The Anointing Oil and Incense

22 The Lord said to Moses, 23 “Take the (A)finest spices: of liquid myrrh 500 shekels, and of sweet-smelling cinnamon half as much, that is, 250, and 250 of (B)aromatic cane, 24 and 500 of cassia, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, and a (C)hin[a] of olive oil. 25 And you shall make of these a sacred anointing oil blended as by the (D)perfumer; it shall be a (E)holy anointing oil. 26 (F)With it you shall anoint the tent of meeting and the ark of the testimony, 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 (G)basin and its stand. 29 You shall consecrate them, that they may be most holy. (H)Whatever touches them will become holy. 30 (I)You shall anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them, that they may serve me as priests. 31 And you shall say to the people of Israel, ‘This shall be my holy anointing oil throughout your generations. 32 It shall not be poured on the body of an ordinary person, and you shall make no other like it in composition. (J)It is holy, and it shall be holy to you. 33 (K)Whoever compounds any like it or whoever puts any of it on an outsider shall be cut off from his people.’”

34 The Lord said to Moses, (L)“Take sweet spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum, sweet spices with pure frankincense (of each shall there be an equal part), 35 and make an (M)incense blended as by the (N)perfumer, (O)seasoned with salt, pure and holy. 36 You shall beat some of it very small, and put part of it before the testimony in the tent of meeting (P)where I shall meet with you. (Q)It shall be most holy for you. 37 And the incense that you shall make (R)according to its composition, you shall not make for yourselves. It shall be for you holy to the Lord. 38 (S)Whoever makes any like it to use as perfume shall be cut off from his people.”

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Footnotes

  1. Exodus 30:24 A hin was about 4 quarts or 3.5 liters

Anointing Oil

22 Then the Lord said to Moses, 23 “Take the following fine spices:(A) 500 shekels[a] of liquid myrrh,(B) half as much (that is, 250 shekels) of fragrant cinnamon,(C) 250 shekels[b] of fragrant calamus,(D) 24 500 shekels(E) of cassia(F)—all according to the sanctuary shekel—and a hin[c] of olive oil. 25 Make these into a sacred anointing oil, a fragrant blend, the work of a perfumer.(G) It will be the sacred anointing oil.(H) 26 Then use it to anoint(I) the tent of meeting, the ark of the covenant law, 27 the table and all its articles, the lampstand and its accessories, the altar of incense, 28 the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and the basin with its stand. 29 You shall consecrate them(J) so they will be most holy, and whatever touches them will be holy.(K)

30 “Anoint Aaron and his sons and consecrate(L) them so they may serve me as priests.(M) 31 Say to the Israelites, ‘This is to be my sacred anointing oil(N) for the generations to come.(O) 32 Do not pour it on anyone else’s body and do not make any other oil using the same formula. It is sacred, and you are to consider it sacred.(P) 33 Whoever makes perfume like it and puts it on anyone other than a priest must be cut off(Q) from their people.’”

Incense

34 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Take fragrant spices(R)—gum resin, onycha and galbanum—and pure frankincense, all in equal amounts, 35 and make a fragrant blend of incense,(S) the work of a perfumer.(T) It is to be salted and pure and sacred. 36 Grind some of it to powder and place it in front of the ark of the covenant law in the tent of meeting, where I will meet(U) with you. It shall be most holy(V) to you. 37 Do not make any incense with this formula for yourselves; consider it holy(W) to the Lord. 38 Whoever makes incense like it to enjoy its fragrance must be cut off(X) from their people.”

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Footnotes

  1. Exodus 30:23 That is, about 12 1/2 pounds or about 5.8 kilograms; also in verse 24
  2. Exodus 30:23 That is, about 6 1/4 pounds or about 2.9 kilograms
  3. Exodus 30:24 That is, probably about 1 gallon or about 3.8 liters

David in His Old Age

Now King David was old and advanced in years. And although they covered him with clothes, he could not get warm. Therefore his servants said to him, “Let a young woman be sought for my lord the king, and let her wait on the king and be in his service. Let her lie in your arms,[a] that my lord the king may be warm.” So they sought for a beautiful young woman throughout all the territory of Israel, and found Abishag the (A)Shunammite, and brought her to the king. The young woman was very beautiful, and she was of service to the king and attended to him, but the king knew her not.

