Daily Devotions with Greg Laurie – Monday,
27 January 2014 – “Priorities”
Seek the Kingdom of God above all else,
and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.-—Matthew 6:33
A man was out driving in the country
during a heavy rainstorm when he came across an old farmer who was surveying
the ruins of his barn. He pulled over and asked the farmer what happened.
"Roof fell in," the farmer
replied. "What happened with it? Why did it fall in?" asked the
stranger.
"It leaked so long, it just finally
rotted through," the farmer said. "Why in the world didn't you fix it
before it rotted through?"
"Well, sir," said the farmer,
"I just got around to it. When the weather was good, there wasn't a need
for it. And when it rained, it was just too wet to work on."
Isn't it amazing that when you want to do
something you somehow manage to find the time, no matter how busy you are? But
when someone asks you to do something you don't want to do, suddenly there is
just no room in the schedule.
This can happen when it comes to the
Christian life as well. If we are serving God only when it's convenient, then
we are settling for second best. If we make time for the things of God only
when something better doesn't come along first, then we are missing out on what
God wants to do in our lives.
How much better it is to make time for
the things of God — to put the things of God above everything else. How much
better it is to get your priorities right. Instead of making excuses, make time
for the Lord. It is not only the simple way to live, but it is also the best
way.
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Tuesday, 28 January 2014 “Chasing
Sardines”
Jesus replied, "You must love the
Lord your God with all your heart, ll your soul, and all your mind." This
is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important:
"Love your neighbor as yourself."-—Matthew 22:37–39
Some years ago, three hundred whales were
found marooned on a beach. Scientists speculated that the whales had been
chasing sardines and became trapped in shallow water when the tide went out.
Now, that's an amazing thing. By chasing little sardines, these gigantic
creatures were ultimately led to their doom.
Many people waste their lives chasing
sardines, so to speak. They major on the minors and have no clear focus or objective
in mind. But God tells us what should be the primary goal of every Christian.
If we can get our priorities straight in this area, everything else will come
together. In fact, if we can get these two principles operative in our lives,
then all the commandments of God will become a natural outflow of our
commitment to Him. What are these principles? One, "You must love the Lord
your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind" (Matthew
22:37, NLT), and two, "Love your neighbor as yourself " (verse 39,
NLT).
When Jesus spoke these words, He was
identifying what should be the focus of every person. Essentially, He was
saying that love is the basis for all obedience. If you really love God, then
you will naturally want to do the things that please Him.
It has been said that if you aim at
nothing, you are bound to hit it. What is your highest priority in life? What
are your goals? We all channel our energies and passions and thoughts toward
something in life. What is it for you?
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Wednesday, 29 January 2014 “God with Skin
On”
The Word became human and made his home
among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his
glory, the glory of the Father's one and only Son.-—John 1:14
I heard the story of a little boy who was
frightened one night during a big thunderstorm. Terrified, he called out from
his room, "Daddy, I'm scared!"
His father, not wanting to get out of
bed, called back, "Don't worry, Son. God loves you and will take care of
you."
There was a moment of silence. The little
boy said, "I know God loves me, but right now, I need somebody with skin
on."
Sometimes our great and awesome God seems
almost untouchable. That is where Jesus comes in. He was God with skin on,
walking among us and showing us what God is like. I think C. S. Lewis put it
well: "The Son of God became a man to enable men to become sons of
God."
God became a man so that you might become
God's child. You aren't born as a child of God; the Bible says that you need to
be born again (see John 3:3). There must come a moment in your life in which
you turn from your sins and invite Jesus Christ to come into your life to be
your Savior and Lord.
Have you done that yet? Would you like to
know with certainty that if you died today, you would go to heaven? You can. He
walked among us for a short time on this earth. But you can walk with Him forever.
The choice is yours.
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Thursday, 30 January 2014 “Promises . . .
with a Prerequisite”
He who dwells in the secret place of the
Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.-—Psalm 91:1
Without question, Psalm 91 is a real gem
among the psalms. Next to Psalm 23, it probably has brought more encouragement
and comfort throughout the centuries than any other psalm.
But it's worth noting that the blessings
promised in Psalm 91 aren't for just anyone. They are specifically given to
believers — and not just to believers in general. These benefits are targeted
toward believers who specifically meet the requirements found within the psalm.
Psalm 91 is full of what we call conditional promises. In other words, God
promises to do certain things for us, hinging on our doing certain things that
are required.
Verse 1 begins, "He who dwells in
the secret place of the Most High . . ." The word dwells could be translated
as "quiet and resting, enduring and remaining with consistency." It
is very similar to the word abide, which we see often in the New Testament.
Jesus said, "He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit"
(John 15:5). That word abide means "to stay in a given place, to maintain
unbroken fellowship and communion with another."
Here's what God is saying: If you want to
experience the promises of Psalm 91 — My protection, My provision, and My
blessing — you must dwell in the secret place of the Most High. You must remain
in constant fellowship with Me."
We have relationship with God because we
have put our faith in Jesus Christ and have turned from our sin. But are we
living in constant fellowship with God? Many believers aren't.
God is interested in a relationship with
you — not just on Sundays, but throughout the week. He wants you to dwell in
the secret place of the Most High.
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Friday, 31 January 2014 -“Why the Cross?”
The message of the cross is foolishness
to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of
God.-—1 Corinthians 1:18
A true story was reported about a couple
visiting a jewelry store. As the jeweler showed them various crosses, the woman
commented, "I like these, but do you have any without this little man on
them?"
That is what so many people want today: a
cross without Jesus. They want a cross without any offense — one that will look
cool with their outfits. But if we could travel back in time and see the cross
in its original context, we would realize that it was a bloody and vile symbol.
It would have been the worst picture imaginable to see someone hanging on a
cross.
The Romans chose crucifixion because it
was meant to be a slow, torturous way to die. It was designed to humiliate a
person. The crucifixions outside Roman cities served as warnings to anyone who
would dare oppose the rule of Rome.
If there had been any other way, do you
think that God would have allowed His Son to suffer like this? If there had
been any other way we could have been forgiven, then God surely would have
found it. If living a good moral life would get us to heaven, then Jesus never
would have died for us. But He did — because there was and is no other way. He had
to pay the price for our sin. At the cross, Jesus purchased the salvation of
the world.
If you ever were tempted to doubt God's
love for you, even for a moment, then take a long, hard look at the cross.
Nails did not hold Jesus to that cross; His love did.
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Saturday, 1 February 2014 “The Ultimate
Sacrifice”
God so loved the world that he gave his
only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal
life.-—John 3:16
I heard a true story about a man who
operated a drawbridge. At a certain time every afternoon, he raised the bridge
for a ferryboat to go by and then lowered it in time for a passenger train to
cross over. He performed this task precisely, according to the clock.
One day he brought his son to work so he
could watch. As his father raised the bridge, the boy got excited and wanted to
take a closer look. His father realized his son was missing and began looking
for him. To his horror, his son had come dangerously close to the bridge's
gears. Frantic, he wanted to go rescue him, but if he left the controls, he
would not be back in time to lower the bridge for the approaching passenger
train.
He faced a dilemma. If he lowered the
bridge, his son would be killed. If he left it raised, hundreds of others would
die. He knew what he had to do. With tears streaming down his face, he watched
the passenger train roll by. On board, two women chatted over tea. Others were
reading newspapers. All were totally unaware of what had just transpired. The
man cried out, "Don't you realize that I just gave my son for you?"
But they just continued on their way.
This story is a picture of what happened
at the cross. God gave up His beloved Son so that we might live. But most
people don't give it a second thought. How about you? Are you conscious of the
ultimate sacrifice God made on your behalf? Will you be sure to thank Him?
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Today's Bible Reading:
Exodus 17: Water from the Rock
1 From the wilderness of Sin the whole
congregation of the Israelites journeyed by stages, as the Lord commanded. They
camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. 2 The
people quarreled with Moses, and said, “Give us water to drink.” Moses said to
them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?” 3 But the people
thirsted there for water; and the people complained against Moses and said,
“Why did you bring us out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and livestock
with thirst?” 4 So Moses cried out to the Lord, “What shall I do with this
people? They are almost ready to stone me.” 5 The Lord said to Moses, “Go on
ahead of the people, and take some of the elders of Israel with you; take in
your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. 6 I will be
standing there in front of you on the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water
will come out of it, so that the people may drink.” Moses did so, in the sight
of the elders of Israel. 7 He called the place Massah[a] and Meribah,[b]
because the Israelites quarreled and tested the Lord, saying, “Is the Lord
among us or not?”
Amalek Attacks Israel and Is Defeated
8 Then Amalek came and fought with Israel
at Rephidim. 9 Moses said to Joshua, “Choose some men for us and go out, fight
with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the staff of God
in my hand.” 10 So Joshua did as Moses told him, and fought with Amalek, while
Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. 11 Whenever Moses held up
his hand, Israel prevailed; and whenever he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed.
12 But Moses’ hands grew weary; so they took a stone and put it under him, and
he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side, and the other
on the other side; so his hands were steady until the sun set. 13 And Joshua
defeated Amalek and his people with the sword.
14 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write
this as a reminder in a book and recite it in the hearing of Joshua: I will
utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.” 15 And Moses
built an altar and called it, The Lord is my banner. 16 He said, “A hand upon
the banner of the Lord![c] The Lord will have war with Amalek from generation
to generation.”
Jethro’s Advice
18: Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses’
father-in-law, heard of all that God had done for Moses and for his people
Israel, how the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt. 2 After Moses had sent
away his wife Zipporah, his father-in-law Jethro took her back, 3 along with
her two sons. The name of the one was Gershom (for he said, “I have been an
alien[d] in a foreign land”), 4 and the name of the other, Eliezer[e] (for he
said, “The God of my father was my help, and delivered me from the sword of
Pharaoh”). 5 Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, came into the wilderness where Moses
was encamped at the mountain of God, bringing Moses’ sons and wife to him. 6 He
sent word to Moses, “I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you, with your
wife and her two sons.” 7 Moses went out to meet his father-in-law; he bowed
down and kissed him; each asked after the other’s welfare, and they went into
the tent. 8 Then Moses told his father-in-law all that the Lord had done to
Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel’s sake, all the hardship that had beset
them on the way, and how the Lord had delivered them. 9 Jethro rejoiced for all
the good that the Lord had done to Israel, in delivering them from the
Egyptians.
10 Jethro said, “Blessed be the Lord, who
has delivered you from the Egyptians and from Pharaoh. 11 Now I know that the
Lord is greater than all gods, because he delivered the people from the Egyptians,[f]
when they dealt arrogantly with them.” 12 And Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law,
brought a burnt offering and sacrifices to God; and Aaron came with all the
elders of Israel to eat bread with Moses’ father-in-law in the presence of God.
13 The next day Moses sat as judge for
the people, while the people stood around him from morning until evening. 14
When Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he was doing for the people, he said,
“What is this that you are doing for the people? Why do you sit alone, while all
the people stand around you from morning until evening?” 15 Moses said to his
father-in-law, “Because the people come to me to inquire of God. 16 When they
have a dispute, they come to me and I decide between one person and another,
and I make known to them the statutes and instructions of God.” 17 Moses’
father-in-law said to him, “What you are doing is not good. 18 You will surely
wear yourself out, both you and these people with you. For the task is too
heavy for you; you cannot do it alone. 19 Now listen to me. I will give you
counsel, and God be with you! You should represent the people before God, and
you should bring their cases before God; 20 teach them the statutes and
instructions and make known to them the way they are to go and the things they are
to do. 21 You should also look for able men among all the people, men who fear
God, are trustworthy, and hate dishonest gain; set such men over them as
officers over thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens. 22 Let them sit as judges
for the people at all times; let them bring every important case to you, but
decide every minor case themselves. So it will be easier for you, and they will
bear the burden with you. 23 If you do this, and God so commands you, then you
will be able to endure, and all these people will go to their home in peace.”
24 So Moses listened to his father-in-law
and did all that he had said. 25 Moses chose able men from all Israel and
appointed them as heads over the people, as officers over thousands, hundreds,
fifties, and tens. 26 And they judged the people at all times; hard cases they
brought to Moses, but any minor case they decided themselves. 27 Then Moses let
his father-in-law depart, and he went off to his own country.
The Israelites Reach Mount Sinai
19: On the third new moon after the
Israelites had gone out of the land of Egypt, on that very day, they came into
the wilderness of Sinai. 2 They had journeyed from Rephidim, entered the
wilderness of Sinai, and camped in the wilderness; Israel camped there in front
of the mountain. 3 Then Moses went up to God; the Lord called to him from the
mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the
Israelites: 4 You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on
eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. 5 Now therefore, if you obey my voice
and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession out of all the
peoples. Indeed, the whole earth is mine, 6 but you shall be for me a priestly
kingdom and a holy nation. These are the words that you shall speak to the
Israelites.”
