Author: Powered by Bible Gateway

Daniel Interprets the Dream

²⁴ Then Daniel went in to see Arioch, whom the king had ordered to execute the wise men of Babylon. Daniel said to him, “Don’t kill the wise men. Take me to the king, and I will tell him the meaning of his dream.”

²⁵ Arioch quickly took Daniel to the king and said, “I have found one of the captives from Judah who will tell the king the meaning of his dream!”

²⁶ The king said to Daniel (also known as Belteshazzar), “Is this true? Can you tell me what my dream was and what it means?”

²⁷ Daniel replied, “There are no wise men, enchanters, magicians, or fortune-tellers who can reveal the king’s secret. ²⁸ But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and he has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in the future. Now I will tell you your dream and the visions you saw as you lay on your bed.

²⁹ “While Your Majesty was sleeping, you dreamed about coming events. He who reveals secrets has shown you what is going to happen. ³⁰ And it is not because I am wiser than anyone else that I know the secret of your dream, but because God wants you to understand what was in your heart.

³¹ “In your vision, Your Majesty, you saw standing before you a huge, shining statue of a man. It was a frightening sight. ³² The head of the statue was made of fine gold. Its chest and arms were silver, its belly and thighs were bronze, ³³ its legs were iron, and its feet were a combination of iron and baked clay. ³⁴ As you watched, a rock was cut from a mountain,^[a] but not by human hands. It struck the feet of iron and clay, smashing them to bits. ³⁵ The whole statue was crushed into small pieces of iron, clay, bronze, silver, and gold. Then the wind blew them away without a trace, like chaff on a threshing floor. But the rock that knocked the statue down became a great mountain that covered the whole earth.

³⁶ “That was the dream. Now we will tell the king what it means. ³⁷ Your Majesty, you are the greatest of kings. The God of heaven has given you sovereignty, power, strength, and honor. ³⁸ He has made you the ruler over all the inhabited world and has put even the wild animals and birds under your control. You are the head of gold.

³⁹ “But after your kingdom comes to an end, another kingdom, inferior to yours, will rise to take your place. After that kingdom has fallen, yet a third kingdom, represented by bronze, will rise to rule the world. ⁴⁰ Following that kingdom, there will be a fourth one, as strong as iron. That kingdom will smash and crush all previous empires, just as iron smashes and crushes everything it strikes. ⁴¹ The feet and toes you saw were a combination of iron and baked clay, showing that this kingdom will be divided. Like iron mixed with clay, it will have some of the strength of iron. ⁴² But while some parts of it will be as strong as iron, other parts will be as weak as clay. ⁴³ This mixture of iron and clay also shows that these kingdoms will try to strengthen themselves by forming alliances with each other through intermarriage. But they will not hold together, just as iron and clay do not mix.

⁴⁴ “During the reigns of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed or conquered. It will crush all these kingdoms into nothingness, and it will stand forever. ⁴⁵ That is the meaning of the rock cut from the mountain, though not by human hands, that crushed to pieces the statue of iron, bronze, clay, silver, and gold. The great God was showing the king what will happen in the future. The dream is true, and its meaning is certain.”

Nebuchadnezzar Rewards Daniel

⁴⁶ Then King Nebuchadnezzar threw himself down before Daniel and worshiped him, and he commanded his people to offer sacrifices and burn sweet incense before him. ⁴⁷ The king said to Daniel, “Truly, your God is the greatest of gods, the Lord over kings, a revealer of mysteries, for you have been able to reveal this secret.”

⁴⁸ Then the king appointed Daniel to a high position and gave him many valuable gifts. He made Daniel ruler over the whole province of Babylon, as well as chief over all his wise men. ⁴⁹ At Daniel’s request, the king appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to be in charge of all the affairs of the province of Babylon, while Daniel remained in the king’s court.

Nebuchadnezzar’s Gold Statue

3 King Nebuchadnezzar made a gold statue ninety feet tall and nine feet wide^[b] and set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. ² Then he sent messages to the high officers, officials, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all the provincial officials to come to the dedication of the statue he had set up. ³ So all these officials^[c] came and stood before the statue King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

⁴ Then a herald shouted out, “People of all races and nations and languages, listen to the king’s command! ⁵ When you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes, and other musical instruments,^[d] bow to the ground to worship King Nebuchadnezzar’s gold statue. ⁶ Anyone who refuses to obey will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace.”

⁷ So at the sound of the musical instruments,^[e] all the people, whatever their race or nation or language, bowed to the ground and worshiped the gold statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

⁸ But some of the astrologers^[f] went to the king and informed on the Jews. ⁹ They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, “Long live the king! ¹⁰ You issued a decree requiring all the people to bow down and worship the gold statue when they hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes, and other musical instruments. ¹¹ That decree also states that those who refuse to obey must be thrown into a blazing furnace. ¹² But there are some Jews—Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—whom you have put in charge of the province of Babylon. They pay no attention to you, Your Majesty. They refuse to serve your gods and do not worship the gold statue you have set up.”

¹³ Then Nebuchadnezzar flew into a rage and ordered that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought before him. When they were brought in, ¹⁴ Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you refuse to serve my gods or to worship the gold statue I have set up? ¹⁵ I will give you one more chance to bow down and worship the statue I have made when you hear the sound of the musical instruments.^[g] But if you refuse, you will be thrown immediately into the blazing furnace. And then what god will be able to rescue you from my power?”

¹⁶ Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you. ¹⁷ If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. ¹⁸ But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.”

The Blazing Furnace

¹⁹ Nebuchadnezzar was so furious with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego that his face became distorted with rage. He commanded that the furnace be heated seven times hotter than usual. ²⁰ Then he ordered some of the strongest men of his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and throw them into the blazing furnace. ²¹ So they tied them up and threw them into the furnace, fully dressed in their pants, turbans, robes, and other garments. ²² And because the king, in his anger, had demanded such a hot fire in the furnace, the flames killed the soldiers as they threw the three men in. ²³ So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, securely tied, fell into the roaring flames.

²⁴ But suddenly, Nebuchadnezzar jumped up in amazement and exclaimed to his advisers, “Didn’t we tie up three men and throw them into the furnace?”

“Yes, Your Majesty, we certainly did,” they replied.

²⁵ “Look!” Nebuchadnezzar shouted. “I see four men, unbound, walking around in the fire unharmed! And the fourth looks like a god^[h]!”

²⁶ Then Nebuchadnezzar came as close as he could to the door of the flaming furnace and shouted: “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!”

So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego stepped out of the fire. ²⁷ Then the high officers, officials, governors, and advisers crowded around them and saw that the fire had not touched them. Not a hair on their heads was singed, and their clothing was not scorched. They didn’t even smell of smoke!

²⁸ Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise to the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego! He sent his angel to rescue his servants who trusted in him. They defied the king’s command and were willing to die rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. ²⁹ Therefore, I make this decree: If any people, whatever their race or nation or language, speak a word against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, they will be torn limb from limb, and their houses will be turned into heaps of rubble. There is no other god who can rescue like this!”

³⁰ Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to even higher positions in the province of Babylon.

⁷ The end of the world is coming soon. Therefore, be earnest and disciplined in your prayers. ⁸ Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins. ⁹ Cheerfully share your home with those who need a meal or a place to stay.

¹⁰ God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. ¹¹ Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.

Suffering for Being a Christian

¹² Dear friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you. ¹³ Instead, be very glad—for these trials make you partners with Christ in his suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing his glory when it is revealed to all the world.

¹⁴ If you are insulted because you bear the name of Christ, you will be blessed, for the glorious Spirit of God^[a] rests upon you.^{[b] 15} If you suffer, however, it must not be for murder, stealing, making trouble, or prying into other people’s affairs. ¹⁶ But it is no shame to suffer for being a Christian. Praise God for the privilege of being called by his name! ¹⁷ For the time has come for judgment, and it must begin with God’s household. And if judgment begins with us, what terrible fate awaits those who have never obeyed God’s Good News? ¹⁸ And also,

¹⁹ So if you are suffering in a manner that pleases God, keep on doing what is right, and trust your lives to the God who created you, for he will never fail you.

Advice for Elders and Young Men

5 And now, a word to you who are elders in the churches. I, too, am an elder and a witness to the sufferings of Christ. And I, too, will share in his glory when he is revealed to the whole world. As a fellow elder, I appeal to you: ² Care for the flock that God has entrusted to you. Watch over it willingly, not grudgingly—not for what you will get out of it, but because you are eager to serve God. ³ Don’t lord it over the people assigned to your care, but lead them by your own good example. ⁴ And when the Great Shepherd appears, you will receive a crown of never-ending glory and honor.

⁵ In the same way, you who are younger must accept the authority of the elders. And all of you, dress yourselves in humility as you relate to one another, for

⁶ So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor. ⁷ Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.

⁸ Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. ⁹ Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your family of believers^[e] all over the world is going through the same kind of suffering you are.

¹⁰ In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation. ¹¹ All power to him forever! Amen.

Peter’s Final Greetings

¹² I have written and sent this short letter to you with the help of Silas,^[f] whom I commend to you as a faithful brother. My purpose in writing is to encourage you and assure you that what you are experiencing is truly part of God’s grace for you. Stand firm in this grace.

¹³ Your sister church here in Babylon^[g] sends you greetings, and so does my son Mark. ¹⁴ Greet each other with a kiss of love.

