The Ark of the Covenant

10 (A)“They shall make an ark of acacia wood. Two cubits[a] and a half shall be its length, a cubit and a half its breadth, and a cubit and a half its height. 11 You shall overlay it with (B)pure gold, inside and outside shall you overlay it, and you shall make on it a molding of gold around it. 12 You shall cast four rings of gold for it and put them on its (C)four feet, two rings on the one side of it, and two rings on the other side of it. 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 to carry the ark by them. 15 The (D)poles shall remain in the rings of the ark; they shall not be taken from it. 16 (E)And you shall put into the ark the (F)testimony that I shall give you.

17 (G)“You shall make a mercy seat[b] of pure gold. Two cubits and a half shall be its length, and a cubit and a half its breadth. 18 And you shall make two cherubim of gold; of (H)hammered work shall you make them, on the two ends of the mercy seat. 19 Make one cherub on the one end, and one cherub on the other end. (I)Of one piece with the mercy seat shall you make the cherubim on its two ends. 20 (J)The cherubim shall spread out their wings above, overshadowing the mercy seat with their wings, their faces one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubim be. 21 And you shall put the mercy seat on the top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the testimony that I shall give you. 22 (K)There I will meet with you, and from above the mercy seat, from (L)between the two cherubim that are on the ark of the testimony, I will speak with you about all that I will give you in commandment for the people of Israel.

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Footnotes

  1. Exodus 25:10 A cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters
  2. Exodus 25:17 Or cover

The Ark(A)

10 “Have them make an ark[a](B) of acacia wood—two and a half cubits long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit and a half high.[b] 11 Overlay(C) it with pure gold, both inside and out, and make a gold molding around it. 12 Cast four gold rings for it and fasten them to its four feet, with two rings(D) on one side and two rings on the other. 13 Then make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold.(E) 14 Insert the poles(F) into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry it. 15 The poles are to remain in the rings of this ark; they are not to be removed.(G) 16 Then put in the ark the tablets of the covenant law,(H) which I will give you.

17 “Make an atonement cover(I) of pure gold—two and a half cubits long and a cubit and a half wide. 18 And make two cherubim(J) out of hammered gold at the ends of the cover. 19 Make one cherub on one end and the second cherub on the other; make the cherubim of one piece with the cover, at the two ends. 20 The cherubim(K) are to have their wings spread upward, overshadowing(L) the cover with them. The cherubim are to face each other, looking toward the cover. 21 Place the cover on top of the ark(M) and put in the ark the tablets of the covenant law(N) that I will give you. 22 There, above the cover between the two cherubim(O) that are over the ark of the covenant law, I will meet(P) with you and give you all my commands for the Israelites.(Q)

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Footnotes

  1. Exodus 25:10 That is, a chest
  2. Exodus 25:10 That is, about 3 3/4 feet long and 2 1/4 feet wide and high or about 1.1 meters long and 68 centimeters wide and high; similarly in verse 17

David Hears of Absalom's Death

19 Then Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said, (A)“Let me run and carry news to the king that (B)the Lord has delivered him from the hand of his enemies.” 20 And Joab said to him, “You are not to carry news today. You may carry news another day, but today you shall carry no news, because the king's son is dead.” 21 Then Joab said to the Cushite, “Go, tell the king what you have seen.” The Cushite bowed before Joab, and ran. 22 Then Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said again to Joab, “Come what may, let me also run after the Cushite.” And Joab said, “Why will you run, my son, seeing that you will have no reward for the news?” 23 “Come what may,” he said, “I will run.” So he said to him, “Run.” Then Ahimaaz ran by the way of (C)the plain, and outran the Cushite.