7 So Moses came, summoned the elders of
the people, and set before them all these words that the Lord had commanded
him. 8 The people all answered as one: “Everything that the Lord has spoken we
will do.” Moses reported the words of the people to the Lord. 9 Then the Lord
said to Moses, “I am going to come to you in a dense cloud, in order that the
people may hear when I speak with you and so trust you ever after.”
The People Consecrated
When Moses had told the words of the people
to the Lord, 10 the Lord said to Moses: “Go to the people and consecrate them
today and tomorrow. Have them wash their clothes 11 and prepare for the third
day, because on the third day the Lord will come down upon Mount Sinai in the
sight of all the people. 12 You shall set limits for the people all around,
saying, ‘Be careful not to go up the mountain or to touch the edge of it. Any
who touch the mountain shall be put to death. 13 No hand shall touch them, but
they shall be stoned or shot with arrows;[g] whether animal or human being,
they shall not live.’ When the trumpet sounds a long blast, they may go up on
the mountain.” 14 So Moses went down from the mountain to the people. He
consecrated the people, and they washed their clothes. 15 And he said to the
people, “Prepare for the third day; do not go near a woman.”
16 On the morning of the third day there
was thunder and lightning, as well as a thick cloud on the mountain, and a
blast of a trumpet so loud that all the people who were in the camp trembled.
17 Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God. They took their stand
at the foot of the mountain. 18 Now Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke, because
the Lord had descended upon it in fire; the smoke went up like the smoke of a
kiln, while the whole mountain shook violently. 19 As the blast of the trumpet
grew louder and louder, Moses would speak and God would answer him in thunder.
20 When the Lord descended upon Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain, the
Lord summoned Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up. 21 Then the
Lord said to Moses, “Go down and warn the people not to break through to the
Lord to look; otherwise many of them will perish. 22 Even the priests who
approach the Lord must consecrate themselves or the Lord will break out against
them.” 23 Moses said to the Lord, “The people are not permitted to come up to
Mount Sinai; for you yourself warned us, saying, ‘Set limits around the
mountain and keep it holy.’” 24 The Lord said to him, “Go down, and come up
bringing Aaron with you; but do not let either the priests or the people break
through to come up to the Lord; otherwise he will break out against them.” 25
So Moses went down to the people and told them.
The Ten Commandments
20: Then God spoke all these words:
2 I am the Lord your God, who brought you
out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; 3 you shall have no
other gods before[h] me.
4 You shall not make for yourself an
idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on
the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5 You shall not bow
down to them or worship them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God,
punishing children for the iniquity of parents, to the third and the fourth
generation of those who reject me, 6 but showing steadfast love to the
thousandth generation[i] of those who love me and keep my commandments.
7 You shall not make wrongful use of the
name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not acquit anyone who misuses his
name.
8 Remember the sabbath day, and keep it
holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work. 10 But the seventh day
is a sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work—you, your son or
your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident
in your towns. 11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and
all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the
sabbath day and consecrated it.
12 Honor your father and your mother, so
that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
13 You shall not murder.[j]
14 You shall not commit adultery.
15 You shall not steal.
16 You shall not bear false witness
against your neighbor.
17 You shall not covet your neighbor’s
house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or male or female slave, or
ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.
18 When all the people witnessed the
thunder and lightning, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking, they
were afraid[k] and trembled and stood at a distance, 19 and said to Moses, “You
speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, or we will
die.” 20 Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid; for God has come only to
test you and to put the fear of him upon you so that you do not sin.” 21 Then
the people stood at a distance, while Moses drew near to the thick darkness
where God was.
The Law concerning the Altar
22 The Lord said to Moses: Thus you shall
say to the Israelites: “You have seen for yourselves that I spoke with you from
heaven. 23 You shall not make gods of silver alongside me, nor shall you make
for yourselves gods of gold. 24 You need make for me only an altar of earth and
sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your offerings of well-being, your
sheep and your oxen; in every place where I cause my name to be remembered I
will come to you and bless you. 25 But if you make for me an altar of stone, do
not build it of hewn stones; for if you use a chisel upon it you profane it. 26
You shall not go up by steps to my altar, so that your nakedness may not be
exposed on it.”
The Law concerning Slaves
21: These are the ordinances that you
shall set before them:
2 When you buy a male Hebrew slave, he
shall serve six years, but in the seventh he shall go out a free person,
without debt. 3 If he comes in single, he shall go out single; if he comes in
married, then his wife shall go out with him. 4 If his master gives him a wife
and she bears him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall be her
master’s and he shall go out alone. 5 But if the slave declares, “I love my
master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out a free person,” 6 then his
master shall bring him before God.[l] He shall be brought to the door or the
doorpost; and his master shall pierce his ear with an awl; and he shall serve
him for life.
7 When a man sells his daughter as a
slave, she shall not go out as the male slaves do. 8 If she does not please her
master, who designated her for himself, then he shall let her be redeemed; he
shall have no right to sell her to a foreign people, since he has dealt
unfairly with her. 9 If he designates her for his son, he shall deal with her
as with a daughter. 10 If he takes another wife to himself, he shall not
diminish the food, clothing, or marital rights of the first wife.[m] 11 And if
he does not do these three things for her, she shall go out without debt,
without payment of money.
The Law concerning Violence
12 Whoever strikes a person mortally
shall be put to death. 13 If it was not premeditated, but came about by an act
of God, then I will appoint for you a place to which the killer may flee. 14
But if someone willfully attacks and kills another by treachery, you shall take
the killer from my altar for execution.
15 Whoever strikes father or mother shall
be put to death.
16 Whoever kidnaps a person, whether that
person has been sold or is still held in possession, shall be put to death.
17 Whoever curses father or mother shall
be put to death.
18 When individuals quarrel and one
strikes the other with a stone or fist so that the injured party, though not
dead, is confined to bed, 19 but recovers and walks around outside with the
help of a staff, then the assailant shall be free of liability, except to pay
for the loss of time, and to arrange for full recovery.
20 When a slaveowner strikes a male or
female slave with a rod and the slave dies immediately, the owner shall be
punished. 21 But if the slave survives a day or two, there is no punishment;
for the slave is the owner’s property.
22 When people who are fighting injure a
pregnant woman so that there is a miscarriage, and yet no further harm follows,
the one responsible shall be fined what the woman’s husband demands, paying as
much as the judges determine. 23 If any harm follows, then you shall give life
for life, 24 eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 25
burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.
26 When a slaveowner strikes the eye of a
male or female slave, destroying it, the owner shall let the slave go, a free
person, to compensate for the eye. 27 If the owner knocks out a tooth of a male
or female slave, the slave shall be let go, a free person, to compensate for
the tooth.
Laws concerning Property
28 When an ox gores a man or a woman to
death, the ox shall be stoned, and its flesh shall not be eaten; but the owner
of the ox shall not be liable. 29 If the ox has been accustomed to gore in the
past, and its owner has been warned but has not restrained it, and it kills a
man or a woman, the ox shall be stoned, and its owner also shall be put to
death. 30 If a ransom is imposed on the owner, then the owner shall pay
whatever is imposed for the redemption of the victim’s life. 31 If it gores a
boy or a girl, the owner shall be dealt with according to this same rule. 32 If
the ox gores a male or female slave, the owner shall pay to the slaveowner
thirty shekels of silver, and the ox shall be stoned.
33 If someone leaves a pit open, or digs
a pit and does not cover it, and an ox or a donkey falls into it, 34 the owner
of the pit shall make restitution, giving money to its owner, but keeping the
dead animal.
35 If someone’s ox hurts the ox of
another, so that it dies, then they shall sell the live ox and divide the price
of it; and the dead animal they shall also divide. 36 But if it was known that
the ox was accustomed to gore in the past, and its owner has not restrained it,
the owner shall restore ox for ox, but keep the dead animal.
Laws of Restitution
22: [n] When someone steals an ox or a
sheep, and slaughters it or sells it, the thief shall pay five oxen for an ox,
and four sheep for a sheep.[o] The thief shall make restitution, but if unable
to do so, shall be sold for the theft. 4 When the animal, whether ox or donkey
or sheep, is found alive in the thief’s possession, the thief shall pay double.
2 [p] If a thief is found breaking in,
and is beaten to death, no bloodguilt is incurred; 3 but if it happens after
sunrise, bloodguilt is incurred.
5 When someone causes a field or vineyard
to be grazed over, or lets livestock loose to graze in someone else’s field,
restitution shall be made from the best in the owner’s field or vineyard.
6 When fire breaks out and catches in
thorns so that the stacked grain or the standing grain or the field is
consumed, the one who started the fire shall make full restitution.
7 When someone delivers to a neighbor
money or goods for safekeeping, and they are stolen from the neighbor’s house,
then the thief, if caught, shall pay double. 8 If the thief is not caught, the
owner of the house shall be brought before God,[q] to determine whether or not
the owner had laid hands on the neighbor’s goods.
9 In any case of disputed ownership
involving ox, donkey, sheep, clothing, or any other loss, of which one party
says, “This is mine,” the case of both parties shall come before God;[r] the
one whom God condemns[s] shall pay double to the other.
10 When someone delivers to another a
donkey, ox, sheep, or any other animal for safekeeping, and it dies or is
injured or is carried off, without anyone seeing it, 11 an oath before the Lord
shall decide between the two of them that the one has not laid hands on the
property of the other; the owner shall accept the oath, and no restitution
shall be made. 12 But if it was stolen, restitution shall be made to its owner.
13 If it was mangled by beasts, let it be brought as evidence; restitution
shall not be made for the mangled remains.
14 When someone borrows an animal from
another and it is injured or dies, the owner not being present, full
restitution shall be made. 15 If the owner was present, there shall be no
restitution; if it was hired, only the hiring fee is due.
Social and Religious Laws
16 When a man seduces a virgin who is not
engaged to be married, and lies with her, he shall give the bride-price for her
and make her his wife. 17 But if her father refuses to give her to him, he shall
pay an amount equal to the bride-price for virgins.
18 You shall not permit a female sorcerer
to live.
19 Whoever lies with an animal shall be
put to death.
20 Whoever sacrifices to any god, other
than the Lord alone, shall be devoted to destruction.
21 You shall not wrong or oppress a
resident alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt. 22 You shall not
abuse any widow or orphan. 23 If you do abuse them, when they cry out to me, I
will surely heed their cry; 24 my wrath will burn, and I will kill you with the
sword, and your wives shall become widows and your children orphans.
25 If you lend money to my people, to the
poor among you, you shall not deal with them as a creditor; you shall not exact
interest from them. 26 If you take your neighbor’s cloak in pawn, you shall
restore it before the sun goes down; 27 for it may be your neighbor’s only
clothing to use as cover; in what else shall that person sleep? And if your
neighbor cries out to me, I will listen, for I am compassionate.
28 You shall not revile God, or curse a
leader of your people.
29 You shall not delay to make offerings
from the fullness of your harvest and from the outflow of your presses.[t]
The firstborn of your sons you shall give
to me. 30 You shall do the same with your oxen and with your sheep: seven days
it shall remain with its mother; on the eighth day you shall give it to me.
31 You shall be people consecrated to me;
therefore you shall not eat any meat that is mangled by beasts in the field;
you shall throw it to the dogs.
Justice for All
23: You shall not spread a false report.
You shall not join hands with the wicked to act as a malicious witness. 2 You
shall not follow a majority in wrongdoing; when you bear witness in a lawsuit,
you shall not side with the majority so as to pervert justice; 3 nor shall you
be partial to the poor in a lawsuit.
4 When you come upon your enemy’s ox or
donkey going astray, you shall bring it back.
5 When you see the donkey of one who
hates you lying under its burden and you would hold back from setting it free,
you must help to set it free.[u]
6 You shall not pervert the justice due
to your poor in their lawsuits. 7 Keep far from a false charge, and do not kill
the innocent and those in the right, for I will not acquit the guilty. 8 You
shall take no bribe, for a bribe blinds the officials, and subverts the cause
of those who are in the right.
9 You shall not oppress a resident alien;
you know the heart of an alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt.
Sabbatical Year and Sabbath
10 For six years you shall sow your land
and gather in its yield; 11 but the seventh year you shall let it rest and lie
fallow, so that the poor of your people may eat; and what they leave the wild
animals may eat. You shall do the same with your vineyard, and with your olive
orchard.
12 Six days you shall do your work, but
on the seventh day you shall rest, so that your ox and your donkey may have
relief, and your homeborn slave and the resident alien may be refreshed. 13 Be
attentive to all that I have said to you. Do not invoke the names of other
gods; do not let them be heard on your lips.
