pair of branches is to form one piece with the lampstand, and the bud under the third pair of branches is to form one piece with the lampstand—the same for all six branches going out of the lampstand. ³⁶ Its buds and branches are to be made as one piece with it. All of it will be one hammered piece of pure gold.

³⁷ You shall make seven lamps for it, and these lamps shall be lit to give light to the area in front of the lampstand. ³⁸ Its wick trimmers and its pans^[aa] are to be made of pure gold. ³⁹ It is to be made of seventy-five pounds^[ab] of pure gold with all these accessories. ⁴⁰ See to it that you make them according to their design, which is being shown to you on the mountain.

²⁹ “Immediately after the misery of those days, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. ³⁰ Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky. And at that time all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. ³¹ He will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.

³² “Learn this lesson from the fig tree. When its branch has become tender and produces leaves, you know that summer is near. ³³ In the same way, when you see all these things, know that he is near, right at the doors. ³⁴ Amen I tell you: This generation^[a] will certainly not pass away until all these things take place. ³⁵ Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

Be Ready!

³⁶ “No one knows when that day and hour will be, not the angels of heaven, not even the Son, but only the Father. ³⁷ Just as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be when the Son of Man returns. ³⁸ In fact, in the days before the flood people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the very day that Noah entered the ark. ³⁹ And they did not realize what was coming until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be when the Son of Man returns.

⁴⁰ “At that time two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. ⁴¹ Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one will be left. ⁴² So be alert, because you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. ⁴³ But understand this: If the master of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. ⁴⁴ You also need to be ready for this reason: The Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not expect him.

⁴⁵ “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has put in charge of his household, to give them their food at the proper time? ⁴⁶ Blessed is that servant whom his master finds doing this when he returns. ⁴⁷ Amen I tell you: He will put him in charge of all that he has. ⁴⁸ But if that servant is wicked and says in his heart, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ ⁴⁹ and he begins to beat his fellow servants and eats and drinks with drunkards, ⁵⁰ the master of that servant will return on a day when he does not expect it and at an hour he does not know. ⁵¹ The master will cut him in two and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Psalm 30

You Brought Me Up From the Grave

Heading
A psalm. A song for the dedication of the Temple. By David.

Praise for Answered Prayer

Join Me in Prayer

Wrestling in Prayer

A Happy Outcome

²² If men are fighting and they injure a pregnant woman so that the child comes out, yet no harm follows, they must certainly be fined as much as the woman’s husband demands and the judges approve. ²³ But if any harm follows, then you are to take life for life, ²⁴ eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, ²⁵ burn for burn, wound for wound, and bruise for bruise.

²⁶ If a man strikes his male or female servant’s eye and destroys it, he must let the servant go free as payment for the eye. ²⁷ If he knocks out his male or female servant’s tooth, he must let the servant go free as payment for the tooth.

²⁸ If an ox gores a man or a woman to death, the ox must be stoned to death, and its flesh must not be eaten, but the owner of the ox will not be held responsible. ²⁹ If the ox, however, had a habit of goring in the past, and its owner had been warned, but he did not keep it confined, and it then kills a man or a woman, the ox shall be stoned, and its owner shall also be put to death. ³⁰ But if a redemption payment is imposed on the owner instead of the death penalty, he must pay whatever is imposed on him to save his life. ³¹ This is also the ruling that applies to him if the ox has gored someone’s son or daughter. ³² But if the ox gores a male servant or a female servant, thirty shekels of silver shall be given to the servant’s owner, and the ox is to be stoned to death.

³³ If a man uncovers a cistern,^[a] or if a man digs a cistern and does not cover it, and an ox or a donkey falls into it, ³⁴ the owner of the cistern shall pay for the loss in full. He shall give money to the owner of the animal, and the dead animal shall be his.

³⁵ If one man’s ox injures his neighbor’s ox, so that it dies, they shall sell the live ox and divide the money they got for it, and they shall also divide the dead animal. ³⁶ But if it was known that the ox was in the habit of goring in the past, and its owner has not kept it confined, he must pay ox for ox, and the dead animal will be his.

Laws About Property

22 If a man steals an ox or a sheep and butchers it or sells it, he shall pay five oxen for an ox and four sheep for a sheep.^[b]

² If a thief is caught breaking in and is struck so that he dies, the one who kills him shall not be guilty of bloodshed. ³ But if this takes place after sunrise, the one who kills him shall be guilty of bloodshed.

A thief shall make restitution. If he has nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft. ⁴ If the stolen animal found in his possession is alive, whether it is an ox, donkey, or sheep, he shall repay double.

