Making the Altar of Incense

25 (A)He made the altar of incense of acacia wood. Its length was a cubit, and its breadth was a cubit. It was square, and two cubits was its height. Its horns were of one piece with it. 26 He overlaid it with pure gold, its top and around its sides and its horns. And he made a molding of gold around it, 27 and made two rings of gold on it under its molding, on two opposite sides of it, as holders for the poles with which to carry it. 28 And he made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold.

29 (B)He made the holy anointing oil also, and the (C)pure fragrant incense, blended as by the perfumer.

Making the Altar of Burnt Offering

38 (D)He made the altar of burnt offering of acacia wood. Five cubits[a] was its length, and five cubits its breadth. It was square, and three cubits was its height. He made horns for it on its four corners. Its horns were of one piece with it, and he overlaid it with bronze. And he made all the utensils of the altar, the pots, the shovels, the basins, the forks, and the fire pans. He made all its utensils of bronze. And he made for the altar a grating, a network of bronze, under its ledge, extending halfway down. He cast four rings on the four corners of the bronze grating as holders for the poles. He made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with bronze. And he put the poles through the rings on the sides of the altar to carry it with them. He made it hollow, with boards.

Making the Bronze Basin

(E)He made the basin of bronze and its stand of bronze, from the mirrors of the (F)ministering women who ministered in the entrance of the tent of meeting.

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 38:1 A cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters

The Altar of Incense(A)

25 They made the altar of incense(B) out of acacia wood. It was square, a cubit long and a cubit wide and two cubits high[a]—its horns(C) of one piece with it. 26 They overlaid the top and all the sides and the horns with pure gold, and made a gold molding around it. 27 They made two gold rings(D) below the molding—two on each of the opposite sides—to hold the poles used to carry it. 28 They made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold.(E)

29 They also made the sacred anointing oil(F) and the pure, fragrant incense(G)—the work of a perfumer.

The Altar of Burnt Offering(H)

38 They[b] built the altar of burnt offering of acacia wood, three cubits[c] high; it was square, five cubits long and five cubits wide.[d] They made a horn at each of the four corners, so that the horns and the altar were of one piece, and they overlaid the altar with bronze.(I) They made all its utensils(J) of bronze—its pots, shovels, sprinkling bowls, meat forks and firepans. They made a grating for the altar, a bronze network, to be under its ledge, halfway up the altar. They cast bronze rings to hold the poles for the four corners of the bronze grating. They made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with bronze. They inserted the poles into the rings so they would be on the sides of the altar for carrying it. They made it hollow, out of boards.

The Basin for Washing

They made the bronze basin(K) and its bronze stand from the mirrors of the women(L) who served at the entrance to the tent of meeting.

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 37:25 That is, about 1 1/2 feet long and wide and 3 feet high or about 45 centimeters long and wide and 90 centimeters high
  2. Exodus 38:1 Or He; also in verses 2-9
  3. Exodus 38:1 That is, about 4 1/2 feet or about 1.4 meters
  4. Exodus 38:1 That is, about 7 1/2 feet or about 2.3 meters long and wide

The Ark Brought into the Temple

(A)Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, (B)the leaders of the fathers' houses of the people of Israel, before King Solomon in Jerusalem, (C)to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of (D)the city of David, which is Zion. And all the men of Israel assembled to King Solomon at (E)the feast in the month Ethanim, which is the seventh month. And all the elders of Israel came, and (F)the priests took up the ark. And they brought up the ark of the Lord, (G)the tent of meeting, and all the holy vessels that were in the tent; the priests and the Levites brought them up. And King Solomon and all the congregation of Israel, who had assembled before him, were with him before the ark, (H)sacrificing so many sheep and oxen that they could not be counted or numbered. (I)Then the priests brought the ark of the covenant of the Lord (J)to its place in (K)the inner sanctuary of the house, in the Most Holy Place, underneath the wings of the cherubim. For the cherubim spread out their wings over the place of the ark, so that the cherubim overshadowed the ark and its poles. (L)And the poles were so long that the ends of the poles were seen from the Holy Place before (M)the inner sanctuary; but they could not be seen from outside. And they are there to this day. There was nothing in the ark except (N)the two tablets of stone that Moses put there at Horeb, where (O)the Lord made a covenant with the people of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt. 10 And when the priests came out of the Holy Place, (P)a cloud filled the house of the Lord, 11 so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord.