The Annual Festivals
14 Three times in the year you shall hold
a festival for me. 15 You shall observe the festival of unleavened bread; as I
commanded you, you shall eat unleavened bread for seven days at the appointed
time in the month of Abib, for in it you came out of Egypt.
No one shall appear before me
empty-handed.
16 You shall observe the festival of
harvest, of the first fruits of your labor, of what you sow in the field. You
shall observe the festival of ingathering at the end of the year, when you
gather in from the field the fruit of your labor. 17 Three times in the year
all your males shall appear before the Lord God.
18 You shall not offer the blood of my
sacrifice with anything leavened, or let the fat of my festival remain until
the morning.
19 The choicest of the first fruits of
your ground you shall bring into the house of the Lord your God.
You shall not boil a kid in its mother’s
milk.
The Conquest of Canaan Promised
20 I am going to send an angel in front
of you, to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have
prepared. 21 Be attentive to him and listen to his voice; do not rebel against
him, for he will not pardon your transgression; for my name is in him.
22 But if you listen attentively to his
voice and do all that I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and a foe
to your foes.
23 When my angel goes in front of you,
and brings you to the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the
Hivites, and the Jebusites, and I blot them out, 24 you shall not bow down to
their gods, or worship them, or follow their practices, but you shall utterly
demolish them and break their pillars in pieces. 25 You shall worship the Lord
your God, and I[v] will bless your bread and your water; and I will take
sickness away from among you. 26 No one shall miscarry or be barren in your
land; I will fulfill the number of your days. 27 I will send my terror in front
of you, and will throw into confusion all the people against whom you shall
come, and I will make all your enemies turn their backs to you. 28 And I will
send the pestilence[w] in front of you, which shall drive out the Hivites, the
Canaanites, and the Hittites from before you. 29 I will not drive them out from
before you in one year, or the land would become desolate and the wild animals
would multiply against you. 30 Little by little I will drive them out from
before you, until you have increased and possess the land. 31 I will set your
borders from the Red Sea[x] to the sea of the Philistines, and from the
wilderness to the Euphrates; for I will hand over to you the inhabitants of the
land, and you shall drive them out before you. 32 You shall make no covenant
with them and their gods. 33 They shall not live in your land, or they will
make you sin against me; for if you worship their gods, it will surely be a
snare to you.
The Blood of the Covenant
24: Then he said to Moses, “Come up to
the Lord, you and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel,
and worship at a distance. 2 Moses alone shall come near the Lord; but the
others shall not come near, and the people shall not come up with him.”
3 Moses came and told the people all the
words of the Lord and all the ordinances; and all the people answered with one
voice, and said, “All the words that the Lord has spoken we will do.” 4 And
Moses wrote down all the words of the Lord. He rose early in the morning, and
built an altar at the foot of the mountain, and set up twelve pillars, corresponding
to the twelve tribes of Israel. 5 He sent young men of the people of Israel,
who offered burnt offerings and sacrificed oxen as offerings of well-being to
the Lord. 6 Moses took half of the blood and put it in basins, and half of the
blood he dashed against the altar. 7 Then he took the book of the covenant, and
read it in the hearing of the people; and they said, “All that the Lord has
spoken we will do, and we will be obedient.” 8 Moses took the blood and dashed
it on the people, and said, “See the blood of the covenant that the Lord has
made with you in accordance with all these words.”
On the Mountain with God
9 Then Moses and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu,
and seventy of the elders of Israel went up, 10 and they saw the God of Israel.
Under his feet there was something like a pavement of sapphire stone, like the
very heaven for clearness. 11 God[y] did not lay his hand on the chief men of
the people of Israel; also they beheld God, and they ate and drank.
12 The Lord said to Moses, “Come up to me
on the mountain, and wait there; and I will give you the tablets of stone, with
the law and the commandment, which I have written for their instruction.” 13 So
Moses set out with his assistant Joshua, and Moses went up into the mountain of
God. 14 To the elders he had said, “Wait here for us, until we come to you
again; for Aaron and Hur are with you; whoever has a dispute may go to them.”
15 Then Moses went up on the mountain,
and the cloud covered the mountain. 16 The glory of the Lord settled on Mount
Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days; on the seventh day he called to
Moses out of the cloud. 17 Now the appearance of the glory of the Lord was like
a devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the sight of the people of
Israel. 18 Moses entered the cloud, and went up on the mountain. Moses was on
the mountain for forty days and forty nights.
Offerings for the Tabernacle
25: The Lord said to Moses: 2 Tell the
Israelites to take for me an offering; from all whose hearts prompt them to
give you shall receive the offering for me. 3 This is the offering that you
shall receive from them: gold, silver, and bronze, 4 blue, purple, and crimson
yarns and fine linen, goats’ hair, 5 tanned rams’ skins, fine leather,[z]
acacia wood, 6 oil for the lamps, spices for the anointing oil and for the
fragrant incense, 7 onyx stones and gems to be set in the ephod and for the
breastpiece. 8 And have them make me a sanctuary, so that I may dwell among
them. 9 In accordance with all that I show you concerning the pattern of the
tabernacle and of all its furniture, so you shall make it.
The Ark of the Covenant
10 They shall make an ark of acacia wood;
it shall be two and a half cubits long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit
and a half high. 11 You shall overlay it with pure gold, inside and outside you
shall overlay it, and you shall make a molding of gold upon it all around. 12
You shall cast four rings of gold for it and put them on its four feet, two
rings on the one side of it, and two rings on the other side. 13 You shall make
poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold. 14 And you shall put the
poles into the rings on the sides of the ark, by which to carry the ark. 15 The
poles shall remain in the rings of the ark; they shall not be taken from it. 16
You shall put into the ark the covenant[aa] that I shall give you.
17 Then you shall make a mercy seat[ab]
of pure gold; two cubits and a half shall be its length, and a cubit and a half
its width. 18 You shall make two cherubim of gold; you shall make them of
hammered work, at the two ends of the mercy seat.[ac] 19 Make one cherub at the
one end, and one cherub at the other; of one piece with the mercy seat[ad] you
shall make the cherubim at its two ends. 20 The cherubim shall spread out their
wings above, overshadowing the mercy seat[ae] with their wings. They shall face
one to another; the faces of the cherubim shall be turned toward the mercy
seat.[af] 21 You shall put the mercy seat[ag] on the top of the ark; and in the
ark you shall put the covenant[ah] that I shall give you. 22 There I will meet
with you, and from above the mercy seat,[ai] from between the two cherubim that
are on the ark of the covenant,[aj] I will deliver to you all my commands for
the Israelites.
The Table for the Bread of the Presence
23 You shall make a table of acacia wood,
two cubits long, one cubit wide, and a cubit and a half high. 24 You shall overlay
it with pure gold, and make a molding of gold around it. 25 You shall make
around it a rim a handbreadth wide, and a molding of gold around the rim. 26
You shall make for it four rings of gold, and fasten the rings to the four
corners at its four legs. 27 The rings that hold the poles used for carrying
the table shall be close to the rim. 28 You shall make the poles of acacia
wood, and overlay them with gold, and the table shall be carried with these. 29
You shall make its plates and dishes for incense, and its flagons and bowls
with which to pour drink offerings; you shall make them of pure gold. 30 And
you shall set the bread of the Presence on the table before me always.
The Lampstand
31 You shall make a lampstand of pure
gold. The base and the shaft of the lampstand shall be made of hammered work;
its cups, its calyxes, and its petals shall be of one piece with it; 32 and
there shall be six branches going out of its sides, three branches of the
lampstand out of one side of it and three branches of the lampstand out of the
other side of it; 33 three cups shaped like almond blossoms, each with calyx
and petals, on one branch, and three cups shaped like almond blossoms, each
with calyx and petals, on the other branch—so for the six branches going out of
the lampstand. 34 On the lampstand itself there shall be four cups shaped like
almond blossoms, each with its calyxes and petals. 35 There shall be a calyx of
one piece with it under the first pair of branches, a calyx of one piece with
it under the next pair of branches, and a calyx of one piece with it under the
last pair of branches—so for the six branches that go out of the lampstand. 36
Their calyxes and their branches shall be of one piece with it, the whole of it
one hammered piece of pure gold. 37 You shall make the seven lamps for it; and
the lamps shall be set up so as to give light on the space in front of it. 38
Its snuffers and trays shall be of pure gold. 39 It, and all these utensils,
shall be made from a talent of pure gold. 40 And see that you make them
according to the pattern for them, which is being shown you on the mountain.
The Tabernacle
26: Moreover you shall make the
tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twisted linen, and blue, purple, and
crimson yarns; you shall make them with cherubim skillfully worked into them. 2
The length of each curtain shall be twenty-eight cubits, and the width of each
curtain four cubits; all the curtains shall be of the same size. 3 Five
curtains shall be joined to one another; and the other five curtains shall be
joined to one another. 4 You shall make loops of blue on the edge of the
outermost curtain in the first set; and likewise you shall make loops on the
edge of the outermost curtain in the second set. 5 You shall make fifty loops
on the one curtain, and you shall make fifty loops on the edge of the curtain
that is in the second set; the loops shall be opposite one another. 6 You shall
make fifty clasps of gold, and join the curtains to one another with the
clasps, so that the tabernacle may be one whole.
7 You shall also make curtains of goats’
hair for a tent over the tabernacle; you shall make eleven curtains. 8 The
length of each curtain shall be thirty cubits, and the width of each curtain
four cubits; the eleven curtains shall be of the same size. 9 You shall join
five curtains by themselves, and six curtains by themselves, and the sixth
curtain you shall double over at the front of the tent. 10 You shall make fifty
loops on the edge of the curtain that is outermost in one set, and fifty loops
on the edge of the curtain that is outermost in the second set.
11 You shall make fifty clasps of bronze,
and put the clasps into the loops, and join the tent together, so that it may
be one whole. 12 The part that remains of the curtains of the tent, the half
curtain that remains, shall hang over the back of the tabernacle. 13 The cubit
on the one side, and the cubit on the other side, of what remains in the length
of the curtains of the tent, shall hang over the sides of the tabernacle, on
this side and that side, to cover it. 14 You shall make for the tent a covering
of tanned rams’ skins and an outer covering of fine leather.[ak]
The Framework
15 You shall make upright frames of
acacia wood for the tabernacle. 16 Ten cubits shall be the length of a frame,
and a cubit and a half the width of each frame. 17 There shall be two pegs in
each frame to fit the frames together; you shall make these for all the frames
of the tabernacle. 18 You shall make the frames for the tabernacle: twenty
frames for the south side; 19 and you shall make forty bases of silver under
the twenty frames, two bases under the first frame for its two pegs, and two
bases under the next frame for its two pegs; 20 and for the second side of the
tabernacle, on the north side twenty frames, 21 and their forty bases of
silver, two bases under the first frame, and two bases under the next frame; 22
and for the rear of the tabernacle westward you shall make six frames. 23 You
shall make two frames for corners of the tabernacle in the rear; 24 they shall
be separate beneath, but joined at the top, at the first ring; it shall be the
same with both of them; they shall form the two corners. 25 And so there shall
be eight frames, with their bases of silver, sixteen bases; two bases under the
first frame, and two bases under the next frame.
26 You shall make bars of acacia wood,
five for the frames of the one side of the tabernacle, 27 and five bars for the
frames of the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the frames of the
side of the tabernacle at the rear westward. 28 The middle bar, halfway up the
frames, shall pass through from end to end. 29 You shall overlay the frames
with gold, and shall make their rings of gold to hold the bars; and you shall
overlay the bars with gold. 30 Then you shall erect the tabernacle according to
the plan for it that you were shown on the mountain.
The Curtain
31 You shall make a curtain of blue,
purple, and crimson yarns, and of fine twisted linen; it shall be made with
cherubim skillfully worked into it. 32 You shall hang it on four pillars of
acacia overlaid with gold, which have hooks of gold and rest on four bases of
silver. 33 You shall hang the curtain under the clasps, and bring the ark of
the covenant[al] in there, within the curtain; and the curtain shall separate
for you the holy place from the most holy. 34 You shall put the mercy seat[am]
on the ark of the covenant[an] in the most holy place. 35 You shall set the
table outside the curtain, and the lampstand on the south side of the
tabernacle opposite the table; and you shall put the table on the north side.
36 You shall make a screen for the entrance
of the tent, of blue, purple, and crimson yarns, and of fine twisted linen,
embroidered with needlework. 37 You shall make for the screen five pillars of
acacia, and overlay them with gold; their hooks shall be of gold, and you shall
cast five bases of bronze for them.
The Altar of Burnt Offering
27: You shall make the altar of acacia
wood, five cubits long and five cubits wide; the altar shall be square, and it
shall be three cubits high. 2 You shall make horns for it on its four corners;
its horns shall be of one piece with it, and you shall overlay it with bronze.