24 Now David (D)was sitting between the two gates, and (E)the watchman went up to the roof of the gate by the wall, and when he lifted up his eyes and looked, he saw a man running alone. 25 The watchman called out and told the king. And the king said, “If he is alone, there is news in his mouth.” And he drew nearer and nearer. 26 The watchman saw another man running. And the watchman called to the gate and said, “See, another man running alone!” The king said, “He also brings news.” 27 The watchman said, “I think the running of the first is (F)like the running of Ahimaaz the son of Zadok.” And the king said, (G)“He is a good man and comes with good news.”

28 Then Ahimaaz cried out to the king, “All is well.” And he bowed before the king with his face to the earth and said, (H)“Blessed be the Lord your God, who has delivered up the men who raised their hand against my lord the king.” 29 And the king said, (I)“Is it well with the young man Absalom?” Ahimaaz answered, “When Joab sent the king's servant, your servant, I saw a great commotion, but I do not know what it was.” 30 And the king said, “Turn aside and stand here.” So he turned aside and stood still.

David's Grief

31 And behold, the Cushite came, and the Cushite said, “Good news for my lord the king! For (J)the Lord has delivered you this day from the hand of all who rose up against you.” 32 The king said to the Cushite, (K)“Is it well with the young man Absalom?” And the Cushite answered, (L)“May the enemies of my lord the king and all who rise up against you for evil be like that young man.”

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David Mourns

19 Now Ahimaaz(A) son of Zadok said, “Let me run and take the news to the king that the Lord has vindicated him by delivering him from the hand of his enemies.(B)

20 “You are not the one to take the news today,” Joab told him. “You may take the news another time, but you must not do so today, because the king’s son is dead.”

21 Then Joab said to a Cushite, “Go, tell the king what you have seen.” The Cushite bowed down before Joab and ran off.

22 Ahimaaz son of Zadok again said to Joab, “Come what may, please let me run behind the Cushite.”

But Joab replied, “My son, why do you want to go? You don’t have any news that will bring you a reward.”

23 He said, “Come what may, I want to run.”

So Joab said, “Run!” Then Ahimaaz ran by way of the plain[a] and outran the Cushite.

24 While David was sitting between the inner and outer gates, the watchman(C) went up to the roof of the gateway by the wall. As he looked out, he saw a man running alone. 25 The watchman called out to the king and reported it.

The king said, “If he is alone, he must have good news.” And the runner came closer and closer.

26 Then the watchman saw another runner, and he called down to the gatekeeper, “Look, another man running alone!”

The king said, “He must be bringing good news,(D) too.”

27 The watchman said, “It seems to me that the first one runs like(E) Ahimaaz son of Zadok.”

“He’s a good man,” the king said. “He comes with good news.”

28 Then Ahimaaz called out to the king, “All is well!” He bowed down before the king with his face to the ground and said, “Praise be to the Lord your God! He has delivered up those who lifted their hands against my lord the king.”

29 The king asked, “Is the young man Absalom safe?”

Ahimaaz answered, “I saw great confusion just as Joab was about to send the king’s servant and me, your servant, but I don’t know what it was.”

30 The king said, “Stand aside and wait here.” So he stepped aside and stood there.

31 Then the Cushite arrived and said, “My lord the king, hear the good news! The Lord has vindicated you today by delivering you from the hand of all who rose up against you.”

32 The king asked the Cushite, “Is the young man Absalom safe?”

The Cushite replied, “May the enemies of my lord the king and all who rise up to harm you be like that young man.”(F)

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Samuel 18:23 That is, the plain of the Jordan

The New Covenant

31 (A)“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make (B)a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, 32 not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when (C)I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, (D)though I was their husband, declares the Lord. 33 (E)For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: (F)I will put my law within them, and I will write it (G)on their hearts. (H)And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ (I)for they shall all know me, (J)from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For (K)I will forgive their iniquity, and (L)I will remember their sin no more.”

35 Thus says the Lord,
who (M)gives the sun for light by day
    and (N)the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night,
who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar—
    (O)the Lord of hosts is his name:
36 (P)“If this fixed order departs
    from before me, declares the Lord,
then shall the offspring of Israel cease
    from being a nation before me forever.”