Solomon Blesses the Lord

12 (Q)Then Solomon said, “The Lord[a] has said that he would dwell (R)in thick darkness. 13 (S)I have indeed built you an exalted house, (T)a place for you to dwell in forever.” 14 Then the king turned around and (U)blessed all the assembly of Israel, while all the assembly of Israel stood. 15 And he said, (V)“Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who with his hand has fulfilled (W)what he promised with his mouth to David my father, saying, 16 (X)‘Since the day that I brought my people Israel out of Egypt, I chose no city out of all the tribes of Israel in which to build a house, (Y)that my name might be there. (Z)But I chose David to be over my people Israel.’ 17 (AA)Now it was in the heart of David my father to build a house for the name of the Lord, the God of Israel. 18 But the Lord said to David my father, ‘Whereas it was in your heart to build a house for my name, you did well that it was in your heart. 19 (AB)Nevertheless, you shall not build the house, but your son who shall be born to you shall build the house for my name.’ 20 Now the Lord has fulfilled his promise that he made. For I have risen in the place of David my father, and sit on the throne of Israel, (AC)as the Lord promised, and I have built the house for the name of the Lord, the God of Israel. 21 And there I have provided a place for the ark, (AD)in which is the covenant of the Lord that he made with our fathers, when he brought them out of the land of Egypt.”

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 8:12 Septuagint The Lord has set the sun in the heavens, but

The Ark Brought to the Temple(A)

Then King Solomon summoned into his presence at Jerusalem the elders of Israel, all the heads of the tribes and the chiefs(B) of the Israelite families, to bring up the ark(C) of the Lord’s covenant from Zion, the City of David.(D) All the Israelites came together to King Solomon at the time of the festival(E) in the month of Ethanim, the seventh month.(F)

When all the elders of Israel had arrived, the priests(G) took up the ark, and they brought up the ark of the Lord and the tent of meeting(H) and all the sacred furnishings in it. The priests and Levites(I) carried them up, and King Solomon and the entire assembly of Israel that had gathered about him were before the ark, sacrificing(J) so many sheep and cattle that they could not be recorded or counted.

The priests then brought the ark of the Lord’s covenant(K) to its place in the inner sanctuary of the temple, the Most Holy Place,(L) and put it beneath the wings of the cherubim.(M) The cherubim spread their wings over the place of the ark and overshadowed(N) the ark and its carrying poles. These poles were so long that their ends could be seen from the Holy Place in front of the inner sanctuary, but not from outside the Holy Place; and they are still there today.(O) There was nothing in the ark except the two stone tablets(P) that Moses had placed in it at Horeb, where the Lord made a covenant with the Israelites after they came out of Egypt.

10 When the priests withdrew from the Holy Place, the cloud(Q) filled the temple of the Lord. 11 And the priests could not perform their service(R) because of the cloud, for the glory(S) of the Lord filled his temple.

12 Then Solomon said, “The Lord has said that he would dwell in a dark cloud;(T) 13 I have indeed built a magnificent temple for you, a place for you to dwell(U) forever.”

14 While the whole assembly of Israel was standing there, the king turned around and blessed(V) them. 15 Then he said:

“Praise be to the Lord,(W) the God of Israel, who with his own hand has fulfilled what he promised with his own mouth to my father David. For he said, 16 ‘Since the day I brought my people Israel out of Egypt,(X) I have not chosen a city in any tribe of Israel to have a temple built so that my Name(Y) might be there, but I have chosen(Z) David(AA) to rule my people Israel.’

