The Feast of Weeks

15 (A)“You shall count seven full weeks from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the (B)wave offering. 16 You shall count (C)fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath. Then you shall present a grain offering of (D)new grain to the Lord. 17 You shall bring from your dwelling places two loaves of bread to be waved, made of two tenths of an ephah. They shall be of fine flour, and they shall be baked with leaven, as (E)firstfruits to the Lord. 18 And you shall present with the bread seven lambs a year old without blemish, and one bull from the herd and two rams. They shall be a burnt offering to the Lord, with their grain offering and their drink offerings, a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the Lord. 19 And you shall offer one (F)male goat for a sin offering, and two male lambs a year old as a sacrifice of (G)peace offerings. 20 And the priest shall (H)wave them with the bread of the firstfruits as a wave offering before the Lord, with the two lambs. (I)They shall be holy to the Lord for the priest. 21 And you shall make a proclamation on the same day. You shall hold a holy convocation. You shall not do any ordinary work. It is a statute forever in all your dwelling places throughout your generations.

22 “And (J)when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, nor shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the Lord your God.”

The Feast of Trumpets

23 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 24 “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, In (K)the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall observe a day of solemn rest, (L)a memorial proclaimed with blast of trumpets, a holy convocation. 25 You shall not do any ordinary work, and you shall present a food offering to the Lord.”

The Day of Atonement

26 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 27 “Now (M)on the tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. It shall be for you a time of holy convocation, and you shall afflict yourselves[a] and present a food offering to the Lord. 28 And you shall not do any work on that very day, for it is a Day of Atonement, to make atonement for you before the Lord your God. 29 For whoever is not afflicted[b] on that very day (N)shall be cut off from his people. 30 And whoever does any work on that very day, that person I will destroy from among his people. 31 You shall not do any work. It is a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwelling places. 32 It shall be to you a Sabbath of solemn rest, and you shall afflict yourselves. On the ninth day of the month beginning at evening, from evening to evening shall you keep your Sabbath.”

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Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 23:27 Or shall fast; also verse 32
  2. Leviticus 23:29 Or is not fasting

The Festival of Weeks(A)

15 “‘From the day after the Sabbath, the day you brought the sheaf of the wave offering, count off seven full weeks. 16 Count off fifty days up to the day after the seventh Sabbath,(B) and then present an offering of new grain to the Lord. 17 From wherever you live, bring two loaves made of two-tenths of an ephah(C) of the finest flour, baked with yeast, as a wave offering of firstfruits(D) to the Lord. 18 Present with this bread seven male lambs, each a year old and without defect, one young bull and two rams. They will be a burnt offering to the Lord, together with their grain offerings and drink offerings(E)—a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the Lord. 19 Then sacrifice one male goat for a sin offering[a] and two lambs, each a year old, for a fellowship offering. 20 The priest is to wave the two lambs before the Lord as a wave offering,(F) together with the bread of the firstfruits. They are a sacred offering to the Lord for the priest. 21 On that same day you are to proclaim a sacred assembly(G) and do no regular work.(H) This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live.

22 “‘When you reap the harvest(I) of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest.(J) Leave them for the poor and for the foreigner residing among you.(K) I am the Lord your God.’”

The Festival of Trumpets(L)

23 The Lord said to Moses, 24 “Say to the Israelites: ‘On the first day of the seventh month you are to have a day of sabbath rest, a sacred assembly(M) commemorated with trumpet blasts.(N) 25 Do no regular work,(O) but present a food offering to the Lord.(P)’”

The Day of Atonement(Q)

26 The Lord said to Moses, 27 “The tenth day of this seventh month(R) is the Day of Atonement.(S) Hold a sacred assembly(T) and deny yourselves,[b] and present a food offering to the Lord. 28 Do not do any work(U) on that day, because it is the Day of Atonement, when atonement is made for you before the Lord your God. 29 Those who do not deny themselves on that day must be cut off from their people.(V) 30 I will destroy from among their people(W) anyone who does any work on that day. 31 You shall do no work at all. This is to be a lasting ordinance(X) for the generations to come, wherever you live. 32 It is a day of sabbath rest(Y) for you, and you must deny yourselves. From the evening of the ninth day of the month until the following evening you are to observe your sabbath.”(Z)

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Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 23:19 Or purification offering
  2. Leviticus 23:27 Or and fast; similarly in verses 29 and 32

Menahem Reigns in Israel

17 In the thirty-ninth year of Azariah king of Judah, Menahem the son of Gadi began to reign over Israel, and he reigned ten years in Samaria. 18 And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. He did not depart all his days from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel to sin. 19 (A)Pul[a] the king of Assyria came against the land, and Menahem gave (B)Pul a thousand talents[b] of silver, that he might help him (C)to confirm his hold on the royal power. 20 Menahem exacted the money from Israel, that is, from all the wealthy men, fifty shekels[c] of silver from every man, to give to the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria turned back and did not stay there in the land. 21 Now the rest of the deeds of Menahem and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? 22 And Menahem slept with his fathers, and Pekahiah his son reigned in his place.