Peace be with all of you who are in Christ.

Kaph

Lamedh

Daniel in Nebuchadnezzar’s Court

1 During the third year of King Jehoiakim’s reign in Judah,^[a] King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. ² The Lord gave him victory over King Jehoiakim of Judah and permitted him to take some of the sacred objects from the Temple of God. So Nebuchadnezzar took them back to the land of Babylonia^[b] and placed them in the treasure-house of his god.

³ Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, his chief of staff, to bring to the palace some of the young men of Judah’s royal family and other noble families, who had been brought to Babylon as captives. ⁴ “Select only strong, healthy, and good-looking young men,” he said. “Make sure they are well versed in every branch of learning, are gifted with knowledge and good judgment, and are suited to serve in the royal palace. Train these young men in the language and literature of Babylon.^[c]” ⁵ The king assigned them a daily ration of food and wine from his own kitchens. They were to be trained for three years, and then they would enter the royal service.

⁶ Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were four of the young men chosen, all from the tribe of Judah. ⁷ The chief of staff renamed them with these Babylonian names:

⁸ But Daniel was determined not to defile himself by eating the food and wine given to them by the king. He asked the chief of staff for permission not to eat these unacceptable foods. ⁹ Now God had given the chief of staff both respect and affection for Daniel. ¹⁰ But he responded, “I am afraid of my lord the king, who has ordered that you eat this food and wine. If you become pale and thin compared to the other youths your age, I am afraid the king will have me beheaded.”

¹¹ Daniel spoke with the attendant who had been appointed by the chief of staff to look after Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. ¹² “Please test us for ten days on a diet of vegetables and water,” Daniel said. ¹³ “At the end of the ten days, see how we look compared to the other young men who are eating the king’s food. Then make your decision in light of what you see.” ¹⁴ The attendant agreed to Daniel’s suggestion and tested them for ten days.

¹⁵ At the end of the ten days, Daniel and his three friends looked healthier and better nourished than the young men who had been eating the food assigned by the king. ¹⁶ So after that, the attendant fed them only vegetables instead of the food and wine provided for the others.

¹⁷ God gave these four young men an unusual aptitude for understanding every aspect of literature and wisdom. And God gave Daniel the special ability to interpret the meanings of visions and dreams.

¹⁸ When the training period ordered by the king was completed, the chief of staff brought all the young men to King Nebuchadnezzar. ¹⁹ The king talked with them, and no one impressed him as much as Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. So they entered the royal service. ²⁰ Whenever the king consulted them in any matter requiring wisdom and balanced judgment, he found them ten times more capable than any of the magicians and enchanters in his entire kingdom.

²¹ Daniel remained in the royal service until the first year of the reign of King Cyrus.^[d]

Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream

2 One night during the second year of his reign,^[e] Nebuchadnezzar had such disturbing dreams that he couldn’t sleep. ² He called in his magicians, enchanters, sorcerers, and astrologers,^[f] and he demanded that they tell him what he had dreamed. As they stood before the king, ³ he said, “I have had a dream that deeply troubles me, and I must know what it means.”

⁴ Then the astrologers answered the king in Aramaic,^[g] “Long live the king! Tell us the dream, and we will tell you what it means.”

⁵ But the king said to the astrologers, “I am serious about this. If you don’t tell me what my dream was and what it means, you will be torn limb from limb, and your houses will be turned into heaps of rubble! ⁶ But if you tell me what I dreamed and what the dream means, I will give you many wonderful gifts and honors. Just tell me the dream and what it means!”

⁷ They said again, “Please, Your Majesty. Tell us the dream, and we will tell you what it means.”

⁸ The king replied, “I know what you are doing! You’re stalling for time because you know I am serious when I say, ⁹ ‘If you don’t tell me the dream, you are doomed.’ So you have conspired to tell me lies, hoping I will change my mind. But tell me the dream, and then I’ll know that you can tell me what it means.”

¹⁰ The astrologers replied to the king, “No one on earth can tell the king his dream! And no king, however great and powerful, has ever asked such a thing of any magician, enchanter, or astrologer! ¹¹ The king’s demand is impossible. No one except the gods can tell you your dream, and they do not live here among people.”

¹² The king was furious when he heard this, and he ordered that all the wise men of Babylon be executed. ¹³ And because of the king’s decree, men were sent to find and kill Daniel and his friends.

¹⁴ When Arioch, the commander of the king’s guard, came to kill them, Daniel handled the situation with wisdom and discretion. ¹⁵ He asked Arioch, “Why has the king issued such a harsh decree?” So Arioch told him all that had happened. ¹⁶ Daniel went at once to see the king and requested more time to tell the king what the dream meant.

¹⁷ Then Daniel went home and told his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah what had happened. ¹⁸ He urged them to ask the God of heaven to show them his mercy by telling them the secret, so they would not be executed along with the other wise men of Babylon. ¹⁹ That night the secret was revealed to Daniel in a vision. Then Daniel praised the God of heaven. ²⁰ He said,

All Christians

⁸ Finally, all of you should be of one mind. Sympathize with each other. Love each other as brothers and sisters.^[a] Be tenderhearted, and keep a humble attitude. ⁹ Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do, and he will grant you his blessing. ¹⁰ For the Scriptures say,

Suffering for Doing Good

¹³ Now, who will want to harm you if you are eager to do good? ¹⁴ But even if you suffer for doing what is right, God will reward you for it. So don’t worry or be afraid of their threats. ¹⁵ Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it. ¹⁶ But do this in a gentle and respectful way.^[c] Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ. ¹⁷ Remember, it is better to suffer for doing good, if that is what God wants, than to suffer for doing wrong!

¹⁸ Christ suffered^[d] for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit.^[e]

¹⁹ So he went and preached to the spirits in prison— ²⁰ those who disobeyed God long ago when God waited patiently while Noah was building his boat. Only eight people were saved from drowning in that terrible flood.^{[f] 21} And that water is a picture of baptism, which now saves you, not by removing dirt from your body, but as a response to God from^[g] a clean conscience. It is effective because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

²² Now Christ has gone to heaven. He is seated in the place of honor next to God, and all the angels and authorities and powers accept his authority.

Living for God

4 So then, since Christ suffered physical pain, you must arm yourselves with the same attitude he had, and be ready to suffer, too. For if you have suffered physically for Christ, you have finished with sin.^{[h] 2} You won’t spend the rest of your lives chasing your own desires, but you will be anxious to do the will of God. ³ You have had enough in the past of the evil things that godless people enjoy—their immorality and lust, their feasting and drunkenness and wild parties, and their terrible worship of idols.

⁴ Of course, your former friends are surprised when you no longer plunge into the flood of wild and destructive things they do. So they slander you. ⁵ But remember that they will have to face God, who stands ready to judge everyone, both the living and the dead. ⁶ That is why the Good News was preached to those who are now dead^[i]—so although they were destined to die like all people,^[j] they now live forever with God in the Spirit.^[k]

Teth

Yodh

The River of Healing

47 In my vision, the man brought me back to the entrance of the Temple. There I saw a stream flowing east from beneath the door of the Temple and passing to the right of the altar on its south side. ² The man brought me outside the wall through the north gateway and led me around to the eastern entrance. There I could see the water flowing out through the south side of the east gateway.

³ Measuring as he went, he took me along the stream for 1,750 feet^[a] and then led me across. The water was up to my ankles. ⁴ He measured off another 1,750 feet and led me across again. This time the water was up to my knees. After another 1,750 feet, it was up to my waist. ⁵ Then he measured another 1,750 feet, and the river was too deep to walk across. It was deep enough to swim in, but too deep to walk through.

⁶ He asked me, “Have you been watching, son of man?” Then he led me back along the riverbank. ⁷ When I returned, I was surprised by the sight of many trees growing on both sides of the river. ⁸ Then he said to me, “This river flows east through the desert into the valley of the Dead Sea.^[b] The waters of this stream will make the salty waters of the Dead Sea fresh and pure. ⁹ There will be swarms of living things wherever the water of this river flows.^[c] Fish will abound in the Dead Sea, for its waters will become fresh. Life will flourish wherever this water flows. ¹⁰ Fishermen will stand along the shores of the Dead Sea. All the way from En-gedi to En-eglaim, the shores will be covered with nets drying in the sun. Fish of every kind will fill the Dead Sea, just as they fill the Mediterranean.^{[d] 11} But the marshes and swamps will not be purified; they will still be salty. ¹² Fruit trees of all kinds will grow along both sides of the river. The leaves of these trees will never turn brown and fall, and there will always be fruit on their branches. There will be a new crop every month, for they are watered by the river flowing from the Temple. The fruit will be for food and the leaves for healing.”

Boundaries for the Land

¹³ This is what the Sovereign Lord says: “Divide the land in this way for the twelve tribes of Israel: The descendants of Joseph will be given two shares of land.^{[e] 14} Otherwise each tribe will receive an equal share. I took a solemn oath and swore that I would give this land to your ancestors, and it will now come to you as your possession.

²¹ “Divide the land within these boundaries among the tribes of Israel. ²² Distribute the land as an allotment for yourselves and for the foreigners who have joined you and are raising their families among you. They will be like native-born Israelites to you and will receive an allotment among the tribes. ²³ These foreigners are to be given land within the territory of the tribe with whom they now live. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken!