Adonijah Sets Himself Up as King

Now (B)Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, “I will be king.” (C)And he prepared for himself chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him. His father had never at any time displeased him by asking, “Why have you done thus and so?” He was also a very handsome man, (D)and he was born next after Absalom. He conferred with (E)Joab the son of Zeruiah and with (F)Abiathar the priest. And they followed Adonijah and helped him. But (G)Zadok the priest and (H)Benaiah the son of Jehoiada and (I)Nathan the prophet and (J)Shimei and Rei and (K)David's mighty men were not with Adonijah.

Adonijah sacrificed sheep, oxen, and fattened cattle by the Serpent's Stone, which is beside (L)En-rogel, and he invited all his brothers, the king's sons, and all the royal officials of Judah, 10 but he did not invite Nathan the prophet or Benaiah or the mighty men or (M)Solomon his brother.

Nathan and Bathsheba Before David

11 Then Nathan said to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, “Have you not heard that (N)Adonijah the son of Haggith has become king and David our lord does not know it? 12 Now therefore come, let me give you advice, that you may save your own life and the life of your son Solomon. 13 Go in at once to King David, and say to him, ‘Did you not, my lord the king, swear to your servant, saying, (O)“Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne”? Why then is Adonijah king?’ 14 Then while you are still speaking with the king, I also will come in after you and confirm[b] your words.”

15 So Bathsheba went to the king in his chamber (now the king was very old, and Abishag the Shunammite was attending to the king). 16 Bathsheba bowed and paid homage to the king, and the king said, “What do you desire?” 17 She said to him, “My lord, you swore to your servant by the Lord your God, saying, (P)‘Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne.’ 18 And now, behold, Adonijah is king, although you, my lord the king, do not know it. 19 (Q)He has sacrificed oxen, fattened cattle, and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the sons of the king, (R)Abiathar the priest, and Joab the commander of the army, but (S)Solomon your servant he has not invited. 20 And now, my lord the king, the eyes of all Israel are on you, to tell them who shall sit on the throne of my lord the king after him. 21 Otherwise it will come to pass, when my lord the king (T)sleeps with his fathers, that I and my son Solomon will be counted offenders.”

22 While she was still speaking with the king, Nathan the prophet came in. 23 And they told the king, “Here is Nathan the prophet.” And when he came in before the king, he bowed before the king, with his face to the ground. 24 And Nathan said, “My lord the king, have you said, ‘Adonijah shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne’? 25 For he has gone down this day and (U)has sacrificed oxen, fattened cattle, and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the king's sons, the commanders[c] of the army, and Abiathar the priest. And behold, they are eating and drinking before him, and saying, (V)‘Long live King Adonijah!’ 26 (W)But me, your servant, and Zadok the priest, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and your servant Solomon he has not invited. 27 Has this thing been brought about by my lord the king and you have not told your servants who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?”

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 1:2 Or in your bosom
  2. 1 Kings 1:14 Or expand on
  3. 1 Kings 1:25 Hebrew; Septuagint Joab the commander

Adonijah Sets Himself Up as King

When King David was very old, he could not keep warm even when they put covers over him. So his attendants said to him, “Let us look for a young virgin to serve the king and take care of him. She can lie beside him so that our lord the king may keep warm.”

Then they searched throughout Israel for a beautiful young woman and found Abishag,(A) a Shunammite,(B) and brought her to the king. The woman was very beautiful; she took care of the king and waited on him, but the king had no sexual relations with her.

Now Adonijah,(C) whose mother was Haggith, put himself forward and said, “I will be king.” So he got chariots(D) and horses[a] ready, with fifty men to run ahead of him. (His father had never rebuked(E) him by asking, “Why do you behave as you do?” He was also very handsome and was born next after Absalom.)

Adonijah conferred with Joab(F) son of Zeruiah and with Abiathar(G) the priest, and they gave him their support. But Zadok(H) the priest, Benaiah(I) son of Jehoiada, Nathan(J) the prophet, Shimei(K) and Rei and David’s special guard(L) did not join Adonijah.