17 “My father David had it in his heart(AB) to build a temple(AC) for the Name of the Lord, the God of Israel. 18 But the Lord said to my father David, ‘You did well to have it in your heart to build a temple for my Name. 19 Nevertheless, you(AD) are not the one to build the temple, but your son, your own flesh and blood—he is the one who will build the temple for my Name.’(AE)

20 “The Lord has kept the promise he made: I have succeeded(AF) David my father and now I sit on the throne of Israel, just as the Lord promised, and I have built(AG) the temple for the Name of the Lord, the God of Israel. 21 I have provided a place there for the ark, in which is the covenant of the Lord that he made with our ancestors when he brought them out of Egypt.”

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Judgment on Ammon

49 (A)Concerning the Ammonites.

Thus says the Lord:

“Has Israel no sons?
    Has he no heir?
Why then has (B)Milcom[a] (C)dispossessed Gad,
    and his people settled in its cities?
Therefore, behold, the days are coming,
    declares the Lord,
when I will cause (D)the battle cry to be heard
    against (E)Rabbah of the Ammonites;
it shall become a desolate (F)mound,
    and its villages shall be burned with fire;
then Israel shall dispossess those who dispossessed him,
    says the Lord.

“Wail, O (G)Heshbon, for Ai is laid waste!
    Cry out, O daughters of (H)Rabbah!
(I)Put on sackcloth,
    lament, and run to and fro among the hedges!
For (J)Milcom shall go into exile,
    (K)with his priests and his officials.
Why do you boast of your valleys,[b]
    (L)O faithless daughter,
(M)who trusted in her treasures, saying,
    ‘Who will come against me?’
Behold, (N)I will bring terror upon you,
    declares the Lord God of hosts,
    from all who are around you,
and you shall be driven out, every man straight before him,
    with none to gather the fugitives.

“But (O)afterward I will restore the fortunes of the Ammonites, declares the Lord.”

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Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 49:1 Or their king; also verse 3
  2. Jeremiah 49:4 Hebrew boast of your valleys, your valley flows

A Message About Ammon

49 Concerning the Ammonites:(A)

This is what the Lord says:

“Has Israel no sons?
    Has Israel no heir?
Why then has Molek[a](B) taken possession of Gad?(C)
    Why do his people live in its towns?
But the days are coming,”
    declares the Lord,
“when I will sound the battle cry(D)
    against Rabbah(E) of the Ammonites;
it will become a mound of ruins,(F)
    and its surrounding villages will be set on fire.
Then Israel will drive out
    those who drove her out,(G)
says the Lord.
“Wail, Heshbon,(H) for Ai(I) is destroyed!
    Cry out, you inhabitants of Rabbah!
Put on sackcloth(J) and mourn;
    rush here and there inside the walls,
for Molek(K) will go into exile,(L)
    together with his priests and officials.
Why do you boast of your valleys,
    boast of your valleys so fruitful?
Unfaithful Daughter Ammon,(M)
    you trust in your riches(N) and say,
    ‘Who will attack me?’(O)
I will bring terror on you
    from all those around you,”
declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty.
“Every one of you will be driven away,
    and no one will gather the fugitives.(P)

“Yet afterward, I will restore(Q) the fortunes of the Ammonites,”
declares the Lord.

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Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 49:1 Or their king; also in verse 3

Give the King Your Justice

Of (A)Solomon.

72 Give the king your (B)justice, O God,
    and your righteousness to the royal son!
May he (C)judge your people with righteousness,
    and your poor with justice!
Let the mountains bear (D)prosperity for the people,
    and the hills, in righteousness!
May he defend the cause of the poor of the people,
    give deliverance to the children of the needy,
    and crush the oppressor!

May they fear you[a] while (E)the sun endures,
    and as long as the moon, (F)throughout all generations!
May he be like (G)rain that falls on (H)the mown grass,
    like (I)showers that water the earth!
In his days may (J)the righteous flourish,
    and (K)peace abound, till the moon be no more!