⁵ If a man is grazing livestock in a field or a vineyard, and he lets his animals run loose and they graze in another man’s field, ⎣he shall make restitution from his own field on the basis of the produce that was eaten,^[c] but if they have grazed over the whole field,⎦ he shall make restitution from the best of his own field and from the best of his own vineyard.^[d]

⁶ If a fire gets out of control and spreads through the thorn bushes so that someone else’s shocks of grain, standing grain, or grain field are consumed, the one who lit the fire must certainly make restitution.

⁷ If a man entrusts money or other items to his neighbor for safekeeping, and they are stolen out of that man’s house, if the thief is found, he shall repay double. ⁸ If the thief is not found, then the owner of the house shall appear before the judges^[e] to find out whether he has laid his hands on his neighbor’s goods. ⁹ In every such offense, whether it involves an ox, a donkey, a sheep, clothing, or any other kind of lost property about which someone claims, “This is mine,” the claims of both parties shall be presented before the judges. Whichever party the judges find guilty shall repay double to his neighbor.

¹⁰ If a man entrusts a donkey, an ox, a sheep, or any animal to his neighbor for safekeeping, and it dies or is injured or is driven off, and no one sees what happened, ¹¹ to settle the matter between them, the man who received the property must make an oath to the Lord that he has not laid his hands on his neighbor’s goods. Its owner must accept the oath, and the man who received the property shall not be required to make restitution. ¹² But if, in fact, it was stolen while in his custody, he shall make restitution to its owner. ¹³ If it was torn in pieces by animals, let him bring it for evidence. He is not required to make good that which was torn.

¹⁴ If a man borrows anything from his neighbor, and it is injured or dies while its owner is not with it, the borrower must certainly make restitution. ¹⁵ If its owner is with it, the borrower will not be required to make restitution. If it was rented, the rent covers the loss.

Laws About Morals in Society

¹⁶ If a man seduces a virgin who is not pledged in marriage and lies down with her, he must pay a bride price for her to be his wife. ¹⁷ If her father flatly refuses to give her to him, the offender still must weigh out silver equivalent to the bride price for virgins.

¹⁸ You shall not allow a sorceress^[f] to live.

¹⁹ Whoever lies down with an animal shall certainly be put to death.

²⁰ Whoever sacrifices to any god, except to the Lord alone, shall be devoted to destruction.

²¹ You shall not wrong a resident alien or oppress him, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt.

²² You shall not take advantage of any widow or fatherless child. ²³ If you take advantage of them in any way, and they make even the faintest cry to me, I will surely hear their cry, ²⁴ and my anger will burn, and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives will be widows, and your children fatherless.

²⁵ If you lend money to anyone among my people who is poor, you must not act like a moneylender. You must not charge him interest. ²⁶ If you take your neighbor’s outer garment as collateral, you must restore it to him before the sun goes down, ²⁷ for his garment is the only cover he has for his skin. What would he sleep in? Be assured that when he cries to me, I will hear, for I am gracious.

²⁸ You shall not malign the judges,^[g] nor curse a ruler of your people.

²⁹ You shall not delay bringing offerings from your abundant harvest and from your overflowing wine vats.

You shall present the firstborn of your sons to me. ³⁰ You shall do the same with your cattle and with your sheep. For seven days a newborn animal shall be with its mother. Then on the eighth day you shall present it to me.

³¹ You are to be men set apart as holy for me. So you shall not eat any flesh that is torn by wild animals. You shall cast it to the dogs.

23 You shall not spread a false report. Do not join hands with the wicked to be a malicious witness.

² You shall not follow a crowd to do evil. Do not go along with the crowd by testifying in court to pervert justice.

³ You shall not show favoritism to a poor man in his lawsuit.

⁴ If you come upon your enemy’s ox or his donkey going astray, you certainly must bring it back to him again. ⁵ If you see that the donkey of someone who hates you has fallen down under its load, do not pass him by. You certainly must help him with it.

⁶ You shall not deny justice to the poor people among you in their lawsuits.

⁷ Keep your distance from a false charge. Do not put those who are innocent and those who are righteous to death, for I will not acquit^[h] the wicked.

⁸ You shall not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds those who have sight and distorts the words of the righteous.

⁹ You shall not oppress a resident alien, for you know how it feels to be an alien, because you were aliens in the land of Egypt.

Laws About Sabbaths

¹⁰ For six years you shall sow your land and gather in its produce, ¹¹ but during the seventh year you are to let it rest and lie fallow, so that the needy among your people may eat, and the animals in the fields can eat what they leave. You are to deal with your vineyard and with your olive grove in the same way.

¹² Six days you shall do your work, and on the seventh day you shall rest, so that your ox and your donkey will have rest, and so that the son of your female servant and the resident alien will be refreshed.

¹³ Be careful to do all the things that I have said to you. Do not mention the name of other gods. Do not let their names come out of your mouth.