Adonijah then sacrificed sheep, cattle and fattened calves at the Stone of Zoheleth near En Rogel.(M) He invited all his brothers, the king’s sons,(N) and all the royal officials of Judah, 10 but he did not invite(O) Nathan the prophet or Benaiah or the special guard or his brother Solomon.(P)

11 Then Nathan asked Bathsheba,(Q) Solomon’s mother, “Have you not heard that Adonijah,(R) the son of Haggith, has become king, and our lord David knows nothing about it? 12 Now then, let me advise(S) you how you can save your own life and the life of your son Solomon. 13 Go in to King David and say to him, ‘My lord the king, did you not swear(T) to me your servant: “Surely Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he will sit on my throne”? Why then has Adonijah become king?’ 14 While you are still there talking to the king, I will come in and add my word to what you have said.”

15 So Bathsheba went to see the aged king in his room, where Abishag(U) the Shunammite was attending him. 16 Bathsheba bowed down, prostrating herself before the king.

“What is it you want?” the king asked.

17 She said to him, “My lord, you yourself swore(V) to me your servant by the Lord your God: ‘Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he will sit on my throne.’ 18 But now Adonijah has become king, and you, my lord the king, do not know about it. 19 He has sacrificed(W) great numbers of cattle, fattened calves, and sheep, and has invited all the king’s sons, Abiathar the priest and Joab the commander of the army, but he has not invited Solomon your servant. 20 My lord the king, the eyes of all Israel are on you, to learn from you who will sit on the throne of my lord the king after him. 21 Otherwise, as soon as my lord the king is laid to rest(X) with his ancestors, I and my son Solomon will be treated as criminals.”

22 While she was still speaking with the king, Nathan the prophet arrived. 23 And the king was told, “Nathan the prophet is here.” So he went before the king and bowed with his face to the ground.

24 Nathan said, “Have you, my lord the king, declared that Adonijah shall be king after you, and that he will sit on your throne? 25 Today he has gone down and sacrificed great numbers of cattle, fattened calves, and sheep. He has invited all the king’s sons, the commanders of the army and Abiathar the priest. Right now they are eating and drinking with him and saying, ‘Long live King Adonijah!’ 26 But me your servant, and Zadok the priest, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and your servant Solomon he did not invite.(Y) 27 Is this something my lord the king has done without letting his servants know who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?”

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 1:5 Or charioteers

Jeremiah Warns Zedekiah Again

14 King Zedekiah sent for Jeremiah the prophet and received him at the third entrance of the temple of the Lord. The king said to Jeremiah, “I will ask you a question; hide nothing from me.” 15 Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “If I tell you, will you not surely put me to death? And if I give you counsel, you will not listen to me.” 16 Then King Zedekiah swore (A)secretly to Jeremiah, (B)“As the Lord lives, (C)who made our souls, I will not put you to death or deliver you into the hand of (D)these men who seek your life.”

17 Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “Thus says the Lord, the God of hosts, the God of Israel: (E)If you will surrender to (F)the officials of the king of Babylon, (G)then your life shall be spared, and this city shall not be burned with fire, and you and your house shall live. 18 But if you do not surrender to (H)the officials of the king of Babylon, (I)then this city shall be given into the hand of the Chaldeans, (J)and they shall burn it with fire, and you shall not escape from their hand.” 19 King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “I am afraid of the Judeans (K)who have deserted to the Chaldeans, lest I be handed over to them and they deal cruelly with me.” 20 Jeremiah said, “You shall not be given to them. Obey now the voice of the Lord in what I say to you, (L)and it shall be well with you, and your life shall be spared. 21 But if you refuse to (M)surrender, this is the vision which the Lord has shown to me: 22 Behold, all the women left in the house of the king of Judah were being led out to the officials of the king of Babylon and were saying,

(N)“‘Your trusted friends have deceived you
    and prevailed against you;
now that your feet are sunk in the mud,
    they turn away from you.’

23 All your wives and (O)your sons shall be led out to the Chaldeans, and you yourself shall not escape from their hand, but shall be seized by the king of Babylon, and this city shall be burned with fire.”