37 Thus says the Lord:
“If the heavens above can be measured,
    and the foundations of the earth below can be explored,
(Q)then I will cast off all the offspring of Israel
    for all that they have done,
declares the Lord.”

38 (R)“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when the city shall be rebuilt for the Lord (S)from the Tower of Hananel to (T)the Corner Gate. 39 (U)And the measuring line shall go out farther, straight to the hill Gareb, and shall then turn to Goah. 40 (V)The whole valley of the dead bodies and the ashes, and all the fields as far as the (W)brook Kidron, to the corner of (X)the Horse Gate toward the east, (Y)shall be sacred to the Lord. (Z)It shall not be plucked up or overthrown anymore forever.”

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31 “The days are coming,” declares the Lord,
    “when I will make a new covenant(A)
with the people of Israel
    and with the people of Judah.
32 It will not be like the covenant(B)
    I made with their ancestors(C)
when I took them by the hand
    to lead them out of Egypt,(D)
because they broke my covenant,
    though I was a husband(E) to[a] them,[b]
declares the Lord.
33 “This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel
    after that time,” declares the Lord.
“I will put my law in their minds(F)
    and write it on their hearts.(G)
I will be their God,
    and they will be my people.(H)
34 No longer will they teach(I) their neighbor,
    or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’
because they will all know(J) me,
    from the least of them to the greatest,”
declares the Lord.
“For I will forgive(K) their wickedness
    and will remember their sins(L) no more.”

35 This is what the Lord says,

he who appoints(M) the sun
    to shine by day,
who decrees the moon and stars
    to shine by night,(N)
who stirs up the sea(O)
    so that its waves roar(P)
    the Lord Almighty is his name:(Q)
36 “Only if these decrees(R) vanish from my sight,”
    declares the Lord,
“will Israel(S) ever cease
    being a nation before me.”

37 This is what the Lord says:

“Only if the heavens above can be measured(T)
    and the foundations of the earth below be searched out
will I reject(U) all the descendants of Israel
    because of all they have done,”
declares the Lord.

38 “The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when this city will be rebuilt(V) for me from the Tower of Hananel(W) to the Corner Gate.(X) 39 The measuring line(Y) will stretch from there straight to the hill of Gareb and then turn to Goah. 40 The whole valley(Z) where dead bodies(AA) and ashes are thrown, and all the terraces out to the Kidron Valley(AB) on the east as far as the corner of the Horse Gate,(AC) will be holy(AD) to the Lord. The city will never again be uprooted or demolished.”

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Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 31:32 Hebrew; Septuagint and Syriac / and I turned away from
  2. Jeremiah 31:32 Or was their master

God Himself Is Judge

A Psalm of (A)Asaph.

50 (B)The Mighty One, God the Lord,
    speaks and summons the earth
    (C)from the rising of the sun to its setting.
Out of Zion, (D)the perfection of beauty,
    (E)God shines forth.

Our God comes; he (F)does not keep silence;[a]
    before him is a devouring (G)fire,
    around him a mighty tempest.
(H)He calls to the heavens above
    and to the earth, that he may judge his people:
“Gather to me my faithful ones,
    who made (I)a covenant with me by sacrifice!”
(J)The heavens declare his righteousness,
    for (K)God himself is judge! Selah

(L)“Hear, O my people, and I will speak;
    O Israel, I will testify against you.
    (M)I am God, your God.
Not for your sacrifices (N)do I rebuke you;
    your burnt offerings are continually before me.
I will not accept a bull from your house
    or goats from your folds.
10 For every beast of the forest is mine,
    the cattle on a thousand hills.
11 (O)I know all the birds of the hills,
    and all that moves in the field is mine.

12 “If I were hungry, I would not tell you,
    (P)for the world and its fullness are mine.
13 Do I eat the flesh of bulls
    or drink the blood of goats?
14 (Q)Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving,[b]
    and (R)perform your vows to the Most High,
15 and (S)call upon me in the day of trouble;
    I will (T)deliver you, and you shall (U)glorify me.”