May he have dominion from (L)sea to sea,
    and from (M)the River[b] to the (N)ends of the earth!
May desert tribes (O)bow down before him,
    and his enemies (P)lick the dust!
10 May the kings of (Q)Tarshish and of (R)the coastlands
    render him (S)tribute;
may the kings of (T)Sheba and (U)Seba
    bring gifts!
11 May all kings (V)fall down before him,
    all nations serve him!

12 For he delivers (W)the needy when he calls,
    the poor and him who has no helper.
13 He has pity on the weak and the needy,
    and saves the lives of the needy.
14 From oppression and violence he redeems their life,
    and (X)precious is their blood in his sight.

15 Long may he live;
    may (Y)gold of Sheba be given to him!
May prayer be made (Z)for him continually,
    and blessings invoked for him all the day!
16 May there be abundance of grain in the land;
    on the tops of the mountains may it wave;
    may its fruit be like Lebanon;
and may people (AA)blossom in the cities
    like the (AB)grass of the field!
17 (AC)May his name endure forever,
    his fame continue as long as the sun!
(AD)May people be blessed in him,
    (AE)all nations call him blessed!

18 (AF)Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
    who alone does (AG)wondrous things.
19 Blessed be his (AH)glorious name forever;
    may (AI)the whole earth be filled with his glory!
(AJ)Amen and Amen!

20 (AK)The prayers of (AL)David, the son of Jesse, are ended.

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Footnotes

  1. Psalm 72:5 Septuagint He shall endure
  2. Psalm 72:8 That is, the Euphrates

Psalm 72

Of Solomon.

Endow the king with your justice,(A) O God,
    the royal son with your righteousness.
May he judge your people in righteousness,(B)
    your afflicted ones with justice.

May the mountains bring prosperity to the people,
    the hills the fruit of righteousness.
May he defend the afflicted(C) among the people
    and save the children of the needy;(D)
    may he crush the oppressor.(E)
May he endure[a](F) as long as the sun,
    as long as the moon, through all generations.(G)
May he be like rain(H) falling on a mown field,
    like showers watering the earth.
In his days may the righteous flourish(I)
    and prosperity abound till the moon is no more.

May he rule from sea to sea
    and from the River[b](J) to the ends of the earth.(K)
May the desert tribes bow before him
    and his enemies lick the dust.
10 May the kings of Tarshish(L) and of distant shores(M)
    bring tribute to him.
May the kings of Sheba(N) and Seba
    present him gifts.(O)
11 May all kings bow down(P) to him
    and all nations serve(Q) him.

12 For he will deliver the needy who cry out,
    the afflicted who have no one to help.
13 He will take pity(R) on the weak and the needy
    and save the needy from death.
14 He will rescue(S) them from oppression and violence,
    for precious(T) is their blood in his sight.

15 Long may he live!
    May gold from Sheba(U) be given him.
May people ever pray for him
    and bless him all day long.(V)
16 May grain(W) abound throughout the land;
    on the tops of the hills may it sway.
May the crops(X) flourish like Lebanon(Y)
    and thrive[c] like the grass of the field.(Z)
17 May his name endure forever;(AA)
    may it continue as long as the sun.(AB)

Then all nations will be blessed through him,[d]
    and they will call him blessed.(AC)

18 Praise be to the Lord God, the God of Israel,(AD)
    who alone does marvelous deeds.(AE)
19 Praise be to his glorious name(AF) forever;
    may the whole earth be filled with his glory.(AG)
Amen and Amen.(AH)

20 This concludes the prayers of David son of Jesse.(AI)

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Footnotes

  1. Psalm 72:5 Septuagint; Hebrew You will be feared
  2. Psalm 72:8 That is, the Euphrates
  3. Psalm 72:16 Probable reading of the original Hebrew text; Masoretic Text Lebanon, / from the city
  4. Psalm 72:17 Or will use his name in blessings (see Gen. 48:20)