24 Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “Let no one know of these words, and you shall not die. 25 If (P)the officials hear that I have spoken with you and come to you and say to you, ‘Tell us what you said to the king and what the king said to you; hide nothing from us and we will not put you to death,’ 26 then you shall say to them, (Q)‘I made a humble plea to the king that he would not send me back to the house of Jonathan to die there.’” 27 Then all the officials came to Jeremiah and asked him, and he answered them as the king had instructed him. So they stopped speaking with him, for the conversation had not been overheard. 28 And Jeremiah remained (R)in the court of the guard until the day that Jerusalem was taken.

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Zedekiah Questions Jeremiah Again

14 Then King Zedekiah sent(A) for Jeremiah the prophet and had him brought to the third entrance to the temple of the Lord. “I am going to ask you something,” the king said to Jeremiah. “Do not hide(B) anything from me.”

15 Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “If I give you an answer, will you not kill me? Even if I did give you counsel, you would not listen to me.”

16 But King Zedekiah swore this oath secretly(C) to Jeremiah: “As surely as the Lord lives, who has given us breath,(D) I will neither kill you nor hand you over to those who want to kill you.”(E)

17 Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “This is what the Lord God Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘If you surrender(F) to the officers of the king of Babylon, your life will be spared and this city will not be burned down; you and your family will live.(G) 18 But if you will not surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon, this city will be given into the hands(H) of the Babylonians and they will burn(I) it down; you yourself will not escape(J) from them.’”

19 King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “I am afraid(K) of the Jews who have gone over(L) to the Babylonians, for the Babylonians may hand me over to them and they will mistreat me.”

20 “They will not hand you over,” Jeremiah replied. “Obey(M) the Lord by doing what I tell you. Then it will go well(N) with you, and your life(O) will be spared. 21 But if you refuse to surrender, this is what the Lord has revealed to me: 22 All the women(P) left in the palace of the king of Judah will be brought out to the officials of the king of Babylon. Those women will say to you:

“‘They misled you and overcame you—
    those trusted friends(Q) of yours.
Your feet are sunk in the mud;(R)
    your friends have deserted you.’

23 “All your wives and children(S) will be brought out to the Babylonians. You yourself will not escape(T) from their hands but will be captured(U) by the king of Babylon; and this city will[a] be burned down.”(V)

24 Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “Do not let anyone know(W) about this conversation, or you may die. 25 If the officials hear that I talked with you, and they come to you and say, ‘Tell us what you said to the king and what the king said to you; do not hide it from us or we will kill you,’ 26 then tell(X) them, ‘I was pleading with the king not to send me back to Jonathan’s house(Y) to die there.’”

27 All the officials did come to Jeremiah and question him, and he told them everything the king had ordered him to say. So they said no more to him, for no one had heard his conversation with the king.

28 And Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard(Z) until the day Jerusalem was captured.

The Fall of Jerusalem(AA)

This is how Jerusalem(AB) was taken:

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Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 38:23 Or and you will cause this city to

Lead Me to the Rock

To the choirmaster: with (A)stringed instruments. Of David.

61 Hear my cry, O God,
    (B)listen to my prayer;
from the end of the earth I call to you
    when my heart is (C)faint.
Lead me to (D)the rock
    that is higher than I,
for you have been (E)my refuge,
    a strong (F)tower against the enemy.

Let me (G)dwell in your tent forever!
    Let me take refuge under (H)the shelter of your wings! Selah
For you, O God, have heard my vows;
    you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.

(I)Prolong (J)the life of the king;
    may his years endure to all generations!
May he be enthroned forever before God;
    appoint (K)steadfast love and faithfulness to watch over him!

So will I ever sing praises to your name,
    as I (L)perform my vows day after day.

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Psalm 61[a]

For the director of music. With stringed instruments. Of David.

Hear my cry, O God;(A)
    listen to my prayer.(B)

From the ends of the earth I call to you,
    I call as my heart grows faint;(C)
    lead me to the rock(D) that is higher than I.
For you have been my refuge,(E)
    a strong tower against the foe.(F)

I long to dwell(G) in your tent forever
    and take refuge in the shelter of your wings.[b](H)
For you, God, have heard my vows;(I)
    you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.(J)

Increase the days of the king’s life,(K)
    his years for many generations.(L)
May he be enthroned in God’s presence forever;(M)
    appoint your love and faithfulness to protect him.(N)

Then I will ever sing in praise of your name(O)
    and fulfill my vows day after day.(P)

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Footnotes

  1. Psalm 61:1 In Hebrew texts 61:1-8 is numbered 61:2-9.
  2. Psalm 61:4 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here.