Division of the Land

48 “Here is the list of the tribes of Israel and the territory each is to receive. The territory of Dan is in the extreme north. Its boundary line follows the Hethlon road to Lebo-hamath and then runs on to Hazar-enan on the border of Damascus, with Hamath to the north. Dan’s territory extends all the way across the land of Israel from east to west.

² “Asher’s territory lies south of Dan’s and also extends from east to west. ³ Naphtali’s land lies south of Asher’s, also extending from east to west. ⁴ Then comes Manasseh south of Naphtali, and its territory also extends from east to west. ⁵ South of Manasseh is Ephraim, ⁶ and then Reuben, ⁷ and then Judah, all of whose boundaries extend from east to west.

⁸ “South of Judah is the land set aside for a special purpose. It will be 8 1⁄3 miles^[j] wide and will extend as far east and west as the tribal territories, with the Temple at the center.

⁹ “The area set aside for the Lord’s Temple will be 8 1⁄3 miles long and 6 2⁄3 miles wide.^{[k] 10} For the priests there will be a strip of land measuring 8 1⁄3 miles long by 3 1⁄3 miles wide,^[l] with the Lord’s Temple at the center. ¹¹ This area is set aside for the ordained priests, the descendants of Zadok who served me faithfully and did not go astray with the people of Israel and the rest of the Levites. ¹² It will be their special portion when the land is distributed, the most sacred land of all. Next to the priests’ territory will lie the land where the other Levites will live.

¹³ “The land allotted to the Levites will be the same size and shape as that belonging to the priests—8 1⁄3 miles long and 3 1⁄3 miles wide. Together these portions of land will measure 8 1⁄3 miles long by 6 2⁄3 miles wide.^{[m] 14} None of this special land may ever be sold or traded or used by others, for it belongs to the Lord; it is set apart as holy.

¹⁵ “An additional strip of land 8 1⁄3 miles long by 1 2⁄3 miles wide,^[n] south of the sacred Temple area, will be allotted for public use—homes, pasturelands, and common lands, with a city at the center. ¹⁶ The city will measure 1 1⁄2 miles^[o] on each side—north, south, east, and west. ¹⁷ Open lands will surround the city for 150 yards^[p] in every direction. ¹⁸ Outside the city there will be a farming area that stretches 3 1⁄3 miles to the east and 3 1⁄3 miles to the west^[q] along the border of the sacred area. This farmland will produce food for the people working in the city. ¹⁹ Those who come from the various tribes to work in the city may farm it. ²⁰ This entire area—including the sacred lands and the city—is a square that measures 8 1⁄3 miles^[r] on each side.

²¹ “The areas that remain, to the east and to the west of the sacred lands and the city, will belong to the prince. Each of these areas will be 8 1⁄3 miles wide, extending in opposite directions to the eastern and western borders of Israel, with the sacred lands and the sanctuary of the Temple in the center. ²² So the prince’s land will include everything between the territories allotted to Judah and Benjamin, except for the areas set aside for the sacred lands and the city.

²³ “These are the territories allotted to the rest of the tribes. Benjamin’s territory lies just south of the prince’s lands, and it extends across the entire land of Israel from east to west. ²⁴ South of Benjamin’s territory lies that of Simeon, also extending across the land from east to west. ²⁵ Next is the territory of Issachar with the same eastern and western boundaries.

²⁶ “Then comes the territory of Zebulun, which also extends across the land from east to west. ²⁷ The territory of Gad is just south of Zebulun with the same borders to the east and west. ²⁸ The southern border of Gad runs from Tamar to the waters of Meribah at Kadesh^[s] and then follows the Brook of Egypt to the Mediterranean.^[t]

²⁹ “These are the allotments that will be set aside for each tribe’s exclusive possession. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken!

The Gates of the City

³⁰ “These will be the exits to the city: On the north wall, which is 1 1⁄2 miles long, ³¹ there will be three gates, each one named after a tribe of Israel. The first will be named for Reuben, the second for Judah, and the third for Levi. ³² On the east wall, also 1 1⁄2 miles long, the gates will be named for Joseph, Benjamin, and Dan. ³³ The south wall, also 1 1⁄2 miles long, will have gates named for Simeon, Issachar, and Zebulun. ³⁴ And on the west wall, also 1 1⁄2 miles long, the gates will be named for Gad, Asher, and Naphtali.

³⁵ “The distance around the entire city will be 6 miles.^[u] And from that day the name of the city will be ‘The Lord Is There.’^[v]”

¹¹ Dear friends, I warn you as “temporary residents and foreigners” to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls. ¹² Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world.^[a]

Respecting People in Authority

¹³ For the Lord’s sake, submit to all human authority—whether the king as head of state, ¹⁴ or the officials he has appointed. For the king has sent them to punish those who do wrong and to honor those who do right.

¹⁵ It is God’s will that your honorable lives should silence those ignorant people who make foolish accusations against you. ¹⁶ For you are free, yet you are God’s slaves, so don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do evil. ¹⁷ Respect everyone, and love the family of believers.^[b] Fear God, and respect the king.

Slaves

¹⁸ You who are slaves must submit to your masters with all respect.^[c] Do what they tell you—not only if they are kind and reasonable, but even if they are cruel. ¹⁹ For God is pleased when, conscious of his will, you patiently endure unjust treatment. ²⁰ Of course, you get no credit for being patient if you are beaten for doing wrong. But if you suffer for doing good and endure it patiently, God is pleased with you.

²¹ For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered^[d] for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps.

Wives

3 In the same way, you wives must accept the authority of your husbands. Then, even if some refuse to obey the Good News, your godly lives will speak to them without any words. They will be won over ² by observing your pure and reverent lives.

³ Don’t be concerned about the outward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes. ⁴ You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God. ⁵ This is how the holy women of old made themselves beautiful. They put their trust in God and accepted the authority of their husbands. ⁶ For instance, Sarah obeyed her husband, Abraham, and called him her master. You are her daughters when you do what is right without fear of what your husbands might do.

Husbands

⁷ In the same way, you husbands must give honor to your wives. Treat your wife with understanding as you live together. She may be weaker than you are, but she is your equal partner in God’s gift of new life. Treat her as you should so your prayers will not be hindered.

Zayin

Heth

¹³ “‘This is the special gift you are to offer: a sixth of an ephah^[a] from each homer of wheat and a sixth of an ephah^[b] from each homer of barley. ¹⁴ The prescribed portion of olive oil, measured by the bath, is a tenth of a bath^[c] from each cor (which consists of ten baths or one homer, for ten baths are equivalent to a homer). ¹⁵ Also one sheep is to be taken from every flock of two hundred from the well-watered pastures of Israel. These will be used for the grain offerings, burnt offerings^(A) and fellowship offerings to make atonement^(B) for the people, declares the Sovereign Lord. ¹⁶ All the people of the land will be required to give this special offering to the prince in Israel. ¹⁷ It will be the duty of the prince to provide the burnt offerings, grain offerings and drink offerings at the festivals, the New Moons^(C) and the Sabbaths^(D)—at all the appointed festivals of Israel. He will provide the sin offerings,^[d] grain offerings, burnt offerings and fellowship offerings to make atonement for the Israelites.^(E)

¹⁸ “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: In the first month^(F) on the first day you are to take a young bull without defect^(G) and purify the sanctuary.^{(H) 19} The priest is to take some of the blood of the sin offering and put it on the doorposts of the temple, on the four corners of the upper ledge^(I) of the altar^(J) and on the gateposts of the inner court. ²⁰ You are to do the same on the seventh day of the month for anyone who sins unintentionally^(K) or through ignorance; so you are to make atonement for the temple.

²¹ “‘In the first month on the fourteenth day you are to observe the Passover,^(L) a festival lasting seven days, during which you shall eat bread made without yeast. ²² On that day the prince is to provide a bull as a sin offering for himself and for all the people of the land.^{(M) 23} Every day during the seven days of the festival he is to provide seven bulls and seven rams^(N) without defect as a burnt offering to the Lord, and a male goat for a sin offering.^{(O) 24} He is to provide as a grain offering^(P) an ephah for each bull and an ephah for each ram, along with a hin^[e] of olive oil for each ephah.^(Q)

²⁵ “‘During the seven days of the festival,^(R) which begins in the seventh month on the fifteenth day, he is to make the same provision for sin offerings, burnt offerings, grain offerings and oil.^(S)

46 “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: The gate of the inner court^(T) facing east^(U) is to be shut on the six working days, but on the Sabbath day and on the day of the New Moon^(V) it is to be opened. ² The prince is to enter from the outside through the portico^(W) of the gateway and stand by the gatepost. The priests are to sacrifice his burnt offering^(X) and his fellowship offerings. He is to bow down in worship at the threshold of the gateway and then go out, but the gate will not be shut until evening.^{(Y) 3} On the Sabbaths^(Z) and New Moons the people of the land are to worship in the presence of the Lord at the entrance of that gateway.^{(AA) 4} The burnt offering the prince brings to the Lord on the Sabbath day is to be six male lambs and a ram, all without defect. ⁵ The grain offering given with the ram is to be an ephah,^[f] and the grain offering with the lambs is to be as much as he pleases, along with a hin^[g] of olive oil for each ephah.^{(AB) 6} On the day of the New Moon^(AC) he is to offer a young bull, six lambs and a ram, all without defect.^{(AD) 7} He is to provide as a grain offering one ephah with the bull, one ephah with the ram, and with the lambs as much as he wants to give, along with a hin of oil for each ephah.^{(AE) 8} When the prince enters, he is to go in through the portico^(AF) of the gateway, and he is to come out the same way.^(AG)

