¹⁰ Then the Lord said: “I am making a covenant^(A) with you. Before all your people I will do wonders^(B) never before done in any nation in all the world.^(C) The people you live among will see how awesome is the work that I, the Lord, will do for you. ¹¹ Obey what I command^(D) you today. I will drive out before you the Amorites, Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites.^{(E) 12} Be careful not to make a treaty^(F) with those who live in the land where you are going, or they will be a snare^(G) among you. ¹³ Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones and cut down their Asherah poles.^{[a](H) 14} Do not worship any other god,^(I) for the Lord, whose name^(J) is Jealous, is a jealous God.^(K)

¹⁵ “Be careful not to make a treaty^(L) with those who live in the land; for when they prostitute^(M) themselves to their gods and sacrifice to them, they will invite you and you will eat their sacrifices.^{(N) 16} And when you choose some of their daughters as wives^(O) for your sons and those daughters prostitute themselves to their gods,^(P) they will lead your sons to do the same.

¹⁷ “Do not make any idols.^(Q)

¹⁸ “Celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread.^(R) For seven days eat bread made without yeast,^(S) as I commanded you. Do this at the appointed time in the month of Aviv,^(T) for in that month you came out of Egypt.

¹⁹ “The first offspring^(U) of every womb belongs to me, including all the firstborn males of your livestock, whether from herd or flock. ²⁰ Redeem the firstborn donkey with a lamb, but if you do not redeem it, break its neck.^(V) Redeem all your firstborn sons.^(W)

“No one is to appear before me empty-handed.^(X)

²¹ “Six days you shall labor, but on the seventh day you shall rest;^(Y) even during the plowing season and harvest^(Z) you must rest.

²² “Celebrate the Festival of Weeks with the firstfruits^(AA) of the wheat harvest, and the Festival of Ingathering^(AB) at the turn of the year.^{[b] 23} Three times^(AC) a year all your men are to appear before the Sovereign Lord, the God of Israel. ²⁴ I will drive out nations^(AD) before you and enlarge your territory,^(AE) and no one will covet your land when you go up three times each year to appear before the Lord your God.

²⁵ “Do not offer the blood of a sacrifice to me along with anything containing yeast,^(AF) and do not let any of the sacrifice from the Passover Festival remain until morning.^(AG)

²⁶ “Bring the best of the firstfruits^(AH) of your soil to the house of the Lord your God.

“Do not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.”^(AI)

²⁷ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write^(AJ) down these words, for in accordance with these words I have made a covenant^(AK) with you and with Israel.” ²⁸ Moses was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights^(AL) without eating bread or drinking water.^(AM) And he wrote on the tablets^(AN) the words of the covenant—the Ten Commandments.^(AO)

The Radiant Face of Moses

²⁹ When Moses came down from Mount Sinai^(AP) with the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands,^(AQ) he was not aware that his face was radiant^(AR) because he had spoken with the Lord. ³⁰ When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, his face was radiant, and they were afraid to come near him. ³¹ But Moses called to them; so Aaron and all the leaders of the community^(AS) came back to him, and he spoke to them. ³² Afterward all the Israelites came near him, and he gave them all the commands^(AT) the Lord had given him on Mount Sinai.

³³ When Moses finished speaking to them, he put a veil^(AU) over his face. ³⁴ But whenever he entered the Lord’s presence to speak with him, he removed the veil until he came out. And when he came out and told the Israelites what he had been commanded, ³⁵ they saw that his face was radiant.^(AV) Then Moses would put the veil back over his face until he went in to speak with the Lord.

Solomon’s Daily Provisions

²⁰ The people of Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand^(A) on the seashore; they ate, they drank and they were happy.^{(B) 21} And Solomon ruled^(C) over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates River^(D) to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt.^(E) These countries brought tribute^(F) and were Solomon’s subjects all his life.

²² Solomon’s daily provisions^(G) were thirty cors^[a] of the finest flour and sixty cors^[b] of meal, ²³ ten head of stall-fed cattle, twenty of pasture-fed cattle and a hundred sheep and goats, as well as deer, gazelles, roebucks and choice fowl.^{(H) 24} For he ruled over all the kingdoms west of the Euphrates River, from Tiphsah^(I) to Gaza, and had peace^(J) on all sides. ²⁵ During Solomon’s lifetime Judah and Israel, from Dan to Beersheba,^(K) lived in safety,^(L) everyone under their own vine and under their own fig tree.^(M)

²⁶ Solomon had four^[c] thousand stalls for chariot horses,^(N) and twelve thousand horses.^[d]

²⁷ The district governors,^(O) each in his month, supplied provisions for King Solomon and all who came to the king’s table. They saw to it that nothing was lacking. ²⁸ They also brought to the proper place their quotas of barley and straw for the chariot horses and the other horses.