Pekahiah Reigns in Israel

23 In the fiftieth year of Azariah king of Judah, Pekahiah the son of Menahem began to reign over Israel in Samaria, and he reigned two years. 24 And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. He did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, (D)which he made Israel to sin. 25 And Pekah the son of Remaliah, his captain, conspired against him with fifty men of the people of Gilead, and struck him down in Samaria, in the citadel of the king's house with Argob and Arieh; he put him to death and reigned in his place. 26 Now the rest of the deeds of Pekahiah and all that he did, behold, they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.

Pekah Reigns in Israel

27 In the fifty-second year of Azariah king of Judah, Pekah the son of Remaliah began to reign over Israel in Samaria, and he reigned twenty years. 28 And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. He did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, (E)which he made Israel to sin.

29 In the days of Pekah king of Israel, (F)Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria came and captured (G)Ijon, (H)Abel-beth-maacah, Janoah, (I)Kedesh, (J)Hazor, Gilead, and (K)Galilee, all the land of Naphtali, and he carried the people captive to Assyria. 30 Then Hoshea the son of Elah made a conspiracy against Pekah the son of Remaliah and struck him down and put him to death and reigned in his place, (L)in the twentieth year of Jotham the son of Uzziah. 31 Now the rest of the acts of Pekah and all that he did, behold, they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.

Jotham Reigns in Judah

32 In the second year of Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, Jotham the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, began to reign. 33 He was (M)twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jerusha the daughter of Zadok. 34 And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, (N)according to all that his father Uzziah had done. 35 (O)Nevertheless, the high places were not removed. The people still sacrificed and made offerings on the high places. He built (P)the upper gate of the house of the Lord. 36 Now the rest of the acts of Jotham and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 37 In those days the Lord began to send (Q)Rezin the king of Syria and (R)Pekah the son of Remaliah against Judah. 38 Jotham slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father, and Ahaz his son reigned in his place.

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Kings 15:19 Another name for Tiglath-pileser III (compare verse 29)
  2. 2 Kings 15:19 A talent was about 75 pounds or 34 kilograms
  3. 2 Kings 15:20 A shekel was about 2/5 ounce or 11 grams

Menahem King of Israel

17 In the thirty-ninth year of Azariah king of Judah, Menahem son of Gadi became king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria ten years. 18 He did evil(A) in the eyes of the Lord. During his entire reign he did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit.

19 Then Pul[a](B) king of Assyria invaded the land, and Menahem gave him a thousand talents[b] of silver to gain his support and strengthen his own hold on the kingdom. 20 Menahem exacted this money from Israel. Every wealthy person had to contribute fifty shekels[c] of silver to be given to the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria withdrew(C) and stayed in the land no longer.

21 As for the other events of Menahem’s reign, and all he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel? 22 Menahem rested with his ancestors. And Pekahiah his son succeeded him as king.

Pekahiah King of Israel

23 In the fiftieth year of Azariah king of Judah, Pekahiah son of Menahem became king of Israel in Samaria, and he reigned two years. 24 Pekahiah did evil(D) in the eyes of the Lord. He did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit. 25 One of his chief officers, Pekah(E) son of Remaliah, conspired against him. Taking fifty men of Gilead with him, he assassinated(F) Pekahiah, along with Argob and Arieh, in the citadel of the royal palace at Samaria. So Pekah killed Pekahiah and succeeded him as king.

26 The other events of Pekahiah’s reign, and all he did, are written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel.

Pekah King of Israel

27 In the fifty-second year of Azariah king of Judah, Pekah(G) son of Remaliah(H) became king of Israel in Samaria, and he reigned twenty years. 28 He did evil in the eyes of the Lord. He did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit.

29 In the time of Pekah king of Israel, Tiglath-Pileser(I) king of Assyria came and took Ijon,(J) Abel Beth Maakah, Janoah, Kedesh and Hazor. He took Gilead and Galilee, including all the land of Naphtali,(K) and deported(L) the people to Assyria. 30 Then Hoshea(M) son of Elah conspired against Pekah son of Remaliah. He attacked and assassinated(N) him, and then succeeded him as king in the twentieth year of Jotham son of Uzziah.

31 As for the other events of Pekah’s reign, and all he did, are they not written in the book of the annals(O) of the kings of Israel?

Jotham King of Judah(P)

32 In the second year of Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel, Jotham(Q) son of Uzziah king of Judah began to reign. 33 He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. His mother’s name was Jerusha daughter of Zadok. 34 He did what was right(R) in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father Uzziah had done. 35 The high places,(S) however, were not removed; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there. Jotham rebuilt the Upper Gate(T) of the temple of the Lord.