The Destruction of Jerusalem and the End of the World

24 As Jesus left the temple and was walking away, his disciples came up to him to call his attention to the temple buildings. ² Then he replied to them, “Do you see all of these things? Amen I tell you: Not one stone here will be left on another that will not be thrown down.”

³ While he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately and said, “Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the world?”

⁴ Jesus answered them, “Watch out that no one deceives you. ⁵ Because many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will deceive many people. ⁶ You will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, because all these things must happen; but that is not yet the end. ⁷ Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. ⁸ But all these things are only the beginning of birth pains. ⁹ Then they will hand you over to be persecuted, and they will put you to death. You will be hated by all nations because of my name. ¹⁰ Then many will fall away from faith. They will betray each other and hate each other. ¹¹ Many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. ¹² Because lawlessness will increase, the love of many will grow cold. ¹³ But whoever endures to the end will be saved. ¹⁴ This gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

¹⁵ “Therefore when you see the abomination that causes desolation, that was spoken of through the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place—let the reader understand— ¹⁶ then those who are in Judea should flee to the mountains. ¹⁷ The one on the housetop should not go down to take anything out of his house. ¹⁸ The one who is in the field should not return to get his clothes. ¹⁹ How terrible it will be for those who are pregnant or are nursing babies in those days! ²⁰ Pray that your flight will not take place in the winter or on a Sabbath. ²¹ For at that time there will be great distress, unlike any that has happened since the beginning of the world until now, and unlike any that will happen again. ²² If those days were not shortened, nobody would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, those days will be shortened.

²³ “At that time if anyone tells you, ‘Look, here is the Christ,’ or ‘There he is,’ do not believe it. ²⁴ For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will perform great signs and wonders so as to deceive even the elect, if it were possible.

²⁵ “See, I have told you in advance. ²⁶ So if they tell you, ‘Look! There he is in the wilderness,’ do not go out there, or ‘Look! Here he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. ²⁷ Just as the lightning flashes from the east and shines as far as the west, so it will be when the Son of Man comes. ²⁸ Wherever the carcass may be, there the vultures will gather.

Psalm 29

The God of Glory Thunders

Heading
A psalm by David.

The God of Glory Thunders

Wisdom’s Warning

¹⁶ On the third day, when morning came, there was thunder and lightning. A thick cloud was over the mountain, and there was a very loud blast of a ram’s horn. All the people in the camp trembled. ¹⁷ Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. ¹⁸ All of Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the Lord descended on it in fire. Its smoke went up like the smoke from a kiln, and the whole mountain trembled violently. ¹⁹ When the sound of the ram’s horn grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him in the thunder. ²⁰ The Lord came down on Mount Sinai, at the top of the mountain. The Lord then called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up.

²¹ The Lord said to Moses, “Go down and warn the people not to break through to see the Lord. If they do, many of them will fall. ²² Even the priests, who approach the Lord, must consecrate themselves so that the Lord does not break out against them.”

²³ Moses said to the Lord, “The people cannot come up to Mount Sinai, because you warned, ‘Set boundaries around the mountain and treat it as holy.’”

²⁴ The Lord said to him, “Go down and bring Aaron up with you, but the priests and the people must not break through to come up to the Lord, so that the Lord will not break out against them.”

²⁵ So Moses went down to the people and told them these things.

The Ten Commandments

20 Then God spoke all these words:

¹⁸ All the people saw and heard the thunder and the lightning and the sound of the ram’s horn and the mountain smoking. The people saw,^[h] and they trembled and stood far away. ¹⁹ Then they said to Moses, “Speak with us yourself, and we will listen, but do not let God speak with us, or we will die.”

²⁰ Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid, for God has come to test you, so that you may always fear him, so that you do not sin.”

²¹ The people stayed at a distance, but Moses approached the thick darkness where God was.

²² Then the Lord told Moses to tell the people of Israel the following things:

You yourselves have seen that I have talked with you from heaven. ²³ You shall not make gods of silver or gods of gold and place them beside me. You shall not make them for yourselves.

²⁴ You are to make an altar of earth for me and to sacrifice your whole burnt offerings on it, as well as your fellowship offerings, your sheep, and your cattle. In every place where I cause my name to be remembered, I will come to you and I will bless you.

²⁵ If you make a stone altar for me, you are not to build it out of cut stones, because by applying a tool to it you would pollute it.

²⁶ You are not to go up to my altar by steps, so that your nakedness will not be uncovered upon it.

Civil Laws

21 Now these are the ordinances which you are to set before them:

Laws About Servants

² If you purchase a Hebrew servant, he is to serve for six years, but in the seventh he may go free without paying anything. ³ If he comes in by himself, he will go out by himself. If he is married when he comes in, then his wife will go out with him. ⁴ If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the wife and her children will belong to her master, and the servant will go out by himself. ⁵ But if the servant formally declares, “I love my master, my wife, and my children. I do not want to go out free,” ⁶ then his master shall bring him to the judges.^[i] His master shall bring him to the door or to the doorpost, and he shall bore through his ear with an awl. Then he shall serve him for the rest of his life.

