25 “If there is a ^(A)dispute between men and they come into court and the judges decide between them, ^(B)acquitting the innocent and condemning the guilty, ² then if the guilty man deserves to be beaten, the judge shall cause him to lie down and be beaten in his presence with a number of stripes in proportion to his offense. ^3 (C)Forty stripes may be given him, but not more, lest, if one should go on to beat him with more stripes than these, your brother be degraded in your sight.

^4 (D)“You shall not muzzle an ox when it is treading out the grain.

Laws Concerning Levirate Marriage

^5 (E)“If brothers dwell together, and one of them dies and has no son, the wife of the dead man shall not be married outside the family to a stranger. Her ^(F)husband's brother shall go in to her and take her as his wife and perform the duty of a husband's brother to her. ⁶ And the first son whom she bears shall succeed to the name of his dead brother, that ^(G)his name may not be blotted out of Israel. ⁷ And if the man does not wish to take his brother's wife, then his brother's wife shall ^(H)go up to the gate to the elders and say, ‘My husband's brother refuses to perpetuate his brother's name in Israel; he will not perform the duty of a husband's brother to me.’ ⁸ Then the elders of his city shall call him and speak to him, and if he persists, saying, ^(I)‘I do not wish to take her,’ ⁹ then his brother's wife shall go up to him in the presence of the elders and ^(J)pull his sandal off his foot and ^(K)spit in his face. And she shall answer and say, ‘So shall it be done to the man who does not ^(L)build up his brother's house.’ ¹⁰ And the name of his house^[a] shall be called in Israel, ‘The house of him who had his sandal pulled off.’

Miscellaneous Laws

¹¹ “When men fight with one another and the wife of the one draws near to rescue her husband from the hand of him who is beating him and puts out her hand and seizes him by the private parts, ¹² then you shall cut off her hand. ^(M)Your eye shall have no pity.

¹³ “You ^(N)shall not have in your bag two kinds of weights, a large and a small. ¹⁴ You shall not have in your house two kinds of measures, a large and a small. ¹⁵ A full and fair^[b] weight you shall have, a full and fair measure you shall have, ^(O)that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. ¹⁶ For ^(P)all who do such things, all who act dishonestly, ^(Q)are an abomination to the Lord your God.

^17 (R)“Remember what Amalek did to you ^(S)on the way as you came out of Egypt, ¹⁸ how he attacked you on the way when you were faint and weary, and ^(T)cut off your tail, those who were lagging behind you, and he did not fear God. ¹⁹ Therefore ^(U)when the Lord your God has given you rest from all your enemies around you, in the land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance to possess, you shall ^(V)blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven; you shall not forget.

Ezra Reads the Law

8 And all the people gathered as one man into the square before ^(A)the Water Gate. And they told ^(B)Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses that the Lord had commanded Israel. ² So Ezra the priest ^(C)brought the Law before the assembly, both men and women and all who could understand what they heard, ^(D)on the first day of the seventh month. ^3 (E)And he read from it facing the square before the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand. And the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law. ⁴ And Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden platform that they had made for the purpose. And beside him stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah on his right hand, and Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam on his left hand. ⁵ And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was above all the people, and as he opened it all the people stood. ⁶ And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and all the people answered, ^(F)“Amen, Amen,” ^(G)lifting up their hands. ^(H)And they bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground. ^7 (I)Also Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, the Levites,^{[a] (J)}helped the people to understand the Law, ^(K)while the people remained in their places. ⁸ They read from the book, from the Law of God, clearly,^[b] and they gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading.

This Day Is Holy

⁹ And Nehemiah, who was ^(L)the governor, and Ezra ^(M)the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, ^(N)“This day is holy to the Lord your God; ^(O)do not mourn or weep.” For all the people wept as they heard the words of the Law. ¹⁰ Then he said to them, “Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and ^(P)send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” ¹¹ So the Levites calmed all the people, saying, “Be quiet, for this day is holy; do not be grieved.” ¹² And all the people went their way to eat and drink and to send portions and to make great rejoicing, because ^(Q)they had understood the words that were declared to them.

Feast of Booths Celebrated

¹³ On the second day the heads of fathers' houses of all the people, with the priests and the Levites, came together to Ezra the scribe in order to study the words of the Law. ¹⁴ And they found it written in the Law that the Lord had commanded by Moses ^(R)that the people of Israel should dwell in booths^[c] during the feast of the seventh month, ¹⁵ and that they should proclaim it and ^(S)publish it in all their towns and ^(T)in Jerusalem, “Go out to the hills and bring ^(U)branches of olive, wild olive, myrtle, palm, and other leafy trees to make booths, as it is written.” ¹⁶ So the people went out and brought them and made booths for themselves, each ^(V)on his roof, and in their courts and in the courts of the house of God, and in the square at ^(W)the Water Gate and in the square at ^(X)the Gate of Ephraim. ¹⁷ And all the assembly of those who had returned from the captivity made booths and lived in the booths, for from the days of Jeshua the son of Nun to that day ^(Y)the people of Israel had not done so. And there was ^(Z)very great rejoicing. ¹⁸ And day by day, from the first day to the last day, ^(AA)he read from the Book of the Law of God. They kept the feast seven days, and ^(AB)on the eighth day there was a solemn assembly, according to the rule.