The Great Commandment

28 (A)And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” 29 Jesus answered, “The most important is, (B)‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, (C)the Lord is one. 30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 (D)The second is this: (E)‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment (F)greater than these.” 32 And the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher. You have truly said that (G)he is one, and (H)there is no other besides him. 33 And to love him with all the heart and with all (I)the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, (J)is much more than all (K)whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” 34 And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” (L)And after that no one dared to ask him any more questions.

Whose Son Is the Christ?

35 (M)And as (N)Jesus taught in the temple, he said, “How can the scribes say that (O)the Christ is the son of David? 36 David himself, (P)in the Holy Spirit, declared,

(Q)“‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at my right hand,
    until I put your enemies (R)under your feet.”’

37 David himself calls him Lord. So (S)how is he his son?” And the great throng (T)heard him gladly.

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The Greatest Commandment(A)

28 One of the teachers of the law(B) came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”

29 “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.[a] 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’[b](C) 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[c](D) There is no commandment greater than these.”

32 “Well said, teacher,” the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him.(E) 33 To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”(F)

34 When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”(G) And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions.(H)

Whose Son Is the Messiah?(I)(J)

35 While Jesus was teaching in the temple courts,(K) he asked, “Why do the teachers of the law say that the Messiah is the son of David?(L) 36 David himself, speaking by the Holy Spirit,(M) declared:

“‘The Lord said to my Lord:
    “Sit at my right hand
until I put your enemies
    under your feet.”’[d](N)

37 David himself calls him ‘Lord.’ How then can he be his son?”

The large crowd(O) listened to him with delight.

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Footnotes

  1. Mark 12:29 Or The Lord our God is one Lord
  2. Mark 12:30 Deut. 6:4,5
  3. Mark 12:31 Lev. 19:18
  4. Mark 12:36 Psalm 110:1

The Remnant of Israel

11 I ask, then, (A)has God rejected his people? By no means! For (B)I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham,[a] a member of the tribe of Benjamin. (C)God has not rejected his people whom he (D)foreknew. Do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he appeals to God against Israel? (E)“Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have demolished your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life.” But what is God's reply to him? (F)“I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” So too at the present time there is (G)a remnant, chosen by grace. (H)But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.

What then? (I)Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest (J)were hardened, as it is written,

(K)“God gave them a spirit of stupor,
    (L)eyes that would not see
    and ears that would not hear,
down to this very day.”

And David says,

(M)“Let their table become a snare and a trap,
    a stumbling block and a retribution for them;
10 let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see,
    and bend their backs forever.”

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Footnotes

  1. Romans 11:1 Or one of the offspring of Abraham

The Remnant of Israel

11 I ask then: Did God reject his people? By no means!(A) I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham,(B) from the tribe of Benjamin.(C) God did not reject his people,(D) whom he foreknew.(E) Don’t you know what Scripture says in the passage about Elijah—how he appealed to God against Israel: “Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars; I am the only one left, and they are trying to kill me”[a]?(F) And what was God’s answer to him? “I have reserved for myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal.”[b](G) So too, at the present time there is a remnant(H) chosen by grace.(I) And if by grace, then it cannot be based on works;(J) if it were, grace would no longer be grace.

What then? What the people of Israel sought so earnestly they did not obtain.(K) The elect among them did, but the others were hardened,(L) as it is written:

“God gave them a spirit of stupor,
    eyes that could not see
    and ears that could not hear,(M)
to this very day.”[c](N)

And David says:

“May their table become a snare and a trap,
    a stumbling block and a retribution for them.
10 May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see,(O)
    and their backs be bent forever.”[d](P)

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Footnotes

  1. Romans 11:3 1 Kings 19:10,14
  2. Romans 11:4 1 Kings 19:18
  3. Romans 11:8 Deut. 29:4; Isaiah 29:10
  4. Romans 11:10 Psalm 69:22,23