⁷ If a man sells his daughter to be a female servant, she may not be sent out of the household as the male servants may be. ⁸ If she does not please her master who has married her, then he must let her be redeemed. He has no right to sell her to a foreign people, since he has not kept his commitment to her. ⁹ If he marries her to his son, he must deal with her as he would deal with a daughter. ¹⁰ If he takes a second wife for himself, he must not diminish the food, the clothing, or the marital rights^[j] of the first wife. ¹¹ If he does not do these three things for her, she may go free without paying any money.

Laws About Injuries

¹² Anyone who strikes a man so that he dies must certainly be put to death. ¹³ However, if this was not done intentionally but rather was an act of God, for that kind of case I will appoint a place among you to which that man can flee. ¹⁴ But if a man plots and kills his neighbor deliberately, you shall take him from my altar, so that he may be put to death.

¹⁵ Anyone who strikes his father or his mother must certainly be put to death.

¹⁶ If anyone kidnaps someone and sells him, or if the kidnapped person is found in his possession, the kidnapper must certainly be put to death.

¹⁷ Anyone who curses his father or his mother must certainly be put to death.

¹⁸ If men quarrel and one strikes the other with a stone or with his fist, and the victim does not die but is confined to bed— ¹⁹ if the victim gets up and can walk around outside with his staff, then the one who struck him shall not be punished, but he must pay for the victim’s lost work time while he is recuperating, until he is completely healed.

²⁰ If a man strikes his male or his female servant with a club,^[k] and the servant dies at his hand, he must certainly be punished. ²¹ However, if the servant gets up after a day or two,^[l] the man shall not be punished, for the servant was his property.

Woes and Warnings

¹³ “But woe to you, experts in the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven right in front of people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor do you permit those who are trying to enter to do so.^{[a] 15} Woe to you, experts in the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel the sea and the land to make one convert, and then when he is converted, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are.

¹⁶ “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is obligated.’ ¹⁷ You blind fools! After all, which is greater: the gold or the temple that sanctifies the gold? ¹⁸ And you say, ‘Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gift that is on it, he is obligated.’ ¹⁹ You blind men! After all, which is greater: the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift? ²⁰ So whoever swears by the altar, swears by it and by everything on it. ²¹ Also, whoever swears by the temple, swears by it and by him who dwells in it. ²² And whoever swears by heaven, swears by God’s throne and by him who sits on it.

²³ “Woe to you, experts in the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give ten percent of your mint, dill, and cumin, but you have neglected the more important matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faith. You should have done these things and not failed to do the other things. ²⁴ Blind guides, you strain out a gnat but swallow a camel!

²⁵ “Woe to you, experts in the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of a cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. ²⁶ Blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and dish so that the outside may become clean too.

²⁷ “Woe to you, experts in the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs that appear beautiful on the outside, but on the inside are full of dead people’s bones and every kind of uncleanness. ²⁸ In the same way, on the outside you seem righteous to people, but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.

²⁹ “Woe to you, experts in the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, ³⁰ and you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have joined with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ ³¹ By saying this you testify against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. ³² Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers. ³³ You serpents, you offspring of vipers, how will you escape being condemned to hell?

³⁴ “Look, this is why I am sending you prophets, wise men, and experts in the law. Some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will flog in your synagogues and persecute from town to town. ³⁵ As a result, you will be held responsible for all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. ³⁶ Amen I tell you: All these things will come upon this generation.

³⁷ “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her! How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! ³⁸ Look, your house is left to you desolate. ³⁹ For I tell you, you will certainly not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’”^[b]

Psalm 28

My Rock

Heading
By David.

Protect Me From the Wicked

Punish the Wicked

Then I Will Praise You

Tenth Address to a Son:
Wisdom Protects You From Adultery and Death

Victory over the Amalekites

^8 [a] Amalek came^[b] and attacked^[c] Israel in Rephidim. ⁹ So Moses said to Joshua, “Choose some of our^[d] men and go out, fight against Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.”