⁹ “‘When the people of the land come before the Lord at the appointed festivals,^(AH) whoever enters by the north gate to worship is to go out the south gate; and whoever enters by the south gate is to go out the north gate. No one is to return through the gate by which they entered, but each is to go out the opposite gate. ¹⁰ The prince is to be among them, going in when they go in and going out when they go out.^{(AI) 11} At the feasts and the appointed festivals, the grain offering is to be an ephah with a bull, an ephah with a ram, and with the lambs as much as he pleases, along with a hin of oil for each ephah.^(AJ)

¹² “‘When the prince provides^(AK) a freewill offering^(AL) to the Lord—whether a burnt offering or fellowship offerings—the gate facing east is to be opened for him. He shall offer his burnt offering or his fellowship offerings as he does on the Sabbath day. Then he shall go out, and after he has gone out, the gate will be shut.^(AM)

¹³ “‘Every day you are to provide a year-old lamb without defect for a burnt offering to the Lord; morning by morning^(AN) you shall provide it.^{(AO) 14} You are also to provide with it morning by morning a grain offering, consisting of a sixth of an ephah^[h] with a third of a hin^[i] of oil^(AP) to moisten the flour. The presenting of this grain offering to the Lord is a lasting ordinance.^{(AQ) 15} So the lamb and the grain offering and the oil shall be provided morning by morning for a regular^(AR) burnt offering.^(AS)

¹⁶ “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: If the prince makes a gift from his inheritance to one of his sons, it will also belong to his descendants; it is to be their property by inheritance.^{(AT) 17} If, however, he makes a gift from his inheritance to one of his servants, the servant may keep it until the year of freedom;^(AU) then it will revert to the prince. His inheritance belongs to his sons only; it is theirs. ¹⁸ The prince must not take^(AV) any of the inheritance^(AW) of the people, driving them off their property. He is to give his sons their inheritance out of his own property, so that not one of my people will be separated from their property.’”

¹⁹ Then the man brought me through the entrance^(AX) at the side of the gate to the sacred rooms facing north,^(AY) which belonged to the priests, and showed me a place at the western end. ²⁰ He said to me, “This is the place where the priests are to cook the guilt offering and the sin offering^[j] and bake the grain offering, to avoid bringing them into the outer court and consecrating^(AZ) the people.”^(BA)

²¹ He then brought me to the outer court and led me around to its four corners, and I saw in each corner another court. ²² In the four corners of the outer court were enclosed^[k] courts, forty cubits long and thirty cubits wide;^[l] each of the courts in the four corners was the same size. ²³ Around the inside of each of the four courts was a ledge of stone, with places for fire built all around under the ledge. ²⁴ He said to me, “These are the kitchens where those who minister at the temple are to cook the sacrifices of the people.”

Be Holy

¹³ Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober,^(A) set your hope^(B) on the grace to be brought to you^(C) when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming.^{(D) 14} As obedient^(E) children, do not conform^(F) to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance.^{(G) 15} But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do;^{(H) 16} for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”^[a](I)

¹⁷ Since you call on a Father^(J) who judges each person’s work^(K) impartially,^(L) live out your time as foreigners^(M) here in reverent fear.^{(N) 18} For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed^(O) from the empty way of life^(P) handed down to you from your ancestors, ¹⁹ but with the precious blood^(Q) of Christ, a lamb^(R) without blemish or defect.^{(S) 20} He was chosen before the creation of the world,^(T) but was revealed in these last times^(U) for your sake. ²¹ Through him you believe in God,^(V) who raised him from the dead^(W) and glorified him,^(X) and so your faith and hope^(Y) are in God.

²² Now that you have purified^(Z) yourselves by obeying^(AA) the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply,^(AB) from the heart.^{[b] 23} For you have been born again,^(AC) not of perishable seed, but of imperishable,^(AD) through the living and enduring word of God.^{(AE) 24} For,

And this is the word that was preached to you.

2 Therefore, rid yourselves^(AG) of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander^(AH) of every kind. ² Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk,^(AI) so that by it you may grow up^(AJ) in your salvation, ³ now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.^(AK)

The Living Stone and a Chosen People

⁴ As you come to him, the living Stone^(AL)—rejected by humans but chosen by God^(AM) and precious to him— ⁵ you also, like living stones, are being built^(AN) into a spiritual house^[d](AO) to be a holy priesthood,^(AP) offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.^{(AQ) 6} For in Scripture it says:

⁷ Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe,^(AT)

⁸ and,

They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for.^(AX)

⁹ But you are a chosen people,^(AY) a royal priesthood,^(AZ) a holy nation,^(BA) God’s special possession,^(BB) that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.^{(BC) 10} Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God;^(BD) once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

ה He

ו Waw

The Priesthood Restored

44 Then the man brought me back to the outer gate of the sanctuary, the one facing east,^(A) and it was shut. ² The Lord said to me, “This gate is to remain shut. It must not be opened; no one may enter through it.^(B) It is to remain shut because the Lord, the God of Israel, has entered through it. ³ The prince himself is the only one who may sit inside the gateway to eat in the presence^(C) of the Lord. He is to enter by way of the portico of the gateway and go out the same way.^(D)”

⁴ Then the man brought me by way of the north gate^(E) to the front of the temple. I looked and saw the glory of the Lord filling the temple^(F) of the Lord, and I fell facedown.^(G)

⁵ The Lord said to me, “Son of man, look carefully, listen closely and give attention to everything I tell you concerning all the regulations and instructions regarding the temple of the Lord. Give attention to the entrance^(H) to the temple and all the exits of the sanctuary.^{(I) 6} Say to rebellious Israel,^(J) ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Enough of your detestable practices, people of Israel! ⁷ In addition to all your other detestable practices, you brought foreigners uncircumcised in heart^(K) and flesh into my sanctuary, desecrating my temple while you offered me food, fat and blood, and you broke my covenant.^{(L) 8} Instead of carrying out your duty in regard to my holy things, you put others in charge of my sanctuary.^{(M) 9} This is what the Sovereign Lord says: No foreigner uncircumcised in heart and flesh is to enter my sanctuary, not even the foreigners who live among the Israelites.^(N)

¹⁰ “‘The Levites who went far from me when Israel went astray^(O) and who wandered from me after their idols must bear the consequences of their sin.^{(P) 11} They may serve in my sanctuary, having charge of the gates of the temple and serving in it; they may slaughter the burnt offerings^(Q) and sacrifices for the people and stand before the people and serve them.^{(R) 12} But because they served them in the presence of their idols and made the people of Israel fall^(S) into sin, therefore I have sworn with uplifted hand^(T) that they must bear the consequences of their sin, declares the Sovereign Lord.^{(U) 13} They are not to come near to serve me as priests or come near any of my holy things or my most holy offerings; they must bear the shame^(V) of their detestable practices.^{(W) 14} And I will appoint them to guard the temple for all the work that is to be done in it.^(X)

¹⁵ “‘But the Levitical priests, who are descendants of Zadok^(Y) and who guarded my sanctuary when the Israelites went astray from me, are to come near to minister before me; they are to stand before me to offer sacrifices of fat^(Z) and blood, declares the Sovereign Lord.^{(AA) 16} They alone are to enter my sanctuary; they alone are to come near my table^(AB) to minister before me and serve me as guards.^(AC)

¹⁷ “‘When they enter the gates of the inner court, they are to wear linen clothes;^(AD) they must not wear any woolen garment while ministering at the gates of the inner court or inside the temple. ¹⁸ They are to wear linen turbans^(AE) on their heads and linen undergarments^(AF) around their waists. They must not wear anything that makes them perspire.^{(AG) 19} When they go out into the outer court where the people are, they are to take off the clothes they have been ministering in and are to leave them in the sacred rooms, and put on other clothes, so that the people are not consecrated^(AH) through contact with their garments.^(AI)

²⁰ “‘They must not shave^(AJ) their heads or let their hair grow long, but they are to keep the hair of their heads trimmed.^{(AK) 21} No priest is to drink wine when he enters the inner court.^{(AL) 22} They must not marry widows or divorced women; they may marry only virgins of Israelite descent or widows of priests.^{(AM) 23} They are to teach my people the difference between the holy and the common^(AN) and show them how to distinguish between the unclean and the clean.^(AO)

²⁴ “‘In any dispute, the priests are to serve as judges^(AP) and decide it according to my ordinances. They are to keep my laws and my decrees for all my appointed festivals,^(AQ) and they are to keep my Sabbaths holy.^(AR)

²⁵ “‘A priest must not defile himself by going near a dead person; however, if the dead person was his father or mother, son or daughter, brother or unmarried sister, then he may defile himself.^{(AS) 26} After he is cleansed, he must wait seven days.^{(AT) 27} On the day he goes into the inner court of the sanctuary^(AU) to minister in the sanctuary, he is to offer a sin offering^[a](AV) for himself, declares the Sovereign Lord.