3 You shall make pots for it to receive its ashes, and shovels and basins and
forks and firepans; you shall make all its utensils of bronze. 4 You shall also
make for it a grating, a network of bronze; and on the net you shall make four
bronze rings at its four corners. 5 You shall set it under the ledge of the
altar so that the net shall extend halfway down the altar. 6 You shall make
poles for the altar, poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with bronze; 7 the
poles shall be put through the rings, so that the poles shall be on the two
sides of the altar when it is carried. 8 You shall make it hollow, with boards.
They shall be made just as you were shown on the mountain.
The Court and Its Hangings
9 You shall make the court of the
tabernacle. On the south side the court shall have hangings of fine twisted
linen one hundred cubits long for that side; 10 its twenty pillars and their
twenty bases shall be of bronze, but the hooks of the pillars and their bands
shall be of silver. 11 Likewise for its length on the north side there shall be
hangings one hundred cubits long, their pillars twenty and their bases twenty,
of bronze, but the hooks of the pillars and their bands shall be of silver. 12
For the width of the court on the west side there shall be fifty cubits of
hangings, with ten pillars and ten bases. 13 The width of the court on the
front to the east shall be fifty cubits. 14 There shall be fifteen cubits of
hangings on the one side, with three pillars and three bases. 15 There shall be
fifteen cubits of hangings on the other side, with three pillars and three
bases. 16 For the gate of the court there shall be a screen twenty cubits long,
of blue, purple, and crimson yarns, and of fine twisted linen, embroidered with
needlework; it shall have four pillars and with them four bases. 17 All the
pillars around the court shall be banded with silver; their hooks shall be of
silver, and their bases of bronze. 18 The length of the court shall be one
hundred cubits, the width fifty, and the height five cubits, with hangings of
fine twisted linen and bases of bronze. 19 All the utensils of the tabernacle
for every use, and all its pegs and all the pegs of the court, shall be of
bronze.
The Oil for the Lamp
20 You shall further command the
Israelites to bring you pure oil of beaten olives for the light, so that a lamp
may be set up to burn regularly. 21 In the tent of meeting, outside the curtain
that is before the covenant,[ao] Aaron and his sons shall tend it from evening
to morning before the Lord. It shall be a perpetual ordinance to be observed
throughout their generations by the Israelites.
Vestments for the Priesthood
28 Then bring near to you your brother
Aaron, and his sons with him, from among the Israelites, to serve me as
priests—Aaron and Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. 2 You
shall make sacred vestments for the glorious adornment of your brother Aaron. 3
And you shall speak to all who have ability, whom I have endowed with skill,
that they make Aaron’s vestments to consecrate him for my priesthood. 4 These
are the vestments that they shall make: a breastpiece, an ephod, a robe, a
checkered tunic, a turban, and a sash. When they make these sacred vestments
for your brother Aaron and his sons to serve me as priests, 5 they shall use
gold, blue, purple, and crimson yarns, and fine linen.
The Ephod
6 They shall make the ephod of gold, of
blue, purple, and crimson yarns, and of fine twisted linen, skillfully worked.
7 It shall have two shoulder-pieces attached to its two edges, so that it may
be joined together. 8 The decorated band on it shall be of the same workmanship
and materials, of gold, of blue, purple, and crimson yarns, and of fine twisted
linen. 9 You shall take two onyx stones, and engrave on them the names of the
sons of Israel, 10 six of their names on the one stone, and the names of the
remaining six on the other stone, in the order of their birth. 11 As a
gem-cutter engraves signets, so you shall engrave the two stones with the names
of the sons of Israel; you shall mount them in settings of gold filigree. 12
You shall set the two stones on the shoulder-pieces of the ephod, as stones of
remembrance for the sons of Israel; and Aaron shall bear their names before the
Lord on his two shoulders for remembrance. 13 You shall make settings of gold
filigree, 14 and two chains of pure gold, twisted like cords; and you shall
attach the corded chains to the settings.
The Breastplate
15 You shall make a breastpiece of
judgment, in skilled work; you shall make it in the style of the ephod; of
gold, of blue and purple and crimson yarns, and of fine twisted linen you shall
make it. 16 It shall be square and doubled, a span in length and a span in
width. 17 You shall set in it four rows of stones. A row of carnelian,[ap]
chrysolite, and emerald shall be the first row; 18 and the second row a
turquoise, a sapphire,[aq] and a moonstone; 19 and the third row a jacinth, an
agate, and an amethyst; 20 and the fourth row a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper;
they shall be set in gold filigree. 21 There shall be twelve stones with names
corresponding to the names of the sons of Israel; they shall be like signets, each
engraved with its name, for the twelve tribes. 22 You shall make for the
breastpiece chains of pure gold, twisted like cords; 23 and you shall make for
the breastpiece two rings of gold, and put the two rings on the two edges of
the breastpiece. 24 You shall put the two cords of gold in the two rings at the
edges of the breastpiece; 25 the two ends of the two cords you shall attach to
the two settings, and so attach it in front to the shoulder-pieces of the
ephod. 26 You shall make two rings of gold, and put them at the two ends of the
breastpiece, on its inside edge next to the ephod. 27 You shall make two rings
of gold, and attach them in front to the lower part of the two shoulder-pieces
of the ephod, at its joining above the decorated band of the ephod. 28 The
breastpiece shall be bound by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a blue
cord, so that it may lie on the decorated band of the ephod, and so that the
breastpiece shall not come loose from the ephod. 29 So Aaron shall bear the
names of the sons of Israel in the breastpiece of judgment on his heart when he
goes into the holy place, for a continual remembrance before the Lord. 30 In
the breastpiece of judgment you shall put the Urim and the Thummim, and they
shall be on Aaron’s heart when he goes in before the Lord; thus Aaron shall
bear the judgment of the Israelites on his heart before the Lord continually.
Other Priestly Vestments
31 You shall make the robe of the ephod
all of blue. 32 It shall have an opening for the head in the middle of it, with
a woven binding around the opening, like the opening in a coat of mail,[ar] so
that it may not be torn. 33 On its lower hem you shall make pomegranates of
blue, purple, and crimson yarns, all around the lower hem, with bells of gold
between them all around— 34 a golden bell and a pomegranate alternating all
around the lower hem of the robe. 35 Aaron shall wear it when he ministers, and
its sound shall be heard when he goes into the holy place before the Lord, and
when he comes out, so that he may not die.
36 You shall make a rosette of pure gold,
and engrave on it, like the engraving of a signet, “Holy to the Lord.” 37 You
shall fasten it on the turban with a blue cord; it shall be on the front of the
turban. 38 It shall be on Aaron’s forehead, and Aaron shall take on himself any
guilt incurred in the holy offering that the Israelites consecrate as their
sacred donations; it shall always be on his forehead, in order that they may
find favor before the Lord.
39 You shall make the checkered tunic of
fine linen, and you shall make a turban of fine linen, and you shall make a
sash embroidered with needlework.
40 For Aaron’s sons you shall make tunics
and sashes and headdresses; you shall make them for their glorious adornment.
41 You shall put them on your brother Aaron, and on his sons with him, and
shall anoint them and ordain them and consecrate them, so that they may serve
me as priests. 42 You shall make for them linen undergarments to cover their
naked flesh; they shall reach from the hips to the thighs; 43 Aaron and his
sons shall wear them when they go into the tent of meeting, or when they come
near the altar to minister in the holy place; or they will bring guilt on
themselves and die. This shall be a perpetual ordinance for him and for his descendants
after him.
The Ordination of the Priests
29: Now this is what you shall do to them
to consecrate them, so that they may serve me as priests. Take one young bull
and two rams without blemish, 2 and unleavened bread, unleavened cakes mixed
with oil, and unleavened wafers spread with oil. You shall make them of choice
wheat flour. 3 You shall put them in one basket and bring them in the basket,
and bring the bull and the two rams. 4 You shall bring Aaron and his sons to
the entrance of the tent of meeting, and wash them with water. 5 Then you shall
take the vestments, and put on Aaron the tunic and the robe of the ephod, and
the ephod, and the breastpiece, and gird him with the decorated band of the
ephod; 6 and you shall set the turban on his head, and put the holy diadem on
the turban. 7 You shall take the anointing oil, and pour it on his head and
anoint him. 8 Then you shall bring his sons, and put tunics on them, 9 and you
shall gird them with sashes[as] and tie headdresses on them; and the priesthood
shall be theirs by a perpetual ordinance. You shall then ordain Aaron and his
sons.
10 You shall bring the bull in front of
the tent of meeting. Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of
the bull, 11 and you shall slaughter the bull before the Lord, at the entrance
of the tent of meeting, 12 and shall take some of the blood of the bull and put
it on the horns of the altar with your finger, and all the rest of the blood
you shall pour out at the base of the altar. 13 You shall take all the fat that
covers the entrails, and the appendage of the liver, and the two kidneys with
the fat that is on them, and turn them into smoke on the altar. 14 But the
flesh of the bull, and its skin, and its dung, you shall burn with fire outside
the camp; it is a sin offering.
15 Then you shall take one of the rams,
and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the ram, 16 and you
shall slaughter the ram, and shall take its blood and dash it against all sides
of the altar. 17 Then you shall cut the ram into its parts, and wash its
entrails and its legs, and put them with its parts and its head, 18 and turn
the whole ram into smoke on the altar; it is a burnt offering to the Lord; it
is a pleasing odor, an offering by fire to the Lord.
19 You shall take the other ram; and
Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the ram, 20 and you
shall slaughter the ram, and take some of its blood and put it on the lobe of
Aaron’s right ear and on the lobes of the right ears of his sons, and on the
thumbs of their right hands, and on the big toes of their right feet, and dash
the rest of the blood against all sides of the altar. 21 Then you shall take
some of the blood that is on the altar, and some of the anointing oil, and
sprinkle it on Aaron and his vestments and on his sons and his sons’ vestments
with him; then he and his vestments shall be holy, as well as his sons and his
sons’ vestments.
22 You shall also take the fat of the
ram, the fat tail, the fat that covers the entrails, the appendage of the
liver, the two kidneys with the fat that is on them, and the right thigh (for
it is a ram of ordination), 23 and one loaf of bread, one cake of bread made
with oil, and one wafer, out of the basket of unleavened bread that is before
the Lord; 24 and you shall place all these on the palms of Aaron and on the
palms of his sons, and raise them as an elevation offering before the Lord. 25
Then you shall take them from their hands, and turn them into smoke on the
altar on top of the burnt offering of pleasing odor before the Lord; it is an
offering by fire to the Lord.
26 You shall take the breast of the ram
of Aaron’s ordination and raise it as an elevation offering before the Lord;
and it shall be your portion. 27 You shall consecrate the breast that was
raised as an elevation offering and the thigh that was raised as an elevation
offering from the ram of ordination, from that which belonged to Aaron and his
sons. 28 These things shall be a perpetual ordinance for Aaron and his sons
from the Israelites, for this is an offering; and it shall be an offering by
the Israelites from their sacrifice of offerings of well-being, their offering
to the Lord.
29 The sacred vestments of Aaron shall be
passed on to his sons after him; they shall be anointed in them and ordained in
them. 30 The son who is priest in his place shall wear them seven days, when he
comes into the tent of meeting to minister in the holy place.
31 You shall take the ram of ordination,
and boil its flesh in a holy place; 32 and Aaron and his sons shall eat the
flesh of the ram and the bread that is in the basket, at the entrance of the
tent of meeting. 33 They themselves shall eat the food by which atonement is
made, to ordain and consecrate them, but no one else shall eat of them, because
they are holy. 34 If any of the flesh for the ordination, or of the bread,
remains until the morning, then you shall burn the remainder with fire; it
shall not be eaten, because it is holy.
35 Thus you shall do to Aaron and to his
sons, just as I have commanded you; through seven days you shall ordain them.
36 Also every day you shall offer a bull as a sin offering for atonement. Also
you shall offer a sin offering for the altar, when you make atonement for it,
and shall anoint it, to consecrate it. 37 Seven days you shall make atonement
for the altar, and consecrate it, and the altar shall be most holy; whatever
touches the altar shall become holy.
The Daily Offerings
38 Now this is what you shall offer on
the altar: two lambs a year old regularly each day. 39 One lamb you shall offer
in the morning, and the other lamb you shall offer in the evening; 40 and with
the first lamb one-tenth of a measure of choice flour mixed with one-fourth of
a hin of beaten oil, and one-fourth of a hin of wine for a drink offering. 41
And the other lamb you shall offer in the evening, and shall offer with it a
grain offering and its drink offering, as in the morning, for a pleasing odor,
an offering by fire to the Lord. 42 It shall be a regular burnt offering
throughout your generations at the entrance of the tent of meeting before the
Lord, where I will meet with you, to speak to you there. 43 I will meet with
the Israelites there, and it shall be sanctified by my glory; 44 I will
consecrate the tent of meeting and the altar; Aaron also and his sons I will
consecrate, to serve me as priests. 45 I will dwell among the Israelites, and I
will be their God. 46 And they shall know that I am the Lord their God, who
brought them out of the land of Egypt that I might dwell among them; I am the
Lord their God.