¹⁰ So Joshua fought against Amalek just as Moses had instructed him,^[e] and Moses and Aaron and Hur went up to the top of the hill. ¹¹ Whenever Moses would raise his hands,^[f] then Israel prevailed, but whenever he would rest^[g] his hands, then Amalek prevailed. ¹² When^[h] the hands of Moses became heavy,^[i] they took a stone and put it under him, and Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side and one on the other,^[j] and so his hands were steady^[k] until the sun went down. ¹³ So Joshua destroyed^[l] Amalek and his army^[m] with the sword.^[n]

¹⁴ The Lord said to Moses, “Write this as a memorial in the^[o] book, and rehearse^[p] it in Joshua’s hearing;^[q] for I will surely wipe out^[r] the remembrance^[s] of Amalek from under heaven.” ¹⁵ Moses built an altar, and he called it “The Lord is my Banner,”^{[t] 16} for he said, “For a hand was lifted up to the throne of the Lord^[u]—that the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.”^[v]

The Advice of Jethro

18 ^[w] Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses’ father-in-law, heard about all that God had done for Moses and for his people Israel, that^[x] the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt.^[y]

² Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, took Moses’ wife Zipporah after he had sent her back, ³ and her two sons, one of whom was named Gershom^[z] (for Moses^[aa] had said, “I have been a foreigner^[ab] in a foreign land”) ⁴ and the other Eliezer (for Moses had said,^[ac] “The God of my father has been my help^[ad] and delivered^[ae] me from the sword of Pharaoh”).

⁵ Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, together with Moses’^[af] sons and his wife, came to Moses in the wilderness where he was camping by^[ag] the mountain of God.^{[ah] 6} He said^[ai] to Moses, “I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you, along with your wife and her two sons with her.” ⁷ Moses went out to meet his father-in-law and bowed down and kissed him;^[aj] they each asked about the other’s welfare, and then they went into the tent. ⁸ Moses told his father-in-law all that the Lord had done to Pharaoh and to Egypt for Israel’s sake, and all the hardship^[ak] that had come on them^[al] along the way, and how^[am] the Lord had delivered them.

⁹ Jethro rejoiced^[an] because of all the good that the Lord had done for Israel, whom he had delivered from the hand of Egypt. ¹⁰ Jethro said, “Blessed^[ao] be the Lord who has delivered you from the hand of Egypt, and from the hand of Pharaoh, who has delivered the people from the Egyptians’ control!^{[ap] 11} Now I know that the Lord is greater than all the gods, for in the thing in which they dealt proudly against them he has destroyed them.”^{[aq] 12} Then Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, brought^[ar] a burnt offering and sacrifices for God,^[as] and Aaron and all the elders of Israel came to eat food^[at] with the father-in-law of Moses before God.

¹³ On the next day^[au] Moses sat to judge^[av] the people, and the people stood around Moses from morning until evening. ¹⁴ When Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he was doing for the people, he said, “What is this^[aw] that you are doing for the people?^[ax] Why are you sitting by yourself, and all the people stand around you from morning until evening?”

¹⁵ Moses said to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me to inquire^[ay] of God. ¹⁶ When they have a dispute,^[az] it comes to me and I decide^[ba] between a man and his neighbor, and I make known the decrees of God and his laws.”^[bb]

¹⁷ Moses’ father-in-law said to him, “What^[bc] you are doing is not good! ¹⁸ You will surely wear out,^[bd] both you and these people who are with you, for this is too^[be] heavy a burden^[bf] for you; you are not able to do it by yourself. ¹⁹ Now listen to me,^[bg] I will give you advice, and may God be with you. You be a representative for the people to God,^[bh] and you bring^[bi] their disputes^[bj] to God; ²⁰ warn^[bk] them of the statutes and the laws, and make known to them the way in which they must walk^[bl] and the work they must do.^{[bm] 21} But you choose^[bn] from the people capable men,^[bo] God-fearing men,^[bp] men of truth,^[bq] those who hate bribes,^[br] and put them over the people^[bs] as rulers^[bt] of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens. ²² They will judge^[bu] the people under normal circumstances,^[bv] and every difficult case^[bw] they will bring to you, but every small case^[bx] they themselves will judge, so that^[by] you may make it easier for yourself,^[bz] and they will bear the burden^[ca] with you. ²³ If you do this thing, and God so commands you,^[cb] then you will be able^[cc] to endure,^[cd] and all these people^[ce] will be able to go^[cf] home^[cg] satisfied.”^[ch]

²⁴ Moses listened to^[ci] his father-in-law and did everything he had said. ²⁵ Moses chose capable men from all Israel, and he made them heads over the people, rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens. ²⁶ They judged the people under normal circumstances; the difficult cases they would bring^[cj] to Moses, but every small case they would judge themselves.

²⁷ Then Moses sent his father-in-law on his way,^[ck] and so Jethro^[cl] went^[cm] to his own land.^[cn]

Israel at Sinai

19 ^[co] In the third month after the Israelites went out^[cp] from the land of Egypt, on the very day,^[cq] they came to the desert of Sinai. ² After they journeyed^[cr] from Rephidim, they came to the desert of Sinai, and they camped in the desert; Israel camped there in front of the mountain.^[cs]

³ Moses^[ct] went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain, “Thus you will tell the house of Jacob, and declare to the people^[cu] of Israel: ⁴ ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt and how I lifted you on eagles’ wings^[cv] and brought you to myself.^{[cw] 5} And now, if you will diligently listen to me^[cx] and keep^[cy] my covenant, then you will be my^[cz] special possession^[da] out of all the nations, for all the earth is mine, ⁶ and you will be to me^[db] a kingdom of priests^[dc] and a holy nation.’^[dd] These are the words that you will speak to the Israelites.”