36 As for the other events of Jotham’s reign, and what he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? 37 (In those days the Lord began to send Rezin(U) king of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah against Judah.) 38 Jotham rested with his ancestors and was buried with them in the City of David, the city of his father. And Ahaz his son succeeded him as king.

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Kings 15:19 Also called Tiglath-Pileser
  2. 2 Kings 15:19 That is, about 38 tons or about 34 metric tons
  3. 2 Kings 15:20 That is, about 1 1/4 pounds or about 575 grams

The Soul Who Sins Shall Die

18 The word of the Lord came to me: “What do you[a] mean (A)by repeating this proverb concerning the land of Israel, (B)‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge’? (C)As I live, declares the Lord God, (D)this proverb shall no more be used by you in Israel. Behold, all souls are mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is mine: (E)the soul who sins shall die.

“If a man is righteous and does (F)what is just and right— if he (G)does not eat upon the mountains or (H)lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, (I)does not defile his neighbor's wife (J)or approach (K)a woman in her time of menstrual impurity, (L)does not oppress anyone, but (M)restores to the debtor his pledge, (N)commits no robbery, (O)gives his bread to the hungry (P)and covers the naked with a garment, (Q)does not lend at interest (R)or take any profit,[b] withholds his hand from injustice, (S)executes true justice between man and man, (T)walks in my statutes, and keeps my rules by acting faithfully—he is righteous; (U)he shall surely live, declares the Lord God.

10 “If he fathers a son who is violent, (V)a shedder of blood, who does any of these things 11 (though he himself did none of these things), (W)who even eats upon the mountains, (X)defiles his neighbor's wife, 12 oppresses the poor and needy, (Y)commits robbery, (Z)does not restore the pledge, (AA)lifts up his eyes to the idols, (AB)commits abomination, 13 (AC)lends at interest, and takes profit; shall he then live? He shall not live. He has done all these abominations; he shall surely die; (AD)his blood shall be upon himself.

14 “Now suppose this man fathers a son who sees all the sins that his father has done; he sees, and does not do likewise:

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Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 18:2 The Hebrew for you is plural
  2. Ezekiel 18:8 That is, profit that comes from charging interest to the poor; also verses 13, 17 (compare Leviticus 25:36)

The One Who Sins Will Die

18 The word of the Lord came to me: “What do you people mean by quoting this proverb about the land of Israel:

“‘The parents eat sour grapes,
    and the children’s teeth are set on edge’?(A)

“As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, you will no longer quote this proverb(B) in Israel. For everyone belongs to me, the parent as well as the child—both alike belong to me. The one who sins(C) is the one who will die.(D)

“Suppose there is a righteous man
    who does what is just and right.
He does not eat at the mountain(E) shrines
    or look to the idols(F) of Israel.
He does not defile his neighbor’s wife
    or have sexual relations with a woman during her period.(G)
He does not oppress(H) anyone,
    but returns what he took in pledge(I) for a loan.
He does not commit robbery(J)
    but gives his food to the hungry(K)
    and provides clothing for the naked.(L)
He does not lend to them at interest
    or take a profit from them.(M)
He withholds his hand from doing wrong
    and judges fairly(N) between two parties.
He follows my decrees(O)
    and faithfully keeps my laws.
That man is righteous;(P)
    he will surely live,(Q)
declares the Sovereign Lord.

10 “Suppose he has a violent son, who sheds blood(R) or does any of these other things[a] 11 (though the father has done none of them):

“He eats at the mountain shrines.(S)
He defiles his neighbor’s wife.
12 He oppresses the poor(T) and needy.
He commits robbery.
He does not return what he took in pledge.(U)
He looks to the idols.
He does detestable things.(V)
13 He lends at interest and takes a profit.(W)

Will such a man live? He will not! Because he has done all these detestable things, he is to be put to death; his blood will be on his own head.(X)

14 “But suppose this son has a son who sees all the sins his father commits, and though he sees them, he does not do such things:(Y)

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Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 18:10 Or things to a brother

14 he (A)allowed no one to oppress them;
    he (B)rebuked kings on their account,
15 saying, (C)“Touch not my anointed ones,
    do my prophets no harm!”

16 When he (D)summoned a famine on the land
    and (E)broke all supply[a] of bread,
17 he had (F)sent a man ahead of them,
    Joseph, who was (G)sold as a slave.
18 His (H)feet were hurt with fetters;
    his neck was put in a collar of iron;
19 until (I)what he had said came to pass,
    the word of the Lord (J)tested him.
20 (K)The king sent and (L)released him;
    the ruler of the peoples set him free;
21 he (M)made him lord of his house
    and ruler of all his possessions,
22 to bind[b] his princes at his pleasure
    and to teach his elders wisdom.