16 But to the wicked God says:
    “What right have you to recite my statutes
    or take my covenant on your lips?
17 (V)For you hate discipline,
    (W)and you cast my words behind you.
18 If you see a thief, (X)you are pleased with him,
    (Y)and you keep company with adulterers.

19 “You give your mouth free rein for evil,
    (Z)and your tongue frames deceit.
20 You sit and speak against your brother;
    you slander your own mother's son.
21 These things you have done, and I (AA)have been silent;
    you thought that I[c] was one like yourself.
But now I (AB)rebuke you and (AC)lay the charge before you.

22 “Mark this, then, you who (AD)forget God,
    lest I tear you apart, and there be (AE)none to deliver!
23 The one who (AF)offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me;
    to one who (AG)orders his way rightly
    I will show the (AH)salvation of God!”

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Footnotes

  1. Psalm 50:3 Or May our God come, and not keep silence
  2. Psalm 50:14 Or Make thanksgiving your sacrifice to God
  3. Psalm 50:21 Or that the I am

Psalm 50

A psalm of Asaph.

The Mighty One, God, the Lord,(A)
    speaks and summons the earth
    from the rising of the sun to where it sets.(B)
From Zion,(C) perfect in beauty,(D)
    God shines forth.(E)
Our God comes(F)
    and will not be silent;(G)
a fire devours(H) before him,(I)
    and around him a tempest(J) rages.
He summons the heavens above,
    and the earth,(K) that he may judge his people:(L)
“Gather to me this consecrated people,(M)
    who made a covenant(N) with me by sacrifice.”
And the heavens proclaim(O) his righteousness,
    for he is a God of justice.[a][b](P)

“Listen, my people, and I will speak;
    I will testify(Q) against you, Israel:
    I am God, your God.(R)
I bring no charges(S) against you concerning your sacrifices
    or concerning your burnt offerings,(T) which are ever before me.
I have no need of a bull(U) from your stall
    or of goats(V) from your pens,(W)
10 for every animal of the forest(X) is mine,
    and the cattle on a thousand hills.(Y)
11 I know every bird(Z) in the mountains,
    and the insects in the fields(AA) are mine.
12 If I were hungry I would not tell you,
    for the world(AB) is mine, and all that is in it.(AC)
13 Do I eat the flesh of bulls
    or drink the blood of goats?

14 “Sacrifice thank offerings(AD) to God,
    fulfill your vows(AE) to the Most High,(AF)
15 and call(AG) on me in the day of trouble;(AH)
    I will deliver(AI) you, and you will honor(AJ) me.”

16 But to the wicked person, God says:

“What right have you to recite my laws
    or take my covenant(AK) on your lips?(AL)
17 You hate(AM) my instruction
    and cast my words behind(AN) you.
18 When you see a thief, you join(AO) with him;
    you throw in your lot with adulterers.(AP)
19 You use your mouth for evil
    and harness your tongue to deceit.(AQ)
20 You sit and testify against your brother(AR)
    and slander your own mother’s son.
21 When you did these things and I kept silent,(AS)
    you thought I was exactly[c] like you.
But I now arraign(AT) you
    and set my accusations(AU) before you.

22 “Consider this, you who forget God,(AV)
    or I will tear you to pieces, with no one to rescue you:(AW)
23 Those who sacrifice thank offerings honor me,
    and to the blameless[d] I will show my salvation.(AX)

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Footnotes

  1. Psalm 50:6 With a different word division of the Hebrew; Masoretic Text for God himself is judge
  2. Psalm 50:6 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here.
  3. Psalm 50:21 Or thought the ‘I am’ was
  4. Psalm 50:23 Probable reading of the original Hebrew text; the meaning of the Masoretic Text for this phrase is uncertain.