⁷ So Moses came and summoned the elders of Israel. He set before them all these words that the Lord had commanded him, ⁸ and all the people answered together, “All that the Lord has commanded we will do!”^[de] So Moses brought the words of the people back to the Lord.

⁹ The Lord said to Moses, “I am going to come^[df] to you in a dense cloud,^[dg] so that the people may hear when I speak with you and so that they will always believe in you.”^[dh] And Moses told the words of the people to the Lord.

¹⁰ The Lord said to Moses, “Go to the people and sanctify them^[di] today and tomorrow, and make them wash^[dj] their clothes ¹¹ and be ready for the third day, for on the third day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. ¹² You must set boundaries^[dk] for the people all around, saying, ‘Take heed^[dl] to yourselves not to go up on the mountain nor touch its edge. Whoever touches the mountain will surely be put to death! ¹³ No hand will touch him^[dm]—but he will surely be stoned or shot through, whether a beast or a human being;^[dn] he must not live.’ When the ram’s horn sounds a long blast they may^[do] go up on the mountain.”

¹⁴ Then Moses went down from the mountain to the people and sanctified the people, and they washed their clothes. ¹⁵ He said to the people, “Be ready for the third day. Do not approach your wives for marital relations.”^[dp]

The Greatest Commandment

³⁴ Now when the Pharisees^[a] heard that he had silenced the Sadducees,^[b] they assembled together.^{[c] 35} And one of them, an expert in religious law,^[d] asked him a question to test^[e] him: ³⁶ “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?”^{[f] 37} Jesus^[g] said to him, “‘Love^[h] the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’^{[i] 38} This is the first and greatest^[j] commandment. ³⁹ The second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’^{[k] 40} All the law and the prophets depend^[l] on these two commandments.”

The Messiah: David’s Son and Lord

⁴¹ While^[m] the Pharisees^[n] were assembled, Jesus asked them a question:^{[o] 42} “What do you think about the Christ?^[p] Whose son is he?” They said, “The son of David.”^{[q] 43} He said to them, “How then does David by the Spirit call him ‘Lord,’ saying,

⁴⁵ If David then calls him ‘Lord,’ how can he be his son?”^{[t] 46} No one^[u] was able to answer him a word, and from that day on no one dared to question him any longer.

Seven Woes

23 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, ² “The^[v] experts in the law^[w] and the Pharisees^[x] sit on Moses’ seat. ³ Therefore pay attention to what they tell you and do it. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they teach.^{[y] 4} They^[z] tie up heavy loads, hard to carry, and put them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing even to lift a finger to move them. ⁵ They^[aa] do all their deeds to be seen by people, for they make their phylacteries^[ab] wide and their tassels^[ac] long. ⁶ They^[ad] love the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues^{[ae] 7} and elaborate greetings^[af] in the marketplaces,^[ag] and to have people call them ‘Rabbi.’ ⁸ But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher and you are all brothers. ⁹ And call no one your ‘father’ on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. ¹⁰ Nor are you to be called ‘teacher,’ for you have one teacher, the Christ.^{[ah] 11} The^[ai] greatest among you will be your servant. ¹² And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

²⁰ Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a hand drum in her hand, and all the women went out after her with hand drums and with dances.^{[a] 21} Miriam sang in response^[b] to them,

The Bitter Water

^22 [d] Then Moses led Israel to journey away^[e] from the Red Sea. They went out to the wilderness of Shur, walked for three days^[f] into the wilderness, and found no water. ²³ Then they came to Marah,^[g] but they were not able to drink^[h] the waters of Marah, because^[i] they were bitter.^[j] (That is^[k] why its name was^[l] Marah.)

²⁴ So the people murmured^[m] against Moses, saying, “What can^[n] we drink?” ²⁵ He cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him^[o] a tree.^[p] When Moses^[q] threw it into the water, the water became safe to drink. There the Lord^[r] made for them^[s] a binding ordinance,^[t] and there he tested^[u] them. ²⁶ He said, “If you will diligently obey^[v] the Lord your God, and do what is right^[w] in his sight, and pay attention^[x] to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, then all^[y] the diseases^[z] that I brought on the Egyptians I will not bring on you, for I, the Lord, am your healer.”^[aa]

²⁷ Then they came to Elim,^[ab] where there were twelve wells of water and seventy palm trees, and they camped there by the water.