²⁸ “‘I am to be the only inheritance^(AW) the priests have. You are to give them no possession in Israel; I will be their possession. ²⁹ They will eat^(AX) the grain offerings, the sin offerings and the guilt offerings; and everything in Israel devoted^[b] to the Lord^(AY) will belong to them.^{(AZ) 30} The best of all the firstfruits^(BA) and of all your special gifts will belong to the priests. You are to give them the first portion of your ground meal^(BB) so that a blessing^(BC) may rest on your household.^{(BD) 31} The priests must not eat anything, whether bird or animal, found dead^(BE) or torn by wild animals.^(BF)

Israel Fully Restored

45 “‘When you allot the land as an inheritance,^(BG) you are to present to the Lord a portion of the land as a sacred district, 25,000 cubits^[c] long and 20,000^[d] cubits^[e] wide; the entire area will be holy.^{(BH) 2} Of this, a section 500 cubits^[f] square^(BI) is to be for the sanctuary, with 50 cubits^[g] around it for open land. ³ In the sacred district, measure off a section 25,000 cubits long and 10,000 cubits^[h] wide. In it will be the sanctuary, the Most Holy Place. ⁴ It will be the sacred portion of the land for the priests,^(BJ) who minister in the sanctuary and who draw near to minister before the Lord. It will be a place for their houses as well as a holy place for the sanctuary.^{(BK) 5} An area 25,000 cubits long and 10,000 cubits wide will belong to the Levites, who serve in the temple, as their possession for towns to live in.^[i](BL)

⁶ “‘You are to give the city as its property an area 5,000 cubits^[j] wide and 25,000 cubits long, adjoining the sacred portion; it will belong to all Israel.^(BM)

⁷ “‘The prince will have the land bordering each side of the area formed by the sacred district and the property of the city. It will extend westward from the west side and eastward from the east side, running lengthwise from the western to the eastern border parallel to one of the tribal portions.^{(BN) 8} This land will be his possession in Israel. And my princes will no longer oppress my people but will allow the people of Israel to possess the land according to their tribes.^(BO)

⁹ “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: You have gone far enough, princes of Israel! Give up your violence and oppression^(BP) and do what is just and right.^(BQ) Stop dispossessing my people, declares the Sovereign Lord. ¹⁰ You are to use accurate scales,^(BR) an accurate ephah^[k](BS) and an accurate bath.^{[l] 11} The ephah^(BT) and the bath are to be the same size, the bath containing a tenth of a homer and the ephah a tenth of a homer; the homer is to be the standard measure for both. ¹² The shekel^[m] is to consist of twenty gerahs.^(BU) Twenty shekels plus twenty-five shekels plus fifteen shekels equal one mina.^[n]

1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,^(A)

To God’s elect,^(B) exiles^(C) scattered^(D) throughout the provinces of Pontus,^(E) Galatia,^(F) Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia,^{(G) 2} who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge^(H) of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit,^(I) to be obedient^(J) to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood:^(K)

Grace and peace be yours in abundance.^(L)

Praise to God for a Living Hope

³ Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!^(M) In his great mercy^(N) he has given us new birth^(O) into a living hope^(P) through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,^{(Q) 4} and into an inheritance^(R) that can never perish, spoil or fade.^(S) This inheritance is kept in heaven for you,^{(T) 5} who through faith are shielded by God’s power^(U) until the coming of the salvation^(V) that is ready to be revealed^(W) in the last time. ⁶ In all this you greatly rejoice,^(X) though now for a little while^(Y) you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.^{(Z) 7} These have come so that the proven genuineness^(AA) of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire^(AB)—may result in praise, glory and honor^(AC) when Jesus Christ is revealed.^{(AD) 8} Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him^(AE) and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, ⁹ for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.^(AF)

¹⁰ Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke^(AG) of the grace that was to come to you,^(AH) searched intently and with the greatest care,^{(AI) 11} trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ^(AJ) in them was pointing when he predicted^(AK) the sufferings of the Messiah and the glories that would follow. ¹² It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you,^(AL) when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you^(AM) by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven.^(AN) Even angels long to look into these things.

ג Gimel

ד Daleth

The Rooms for the Priests

42 Then the man led me northward into the outer court and brought me to the rooms^(A) opposite the temple courtyard^(B) and opposite the outer wall on the north side.^{(C) 2} The building whose door faced north was a hundred cubits long and fifty cubits wide.^{[a] 3} Both in the section twenty cubits^[b] from the inner court and in the section opposite the pavement of the outer court, gallery^(D) faced gallery at the three levels.^{(E) 4} In front of the rooms was an inner passageway ten cubits wide and a hundred cubits^[c] long.^[d] Their doors were on the north.^{(F) 5} Now the upper rooms were narrower, for the galleries took more space from them than from the rooms on the lower and middle floors of the building. ⁶ The rooms on the top floor had no pillars, as the courts had; so they were smaller in floor space than those on the lower and middle floors. ⁷ There was an outer wall parallel to the rooms and the outer court; it extended in front of the rooms for fifty cubits. ⁸ While the row of rooms on the side next to the outer court was fifty cubits long, the row on the side nearest the sanctuary was a hundred cubits long. ⁹ The lower rooms had an entrance^(G) on the east side as one enters them from the outer court.

¹⁰ On the south side^[e] along the length of the wall of the outer court, adjoining the temple courtyard^(H) and opposite the outer wall, were rooms^{(I) 11} with a passageway in front of them. These were like the rooms on the north; they had the same length and width, with similar exits and dimensions. Similar to the doorways on the north ¹² were the doorways of the rooms on the south. There was a doorway at the beginning of the passageway that was parallel to the corresponding wall extending eastward, by which one enters the rooms.

¹³ Then he said to me, “The north^(J) and south rooms^(K) facing the temple courtyard^(L) are the priests’ rooms, where the priests who approach the Lord will eat the most holy offerings. There they will put the most holy offerings—the grain offerings,^(M) the sin offerings^[f](N) and the guilt offerings^(O)—for the place is holy.^{(P) 14} Once the priests enter the holy precincts, they are not to go into the outer court until they leave behind the garments^(Q) in which they minister, for these are holy. They are to put on other clothes before they go near the places that are for the people.^(R)”

¹⁵ When he had finished measuring what was inside the temple area, he led me out by the east gate^(S) and measured the area all around: ¹⁶ He measured the east side with the measuring rod; it was five hundred cubits.^{[g][h] 17} He measured the north side; it was five hundred cubits^[i] by the measuring rod. ¹⁸ He measured the south side; it was five hundred cubits by the measuring rod. ¹⁹ Then he turned to the west side and measured; it was five hundred cubits by the measuring rod. ²⁰ So he measured^(T) the area^(U) on all four sides. It had a wall around it,^(V) five hundred cubits long and five hundred cubits wide,^(W) to separate the holy from the common.^(X)

God’s Glory Returns to the Temple

43 Then the man brought me to the gate facing east,^{(Y) 2} and I saw the glory of the God of Israel coming from the east. His voice was like the roar of rushing waters,^(Z) and the land was radiant with his glory.^{(AA) 3} The vision I saw was like the vision I had seen when he^[j] came to destroy the city and like the visions I had seen by the Kebar River, and I fell facedown. ⁴ The glory^(AB) of the Lord entered the temple through the gate facing east.^{(AC) 5} Then the Spirit^(AD) lifted me up^(AE) and brought me into the inner court, and the glory^(AF) of the Lord filled the temple.^(AG)

⁶ While the man was standing beside me, I heard someone speaking to me from inside the temple. ⁷ He said: “Son of man, this is the place of my throne^(AH) and the place for the soles of my feet. This is where I will live among the Israelites forever. The people of Israel will never again defile^(AI) my holy name—neither they nor their kings—by their prostitution and the funeral offerings^[k] for their kings at their death.^{[l](AJ) 8} When they placed their threshold next to my threshold and their doorposts beside my doorposts, with only a wall between me and them, they defiled my holy name by their detestable practices. So I destroyed them in my anger. ⁹ Now let them put away from me their prostitution and the funeral offerings for their kings, and I will live among them forever.^(AK)

¹⁰ “Son of man, describe the temple to the people of Israel, that they may be ashamed^(AL) of their sins. Let them consider its perfection, ¹¹ and if they are ashamed of all they have done, make known to them the design of the temple—its arrangement, its exits and entrances—its whole design and all its regulations^[m] and laws. Write these down before them so that they may be faithful to its design and follow all its regulations.^(AM)

¹² “This is the law of the temple: All the surrounding area^(AN) on top of the mountain will be most holy.^(AO) Such is the law of the temple.

