Offerings for the Tabernacle^(A)

25 The Lord said to Moses, ² “Tell the Israelites to bring me an offering. You are to receive the offering for me from everyone whose heart prompts^(B) them to give. ³ These are the offerings you are to receive from them: gold, silver and bronze; ⁴ blue, purple and scarlet yarn^(C) and fine linen; goat hair; ⁵ ram skins dyed red and another type of durable leather^[a];^(D) acacia wood;^{(E) 6} olive oil^(F) for the light; spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense;^{(G) 7} and onyx stones and other gems to be mounted on the ephod^(H) and breastpiece.^(I)

⁸ “Then have them make a sanctuary^(J) for me, and I will dwell^(K) among them. ⁹ Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern^(L) I will show you.

18 David mustered the men who were with him and appointed over them commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds. ² David sent out his troops,^(A) a third under the command of Joab, a third under Joab’s brother Abishai^(B) son of Zeruiah, and a third under Ittai^(C) the Gittite. The king told the troops, “I myself will surely march out with you.”

³ But the men said, “You must not go out; if we are forced to flee, they won’t care about us. Even if half of us die, they won’t care; but you are worth ten^(D) thousand of us.^[a] It would be better now for you to give us support from the city.”^(E)

⁴ The king answered, “I will do whatever seems best to you.”

So the king stood beside the gate while all his men marched out in units of hundreds and of thousands. ⁵ The king commanded Joab, Abishai and Ittai, “Be gentle with the young man Absalom for my sake.” And all the troops heard the king giving orders concerning Absalom to each of the commanders.

⁶ David’s army marched out of the city to fight Israel, and the battle took place in the forest^(F) of Ephraim. ⁷ There Israel’s troops were routed by David’s men, and the casualties that day were great—twenty thousand men. ⁸ The battle spread out over the whole countryside, and the forest swallowed up more men that day than the sword.

⁹ Now Absalom happened to meet David’s men. He was riding his mule, and as the mule went under the thick branches of a large oak, Absalom’s hair^(G) got caught in the tree. He was left hanging in midair, while the mule he was riding kept on going.

¹⁰ When one of the men saw what had happened, he told Joab, “I just saw Absalom hanging in an oak tree.”

¹¹ Joab said to the man who had told him this, “What! You saw him? Why didn’t you strike^(H) him to the ground right there? Then I would have had to give you ten shekels^[b] of silver and a warrior’s belt.^(I)”

¹² But the man replied, “Even if a thousand shekels^[c] were weighed out into my hands, I would not lay a hand on the king’s son. In our hearing the king commanded you and Abishai and Ittai, ‘Protect the young man Absalom for my sake.^[d]’ ¹³ And if I had put my life in jeopardy^[e]—and nothing is hidden from the king^(J)—you would have kept your distance from me.”

¹⁴ Joab^(K) said, “I’m not going to wait like this for you.” So he took three javelins in his hand and plunged them into Absalom’s heart while Absalom was still alive in the oak tree. ¹⁵ And ten of Joab’s armor-bearers surrounded Absalom, struck him and killed him.^(L)

¹⁶ Then Joab^(M) sounded the trumpet, and the troops stopped pursuing Israel, for Joab halted them. ¹⁷ They took Absalom, threw him into a big pit in the forest and piled up^(N) a large heap of rocks^(O) over him. Meanwhile, all the Israelites fled to their homes.

¹⁸ During his lifetime Absalom had taken a pillar and erected it in the King’s Valley^(P) as a monument^(Q) to himself, for he thought, “I have no son^(R) to carry on the memory of my name.” He named the pillar after himself, and it is called Absalom’s Monument to this day.

¹⁵ This is what the Lord says:

¹⁶ This is what the Lord says:

²³ This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “When I bring them back from captivity,^[b](AD) the people in the land of Judah and in its towns will once again use these words: ‘The Lord bless^(AE) you, you prosperous city,^(AF) you sacred mountain.’^{(AG) 24} People will live^(AH) together in Judah and all its towns—farmers and those who move about with their flocks.^{(AI) 25} I will refresh the weary^(AJ) and satisfy the faint.”^(AK)

²⁶ At this I awoke^(AL) and looked around. My sleep had been pleasant to me.

²⁷ “The days are coming,”^(AM) declares the Lord, “when I will plant^(AN) the kingdoms of Israel and Judah with the offspring of people and of animals. ²⁸ Just as I watched^(AO) over them to uproot^(AP) and tear down, and to overthrow, destroy and bring disaster,^(AQ) so I will watch over them to build and to plant,”^(AR) declares the Lord. ²⁹ “In those days people will no longer say,

³⁰ Instead, everyone will die for their own sin;^(AU) whoever eats sour grapes—their own teeth will be set on edge.

Jesus Predicts His Death a Second Time^(A)

³⁰ They left that place and passed through Galilee. Jesus did not want anyone to know where they were, ³¹ because he was teaching his disciples. He said to them, “The Son of Man^(B) is going to be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill him,^(C) and after three days^(D) he will rise.”^{(E) 32} But they did not understand what he meant^(F) and were afraid to ask him about it.

³³ They came to Capernaum.^(G) When he was in the house,^(H) he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the road?” ³⁴ But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest.^(I)

³⁵ Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.”^(J)

³⁶ He took a little child whom he placed among them. Taking the child in his arms,^(K) he said to them, ³⁷ “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.”^(L)

Death Through Adam, Life Through Christ

¹² Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man,^(A) and death through sin,^(B) and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned^(C)—

¹³ To be sure, sin was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not charged against anyone’s account where there is no law.^{(D) 14} Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam,^(E) who is a pattern of the one to come.^(F)

¹⁵ But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man,^(G) how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ,^(H) overflow to the many! ¹⁶ Nor can the gift of God be compared with the result of one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. ¹⁷ For if, by the trespass of the one man, death^(I) reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life^(J) through the one man, Jesus Christ!

¹⁸ Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people,^(K) so also one righteous act resulted in justification^(L) and life^(M) for all people. ¹⁹ For just as through the disobedience of the one man^(N) the many were made sinners,^(O) so also through the obedience^(P) of the one man the many will be made righteous.

²⁰ The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase.^(Q) But where sin increased, grace increased all the more,^{(R) 21} so that, just as sin reigned in death,^(S) so also grace^(T) might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life^(U) through Jesus Christ our Lord.