The Provision of Manna

16 ^[ac] When^[ad] they journeyed from Elim, the entire company^[ae] of Israelites came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their exodus^[af] from the land of Egypt. ² The entire company^[ag] of Israelites murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. ³ The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died^[ah] by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by^[ai] the pots of meat, when we ate bread to the full,^[aj] for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill^[ak] this whole assembly with hunger!”

⁴ Then the Lord said to Moses, “I am going to rain^[al] bread from heaven for you, and the people will go out^[am] and gather the amount for each day, so that I may test them.^[an] Will they walk in my law^[ao] or not? ⁵ On the sixth day^[ap] they will prepare what they bring in, and it will be twice as much as they gather every other day.”^[aq]

⁶ Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, “In the evening^[ar] you will know that the Lord has brought you out of the land of Egypt, ⁷ and in the morning you will see^[as] the glory of the Lord, because he has heard^[at] your murmurings against the Lord. As for us, what are we,^[au] that you should murmur against us?”

⁸ Moses said, “You will know this^[av] when the Lord gives you^[aw] meat to eat in the evening and bread in the morning to satisfy you, because the Lord has heard your murmurings that you are murmuring against him. As for us, what are we?^[ax] Your murmurings are not against us,^[ay] but against the Lord.”

⁹ Then Moses said to Aaron, “Tell the whole community^[az] of the Israelites, ‘Come^[ba] before the Lord, because he has heard your murmurings.’”

¹⁰ As Aaron spoke^[bb] to the whole community of the Israelites and they looked toward the wilderness, there the glory of the Lord^[bc] appeared^[bd] in the cloud, ¹¹ and the Lord spoke to Moses, ¹² “I have heard the murmurings of the Israelites. Tell them, ‘During the evening^[be] you will eat meat,^[bf] and in the morning you will be satisfied^[bg] with bread, so that you may know^[bh] that I am the Lord your God.’”^[bi]

¹³ In the evening the quail^[bj] came up and covered the camp, and in the morning a layer of dew was all around the camp. ¹⁴ When^[bk] the layer of dew had evaporated,^[bl] there on the surface of the wilderness was a thin flaky substance,^[bm] thin like frost on the earth. ¹⁵ When^[bn] the Israelites saw it, they said to one another,^[bo] “What is it?” because they did not know what it was.^[bp] Moses said to them, “It is the bread^[bq] that the Lord has given you for food.^[br]

¹⁶ “This is what^[bs] the Lord has commanded:^[bt] ‘Each person is to gather^[bu] from it what he can eat, an omer^[bv] per person^[bw] according to the number^[bx] of your people;^[by] each one will pick it up^[bz] for whoever lives^[ca] in his tent.’” ¹⁷ The Israelites did so, and they gathered—some more, some less. ¹⁸ When^[cb] they measured with an omer, the one who gathered much had nothing left over, and the one who gathered little lacked nothing; each one had gathered what he could eat.

¹⁹ Moses said to them, “No one^[cc] is to keep any of it^[cd] until morning.” ²⁰ But they did not listen to Moses; some^[ce] kept part of it until morning, and it was full^[cf] of worms and began to stink, and Moses was angry with them. ²¹ So they gathered it each morning,^[cg] each person according to what he could eat, and when the sun got hot, it would melt.^{[ch] 22} And^[ci] on the sixth day they gathered twice as much food, two omers^[cj] per person;^[ck] and all the leaders^[cl] of the community^[cm] came and told^[cn] Moses. ²³ He said to them, “This is what the Lord has said: ‘Tomorrow is a time of cessation from work,^[co] a holy Sabbath^[cp] to the Lord. Whatever you want to^[cq] bake, bake today;^[cr] whatever you want to boil, boil today; whatever is left put aside for yourselves to be kept until morning.’”

²⁴ So they put it aside until the morning, just as Moses had commanded, and it did not stink, nor were there any worms in it. ²⁵ Moses said, “Eat it today, for today is a Sabbath to the Lord; today you will not find it in the area.^{[cs] 26} Six days you will gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will not be any.”

²⁷ On the seventh day some of the people went out to gather it, but they found nothing. ²⁸ So the Lord said to Moses, “How long do you refuse^[ct] to obey my commandments and my instructions? ²⁹ See, because the Lord has given you the Sabbath, that is why^[cu] he is giving you food for two days on the sixth day. Each of you stay where you are;^[cv] let no one^[cw] go out of his place on the seventh day.” ³⁰ So the people rested on the seventh day.

³¹ The house of Israel^[cx] called its name “manna.”^[cy] It was like coriander seed and was white, and it tasted^[cz] like wafers with honey.