The Great Altar Restored

¹³ “These are the measurements of the altar^(AP) in long cubits,^[n] that cubit being a cubit and a handbreadth: Its gutter is a cubit deep and a cubit wide, with a rim of one span^[o] around the edge. And this is the height of the altar: ¹⁴ From the gutter on the ground up to the lower ledge that goes around the altar it is two cubits high, and the ledge is a cubit wide.^[p] From this lower ledge to the upper ledge that goes around the altar it is four cubits high, and that ledge is also a cubit wide.^{[q] 15} Above that, the altar hearth^(AQ) is four cubits high, and four horns^(AR) project upward from the hearth. ¹⁶ The altar hearth is square, twelve cubits^[r] long and twelve cubits wide.^{(AS) 17} The upper ledge^(AT) also is square, fourteen cubits^[s] long and fourteen cubits wide. All around the altar is a gutter of one cubit with a rim of half a cubit.^[t] The steps^(AU) of the altar face east.^(AV)”

¹⁸ Then he said to me, “Son of man, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: These will be the regulations for sacrificing burnt offerings^(AW) and splashing blood^(AX) against the altar when it is built: ¹⁹ You are to give a young bull^(AY) as a sin offering^[u] to the Levitical priests of the family of Zadok,^(AZ) who come near^(BA) to minister before me, declares the Sovereign Lord. ²⁰ You are to take some of its blood and put it on the four horns of the altar^(BB) and on the four corners of the upper ledge^(BC) and all around the rim, and so purify the altar^(BD) and make atonement for it. ²¹ You are to take the bull for the sin offering and burn it in the designated part of the temple area outside the sanctuary.^(BE)

²² “On the second day you are to offer a male goat without defect for a sin offering, and the altar is to be purified as it was purified with the bull. ²³ When you have finished purifying it, you are to offer a young bull and a ram from the flock, both without defect.^{(BF) 24} You are to offer them before the Lord, and the priests are to sprinkle salt^(BG) on them and sacrifice them as a burnt offering to the Lord.

²⁵ “For seven days^(BH) you are to provide a male goat daily for a sin offering; you are also to provide a young bull and a ram from the flock, both without defect.^{(BI) 26} For seven days they are to make atonement for the altar and cleanse it; thus they will dedicate it. ²⁷ At the end of these days, from the eighth day^(BJ) on, the priests are to present your burnt offerings^(BK) and fellowship offerings^(BL) on the altar. Then I will accept you, declares the Sovereign Lord.”

Warning to Rich Oppressors

5 Now listen,^(A) you rich people,^(B) weep and wail^(C) because of the misery that is coming on you. ² Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes.^{(D) 3} Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days.^{(E) 4} Look! The wages you failed to pay the workers^(F) who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries^(G) of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty.^{(H) 5} You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves^(I) in the day of slaughter.^{[a](J) 6} You have condemned and murdered^(K) the innocent one,^(L) who was not opposing you.

Patience in Suffering

⁷ Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming.^(M) See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting^(N) for the autumn and spring rains.^{(O) 8} You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming^(P) is near.^{(Q) 9} Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters,^(R) or you will be judged. The Judge^(S) is standing at the door!^(T)

¹⁰ Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets^(U) who spoke in the name of the Lord. ¹¹ As you know, we count as blessed^(V) those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance^(W) and have seen what the Lord finally brought about.^(X) The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.^(Y)

¹² Above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear—not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. All you need to say is a simple “Yes” or “No.” Otherwise you will be condemned.^(Z)

The Prayer of Faith

¹³ Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray.^(AA) Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise.^{(AB) 14} Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders^(AC) of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil^(AD) in the name of the Lord. ¹⁵ And the prayer offered in faith^(AE) will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. ¹⁶ Therefore confess your sins^(AF) to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.^(AG) The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.^(AH)

¹⁷ Elijah was a human being, even as we are.^(AI) He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years.^{(AJ) 18} Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.^(AK)

¹⁹ My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth^(AL) and someone should bring that person back,^{(AM) 20} remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save^(AN) them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.^(AO)

Psalm 119^[a]

א Aleph

ב Beth

The Gates to the Inner Court

²⁸ Then he brought me into the inner court through the south gate, and he measured the south gate; it had the same measurements^(A) as the others. ²⁹ Its alcoves,^(B) its projecting walls and its portico had the same measurements as the others. The gateway and its portico had openings all around. It was fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide.^{(C) 30} (The porticoes^(D) of the gateways around the inner court were twenty-five cubits wide and five cubits deep.) ³¹ Its portico^(E) faced the outer court; palm trees decorated its jambs, and eight steps led up to it.^(F)

³² Then he brought me to the inner court on the east side, and he measured the gateway; it had the same measurements^(G) as the others. ³³ Its alcoves,^(H) its projecting walls and its portico had the same measurements as the others. The gateway and its portico had openings all around. It was fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide. ³⁴ Its portico^(I) faced the outer court; palm trees decorated the jambs on either side, and eight steps led up to it.

³⁵ Then he brought me to the north gate^(J) and measured it. It had the same measurements^(K) as the others, ³⁶ as did its alcoves,^(L) its projecting walls and its portico, and it had openings all around. It was fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide. ³⁷ Its portico^[a](M) faced the outer court; palm trees decorated the jambs on either side, and eight steps led up to it.^(N)

The Rooms for Preparing Sacrifices

³⁸ A room with a doorway was by the portico in each of the inner gateways, where the burnt offerings^(O) were washed. ³⁹ In the portico of the gateway were two tables on each side, on which the burnt offerings,^(P) sin offerings^[b](Q) and guilt offerings^(R) were slaughtered.^{(S) 40} By the outside wall of the portico of the gateway, near the steps at the entrance of the north gateway were two tables, and on the other side of the steps were two tables. ⁴¹ So there were four tables on one side of the gateway and four on the other—eight tables in all—on which the sacrifices were slaughtered. ⁴² There were also four tables of dressed stone^(T) for the burnt offerings, each a cubit and a half long, a cubit and a half wide and a cubit high.^[c] On them were placed the utensils for slaughtering the burnt offerings and the other sacrifices.^{(U) 43} And double-pronged hooks, each a handbreadth^[d] long, were attached to the wall all around. The tables were for the flesh of the offerings.

The Rooms for the Priests

⁴⁴ Outside the inner gate, within the inner court, were two rooms, one^[e] at the side of the north gate and facing south, and another at the side of the south^[f] gate and facing north. ⁴⁵ He said to me, “The room facing south is for the priests who guard the temple,^{(V) 46} and the room facing north^(W) is for the priests who guard the altar.^(X) These are the sons of Zadok,^(Y) who are the only Levites who may draw near to the Lord to minister before him.^(Z)”

⁴⁷ Then he measured the court: It was square—a hundred cubits long and a hundred cubits wide. And the altar was in front of the temple.^(AA)

The New Temple

⁴⁸ He brought me to the portico of the temple^(AB) and measured the jambs of the portico; they were five cubits wide on either side. The width of the entrance was fourteen cubits^[g] and its projecting walls were^[h] three cubits^[i] wide on either side. ⁴⁹ The portico^(AC) was twenty cubits^[j] wide, and twelve^[k] cubits^[l] from front to back. It was reached by a flight of stairs,^[m] and there were pillars^(AD) on each side of the jambs.

41 Then the man brought me to the main hall^(AE) and measured the jambs; the width of the jambs was six cubits^[n] on each side.^{[o] 2} The entrance was ten cubits^[p] wide, and the projecting walls on each side of it were five cubits^[q] wide. He also measured the main hall; it was forty cubits long and twenty cubits wide.^[r](AF)

³ Then he went into the inner sanctuary and measured the jambs of the entrance; each was two cubits^[s] wide. The entrance was six cubits wide, and the projecting walls on each side of it were seven cubits^[t] wide. ⁴ And he measured the length of the inner sanctuary; it was twenty cubits, and its width was twenty cubits across the end of the main hall.^(AG) He said to me, “This is the Most Holy Place.^(AH)”

⁵ Then he measured the wall of the temple; it was six cubits thick, and each side room around the temple was four cubits^[u] wide. ⁶ The side rooms were on three levels, one above another, thirty^(AI) on each level. There were ledges all around the wall of the temple to serve as supports for the side rooms, so that the supports were not inserted into the wall of the temple.^{(AJ) 7} The side rooms all around the temple were wider at each successive level. The structure surrounding the temple was built in ascending stages, so that the rooms widened as one went upward. A stairway^(AK) went up from the lowest floor to the top floor through the middle floor.

⁸ I saw that the temple had a raised base all around it, forming the foundation of the side rooms. It was the length of the rod, six long cubits. ⁹ The outer wall of the side rooms was five cubits thick. The open area between the side rooms of the temple ¹⁰ and the priests’ rooms was twenty cubits wide all around the temple. ¹¹ There were entrances to the side rooms from the open area, one on the north and another on the south; and the base adjoining the open area was five cubits wide all around.

¹² The building facing the temple courtyard on the west side was seventy cubits^[v] wide. The wall of the building was five cubits thick all around, and its length was ninety cubits.^[w]

¹³ Then he measured the temple; it was a hundred cubits^[x] long, and the temple courtyard and the building with its walls were also a hundred cubits long. ¹⁴ The width of the temple courtyard on the east, including the front of the temple, was a hundred cubits.^(AL)

¹⁵ Then he measured the length of the building facing the courtyard at the rear of the temple, including its galleries^(AM) on each side; it was a hundred cubits.

The main hall, the inner sanctuary and the portico facing the court, ¹⁶ as well as the thresholds and the narrow windows^(AN) and galleries around the three of them—everything beyond and including the threshold was covered with wood. The floor, the wall up to the windows, and the windows were covered.^{(AO) 17} In the space above the outside of the entrance to the inner sanctuary and on the walls at regular intervals all around the inner and outer sanctuary ¹⁸ were carved^(AP) cherubim^(AQ) and palm trees.^(AR) Palm trees alternated with cherubim. Each cherub had two faces:^{(AS) 19} the face of a human being toward the palm tree on one side and the face of a lion toward the palm tree on the other. They were carved all around the whole temple.^{(AT) 20} From the floor to the area above the entrance, cherubim and palm trees were carved on the wall of the main hall.

