^9 (A)“Drink no wine or strong drink, you or your sons with you, when you go into the tent of meeting, lest you die. It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations. ¹⁰ You are to ^(B)distinguish between the holy and the common, and between the unclean and the clean, ¹¹ and ^(C)you are to teach the people of Israel all the statutes that the Lord has spoken to them by Moses.”

¹² Moses spoke to Aaron and to Eleazar and Ithamar, his surviving sons: “Take the ^(D)grain offering that is left of the Lord's food offerings, and eat it unleavened beside the altar, for ^(E)it is most holy. ¹³ You shall eat it in a holy place, because it is your due and your sons' due, from the Lord's food offerings, for ^(F)so I am commanded. ¹⁴ But the ^(G)breast that is waved and the thigh that is contributed you shall eat in a clean place, you and your sons and your daughters with you, for they are given as your due and your sons' due from the sacrifices of the peace offerings of the people of Israel. ^15 (H)The thigh that is contributed and the breast that is waved they shall bring with the food offerings of the fat pieces to wave for a wave offering before the Lord, and it shall be yours and your sons' with you as a due forever, as the Lord has commanded.”

¹⁶ Now Moses diligently inquired about ^(I)the goat of the sin offering, and behold, it was burned up! And he was angry with Eleazar and Ithamar, the surviving sons of Aaron, saying, ^17 (J)“Why have you not eaten the sin offering in the place of the sanctuary, since ^(K)it is a thing most holy and has been given to you that you may bear the iniquity of the congregation, to make atonement for them before the Lord? ¹⁸ Behold, ^(L)its blood was not brought into the inner part of the sanctuary. You certainly ought to have eaten it in the sanctuary, ^(M)as I commanded.” ¹⁹ And Aaron said to Moses, “Behold, ^(N)today they have offered their sin offering and their burnt offering before the Lord, and yet such things as these have happened to me! If I had eaten the sin offering today, ^(O)would the Lord have approved?” ²⁰ And when Moses heard that, he approved.

Ahab's Wars with Syria

20 ^(A)Ben-hadad the king of Syria gathered all his army together. ^(B)Thirty-two kings were with him, and horses and chariots. And he went up and closed in on ^(C)Samaria and fought against it. ² And he sent messengers into the city to Ahab king of Israel and said to him, “Thus says Ben-hadad: ³ ‘Your silver and your gold are mine; your best wives and children also are mine.’” ⁴ And the king of Israel answered, “As you say, my lord, O king, I am yours, and all that I have.” ⁵ The messengers came again and said, “Thus says Ben-hadad: ‘I sent to you, saying, “Deliver to me your silver and your gold, your wives and your children.” ⁶ Nevertheless I will send my servants to you tomorrow about this time, and they shall search your house and the houses of your servants and lay hands on whatever pleases you and take it away.’”

⁷ Then the king of Israel called all the ^(D)elders of the land and said, ^(E)“Mark, now, and see how this man is seeking trouble, for he sent to me for my wives and my children, and for my silver and my gold, and I did not refuse him.” ⁸ And all the elders and all the people said to him, “Do not listen or consent.” ⁹ So he said to the messengers of Ben-hadad, “Tell my lord the king, ‘All that you first demanded of your servant I will do, but this thing I cannot do.’” And the messengers departed and brought him word again. ¹⁰ Ben-hadad sent to him and said, ^(F)“The gods do so to me and more also, if the dust of Samaria shall suffice for handfuls for all the people ^(G)who follow me.” ¹¹ And the king of Israel answered, “Tell him, ‘Let not him who straps on his armor boast himself as he who takes it off.’” ¹² When Ben-hadad heard this message as ^(H)he was drinking with the kings in the booths, he said to his men, “Take your positions.” And they took their positions against the city.

Ahab Defeats Ben-hadad

¹³ And behold, a prophet came near to Ahab king of Israel and said, “Thus says the Lord, Have you seen all this great multitude? Behold, ^(I)I will give it into your hand this day, ^(J)and you shall know that I am the Lord.” ¹⁴ And Ahab said, “By whom?” He said, “Thus says the Lord, By the servants of the governors of the districts.” Then he said, “Who shall begin the battle?” He answered, “You.” ¹⁵ Then he mustered the servants of the governors of the districts, and they were 232. And after them he mustered all the people of Israel, seven thousand.

¹⁶ And they went out at noon, while Ben-hadad ^(K)was drinking himself drunk in the booths, he and the thirty-two kings who helped him. ¹⁷ The servants of the governors of the districts went out first. And Ben-hadad sent out scouts, and they reported to him, “Men are coming out from Samaria.” ¹⁸ He said, “If they have come out for peace, take them alive. Or if they have come out for war, take them alive.”

¹⁹ So these went out of the city, the servants of the governors of the districts and the army that followed them. ²⁰ And each struck down his man. The Syrians fled, and Israel pursued them, but Ben-hadad king of Syria escaped on a horse with horsemen. ²¹ And the king of Israel went out and struck the horses and chariots, and struck the Syrians with a great blow.

²² Then ^(L)the prophet came near to the king of Israel and said to him, “Come, strengthen yourself, and consider well what you have to do, for ^(M)in the spring the king of Syria will come up against you.”

Great Is Your Steadfast Love

^(A)A Prayer of David.

Jesus Begins His Ministry

^14 (A)And Jesus returned ^(B)in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and ^(C)a report about him went out through all the surrounding country. ¹⁵ And ^(D)he taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.

^27 (A)Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord ^(B)in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning ^(C)the body and blood of the Lord. ^28 (D)Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. ²⁹ For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. ³⁰ That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some ^(E)have died.^{[a] 31 (F)}But if we judged^[b] ourselves truly, we would not be judged. ³² But when we are judged by the Lord, ^(G)we are disciplined^[c] so that we may not be ^(H)condemned along with the world.

³³ So then, my brothers,^[d] when you come together to eat, wait for^[e] one another— ^34 (I)if anyone is hungry, ^(J)let him eat at home—so that when you come together it will not be for judgment. About the other things ^(K)I will give directions ^(L)when I come.