23 Then (N)Israel came to Egypt;
    Jacob (O)sojourned in (P)the land of Ham.
24 And the Lord (Q)made his people very fruitful
    and made them stronger than their foes.
25 He (R)turned their hearts to hate his people,
    to (S)deal craftily with his servants.

26 He (T)sent Moses, his servant,
    and Aaron, (U)whom he had chosen.
27 (V)They performed his signs among them
    and miracles in (W)the land of Ham.

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Footnotes

  1. Psalm 105:16 Hebrew staff
  2. Psalm 105:22 Septuagint, Syriac, Jerome instruct

14 He allowed no one to oppress(A) them;
    for their sake he rebuked kings:(B)
15 “Do not touch(C) my anointed ones;
    do my prophets(D) no harm.”

16 He called down famine(E) on the land
    and destroyed all their supplies of food;
17 and he sent a man before them—
    Joseph, sold as a slave.(F)
18 They bruised his feet with shackles,(G)
    his neck was put in irons,
19 till what he foretold(H) came to pass,
    till the word(I) of the Lord proved him true.
20 The king sent and released him,
    the ruler of peoples set him free.(J)
21 He made him master of his household,
    ruler over all he possessed,
22 to instruct his princes(K) as he pleased
    and teach his elders wisdom.(L)

23 Then Israel entered Egypt;(M)
    Jacob resided(N) as a foreigner in the land of Ham.(O)
24 The Lord made his people very fruitful;
    he made them too numerous(P) for their foes,
25 whose hearts he turned(Q) to hate his people,
    to conspire(R) against his servants.
26 He sent Moses(S) his servant,
    and Aaron,(T) whom he had chosen.(U)
27 They performed(V) his signs(W) among them,
    his wonders(X) in the land of Ham.

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The Cost of Following Jesus

57 As they were going (A)along the road, (B)someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” 58 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” 59 To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” 60 And Jesus[a] said to him, “Leave (C)the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and (D)proclaim the kingdom of God.” 61 Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord, (E)but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” 62 Jesus said to him, (F)“No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

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Footnotes

  1. Luke 9:60 Greek he

The Cost of Following Jesus(A)

57 As they were walking along the road,(B) a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”

58 Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man(C) has no place to lay his head.”

59 He said to another man, “Follow me.”(D)

But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”

60 Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”(E)

61 Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.”(F)

62 Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”

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Encouragement to Give Generously

We want you to know, brothers,[a] about the grace of God that has been (A)given among the churches of Macedonia, for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and (B)their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. For they gave (C)according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, begging us earnestly (D)for the favor[b] of taking part in (E)the relief of the saints— and this, not as we expected, but they (F)gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us. Accordingly, (G)we urged Titus that as he had started, so he should complete among you (H)this act of grace. But as (I)you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in our love for you[c](J)see that you excel in this act of grace also.

(K)I say this not as a command, but to prove by the earnestness of others that your love also is genuine. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that (L)though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich. 10 And in this matter (M)I give my judgment: (N)this benefits you, who (O)a year ago started not only to do this work but also to desire to do it. 11 So now finish doing it as well, so that your readiness in desiring it may be matched by your completing it out of what you have. 12 For if the readiness is there, it is acceptable (P)according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have. 13 For I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened, but that as a matter of fairness 14 your abundance at the present time should supply (Q)their need, so that their abundance may supply your need, that there may be fairness. 15 As it is written, (R)“Whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack.”

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Corinthians 8:1 Or brothers and sisters
  2. 2 Corinthians 8:4 The Greek word charis can mean favor or grace or thanks, depending on the context
  3. 2 Corinthians 8:7 Some manuscripts in your love for us

The Collection for the Lord’s People

And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian(A) churches. In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity.(B) For I testify that they gave as much as they were able,(C) and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing(D) in this service(E) to the Lord’s people.(F) And they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us. So we urged(G) Titus,(H) just as he had earlier made a beginning, to bring also to completion(I) this act of grace on your part. But since you excel in everything(J)—in faith, in speech, in knowledge,(K) in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you[a]—see that you also excel in this grace of giving.

I am not commanding you,(L) but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others. For you know the grace(M) of our Lord Jesus Christ,(N) that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor,(O) so that you through his poverty might become rich.(P)

10 And here is my judgment(Q) about what is best for you in this matter. Last year you were the first not only to give but also to have the desire to do so.(R) 11 Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness(S) to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means. 12 For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has,(T) not according to what one does not have.

13 Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. 14 At the present time your plenty will supply what they need,(U) so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. The goal is equality, 15 as it is written: “The one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little.”[b](V)

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Corinthians 8:7 Some manuscripts and in your love for us
  2. 2 Corinthians 8:15 Exodus 16:18