²¹ The main hall^(AU) had a rectangular doorframe, and the one at the front of the Most Holy Place was similar. ²² There was a wooden altar^(AV) three cubits^[y] high and two cubits square^[z]; its corners, its base^[aa] and its sides were of wood. The man said to me, “This is the table^(AW) that is before the Lord.” ²³ Both the main hall^(AX) and the Most Holy Place had double doors.^{(AY) 24} Each door had two leaves—two hinged leaves^(AZ) for each door. ²⁵ And on the doors of the main hall were carved cherubim and palm trees like those carved on the walls, and there was a wooden overhang on the front of the portico. ²⁶ On the sidewalls of the portico were narrow windows with palm trees carved on each side. The side rooms of the temple also had overhangs.^(BA)

Submit Yourselves to God

4 What causes fights and quarrels^(A) among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle^(B) within you? ² You desire but do not have, so you kill.^(C) You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. ³ When you ask, you do not receive,^(D) because you ask with wrong motives,^(E) that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

⁴ You adulterous^(F) people,^[a] don’t you know that friendship with the world^(G) means enmity against God?^(H) Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.^{(I) 5} Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us^[b]?^{(J) 6} But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says:

⁷ Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil,^(L) and he will flee from you. ⁸ Come near to God and he will come near to you.^(M) Wash your hands,^(N) you sinners, and purify your hearts,^(O) you double-minded.^{(P) 9} Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom.^{(Q) 10} Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.^(R)

¹¹ Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another.^(S) Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister^[d] or judges them^(T) speaks against the law^(U) and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it,^(V) but sitting in judgment on it. ¹² There is only one Lawgiver and Judge,^(W) the one who is able to save and destroy.^(X) But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?^(Y)

Boasting About Tomorrow

¹³ Now listen,^(Z) you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.”^{(AA) 14} Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.^{(AB) 15} Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will,^(AC) we will live and do this or that.” ¹⁶ As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil.^{(AD) 17} If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.^(AE)

39 “Son of man, prophesy against Gog^(A) and say: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against you, Gog, chief prince of^[a] Meshek^(B) and Tubal.^{(C) 2} I will turn you around and drag you along. I will bring you from the far north^(D) and send you against the mountains of Israel.^{(E) 3} Then I will strike your bow^(F) from your left hand and make your arrows^(G) drop from your right hand. ⁴ On the mountains of Israel you will fall, you and all your troops and the nations with you. I will give you as food to all kinds of carrion birds^(H) and to the wild animals.^{(I) 5} You will fall in the open field, for I have spoken, declares the Sovereign Lord.^{(J) 6} I will send fire^(K) on Magog^(L) and on those who live in safety in the coastlands,^(M) and they will know^(N) that I am the Lord.

⁷ “‘I will make known my holy name among my people Israel. I will no longer let my holy name be profaned,^(O) and the nations will know^(P) that I the Lord am the Holy One in Israel.^{(Q) 8} It is coming! It will surely take place, declares the Sovereign Lord. This is the day^(R) I have spoken of.

⁹ “‘Then those who live in the towns of Israel will go out and use the weapons for fuel and burn them up—the small and large shields, the bows and arrows,^(S) the war clubs and spears. For seven years they will use them for fuel.^{(T) 10} They will not need to gather wood from the fields or cut it from the forests, because they will use the weapons for fuel. And they will plunder^(U) those who plundered them and loot those who looted them, declares the Sovereign Lord.^(V)

¹¹ “‘On that day I will give Gog a burial place in Israel, in the valley of those who travel east of the Sea. It will block the way of travelers, because Gog and all his hordes will be buried^(W) there. So it will be called the Valley of Hamon Gog.^[b](X)

¹² “‘For seven months the Israelites will be burying them in order to cleanse the land.^{(Y) 13} All the people of the land will bury them, and the day I display my glory^(Z) will be a memorable day for them, declares the Sovereign Lord. ¹⁴ People will be continually employed in cleansing the land. They will spread out across the land and, along with others, they will bury any bodies that are lying on the ground.

“‘After the seven months they will carry out a more detailed search. ¹⁵ As they go through the land, anyone who sees a human bone will leave a marker beside it until the gravediggers bury it in the Valley of Hamon Gog, ¹⁶ near a town called Hamonah.^[c] And so they will cleanse the land.’

¹⁷ “Son of man, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Call out to every kind of bird^(AA) and all the wild animals: ‘Assemble and come together from all around to the sacrifice I am preparing for you, the great sacrifice on the mountains of Israel. There you will eat flesh and drink blood.^{(AB) 18} You will eat the flesh of mighty men and drink the blood of the princes of the earth as if they were rams and lambs, goats and bulls—all of them fattened animals from Bashan.^{(AC) 19} At the sacrifice^(AD) I am preparing for you, you will eat fat till you are glutted and drink blood till you are drunk. ²⁰ At my table you will eat your fill of horses and riders, mighty men and soldiers of every kind,’ declares the Sovereign Lord.^(AE)

²¹ “I will display my glory among the nations, and all the nations will see the punishment I inflict and the hand I lay on them.^{(AF) 22} From that day forward the people of Israel will know that I am the Lord their God. ²³ And the nations will know that the people of Israel went into exile for their sin, because they were unfaithful to me. So I hid my face from them and handed them over to their enemies, and they all fell by the sword.^{(AG) 24} I dealt with them according to their uncleanness and their offenses, and I hid my face from them.^(AH)

²⁵ “Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will now restore the fortunes of Jacob^[d](AI) and will have compassion^(AJ) on all the people of Israel, and I will be zealous for my holy name.^{(AK) 26} They will forget their shame and all the unfaithfulness they showed toward me when they lived in safety^(AL) in their land with no one to make them afraid.^{(AM) 27} When I have brought them back from the nations and have gathered them from the countries of their enemies, I will be proved holy through them in the sight of many nations.^{(AN) 28} Then they will know that I am the Lord their God, for though I sent them into exile among the nations, I will gather them^(AO) to their own land, not leaving any behind.^{(AP) 29} I will no longer hide my face^(AQ) from them, for I will pour out my Spirit^(AR) on the people of Israel, declares the Sovereign Lord.^(AS)”

The Temple Area Restored

40 In the twenty-fifth year of our exile, at the beginning of the year, on the tenth of the month, in the fourteenth year after the fall of the city^(AT)—on that very day the hand of the Lord was on me^(AU) and he took me there. ² In visions^(AV) of God he took me to the land of Israel and set me on a very high mountain,^(AW) on whose south side were some buildings that looked like a city. ³ He took me there, and I saw a man whose appearance was like bronze;^(AX) he was standing in the gateway with a linen cord and a measuring rod^(AY) in his hand. ⁴ The man said to me, “Son of man, look carefully and listen closely and pay attention to everything I am going to show you,^(AZ) for that is why you have been brought here. Tell^(BA) the people of Israel everything you see.^(BB)”

The East Gate to the Outer Court

⁵ I saw a wall completely surrounding the temple area. The length of the measuring rod in the man’s hand was six long cubits,^[e] each of which was a cubit and a handbreadth. He measured^(BC) the wall; it was one measuring rod thick and one rod high.

⁶ Then he went to the east gate.^(BD) He climbed its steps and measured the threshold of the gate; it was one rod deep. ⁷ The alcoves^(BE) for the guards were one rod long and one rod wide, and the projecting walls between the alcoves were five cubits^[f] thick. And the threshold of the gate next to the portico facing the temple was one rod deep.

⁸ Then he measured the portico of the gateway; ⁹ it^[g] was eight cubits^[h] deep and its jambs were two cubits^[i] thick. The portico of the gateway faced the temple.

¹⁰ Inside the east gate were three alcoves on each side; the three had the same measurements, and the faces of the projecting walls on each side had the same measurements. ¹¹ Then he measured the width of the entrance of the gateway; it was ten cubits and its length was thirteen cubits.^{[j] 12} In front of each alcove was a wall one cubit high, and the alcoves were six cubits square. ¹³ Then he measured the gateway from the top of the rear wall of one alcove to the top of the opposite one; the distance was twenty-five cubits^[k] from one parapet opening to the opposite one. ¹⁴ He measured along the faces of the projecting walls all around the inside of the gateway—sixty cubits.^[l] The measurement was up to the portico^[m] facing the courtyard.^{[n](BF) 15} The distance from the entrance of the gateway to the far end of its portico was fifty cubits.^{[o] 16} The alcoves and the projecting walls inside the gateway were surmounted by narrow parapet openings all around, as was the portico; the openings all around faced inward. The faces of the projecting walls were decorated with palm trees.^(BG)

The Outer Court

¹⁷ Then he brought me into the outer court.^(BH) There I saw some rooms and a pavement that had been constructed all around the court; there were thirty rooms^(BI) along the pavement.^{(BJ) 18} It abutted the sides of the gateways and was as wide as they were long; this was the lower pavement. ¹⁹ Then he measured the distance from the inside of the lower gateway to the outside of the inner court;^(BK) it was a hundred cubits^[p](BL) on the east side as well as on the north.