The Altar of Incense
30: You shall make an altar on which to
offer incense; you shall make it of acacia wood. 2 It shall be one cubit long,
and one cubit wide; it shall be square, and shall be two cubits high; its horns
shall be of one piece with it. 3 You shall overlay it with pure gold, its top,
and its sides all around and its horns; and you shall make for it a molding of
gold all around. 4 And you shall make two golden rings for it; under its
molding on two opposite sides of it you shall make them, and they shall hold
the poles with which to carry it. 5 You shall make the poles of acacia wood,
and overlay them with gold. 6 You shall place it in front of the curtain that
is above the ark of the covenant,[at] in front of the mercy seat[au] that is over
the covenant,[av] where I will meet with you. 7 Aaron shall offer fragrant
incense on it; every morning when he dresses the lamps he shall offer it, 8 and
when Aaron sets up the lamps in the evening, he shall offer it, a regular
incense offering before the Lord throughout your generations. 9 You shall not
offer unholy incense on it, or a burnt offering, or a grain offering; and you
shall not pour a drink offering on it. 10 Once a year Aaron shall perform the
rite of atonement on its horns. Throughout your generations he shall perform
the atonement for it once a year with the blood of the atoning sin offering. It
is most holy to the Lord.
The Half Shekel for the Sanctuary
11 The Lord spoke to Moses: 12 When you
take a census of the Israelites to register them, at registration all of them
shall give a ransom for their lives to the Lord, so that no plague may come
upon them for being registered. 13 This is what each one who is registered
shall give: half a shekel according to the shekel of the sanctuary (the shekel
is twenty gerahs), half a shekel as an offering to the Lord. 14 Each one who is
registered, from twenty years old and upward, shall give the Lord’s offering.
15 The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less, than the
half shekel, when you bring this offering to the Lord to make atonement for
your lives. 16 You shall take the atonement money from the Israelites and shall
designate it for the service of the tent of meeting; before the Lord it will be
a reminder to the Israelites of the ransom given for your lives.
The Bronze Basin
17 The Lord spoke to Moses: 18 You shall
make a bronze basin with a bronze stand for washing. You shall put it between
the tent of meeting and the altar, and you shall put water in it; 19 with the
water[aw] Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet. 20 When
they go into the tent of meeting, or when they come near the altar to minister,
to make an offering by fire to the Lord, they shall wash with water, so that
they may not die. 21 They shall wash their hands and their feet, so that they
may not die: it shall be a perpetual ordinance for them, for him and for his
descendants throughout their generations.
The Anointing Oil and Incense
22 The Lord spoke to Moses: 23 Take the
finest spices: of liquid myrrh five hundred shekels, and of sweet-smelling
cinnamon half as much, that is, two hundred fifty, and two hundred fifty of
aromatic cane, 24 and five hundred of cassia—measured by the sanctuary
shekel—and a hin of olive oil; 25 and you shall make of these a sacred
anointing oil blended as by the perfumer; it shall be a holy anointing oil. 26
With it you shall anoint the tent of meeting and the ark of the covenant,[ax]
27 and the table and all its utensils, and the lampstand and its utensils, and
the altar of incense, 28 and the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils,
and the basin with its stand; 29 you shall consecrate them, so that they may be
most holy; whatever touches them will become holy. 30 You shall anoint Aaron
and his sons, and consecrate them, in order that they may serve me as priests.
31 You shall say to the Israelites, “This shall be my holy anointing oil
throughout your generations. 32 It shall not be used in any ordinary anointing
of the body, and you shall make no other like it in composition; it is holy,
and it shall be holy to you. 33 Whoever compounds any like it or whoever puts
any of it on an unqualified person shall be cut off from the people.”
34 The Lord said to Moses: Take sweet
spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum, sweet spices with pure frankincense
(an equal part of each), 35 and make an incense blended as by the perfumer,
seasoned with salt, pure and holy; 36 and you shall beat some of it into powder,
and put part of it before the covenant[ay] in the tent of meeting where I shall
meet with you; it shall be for you most holy. 37 When you make incense
according to this composition, you shall not make it for yourselves; it shall
be regarded by you as holy to the Lord. 38 Whoever makes any like it to use as
perfume shall be cut off from the people.
Bezalel and Oholiab
31: The Lord spoke to Moses: 2 See, I
have called by name Bezalel son of Uri son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah: 3 and
I have filled him with divine spirit,[az] with ability, intelligence, and
knowledge in every kind of craft, 4 to devise artistic designs, to work in
gold, silver, and bronze, 5 in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood,
in every kind of craft. 6 Moreover, I have appointed with him Oholiab son of
Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan; and I have given skill to all the skillful, so
that they may make all that I have commanded you: 7 the tent of meeting, and
the ark of the covenant,[ba] and the mercy seat[bb] that is on it, and all the
furnishings of the tent, 8 the table and its utensils, and the pure lampstand
with all its utensils, and the altar of incense, 9 and the altar of burnt
offering with all its utensils, and the basin with its stand, 10 and the finely
worked vestments, the holy vestments for the priest Aaron and the vestments of
his sons, for their service as priests, 11 and the anointing oil and the
fragrant incense for the holy place. They shall do just as I have commanded
you.
The Sabbath Law
12 The Lord said to Moses: 13 You
yourself are to speak to the Israelites: “You shall keep my sabbaths, for this
is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, given in order that
you may know that I, the Lord, sanctify you. 14 You shall keep the sabbath,
because it is holy for you; everyone who profanes it shall be put to death;
whoever does any work on it shall be cut off from among the people. 15 Six days
shall work be done, but the seventh day is a sabbath of solemn rest, holy to
the Lord; whoever does any work on the sabbath day shall be put to death. 16
Therefore the Israelites shall keep the sabbath, observing the sabbath
throughout their generations, as a perpetual covenant. 17 It is a sign forever
between me and the people of Israel that in six days the Lord made heaven and
earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.”
The Two Tablets of the Covenant
18 When God[bc] finished speaking with
Moses on Mount Sinai, he gave him the two tablets of the covenant,[bd] tablets
of stone, written with the finger of God.
The Golden Calf
32: When the people saw that Moses
delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered around Aaron, and
said to him, “Come, make gods for us, who shall go before us; as for this
Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what
has become of him.” 2 Aaron said to them, “Take off the gold rings that are on
the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” 3
So all the people took off the gold rings from their ears, and brought them to
Aaron. 4 He took the gold from them, formed it in a mold,[be] and cast an image
of a calf; and they said, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up
out of the land of Egypt!” 5 When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it;
and Aaron made proclamation and said, “Tomorrow shall be a festival to the
Lord.” 6 They rose early the next day, and offered burnt offerings and brought
sacrifices of well-being; and the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up
to revel.
7 The Lord said to Moses, “Go down at
once! Your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have acted
perversely; 8 they have been quick to turn aside from the way that I commanded
them; they have cast for themselves an image of a calf, and have worshiped it
and sacrificed to it, and said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you
up out of the land of Egypt!’” 9 The Lord said to Moses, “I have seen this
people, how stiff-necked they are. 10 Now let me alone, so that my wrath may
burn hot against them and I may consume them; and of you I will make a great
nation.”
11 But Moses implored the Lord his God,
and said, “O Lord, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you
brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? 12
Why should the Egyptians say, ‘It was with evil intent that he brought them out
to kill them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth’?
Turn from your fierce wrath; change your mind and do not bring disaster on your
people. 13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, how you swore to
them by your own self, saying to them, ‘I will multiply your descendants like
the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give to your
descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.’” 14 And the Lord changed his
mind about the disaster that he planned to bring on his people.
15 Then Moses turned and went down from
the mountain, carrying the two tablets of the covenant[bf] in his hands,
tablets that were written on both sides, written on the front and on the back.
16 The tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God,
engraved upon the tablets. 17 When Joshua heard the noise of the people as they
shouted, he said to Moses, “There is a noise of war in the camp.” 18 But he
said,
“It is not the sound made by victors,
or the sound made by losers;
it is the sound of revelers that I hear.”
19 As soon as he came near the camp and
saw the calf and the dancing, Moses’ anger burned hot, and he threw the tablets
from his hands and broke them at the foot of the mountain. 20 He took the calf
that they had made, burned it with fire, ground it to powder, scattered it on
the water, and made the Israelites drink it.
21 Moses said to Aaron, “What did this
people do to you that you have brought so great a sin upon them?” 22 And Aaron
said, “Do not let the anger of my lord burn hot; you know the people, that they
are bent on evil. 23 They said to me, ‘Make us gods, who shall go before us; as
for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not
know what has become of him.’ 24 So I said to them, ‘Whoever has gold, take it
off’; so they gave it to me, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this
calf!”
25 When Moses saw that the people were
running wild (for Aaron had let them run wild, to the derision of their
enemies), 26 then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, “Who is on the
Lord’s side? Come to me!” And all the sons of Levi gathered around him. 27 He
said to them, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Put your sword on your
side, each of you! Go back and forth from gate to gate throughout the camp, and
each of you kill your brother, your friend, and your neighbor.’” 28 The sons of
Levi did as Moses commanded, and about three thousand of the people fell on
that day. 29 Moses said, “Today you have ordained yourselves[bg] for the
service of the Lord, each one at the cost of a son or a brother, and so have
brought a blessing on yourselves this day.”
30 On the next day Moses said to the
people, “You have sinned a great sin. But now I will go up to the Lord; perhaps
I can make atonement for your sin.” 31 So Moses returned to the Lord and said,
“Alas, this people has sinned a great sin; they have made for themselves gods
of gold. 32 But now, if you will only forgive their sin—but if not, blot me out
of the book that you have written.” 33 But the Lord said to Moses, “Whoever has
sinned against me I will blot out of my book. 34 But now go, lead the people to
the place about which I have spoken to you; see, my angel shall go in front of
you. Nevertheless, when the day comes for punishment, I will punish them for
their sin.”
35 Then the Lord sent a plague on the
people, because they made the calf—the one that Aaron made.
The Command to Leave Sinai
33: The Lord said to Moses, “Go, leave
this place, you and the people whom you have brought up out of the land of
Egypt, and go to the land of which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,
saying, ‘To your descendants I will give it.’ 2 I will send an angel before
you, and I will drive out the Canaanites, the Amorites, the Hittites, the
Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 3 Go up to a land flowing with milk
and honey; but I will not go up among you, or I would consume you on the way,
for you are a stiff-necked people.”
4 When the people heard these harsh
words, they mourned, and no one put on ornaments. 5 For the Lord had said to
Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘You are a stiff-necked people; if for a single
moment I should go up among you, I would consume you. So now take off your
ornaments, and I will decide what to do to you.’” 6 Therefore the Israelites
stripped themselves of their ornaments, from Mount Horeb onward.
The Tent outside the Camp
7 Now Moses used to take the tent and
pitch it outside the camp, far off from the camp; he called it the tent of
meeting. And everyone who sought the Lord would go out to the tent of meeting,
which was outside the camp. 8 Whenever Moses went out to the tent, all the
people would rise and stand, each of them, at the entrance of their tents and
watch Moses until he had gone into the tent. 9 When Moses entered the tent, the
pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent, and the
Lord would speak with Moses. 10 When all the people saw the pillar of cloud
standing at the entrance of the tent, all the people would rise and bow down,
all of them, at the entrance of their tent. 11 Thus the Lord used to speak to
Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend. Then he would return to the
camp; but his young assistant, Joshua son of Nun, would not leave the tent.
Moses’ Intercession
12 Moses said to the Lord, “See, you have
said to me, ‘Bring up this people’; but you have not let me know whom you will
send with me. Yet you have said, ‘I know you by name, and you have also found
favor in my sight.’ 13 Now if I have found favor in your sight, show me your
ways, so that I may know you and find favor in your sight. Consider too that
this nation is your people.” 14 He said, “My presence will go with you, and I
will give you rest.” 15 And he said to him, “If your presence will not go, do
not carry us up from here. 16 For how shall it be known that I have found favor
in your sight, I and your people, unless you go with us? In this way, we shall
be distinct, I and your people, from every people on the face of the earth.”
17 The Lord said to Moses, “I will do the
very thing that you have asked; for you have found favor in my sight, and I
know you by name.” 18 Moses said, “Show me your glory, I pray.” 19 And he said,
“I will make all my goodness pass before you, and will proclaim before you the
name, ‘The Lord’;[a] and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and
will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. 20 But,” he said, “you cannot see my
face; for no one shall see me and live.” 21 And the Lord continued, “See, there
is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock; 22 and while my glory
passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my
hand until I have passed by; 23 then I will take away my hand, and you shall
see my back; but my face shall not be seen.”