³² Moses said, “This is what^[da] the Lord has commanded: ‘Fill an omer with it to be kept^[db] for generations to come,^[dc] so that they may see^[dd] the food I fed you in the wilderness when I brought you out from the land of Egypt.’” ³³ Moses said to Aaron, “Take a jar and put in it an omer full of manna, and place it before the Lord to be kept for generations to come.” ³⁴ Just as the Lord commanded Moses, so Aaron placed it before the ark of the testimony^[de] for safekeeping.^[df]

³⁵ Now the Israelites ate manna forty years, until they came to a land that was inhabited; they ate manna until they came to the border of the land of Canaan. ³⁶ (Now an omer is one-tenth of an ephah.)^[dg]

Water at Massah and Meribah

17 ^[dh] The whole community^[di] of the Israelites traveled on their journey^[dj] from the wilderness of Sin according to the Lord’s instruction, and they pitched camp in Rephidim.^[dk] Now^[dl] there was no water for the people to drink.^{[dm] 2} So the people contended^[dn] with Moses, and they said, “Give us water to drink!”^[do] Moses said to them, “Why do you contend^[dp] with me? Why do you test^[dq] the Lord?” ³ But the people were very thirsty^[dr] there for water, and they murmured against Moses and said, “Why in the world^[ds] did you bring us up from Egypt—to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?”^[dt]

⁴ Then Moses cried out to the Lord, “What will I do with^[du] this people?—a little more^[dv] and they will stone me!”^{[dw] 5} The Lord said to Moses, “Go over before the people;^[dx] take with you some of the elders of Israel and take in your hand your staff with which you struck the Nile and go. ⁶ I will be standing^[dy] before you there on^[dz] the rock in Horeb, and you will strike^[ea] the rock, and water will come out of it so that the people may drink.”^[eb] And Moses did so in plain view^[ec] of the elders of Israel.

⁷ He called the name of the place Massah and Meribah, because of the contending of the Israelites and because of their testing the Lord,^[ed] saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”

The Parable of the Wedding Banquet

22 Jesus spoke^[a] to them again in parables, saying: ² “The kingdom of heaven can be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son. ³ He sent his slaves^[b] to summon those who had been invited to the banquet, but they would not come. ⁴ Again he sent other slaves, saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited, “Look! The feast I have prepared for you is ready.^[c] My oxen and fattened cattle have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.”’ ⁵ But they were indifferent and went away, one to his farm, another to his business. ⁶ The^[d] rest seized his slaves, insolently mistreated them, and killed them. ⁷ The^[e] king was furious! He sent his soldiers, and they put those murderers to death^[f] and set their city^[g] on fire. ⁸ Then he said to his slaves, ‘The wedding is ready, but the ones who had been invited were not worthy. ⁹ So go into the main streets and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet.’ ¹⁰ And those slaves went out into the streets and gathered all they found, both bad and good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests. ¹¹ But when the king came in to see the wedding guests, he saw a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. ¹² And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’ But he had nothing to say.^{[h] 13} Then the king said to his attendants, ‘Tie him up hand and foot and throw him into the outer darkness,^[i] where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth!’ ¹⁴ For many are called, but few are chosen.”

Paying Taxes to Caesar

¹⁵ Then the Pharisees^[j] went out and planned together to entrap him with his own words.^{[k] 16} They sent to him their disciples along with the Herodians,^[l] saying, “Teacher, we know that you are truthful, and teach the way of God in accordance with the truth.^[m] You do not court anyone’s favor because you show no partiality.^{[n] 17} Tell us then, what do you think? Is it right^[o] to pay taxes^[p] to Caesar^[q] or not?”

¹⁸ But Jesus realized their evil intentions and said, “Hypocrites! Why are you testing me? ¹⁹ Show me the coin used for the tax.” So^[r] they brought him a denarius.^{[s] 20} Jesus^[t] said to them, “Whose image^[u] is this, and whose inscription?” ²¹ They replied,^[v] “Caesar’s.” He said to them,^[w] “Then give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”^{[x] 22} Now when they heard this they were stunned,^[y] and they left him and went away.

Marriage and the Resurrection

²³ The same day Sadducees^[z] (who say there is no resurrection)^[aa] came to him and asked him,^{[ab] 24} “Teacher, Moses said, ‘If a man dies without having children, his brother must marry the widow and father children^[ac] for his brother.’^{[ad] 25} Now there were seven brothers among us. The first one married and died, and since he had no children he left his wife to his brother. ²⁶ The second did the same, and the third, down to the seventh. ²⁷ Last^[ae] of all, the woman died. ²⁸ In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife of the seven will she be? For they all had married her.”^{[af] 29} Jesus^[ag] answered them, “You are deceived,^[ah] because you don’t know the scriptures or the power of God. ³⁰ For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels^[ai] in heaven. ³¹ Now as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God,^{[aj] 32} ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’?^[ak] He is not the God of the dead but of the living!”^{[al] 33} When the crowds heard this, they were amazed at his teaching.

Psalm 27^[a]

By David.