Solomon’s Wisdom

²⁹ God gave Solomon wisdom^(P) and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand^(Q) on the seashore. ³⁰ Solomon’s wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the people of the East,^(R) and greater than all the wisdom of Egypt.^{(S) 31} He was wiser^(T) than anyone else, including Ethan the Ezrahite—wiser than Heman, Kalkol and Darda, the sons of Mahol. And his fame spread to all the surrounding nations. ³² He spoke three thousand proverbs^(U) and his songs^(V) numbered a thousand and five. ³³ He spoke about plant life, from the cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop^(W) that grows out of walls. He also spoke about animals and birds, reptiles and fish. ³⁴ From all nations people came to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, sent by all the kings^(X) of the world, who had heard of his wisdom.^[e]

Disaster Because of Idolatry

44 This word came to Jeremiah concerning all the Jews living in Lower Egypt^(A)—in Migdol,^(B) Tahpanhes^(C) and Memphis^(D)—and in Upper Egypt:^{(E) 2} “This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: You saw the great disaster^(F) I brought on Jerusalem and on all the towns of Judah.^(G) Today they lie deserted and in ruins^{(H) 3} because of the evil^(I) they have done. They aroused my anger^(J) by burning incense^(K) to and worshiping other gods^(L) that neither they nor you nor your ancestors^(M) ever knew. ⁴ Again and again^(N) I sent my servants the prophets,^(O) who said, ‘Do not do this detestable^(P) thing that I hate!’ ⁵ But they did not listen or pay attention;^(Q) they did not turn from their wickedness^(R) or stop burning incense^(S) to other gods.^{(T) 6} Therefore, my fierce anger was poured out;^(U) it raged against the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem and made them the desolate ruins^(V) they are today.

⁷ “Now this is what the Lord God Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Why bring such great disaster^(W) on yourselves by cutting off from Judah the men and women,^(X) the children and infants, and so leave yourselves without a remnant?^{(Y) 8} Why arouse my anger with what your hands have made,^(Z) burning incense^(AA) to other gods in Egypt,^(AB) where you have come to live?^(AC) You will destroy yourselves and make yourselves a curse^[a] and an object of reproach^(AD) among all the nations on earth. ⁹ Have you forgotten the wickedness committed by your ancestors^(AE) and by the kings^(AF) and queens^(AG) of Judah and the wickedness committed by you and your wives^(AH) in the land of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem?^{(AI) 10} To this day they have not humbled^(AJ) themselves or shown reverence,^(AK) nor have they followed my law^(AL) and the decrees^(AM) I set before you and your ancestors.^(AN)

¹¹ “Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty,^(AO) the God of Israel, says: I am determined to bring disaster^(AP) on you and to destroy all Judah. ¹² I will take away the remnant^(AQ) of Judah who were determined to go to Egypt to settle there. They will all perish in Egypt; they will fall by the sword or die from famine. From the least to the greatest,^(AR) they will die by sword or famine.^(AS) They will become a curse and an object of horror, a curse and an object of reproach.^{(AT) 13} I will punish^(AU) those who live in Egypt with the sword,^(AV) famine and plague,^(AW) as I punished Jerusalem.

Psalm 68^[a]

For the director of music. Of David. A psalm. A song.

²² While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it^(A) and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take it; this is my body.”

²³ Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, and they all drank from it.^(B)

²⁴ “This is my blood of the^[a] covenant,^(C) which is poured out for many,” he said to them. ²⁵ “Truly I tell you, I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”^(D)

²⁶ When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.^(E)

Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial^(F)

²⁷ “You will all fall away,” Jesus told them, “for it is written:

²⁸ But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.”^(H)

²⁹ Peter declared, “Even if all fall away, I will not.”

³⁰ “Truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “today—yes, tonight—before the rooster crows twice^[c] you yourself will disown me three times.”^(I)

³¹ But Peter insisted emphatically, “Even if I have to die with you,^(J) I will never disown you.” And all the others said the same.

¹³ Therefore let us stop passing judgment^(A) on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister.^{(B) 14} I am convinced, being fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean in itself.^(C) But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for that person it is unclean.^{(D) 15} If your brother or sister is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love.^(E) Do not by your eating destroy someone for whom Christ died.^{(F) 16} Therefore do not let what you know is good be spoken of as evil.^{(G) 17} For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking,^(H) but of righteousness, peace^(I) and joy in the Holy Spirit,^{(J) 18} because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval.^(K)

¹⁹ Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace^(L) and to mutual edification.^{(M) 20} Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food.^(N) All food is clean,^(O) but it is wrong for a person to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble.^{(P) 21} It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother or sister to fall.^(Q)

²² So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who does not condemn^(R) himself by what he approves. ²³ But whoever has doubts^(S) is condemned if they eat, because their eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.^[a]