Anyone Not Against Us Is for Us

38 (A)John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone (B)casting out demons in your name,[a] and (C)we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.” 39 But Jesus said, “Do not stop him, for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. 40 (D)For the one who is not against us is for us. 41 For truly, I say to you, (E)whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ will by no means lose his reward.

Temptations to Sin

42 (F)“Whoever causes one of (G)these little ones who believe in me to sin,[b] (H)it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. 43 (I)And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to (J)hell,[c] to (K)the unquenchable fire.[d] 45 (L)And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into (M)hell. 47 (N)And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into (O)hell, 48 ‘where (P)their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’ 49 For everyone will be salted with fire.[e] 50 (Q)Salt is good, (R)but if the salt has lost its saltiness, how will you make it salty again? (S)Have salt in yourselves, and (T)be at peace with one another.”

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Footnotes

  1. Mark 9:38 Some manuscripts add who does not follow us
  2. Mark 9:42 Greek to stumble; also verses 43, 45, 47
  3. Mark 9:43 Greek Gehenna; also verse 47
  4. Mark 9:43 Some manuscripts add verses 44 and 46 (which are identical with verse 48)
  5. Mark 9:49 Some manuscripts add and every sacrifice will be salted with salt

Whoever Is Not Against Us Is for Us(A)

38 “Teacher,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.”(B)

39 “Do not stop him,” Jesus said. “For no one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, 40 for whoever is not against us is for us.(C) 41 Truly I tell you, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to the Messiah will certainly not lose their reward.(D)

Causing to Stumble

42 “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble,(E) it would be better for them if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were thrown into the sea.(F) 43 If your hand causes you to stumble,(G) cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell,(H) where the fire never goes out.(I) [44] [a] 45 And if your foot causes you to stumble,(J) cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell.(K) [46] [b] 47 And if your eye causes you to stumble,(L) pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell,(M) 48 where

“‘the worms that eat them do not die,
    and the fire is not quenched.’[c](N)

49 Everyone will be salted(O) with fire.

50 “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again?(P) Have salt among yourselves,(Q) and be at peace with each other.”(R)

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Footnotes

  1. Mark 9:44 Some manuscripts include here the words of verse 48.
  2. Mark 9:46 Some manuscripts include here the words of verse 48.
  3. Mark 9:48 Isaiah 66:24

Dead to Sin, Alive to God

What shall we say then? (A)Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can (B)we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us (C)who have been baptized (D)into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were (E)buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as (F)Christ was raised from the dead by (G)the glory of the Father, we too might walk in (H)newness of life.

For (I)if we have been united with him in (J)a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that (K)our old self[a] (L)was crucified with him in order that (M)the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For (N)one who has died (O)has been set free[b] from sin. Now (P)if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that (Q)Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; (R)death no longer has dominion over him. 10 For the death he died he died to sin, (S)once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11 So you also must consider yourselves (T)dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

12 Let not (U)sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. 13 (V)Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but (W)present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. 14 For (X)sin (Y)will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.

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Footnotes

  1. Romans 6:6 Greek man
  2. Romans 6:7 Greek has been justified

Dead to Sin, Alive in Christ

What shall we say, then?(A) Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?(B) By no means! We are those who have died to sin;(C) how can we live in it any longer? Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized(D) into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death(E) in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead(F) through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.(G)

For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his.(H) For we know that our old self(I) was crucified with him(J) so that the body ruled by sin(K) might be done away with,[a] that we should no longer be slaves to sin(L) because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.(M)

Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.(N) For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead,(O) he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him.(P) 10 The death he died, he died to sin(Q) once for all;(R) but the life he lives, he lives to God.

11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin(S) but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Therefore do not let sin reign(T) in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 13 Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness,(U) but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness.(V) 14 For sin shall no longer be your master,(W) because you are not under the law,(X) but under grace.(Y)

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Footnotes

  1. Romans 6:6 Or be rendered powerless