The Crucifixion

21 (A)And they compelled a passerby, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross. 22 (B)And they brought him to the place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull). 23 And they offered him wine mixed with (C)myrrh, but he did not take it. 24 And they crucified him and (D)divided his garments among them, casting lots for them, to decide what each should take. 25 And (E)it was the third hour[a] when they crucified him. 26 And the inscription of the charge against him read, (F)“The King of the Jews.” 27 And with him they crucified two (G)robbers, (H)one on his right and one on his left.[b] 29 And (I)those who passed by derided him, (J)wagging their heads and saying, (K)“Aha! (L)You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, 30 save yourself, and come down from the cross!” 31 So also the chief priests with the scribes mocked him to one another, saying, (M)“He saved others; (N)he cannot save himself. 32 Let (O)the Christ, (P)the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may (Q)see and believe.” (R)Those who were crucified with him also reviled him.

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Footnotes

  1. Mark 15:25 That is, 9 a.m.
  2. Mark 15:27 Some manuscripts insert verse 28: And the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “He was numbered with the transgressors”

The Crucifixion of Jesus(A)

21 A certain man from Cyrene,(B) Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus,(C) was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross.(D) 22 They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”). 23 Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh,(E) but he did not take it. 24 And they crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots(F) to see what each would get.

25 It was nine in the morning when they crucified him. 26 The written notice of the charge against him read: the king of the jews.(G)

27 They crucified two rebels with him, one on his right and one on his left. [28] [a] 29 Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads(H) and saying, “So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days,(I) 30 come down from the cross and save yourself!” 31 In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him(J) among themselves. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! 32 Let this Messiah,(K) this king of Israel,(L) come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe.” Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him.

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Footnotes

  1. Mark 15:28 Some manuscripts include here words similar to Luke 22:37.

Divisions in the Church

10 I appeal to you, brothers,[a] by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no (A)divisions among you, but that you be united (B)in the same mind and the same judgment. 11 For it has been reported to me by Chloe's people that there is (C)quarreling among you, my brothers. 12 What I mean is that (D)each one of you says, “I follow Paul,” or “I follow (E)Apollos,” or “I follow (F)Cephas,” or “I follow Christ.” 13 (G)Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you (H)baptized in the name of Paul? 14 I thank God that I baptized none of you except (I)Crispus and (J)Gaius, 15 so that no one may say that you were baptized in my name. 16 (I did baptize also (K)the household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.) 17 For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and (L)not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Corinthians 1:10 Or brothers and sisters. In New Testament usage, depending on the context, the plural Greek word adelphoi (translated “brothers”) may refer either to brothers or to brothers and sisters; also verses 11, 26

A Church Divided Over Leaders

10 I appeal to you, brothers and sisters,[a](A) in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you,(B) but that you be perfectly united(C) in mind and thought. 11 My brothers and sisters, some from Chloe’s household(D) have informed me that there are quarrels among you. 12 What I mean is this: One of you says, “I follow Paul”;(E) another, “I follow Apollos”;(F) another, “I follow Cephas[b]”;(G) still another, “I follow Christ.”

13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized in the name of Paul?(H) 14 I thank God that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus(I) and Gaius,(J) 15 so no one can say that you were baptized in my name. 16 (Yes, I also baptized the household(K) of Stephanas;(L) beyond that, I don’t remember if I baptized anyone else.) 17 For Christ did not send me to baptize,(M) but to preach the gospel—not with wisdom(N) and eloquence, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Corinthians 1:10 The Greek word for brothers and sisters (adelphoi) refers here to believers, both men and women, as part of God’s family; also in verses 11 and 26; and in 2:1; 3:1; 4:6; 6:8; 7:24, 29; 10:1; 11:33; 12:1; 14:6, 20, 26, 39; 15:1, 6, 50, 58; 16:15, 20.
  2. 1 Corinthians 1:12 That is, Peter