Moses Makes New Tablets
34: The Lord said to Moses, “Cut two
tablets of stone like the former ones, and I will write on the tablets the
words that were on the former tablets, which you broke. 2 Be ready in the
morning, and come up in the morning to Mount Sinai and present yourself there
to me, on the top of the mountain. 3 No one shall come up with you, and do not
let anyone be seen throughout all the mountain; and do not let flocks or herds
graze in front of that mountain.” 4 So Moses cut two tablets of stone like the
former ones; and he rose early in the morning and went up on Mount Sinai, as
the Lord had commanded him, and took in his hand the two tablets of stone. 5
The Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the
name, “The Lord.”[b] 6 The Lord passed before him, and proclaimed,
“The Lord, the Lord,
a God merciful and gracious,
slow to anger,
and abounding in steadfast love and
faithfulness,
7 keeping steadfast love for the
thousandth generation,[c]
forgiving iniquity and transgression and
sin,
yet by no means clearing the guilty,
but visiting the iniquity of the parents
upon the children
and the children’s children,
to the third and the fourth generation.”
8 And Moses quickly bowed his head toward
the earth, and worshiped. 9 He said, “If now I have found favor in your sight,
O Lord, I pray, let the Lord go with us. Although this is a stiff-necked
people, pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for your inheritance.”
The Covenant Renewed
10 He said: I hereby make a covenant.
Before all your people I will perform marvels, such as have not been performed
in all the earth or in any nation; and all the people among whom you live shall
see the work of the Lord; for it is an awesome thing that I will do with you.
11 Observe what I command you today. See,
I will drive out before you the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the
Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 12 Take care not to make a covenant
with the inhabitants of the land to which you are going, or it will become a
snare among you. 13 You shall tear down their altars, break their pillars, and
cut down their sacred poles[d] 14 (for you shall worship no other god, because
the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God). 15 You shall not make a
covenant with the inhabitants of the land, for when they prostitute themselves
to their gods and sacrifice to their gods, someone among them will invite you,
and you will eat of the sacrifice. 16 And you will take wives from among their daughters
for your sons, and their daughters who prostitute themselves to their gods will
make your sons also prostitute themselves to their gods.
17 You shall not make cast idols.
18 You shall keep the festival of
unleavened bread. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, as I commanded
you, at the time appointed in the month of Abib; for in the month of Abib you
came out from Egypt.
19 All that first opens the womb is mine,
all your male[e] livestock, the firstborn of cow and sheep. 20 The firstborn of
a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb, or if you will not redeem it you shall
break its neck. All the firstborn of your sons you shall redeem.
No one shall appear before me
empty-handed.
21 Six days you shall work, but on the
seventh day you shall rest; even in plowing time and in harvest time you shall
rest. 22 You shall observe the festival of weeks, the first fruits of wheat
harvest, and the festival of ingathering at the turn of the year. 23 Three
times in the year all your males shall appear before the Lord God, the God of
Israel. 24 For I will cast out nations before you, and enlarge your borders; no
one shall covet your land when you go up to appear before the Lord your God
three times in the year.
25 You shall not offer the blood of my
sacrifice with leaven, and the sacrifice of the festival of the passover shall
not be left until the morning.
26 The best of the first fruits of your
ground you shall bring to the house of the Lord your God.
You shall not boil a kid in its mother’s
milk.
27 The Lord said to Moses: Write these
words; in accordance with these words I have made a covenant with you and with
Israel. 28 He was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights; he neither
ate bread nor drank water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the
covenant, the ten commandments.[f]
The Shining Face of Moses
29 Moses came down from Mount Sinai. As
he came down from the mountain with the two tablets of the covenant[g] in his
hand, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been
talking with God. 30 When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, the skin of
his face was shining, and they were afraid to come near him. 31 But Moses
called to them; and Aaron and all the leaders of the congregation returned to
him, and Moses spoke with them. 32 Afterward all the Israelites came near, and
he gave them in commandment all that the Lord had spoken with him on Mount
Sinai. 33 When Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil on his
face; 34 but whenever Moses went in before the Lord to speak with him, he would
take the veil off, until he came out; and when he came out, and told the
Israelites what he had been commanded, 35 the Israelites would see the face of
Moses, that the skin of his face was shining; and Moses would put the veil on
his face again, until he went in to speak with him.
Footnotes:
a. Exodus 17:7 That is Test
b. Exodus 17:7 That is Quarrel
c. Exodus 17:16 Cn: Meaning of Heb
uncertain
d. Exodus 18:3 Heb ger
e. Exodus 18:4 Heb Eli, my God; ezer,
help
f. Exodus 18:11 The clause because . . .
Egyptians has been transposed from verse 10
g. Exodus 19:13 Heb lacks with arrows
h. Exodus 20:3 Or besides
i. Exodus 20:6 Or to thousands
j. Exodus 20:13 Or kill
k. Exodus 20:18 Sam Gk Syr Vg: MT they
saw
l. Exodus 21:6 Or to the judges
m. Exodus 21:10 Heb of her
n. Exodus 22:1 Ch 21.37 in Heb
o. Exodus 22:1 Verses 2, 3, and 4
rearranged thus: 3b, 4, 2, 3a
p. Exodus 22:2 Ch 22.1 in Heb
q. Exodus 22:8 Or before the judges
r. Exodus 22:9 Or before the judges
s. Exodus 22:9 Or the judges condemn
t. Exodus 22:29 Meaning of Heb uncertain
u. Exodus 23:5 Meaning of Heb uncertain
v. Exodus 23:25 Gk Vg: Heb he
w. Exodus 23:28 Or hornets: Meaning of
Heb uncertain
x. Exodus 23:31 Or Sea of Reeds
y. Exodus 24:11 Heb He
z. Exodus 25:5 Meaning of Heb uncertain
aa. Exodus 25:16 Or treaty, or testimony;
Heb eduth
ab. Exodus 25:17 Or a cover
ac. Exodus 25:18 Or the cover
ad. Exodus 25:19 Or the cover
ae. Exodus 25:20 Or the cover
af. Exodus 25:20 Or the cover
ag. Exodus 25:21 Or the cover
ah. Exodus 25:21 Or treaty, or testimony;
Heb eduth
ai. Exodus 25:22 Or the cover
aj. Exodus 25:22 Or treaty, or testimony;
Heb eduth
ak. Exodus 26:14 Meaning of Heb uncertain
al. Exodus 26:33 Or treaty, or testimony;
Heb eduth
am. Exodus 26:34 Or the cover
an. Exodus 26:34 Or treaty, or testimony;
Heb eduth
ao. Exodus 27:21 Or treaty, or testimony;
Heb eduth
ap. Exodus 28:17 The identity of several
of these stones is uncertain
aq. Exodus 28:18 Or lapis lazuli
ar. Exodus 28:32 Meaning of Heb uncertain
as. Exodus 29:9 Gk: Heb sashes, Aaron and
his sons
at. Exodus 30:6 Or treaty, or testimony;
Heb eduth
au. Exodus 30:6 Or the cover
av. Exodus 30:6 Or treaty, or testimony;
Heb eduth
aw. Exodus 30:19 Heb it
ax. Exodus 30:26 Or treaty, or testimony;
Heb eduth
ay. Exodus 30:36 Or treaty, or testimony;
Heb eduth
az. Exodus 31:3 Or with the spirit of God
ba. Exodus 31:7 Or treaty, or testimony;
Heb eduth
bb. Exodus 31:7 Or the cover
bc. Exodus 31:18 Heb he
bd. Exodus 31:18 Or treaty, or testimony;
Heb eduth
be. Exodus 32:4 Or fashioned it with a
graving tool; Meaning of Heb uncertain
bf. Exodus 32:15 Or treaty, or testimony;
Heb eduth
bg. Exodus 32:29 Gk Vg Compare Tg: Heb
Today ordain yourselves
bh. Exodus 33:19 Heb YHWH; see note at
3.15
bi. Exodus 34:5 Heb YHWH; see note at
3.15
bj. Exodus 34:7 Or for thousands
bk. Exodus 34:13 Heb Asherim
bl. Exodus 34:19 Gk Theodotion Vg Tg:
Meaning of Heb uncertain
bm. Exodus 34:28 Heb words
bn. Exodus 34:29 Or treaty, or testimony;
Heb eduth
Psalm 12: Plea for Help in Evil Times
To the leader: according to The
Sheminith. A Psalm of David.
1 Help, O Lord, for there is no longer
anyone who is godly;
the faithful have disappeared from humankind.
2 They utter lies to each other;
with flattering lips and a double heart they speak.
3 May the Lord cut off all flattering
lips,
the tongue that makes great boasts,
4 those who say, “With our tongues we
will prevail;
our lips are our own—who is our master?”
5 “Because the poor are despoiled,
because the needy groan,
I will now rise up,” says the Lord;
“I will place them in the safety for which they long.”
6 The promises of the Lord are promises
that are pure,
silver refined in a furnace on the ground,
purified seven times.
7 You, O Lord, will protect us;
you will guard us from this generation forever.
8 On every side the wicked prowl,
as vileness is exalted among humankind.
14: Denunciation of Godlessness
To the leader. Of David.
1 Fools say in their hearts, “There is no
God.”
They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds;
there is no one who does good.
2 The Lord looks down from heaven on
humankind
to see if there are any who are wise,
who seek after God.
3 They have all gone astray, they are all
alike perverse;
there is no one who does good,
no, not one.
4 Have they no knowledge, all the
evildoers
who eat up my people as they eat bread,
and do not call upon the Lord?
5 There they shall be in great terror,
for God is with the company of the righteous.
6 You would confound the plans of the
poor,
but the Lord is their refuge.
7 O that deliverance for Israel would
come from Zion!
When the Lord restores the fortunes of his people,
Jacob will rejoice; Israel will be glad.
16: Song of Trust and Security in God
A Miktam of David.
1 Protect me, O God, for in you I take
refuge.
2 I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord;
I have no good apart from you.”[a]
3 As for the holy ones in the land, they
are the noble,
in whom is all my delight.
4 Those who choose another god multiply
their sorrows;[b]
their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out
or take their names upon my lips.
5 The Lord is my chosen portion and my
cup;
you hold my lot.
6 The boundary lines have fallen for me
in pleasant places;
I have a goodly heritage.
7 I bless the Lord who gives me counsel;
in the night also my heart instructs me.
8 I keep the Lord always before me;
because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.
9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my soul
rejoices;
my body also rests secure.
10 For you do not give me up to Sheol,
or let your faithful one see the Pit.
11 You show me the path of life.
In your presence there is fullness of joy;
in your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
Footnotes:
a. Psalm 16:2 Jerome Tg: Meaning of Heb
uncertain
b. Psalm 16:4 Cn: Meaning of Heb
uncertain
Acts 3: Peter Heals a Crippled Beggar
1 One day Peter and John were going up to
the temple at the hour of prayer, at three o’clock in the afternoon. 2 And a
man lame from birth was being carried in. People would lay him daily at the
gate of the temple called the Beautiful Gate so that he could ask for alms from
those entering the temple. 3 When he saw Peter and John about to go into the
temple, he asked them for alms. 4 Peter looked intently at him, as did John,
and said, “Look at us.” 5 And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to
receive something from them. 6 But Peter said, “I have no silver or gold, but
what I have I give you; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth,[a] stand up
and walk.” 7 And he took him by the right hand and raised him up; and
immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. 8 Jumping up, he stood and
began to walk, and he entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and
praising God. 9 All the people saw him walking and praising God, 10 and they
recognized him as the one who used to sit and ask for alms at the Beautiful
Gate of the temple; and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had
happened to him.
Peter Speaks in Solomon’s Portico
11 While he clung to Peter and John, all
the people ran together to them in the portico called Solomon’s Portico,
utterly astonished. 12 When Peter saw it, he addressed the people, “You
Israelites,[b] why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though
by our own power or piety we had made him walk? 13 The God of Abraham, the God
of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our ancestors has glorified his
servant[c] Jesus, whom you handed over and rejected in the presence of Pilate,
though he had decided to release him. 14 But you rejected the Holy and
Righteous One and asked to have a murderer given to you, 15 and you killed the
Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses. 16 And
by faith in his name, his name itself has made this man strong, whom you see
and know; and the faith that is through Jesus[d] has given him this perfect
health in the presence of all of you.