Blessings for a Defiled People

^10 (A)On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, ^(B)in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet, ¹¹ “Thus says the Lord of hosts: ^(C)Ask the priests about the law: ¹² ‘If someone carries ^(D)holy meat in the fold of his garment and touches with his fold bread or stew or wine or oil or any kind of food, does it become holy?’” The priests answered and said, ^(E)“No.” ¹³ Then Haggai said, ^(F)“If someone who is unclean by contact with a dead body ^(G)touches any of these, does it become unclean?” The priests answered and said, “It does become unclean.” ¹⁴ Then Haggai answered and said, ^(H)“So is it with this people, and with this nation before me, declares the Lord, and so with every work of their hands. And what they offer there is unclean. ¹⁵ Now then, ^(I)consider from this day onward.^[a] Before stone was placed upon stone in the temple of the Lord, ¹⁶ how did you fare? ^(J)When^[b] one came to a heap of twenty measures, there were but ten. When one came to the wine vat to draw fifty measures, there were but twenty. ^17 (K)I struck you and all the products of your toil with blight and with mildew and with hail, ^(L)yet you did not turn to me, declares the Lord. ^18 (M)Consider from this day onward, ^(N)from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month. Since ^(O)the day that the foundation of the Lord's temple was laid, ^(P)consider: ^19 (Q)Is the seed yet in the barn? Indeed, the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree have yielded nothing. But from this day on ^(R)I will bless you.”

Zerubbabel Chosen as a Signet

²⁰ The word of the Lord came a second time to Haggai ^(S)on the twenty-fourth day of the month, ²¹ “Speak to ^(T)Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying, ^(U)I am about to shake the heavens and the earth, ²² and ^(V)to overthrow the throne of kingdoms. I am about to destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the nations, and ^(W)overthrow the chariots and their riders. And the horses and their riders shall go down, ^(X)every one by the sword of his brother. ²³ On that day, declares the Lord of hosts, I will take you, O ^(Y)Zerubbabel ^(Z)my servant, the son of ^(AA)Shealtiel, declares the Lord, and make you ^(AB)like a^[c] signet ring, ^(AC)for I have chosen you, declares the Lord of hosts.”

Fear God

5 ^{[a] (A)}Guard your steps when you go to ^(B)the house of God. To draw near to listen is better than to ^(C)offer the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they are doing evil. ^2 [b] Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore ^(D)let your words be few. ³ For a dream comes with much business, and a fool's voice with ^(E)many words.

⁴ When ^(F)you vow a vow to God, ^(G)do not delay paying it, for he has no pleasure in fools. ^(H)Pay what you vow. ^5 (I)It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay. ⁶ Let not your mouth lead you^[c] into sin, and do not say before ^(J)the messenger^[d] that it was ^(K)a mistake. Why should God be angry at your voice and destroy the work of your hands? ⁷ For when dreams increase and words grow many, there is vanity;^[e] but^{[f] (L)}God is the one you must fear.

The Vanity of Wealth and Honor

^8 (M)If you see in a province the oppression of the poor and the violation of justice and righteousness, ^(N)do not be amazed at the matter, ^(O)for the high official is watched by a higher, and there are yet higher ones over them. ⁹ But this is gain for a land in every way: a king committed to cultivated fields.^[g]

¹⁰ He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity. ¹¹ When goods increase, they increase who eat them, and what advantage has their owner but to see them with his eyes? ¹² Sweet is the sleep of a laborer, whether he eats little or much, but the full stomach of the rich will not let him sleep.

^13 (P)There is a grievous evil that I have seen under the sun: riches were kept by their owner to his hurt, ¹⁴ and those riches were lost in a bad venture. And he is father of a son, but he has nothing in his hand. ^15 (Q)As he came from his mother's womb he shall go again, naked as he came, and shall take nothing for his toil that he may carry away in his hand. ¹⁶ This also is a grievous evil: just as he came, so shall he go, and what ^(R)gain is there to him who ^(S)toils for the wind? ¹⁷ Moreover, all his days he ^(T)eats in darkness in much vexation and sickness and anger.

¹⁸ Behold, what I have seen to be ^(U)good and fitting is to eat and drink and find enjoyment^[h] in all the toil with which one toils under the sun the few days of his life that God has given him, for this is his ^(V)lot. ¹⁹ Everyone also to whom ^(W)God has given ^(X)wealth and possessions ^(Y)and power to enjoy them, and to accept his lot and rejoice in his toil—this is ^(Z)the gift of God. ²⁰ For he will not much remember the days of his life because God keeps him occupied with joy in his heart.

16 “I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away. ^2 (A)They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, ^(B)the hour is coming when ^(C)whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. ³ And they will do these things ^(D)because they have not known the Father, nor me. ⁴ But ^(E)I have said these things to you, that when ^(F)their hour comes you may remember that I told them to you.

The Work of the Holy Spirit

“I did not say these things to you from the beginning, ^(G)because I was with you. ⁵ But now ^(H)I am going to him who sent me, and ^(I)none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ ⁶ But because I have said these things to you, ^(J)sorrow has filled your heart.

The Seventh Trumpet

¹⁵ Then ^(A)the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and ^(B)there were loud voices in heaven, saying, ^(C)“The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of ^(D)his Christ, and ^(E)he shall reign forever and ever.” ¹⁶ And the twenty-four elders ^(F)who sit on their thrones before God ^(G)fell on their faces and worshiped God, ¹⁷ saying,

¹⁹ Then ^(N)God's temple in heaven was opened, and ^(O)the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings,^[a] peals of thunder, an earthquake, and ^(P)heavy hail.

The Woman and the Dragon

12 And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman ^(Q)clothed with ^(R)the sun, with ^(S)the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. ² She was pregnant and ^(T)was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth. ³ And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great ^(U)red dragon, ^(V)with seven heads and ^(W)ten horns, and on his heads ^(X)seven diadems. ⁴ His tail swept down ^(Y)a third of the stars of heaven and ^(Z)cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child ^(AA)he might devour it. ⁵ She gave birth to a male child, ^(AB)one who is to rule^[b] all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was ^(AC)caught up to God and to his throne, ⁶ and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, in which she is to be nourished for ^(AD)1,260 days.