The North Gate

²⁰ Then he measured the length and width of the north gate, leading into the outer court. ²¹ Its alcoves^(BM)—three on each side—its projecting walls and its portico^(BN) had the same measurements as those of the first gateway. It was fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide. ²² Its openings, its portico^(BO) and its palm tree decorations had the same measurements as those of the gate facing east. Seven steps led up to it, with its portico opposite them.^{(BP) 23} There was a gate to the inner court facing the north gate, just as there was on the east. He measured from one gate to the opposite one; it was a hundred cubits.^(BQ)

The South Gate

²⁴ Then he led me to the south side and I saw the south gate. He measured its jambs and its portico, and they had the same measurements^(BR) as the others. ²⁵ The gateway and its portico had narrow openings all around, like the openings of the others. It was fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide.^{(BS) 26} Seven steps led up to it, with its portico opposite them; it had palm tree decorations on the faces of the projecting walls on each side.^{(BT) 27} The inner court^(BU) also had a gate facing south, and he measured from this gate to the outer gate on the south side; it was a hundred cubits.^(BV)

¹⁸ But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”

Show me your faith without deeds,^(A) and I will show you my faith^(B) by my deeds.^{(C) 19} You believe that there is one God.^(D) Good! Even the demons believe that^(E)—and shudder.

²⁰ You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless^[a]?^{(F) 21} Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar?^{(G) 22} You see that his faith and his actions were working together,^(H) and his faith was made complete by what he did.^{(I) 23} And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,”^[b](J) and he was called God’s friend.^{(K) 24} You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.

²⁵ In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction?^{(L) 26} As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.^(M)

Taming the Tongue

3 Not many of you should become teachers,^(N) my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged^(O) more strictly.^{(P) 2} We all stumble^(Q) in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say^(R) is perfect,^(S) able to keep their whole body in check.^(T)

³ When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal.^{(U) 4} Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. ⁵ Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts.^(V) Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. ⁶ The tongue also is a fire,^(W) a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body,^(X) sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.^(Y)

⁷ All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, ⁸ but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.^(Z)

⁹ With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness.^{(AA) 10} Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. ¹¹ Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? ¹² My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs?^(AB) Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.

Two Kinds of Wisdom

¹³ Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it^(AC) by their good life, by deeds^(AD) done in the humility that comes from wisdom. ¹⁴ But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition^(AE) in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth.^{(AF) 15} Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven^(AG) but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.^{(AH) 16} For where you have envy and selfish ambition,^(AI) there you find disorder and every evil practice.

¹⁷ But the wisdom that comes from heaven^(AJ) is first of all pure; then peace-loving,^(AK) considerate, submissive, full of mercy^(AL) and good fruit, impartial and sincere.^{(AM) 18} Peacemakers^(AN) who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.^(AO)

Psalm 118

The Valley of Dry Bones

37 The hand of the Lord was on me,^(A) and he brought me out by the Spirit^(B) of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley;^(C) it was full of bones.^{(D) 2} He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. ³ He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”

I said, “Sovereign Lord, you alone know.^(E)”

⁴ Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord!^{(F) 5} This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath^[a] enter you, and you will come to life.^{(G) 6} I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.^(H)’”

⁷ So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. ⁸ I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.

⁹ Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath;^(I) prophesy, son of man, and say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, breath, from the four winds^(J) and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’” ¹⁰ So I prophesied as he commanded^(K) me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army.^(L)

¹¹ Then he said to me: “Son of man, these bones are the people of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’^{(M) 12} Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel.^{(N) 13} Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord,^(O) when I open your graves and bring you up from them.^{(P) 14} I will put my Spirit^(Q) in you and you will live, and I will settle^(R) you in your own land. Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord.^(S)’”

One Nation Under One King

¹⁵ The word of the Lord came to me: ¹⁶ “Son of man, take a stick of wood and write on it, ‘Belonging to Judah and the Israelites^(T) associated with him.^(U)’ Then take another stick of wood, and write on it, ‘Belonging to Joseph (that is, to Ephraim) and all the Israelites associated with him.’ ¹⁷ Join them together into one stick so that they will become one in your hand.^(V)

¹⁸ “When your people ask you, ‘Won’t you tell us what you mean by this?’^{(W) 19} say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am going to take the stick of Joseph—which is in Ephraim’s hand—and of the Israelite tribes associated with him, and join it to Judah’s stick. I will make them into a single stick of wood, and they will become one in my hand.’^{(X) 20} Hold before their eyes the sticks you have written on ²¹ and say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will take the Israelites out of the nations where they have gone. I will gather them from all around and bring them back into their own land.^{(Y) 22} I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel.^(Z) There will be one king over all of them and they will never again be two nations or be divided into two kingdoms.^{(AA) 23} They will no longer defile^(AB) themselves with their idols and vile images or with any of their offenses, for I will save them from all their sinful backsliding,^[b](AC) and I will cleanse them. They will be my people, and I will be their God.^(AD)

²⁴ “‘My servant David^(AE) will be king^(AF) over them, and they will all have one shepherd.^(AG) They will follow my laws and be careful to keep my decrees.^{(AH) 25} They will live in the land I gave to my servant Jacob, the land where your ancestors lived.^(AI) They and their children and their children’s children will live there forever,^(AJ) and David my servant will be their prince forever.^{(AK) 26} I will make a covenant of peace^(AL) with them; it will be an everlasting covenant.^(AM) I will establish them and increase their numbers,^(AN) and I will put my sanctuary among them^(AO) forever.^{(AP) 27} My dwelling place^(AQ) will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be my people.^{(AR) 28} Then the nations will know that I the Lord make Israel holy,^(AS) when my sanctuary is among them forever.^(AT)’”

The Lord’s Great Victory Over the Nations

38 The word of the Lord came to me: ² “Son of man, set your face against Gog,^(AU) of the land of Magog,^(AV) the chief prince of^[c] Meshek and Tubal;^(AW) prophesy against him ³ and say: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against you, Gog, chief prince of^[d] Meshek and Tubal.^{(AX) 4} I will turn you around, put hooks^(AY) in your jaws and bring you out with your whole army—your horses, your horsemen fully armed, and a great horde with large and small shields, all of them brandishing their swords.^{(AZ) 5} Persia, Cush^[e](BA) and Put^(BB) will be with them, all with shields and helmets, ⁶ also Gomer^(BC) with all its troops, and Beth Togarmah^(BD) from the far north^(BE) with all its troops—the many nations with you.

⁷ “‘Get ready; be prepared,^(BF) you and all the hordes gathered about you, and take command of them. ⁸ After many days^(BG) you will be called to arms. In future years you will invade a land that has recovered from war, whose people were gathered from many nations^(BH) to the mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate. They had been brought out from the nations, and now all of them live in safety.^{(BI) 9} You and all your troops and the many nations with you will go up, advancing like a storm;^(BJ) you will be like a cloud^(BK) covering the land.^(BL)

¹⁰ “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: On that day thoughts will come into your mind^(BM) and you will devise an evil scheme.^{(BN) 11} You will say, “I will invade a land of unwalled villages; I will attack a peaceful and unsuspecting people^(BO)—all of them living without walls and without gates and bars.^{(BP) 12} I will plunder and loot and turn my hand against the resettled ruins and the people gathered from the nations, rich in livestock and goods, living at the center of the land.^[f]” ¹³ Sheba^(BQ) and Dedan^(BR) and the merchants of Tarshish^(BS) and all her villages^[g] will say to you, “Have you come to plunder? Have you gathered your hordes to loot, to carry off silver and gold, to take away livestock and goods and to seize much plunder?^(BT)”’

¹⁴ “Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say to Gog: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: In that day, when my people Israel are living in safety,^(BU) will you not take notice of it? ¹⁵ You will come from your place in the far north,^(BV) you and many nations with you, all of them riding on horses, a great horde, a mighty army.^{(BW) 16} You will advance against my people Israel like a cloud^(BX) that covers the land.^(BY) In days to come, Gog, I will bring you against my land, so that the nations may know me when I am proved holy^(BZ) through you before their eyes.^(CA)

¹⁷ “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: You are the one I spoke of in former days by my servants the prophets of Israel. At that time they prophesied for years that I would bring you against them. ¹⁸ This is what will happen in that day: When Gog attacks the land of Israel, my hot anger will be aroused, declares the Sovereign Lord. ¹⁹ In my zeal and fiery wrath I declare that at that time there shall be a great earthquake^(CB) in the land of Israel.^{(CC) 20} The fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the beasts of the field, every creature that moves along the ground, and all the people on the face of the earth will tremble^(CD) at my presence. The mountains will be overturned,^(CE) the cliffs will crumble^(CF) and every wall will fall to the ground.^{(CG) 21} I will summon a sword^(CH) against Gog on all my mountains, declares the Sovereign Lord. Every man’s sword will be against his brother.^{(CI) 22} I will execute judgment^(CJ) on him with plague and bloodshed;^(CK) I will pour down torrents of rain, hailstones^(CL) and burning sulfur^(CM) on him and on his troops and on the many nations with him.^{(CN) 23} And so I will show my greatness and my holiness, and I will make myself known in the sight of many nations. Then they will know that I am the Lord.^(CO)’