17 “And now, friends,[e] I know that you
acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. 18 In this way God fulfilled what
he had foretold through all the prophets, that his Messiah[f] would suffer. 19
Repent therefore, and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out, 20 so
that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may
send the Messiah[g] appointed for you, that is, Jesus, 21 who must remain in
heaven until the time of universal restoration that God announced long ago
through his holy prophets. 22 Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for
you from your own people[h] a prophet like me. You must listen to whatever he
tells you. 23 And it will be that everyone who does not listen to that prophet
will be utterly rooted out of the people.’ 24 And all the prophets, as many as
have spoken, from Samuel and those after him, also predicted these days. 25 You
are the descendants of the prophets and of the covenant that God gave to your
ancestors, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your descendants all the families of the
earth shall be blessed.’ 26 When God raised up his servant,[i] he sent him
first to you, to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways.”
Peter and John before the Council
4: While Peter and John[j] were speaking
to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees came
to them, 2 much annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming
that in Jesus there is the resurrection of the dead. 3 So they arrested them
and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. 4 But
many of those who heard the word believed; and they numbered about five
thousand.
5 The next day their rulers, elders, and
scribes assembled in Jerusalem, 6 with Annas the high priest, Caiaphas,
John,[k] and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family. 7 When
they had made the prisoners[l] stand in their midst, they inquired, “By what
power or by what name did you do this?” 8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy
Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, 9 if we are questioned
today because of a good deed done to someone who was sick and are asked how
this man has been healed, 10 let it be known to all of you, and to all the
people of Israel, that this man is standing before you in good health by the
name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth,[m] whom you crucified, whom God raised from
the dead. 11 This Jesus[n] is
‘the stone that was rejected by you, the
builders;
it has become the cornerstone.’[o]
12 There is salvation in no one else, for
there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be
saved.”
13 Now when they saw the boldness of
Peter and John and realized that they were uneducated and ordinary men, they
were amazed and recognized them as companions of Jesus. 14 When they saw the
man who had been cured standing beside them, they had nothing to say in
opposition. 15 So they ordered them to leave the council while they discussed
the matter with one another. 16 They said, “What will we do with them? For it
is obvious to all who live in Jerusalem that a notable sign has been done
through them; we cannot deny it. 17 But to keep it from spreading further among
the people, let us warn them to speak no more to anyone in this name.” 18 So
they called them and ordered them not to speak or teach at all in the name of
Jesus. 19 But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in God’s sight
to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge; 20 for we cannot keep from
speaking about what we have seen and heard.” 21 After threatening them again,
they let them go, finding no way to punish them because of the people, for all
of them praised God for what had happened. 22 For the man on whom this sign of
healing had been performed was more than forty years old.
The Believers Pray for Boldness
23 After they were released, they went to
their friends[p] and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to
them. 24 When they heard it, they raised their voices together to God and said,
“Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth, the sea, and everything in
them, 25 it is you who said by the Holy Spirit through our ancestor David, your
servant:[q]
‘Why did the Gentiles rage,
and the peoples imagine vain things?
26 The kings of the earth took their
stand,
and the rulers have gathered together
against the Lord and against his Messiah.’[r]
27 For in this city, in fact, both Herod
and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, gathered
together against your holy servant[s] Jesus, whom you anointed, 28 to do
whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place. 29 And now,
Lord, look at their threats, and grant to your servants[t] to speak your word
with all boldness, 30 while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and
wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant[u] Jesus.” 31 When
they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken; and
they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God with
boldness.
The Believers Share Their Possessions
32 Now the whole group of those who
believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of
any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common. 33 With great
power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and
great grace was upon them all. 34 There was not a needy person among them, for
as many as owned lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was
sold. 35 They laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as
any had need. 36 There was a Levite, a native of Cyprus, Joseph, to whom the
apostles gave the name Barnabas (which means “son of encouragement”). 37 He
sold a field that belonged to him, then brought the money, and laid it at the
apostles’ feet.
Ananias and Sapphira
5: But a man named Ananias, with the
consent of his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property; 2 with his wife’s
knowledge, he kept back some of the proceeds, and brought only a part and laid
it at the apostles’ feet. 3 “Ananias,” Peter asked, “why has Satan filled your
heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back part of the proceeds of the
land? 4 While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was
sold, were not the proceeds at your disposal? How is it that you have contrived
this deed in your heart? You did not lie to us[v] but to God!” 5 Now when
Ananias heard these words, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who
heard of it. 6 The young men came and wrapped up his body,[w] then carried him
out and buried him.
7 After an interval of about three hours
his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8 Peter said to her, “Tell me
whether you and your husband sold the land for such and such a price.” And she
said, “Yes, that was the price.” 9 Then Peter said to her, “How is it that you
have agreed together to put the Spirit of the Lord to the test? Look, the feet
of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you
out.” 10 Immediately she fell down at his feet and died. When the young men
came in they found her dead, so they carried her out and buried her beside her
husband. 11 And great fear seized the whole church and all who heard of these
things.
The Apostles Heal Many
12 Now many signs and wonders were done
among the people through the apostles. And they were all together in Solomon’s
Portico. 13 None of the rest dared to join them, but the people held them in
high esteem. 14 Yet more than ever believers were added to the Lord, great
numbers of both men and women, 15 so that they even carried out the sick into
the streets, and laid them on cots and mats, in order that Peter’s shadow might
fall on some of them as he came by. 16 A great number of people would also
gather from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those tormented
by unclean spirits, and they were all cured.
The Apostles Are Persecuted
17 Then the high priest took action; he
and all who were with him (that is, the sect of the Sadducees), being filled
with jealousy, 18 arrested the apostles and put them in the public prison. 19
But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors, brought them
out, and said, 20 “Go, stand in the temple and tell the people the whole
message about this life.” 21 When they heard this, they entered the temple at
daybreak and went on with their teaching.
When the high priest and those with him
arrived, they called together the council and the whole body of the elders of
Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought. 22 But when the temple
police went there, they did not find them in the prison; so they returned and
reported, 23 “We found the prison securely locked and the guards standing at
the doors, but when we opened them, we found no one inside.” 24 Now when the
captain of the temple and the chief priests heard these words, they were
perplexed about them, wondering what might be going on. 25 Then someone arrived
and announced, “Look, the men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple
and teaching the people!” 26 Then the captain went with the temple police and
brought them, but without violence, for they were afraid of being stoned by the
people.
27 When they had brought them, they had
them stand before the council. The high priest questioned them, 28 saying, “We
gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,[x] yet here you have filled
Jerusalem with your teaching and you are determined to bring this man’s blood
on us.” 29 But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than
any human authority.[y] 30 The God of our ancestors raised up Jesus, whom you
had killed by hanging him on a tree. 31 God exalted him at his right hand as
Leader and Savior that he might give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of
sins. 32 And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit whom
God has given to those who obey him.”
33 When they heard this, they were
enraged and wanted to kill them. 34 But a Pharisee in the council named
Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, respected by all the people, stood up and
ordered the men to be put outside for a short time. 35 Then he said to them,
“Fellow Israelites,[z] consider carefully what you propose to do to these men.
36 For some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and a number of
men, about four hundred, joined him; but he was killed, and all who followed him
were dispersed and disappeared. 37 After him Judas the Galilean rose up at the
time of the census and got people to follow him; he also perished, and all who
followed him were scattered. 38 So in the present case, I tell you, keep away
from these men and let them alone; because if this plan or this undertaking is
of human origin, it will fail; 39 but if it is of God, you will not be able to
overthrow them—in that case you may even be found fighting against God!”
They were convinced by him, 40 and when
they had called in the apostles, they had them flogged. Then they ordered them
not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. 41 As they left the
council, they rejoiced that they were considered worthy to suffer dishonor for
the sake of the name. 42 And every day in the temple and at home[aa] they did
not cease to teach and proclaim Jesus as the Messiah.[ab]
Seven Chosen to Serve
6: Now during those days, when the
disciples were increasing in number, the Hellenists complained against the
Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution of
food. 2 And the twelve called together the whole community of the disciples and
said, “It is not right that we should neglect the word of God in order to wait
on tables.[ac] 3 Therefore, friends,[ad] select from among yourselves seven men
of good standing, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint to this
task, 4 while we, for our part, will devote ourselves to prayer and to serving
the word.” 5 What they said pleased the whole community, and they chose
Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, together with Philip,
Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. 6
They had these men stand before the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands
on them.
7 The word of God continued to spread;
the number of the disciples increased greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of
the priests became obedient to the faith.
The Arrest of Stephen
8 Stephen, full of grace and power, did
great wonders and signs among the people. 9 Then some of those who belonged to
the synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called), Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and
others of those from Cilicia and Asia, stood up and argued with Stephen. 10 But
they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit[ae] with which he spoke. 11
Then they secretly instigated some men to say, “We have heard him speak
blasphemous words against Moses and God.” 12 They stirred up the people as well
as the elders and the scribes; then they suddenly confronted him, seized him,
and brought him before the council. 13 They set up false witnesses who said,
“This man never stops saying things against this holy place and the law; 14 for
we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth[af] will destroy this place
and will change the customs that Moses handed on to us.” 15 And all who sat in
the council looked intently at him, and they saw that his face was like the
face of an angel.
Stephen’s Speech to the Council
7: Then the high priest asked him, “Are
these things so?” 2 And Stephen replied:
“Brothers[ag] and fathers, listen to me.
The God of glory appeared to our ancestor Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia,
before he lived in Haran, 3 and said to him, ‘Leave your country and your relatives
and go to the land that I will show you.’ 4 Then he left the country of the
Chaldeans and settled in Haran. After his father died, God had him move from
there to this country in which you are now living. 5 He did not give him any of
it as a heritage, not even a foot’s length, but promised to give it to him as
his possession and to his descendants after him, even though he had no child. 6
And God spoke in these terms, that his descendants would be resident aliens in
a country belonging to others, who would enslave them and mistreat them during
four hundred years. 7 ‘But I will judge the nation that they serve,’ said God,
‘and after that they shall come out and worship me in this place.’ 8 Then he
gave him the covenant of circumcision. And so Abraham[ah] became the father of
Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day; and Isaac became the father of
Jacob, and Jacob of the twelve patriarchs.
9 “The patriarchs, jealous of Joseph,
sold him into Egypt; but God was with him, 10 and rescued him from all his afflictions,
and enabled him to win favor and to show wisdom when he stood before Pharaoh,
king of Egypt, who appointed him ruler over Egypt and over all his household.
11 Now there came a famine throughout Egypt and Canaan, and great suffering,
and our ancestors could find no food. 12 But when Jacob heard that there was
grain in Egypt, he sent our ancestors there on their first visit. 13 On the
second visit Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and Joseph’s family
became known to Pharaoh. 14 Then Joseph sent and invited his father Jacob and
all his relatives to come to him, seventy-five in all; 15 so Jacob went down to
Egypt. He himself died there as well as our ancestors, 16 and their bodies[ai]
were brought back to Shechem and laid in the tomb that Abraham had bought for a
sum of silver from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.
17 “But as the time drew near for the
fulfillment of the promise that God had made to Abraham, our people in Egypt
increased and multiplied 18 until another king who had not known Joseph ruled
over Egypt. 19 He dealt craftily with our race and forced our ancestors to
abandon their infants so that they would die. 20 At this time Moses was born,
and he was beautiful before God. For three months he was brought up in his
father’s house; 21 and when he was abandoned, Pharaoh’s daughter adopted him
and brought him up as her own son. 22 So Moses was instructed in all the wisdom
of the Egyptians and was powerful in his words and deeds.
23 “When he was forty years old, it came
into his heart to visit his relatives, the Israelites.[aj] 24 When he saw one
of them being wronged, he defended the oppressed man and avenged him by
striking down the Egyptian. 25 He supposed that his kinsfolk would understand
that God through him was rescuing them, but they did not understand. 26 The
next day he came to some of them as they were quarreling and tried to reconcile
them, saying, ‘Men, you are brothers; why do you wrong each other?’ 27 But the
man who was wronging his neighbor pushed Moses[ak] aside, saying, ‘Who made you
a ruler and a judge over us? 28 Do you want to kill me as you killed the
Egyptian yesterday?’ 29 When he heard this, Moses fled and became a resident
alien in the land of Midian. There he became the father of two sons.
30 “Now when forty years had passed, an
angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in the flame of a
burning bush. 31 When Moses saw it, he was amazed at the sight; and as he
approached to look, there came the voice of the Lord: 32 ‘I am the God of your
ancestors, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.’ Moses began to tremble and
did not dare to look. 33 Then the Lord said to him, ‘Take off the sandals from
your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground. 34 I have
surely seen the mistreatment of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their
groaning, and I have come down to rescue them. Come now, I will send you to
Egypt.’
35 “It was this Moses whom they rejected
when they said, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge?’ and whom God now sent as
both ruler and liberator through the angel who appeared to him in the bush. 36
He led them out, having performed wonders and signs in Egypt, at the Red Sea,
and in the wilderness for forty years. 37 This is the Moses who said to the
Israelites, ‘God will raise up a prophet for you from your own people[al] as he
raised me up.’ 38 He is the one who was in the congregation in the wilderness
with the angel who spoke to him at Mount Sinai, and with our ancestors; and he
received living oracles to give to us. 39 Our ancestors were unwilling to obey
him; instead, they pushed him aside, and in their hearts they turned back to
Egypt, 40 saying to Aaron, ‘Make gods for us who will lead the way for us; as
for this Moses who led us out from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has
happened to him.’ 41 At that time they made a calf, offered a sacrifice to the
idol, and reveled in the works of their hands. 42 But God turned away from them
and handed them over to worship the host of heaven, as it is written in the
book of the prophets:
‘Did you offer to me slain victims and
sacrifices
forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel?
43 No; you took along the tent of Moloch,
and the star of your god Rephan,
the images that you made to worship;
so I will remove you beyond Babylon.’
44 “Our ancestors had the tent of
testimony in the wilderness, as God[am] directed when he spoke to Moses,
ordering him to make it according to the pattern he had seen. 45 Our ancestors
in turn brought it in with Joshua when they dispossessed the nations that God
drove out before our ancestors. And it was there until the time of David, 46
who found favor with God and asked that he might find a dwelling place for the
house of Jacob.[an] 47 But it was Solomon who built a house for him. 48 Yet the
Most High does not dwell in houses made with human hands;[ao] as the prophet
says,
49 ‘Heaven is my throne,
and the earth is my footstool.
What kind of house will you build for me,
says the Lord,
or what is the place of my rest?
50 Did not my hand make all these
things?’
51 “You stiff-necked people,
uncircumcised in heart and ears, you are forever opposing the Holy Spirit, just
as your ancestors used to do. 52 Which of the prophets did your ancestors not
persecute? They killed those who foretold the coming of the Righteous One, and
now you have become his betrayers and murderers. 53 You are the ones that
received the law as ordained by angels, and yet you have not kept it.”
The Stoning of Stephen
54 When they heard these things, they
became enraged and ground their teeth at Stephen.[ap] 55 But filled with the
Holy Spirit, he gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing
at the right hand of God. 56 “Look,” he said, “I see the heavens opened and the
Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!” 57 But they covered their ears,
and with a loud shout all rushed together against him. 58 Then they dragged him
out of the city and began to stone him; and the witnesses laid their coats at
the feet of a young man named Saul. 59 While they were stoning Stephen, he
prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 Then he knelt down and cried out in
a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this,
he died.[aq]
8: 1 And Saul approved of their killing
him.
Saul Persecutes the Church
That day a severe persecution began
against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered
throughout the countryside of Judea and Samaria. 2 Devout men buried Stephen
and made loud lamentation over him. 3 But Saul was ravaging the church by
entering house after house; dragging off both men and women, he committed them
to prison.
Philip Preaches in Samaria
4 Now those who were scattered went from
place to place, proclaiming the word. 5 Philip went down to the city[ar] of
Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah[as] to them. 6 The crowds with one accord
listened eagerly to what was said by Philip, hearing and seeing the signs that
he did, 7 for unclean spirits, crying with loud shrieks, came out of many who
were possessed; and many others who were paralyzed or lame were cured. 8 So
there was great joy in that city.
9 Now a certain man named Simon had
previously practiced magic in the city and amazed the people of Samaria, saying
that he was someone great. 10 All of them, from the least to the greatest,
listened to him eagerly, saying, “This man is the power of God that is called
Great.” 11 And they listened eagerly to him because for a long time he had
amazed them with his magic. 12 But when they believed Philip, who was
proclaiming the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus
Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. 13 Even Simon himself believed.
After being baptized, he stayed constantly with Philip and was amazed when he
saw the signs and great miracles that took place.
14 Now when the apostles at Jerusalem
heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to
them. 15 The two went down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy
Spirit 16 (for as yet the Spirit had not come[at] upon any of them; they had
only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus). 17 Then Peter and John[au]
laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. 18 Now when Simon
saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he
offered them money, 19 saying, “Give me also this power so that anyone on whom
I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” 20 But Peter said to him, “May
your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain God’s gift
with money! 21 You have no part or share in this, for your heart is not right
before God. 22 Repent therefore of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the
Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you. 23 For I
see that you are in the gall of bitterness and the chains of wickedness.” 24
Simon answered, “Pray for me to the Lord, that nothing of what you[av] have
said may happen to me.”
25 Now after Peter and John[aw] had
testified and spoken the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem,
proclaiming the good news to many villages of the Samaritans.
Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch
26 Then an angel of the Lord said to
Philip, “Get up and go toward the south[ax] to the road that goes down from
Jerusalem to Gaza.” (This is a wilderness road.) 27 So he got up and went. Now
there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of the Candace, queen of the
Ethiopians, in charge of her entire treasury. He had come to Jerusalem to
worship 28 and was returning home; seated in his chariot, he was reading the
prophet Isaiah. 29 Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over to this chariot and
join it.” 30 So Philip ran up to it and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah.
He asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” 31 He replied, “How can I,
unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to get in and sit beside him.
32 Now the passage of the scripture that he was reading was this:
“Like a sheep he was led to the
slaughter,
and like a lamb silent before its shearer,
so he does not open his mouth.
33 In his humiliation justice was denied
him.
Who can describe his generation?
For his life is taken away from the earth.”
34 The eunuch asked Philip, “About whom,
may I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?”
35 Then Philip began to speak, and starting with this scripture, he proclaimed
to him the good news about Jesus. 36 As they were going along the road, they
came to some water; and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water! What is to
prevent me from being baptized?”[ay] 38 He commanded the chariot to stop, and
both of them, Philip and the eunuch, went down into the water, and Philip[az]
baptized him. 39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord
snatched Philip away; the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way
rejoicing. 40 But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he was passing through
the region, he proclaimed the good news to all the towns until he came to
Caesarea.
The Conversion of Saul
9: Meanwhile Saul, still breathing
threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2
and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found
any who belonged to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to
Jerusalem. 3 Now as he was going along and approaching Damascus, suddenly a
light from heaven flashed around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice
saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” 5 He asked, “Who are you,
Lord?” The reply came, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 6 But get up and
enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.” 7 The men who were
traveling with him stood speechless because they heard the voice but saw no
one. 8 Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see
nothing; so they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. 9 For three
days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.
10 Now there was a disciple in Damascus
named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” He answered, “Here
I am, Lord.” 11 The Lord said to him, “Get up and go to the street called
Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul. At
this moment he is praying, 12 and he has seen in a vision[ba] a man named
Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.” 13
But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much
evil he has done to your saints in Jerusalem; 14 and here he has authority from
the chief priests to bind all who invoke your name.” 15 But the Lord said to
him, “Go, for he is an instrument whom I have chosen to bring my name before
Gentiles and kings and before the people of Israel; 16 I myself will show him
how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” 17 So Ananias went and
entered the house. He laid his hands on Saul[bb] and said, “Brother Saul, the
Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on your way here, has sent me so that you may
regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 And immediately
something like scales fell from his eyes, and his sight was restored. Then he
got up and was baptized, 19 and after taking some food, he regained his
strength.
Saul Preaches in Damascus
For several days he was with the
disciples in Damascus, 20 and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the
synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.” 21 All who heard him were amazed
and said, “Is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem among those who
invoked this name? And has he not come here for the purpose of bringing them
bound before the chief priests?” 22 Saul became increasingly more powerful and
confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus[bc] was the
Messiah.[bd]
Saul Escapes from the Jews
23 After some time had passed, the Jews
plotted to kill him, 24 but their plot became known to Saul. They were watching
the gates day and night so that they might kill him; 25 but his disciples took
him by night and let him down through an opening in the wall,[be] lowering him
in a basket.
Saul in Jerusalem
26 When he had come to Jerusalem, he
attempted to join the disciples; and they were all afraid of him, for they did
not believe that he was a disciple. 27 But Barnabas took him, brought him to
the apostles, and described for them how on the road he had seen the Lord, who
had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had spoken boldly in the name of
Jesus. 28 So he went in and out among them in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the
name of the Lord. 29 He spoke and argued with the Hellenists; but they were
attempting to kill him. 30 When the believers[bf] learned of it, they brought
him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.
31 Meanwhile the church throughout Judea,
Galilee, and Samaria had peace and was built up. Living in the fear of the Lord
and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers.
The Healing of Aeneas
32 Now as Peter went here and there among
all the believers,[bg] he came down also to the saints living in Lydda. 33
There he found a man named Aeneas, who had been bedridden for eight years, for
he was paralyzed. 34 Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you; get up
and make your bed!” And immediately he got up. 35 And all the residents of
Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord.
Peter in Lydda and Joppa
36 Now in Joppa there was a disciple
whose name was Tabitha, which in Greek is Dorcas.[bh] She was devoted to good
works and acts of charity. 37 At that time she became ill and died. When they
had washed her, they laid her in a room upstairs. 38 Since Lydda was near Joppa,
the disciples, who heard that Peter was there, sent two men to him with the
request, “Please come to us without delay.” 39 So Peter got up and went with
them; and when he arrived, they took him to the room upstairs. All the widows
stood beside him, weeping and showing tunics and other clothing that Dorcas had
made while she was with them. 40 Peter put all of them outside, and then he
knelt down and prayed. He turned to the body and said, “Tabitha, get up.” Then
she opened her eyes, and seeing Peter, she sat up. 41 He gave her his hand and
helped her up. Then calling the saints and widows, he showed her to be alive.
42 This became known throughout Joppa, and many believed in the Lord. 43
Meanwhile he stayed in Joppa for some time with a certain Simon, a tanner.
Footnotes:
a. Acts 3:6 Gk the Nazorean
b. Acts 3:12 Gk Men, Israelites
c. Acts 3:13 Or child
d. Acts 3:16 Gk him
e. Acts 3:17 Gk brothers
f. Acts 3:18 Or his Christ
g. Acts 3:20 Or the Christ
h. Acts 3:22 Gk brothers
i. Acts 3:26 Or child
j. Acts 4:1 Gk While they
k. Acts 4:6 Other ancient authorities
read Jonathan
l. Acts 4:7 Gk them
m. Acts 4:10 Gk the Nazorean
n. Acts 4:11 Gk This
o. Acts 4:11 Or keystone
p. Acts 4:23 Gk their own
q. Acts 4:25 Or child
r. Acts 4:26 Or his Christ
s.
t. Acts 4:27 Or child
u. Acts 4:29 Gk slaves
v. Acts 4:30 Or child
w. Acts 5:4 Gk to men
x. Acts 5:6 Meaning of Gk uncertain
y. Acts 5:28 Other ancient authorities
read Did we not give you strict orders not to teach in this name?
z. Acts 5:29 Gk than men
aa. Acts 5:35 Gk Men, Israelites
ab. Acts 5:42 Or from house to house
ac. Acts 5:42 Or the Christ
ad. Acts 6:2 Or keep accounts
ae. Acts 6:3 Gk brothers
af. Acts 6:10 Or spirit
ag. Acts 6:14 Gk the Nazorean
ah. Acts 7:2 Gk Men, brothers
ai. Acts 7:8 Gk he
aj. Acts 7:16 Gk they
ak. Acts 7:23 Gk his brothers, the sons
of Israel
al. Acts 7:27 Gk him
am. Acts 7:37 Gk your brothers
an. Acts 7:44 Gk he
ao. Acts 7:46 Other ancient authorities
read for the God of Jacob
ap. Acts 7:48 Gk with hands
aq. Acts 7:54 Gk him
ar. Acts 7:60 Gk fell asleep
as. Acts 8:5 Other ancient authorities
read a city
at. Acts 8:5 Or the Christ
au. Acts 8:16 Gk fallen
av. Acts 8:17 Gk they
aw. Acts 8:24 The Greek word for you and
the verb pray are plural
ax. Acts 8:25 Gk after they
ay. Acts 8:26 Or go at noon
az. Acts 8:36 Other ancient authorities
add all or most of verse 37, And Philip said, “If you believe with all your
heart, you may.” And he replied, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of
God.”
ba. Acts 8:38 Gk he
bb. Acts 9:12 Other ancient authorities
lack in a vision
bc. Acts 9:17 Gk him
bd. Acts 9:22 Gk that this
be. Acts 9:22 Or the Christ
bf. Acts 9:25 Gk through the wall
bg. Acts 9:30 Gk brothers
bh. Acts 9:32 Gk all of them
bi. Acts 9:36 The name Tabitha in Aramaic
and the name Dorcas in Greek mean a gazelle
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Harvest Ministries with Greg Laurie
P.O. Box 4000
Riverside, CA 92514-4000 United States
Phone: 1(800)821-3300
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