¹⁶ Then the anointed priest is to take some of the bull’s blood^(A) into the tent of meeting. ¹⁷ He shall dip his finger into the blood and sprinkle^(B) it before the Lord^(C) seven times in front of the curtain. ¹⁸ He is to put some of the blood^(D) on the horns of the altar that is before the Lord^(E) in the tent of meeting. The rest of the blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar^(F) of burnt offering at the entrance to the tent of meeting. ¹⁹ He shall remove all the fat^(G) from it and burn it on the altar,^{(H) 20} and do with this bull just as he did with the bull for the sin offering. In this way the priest will make atonement^(I) for the community, and they will be forgiven.^{(J) 21} Then he shall take the bull outside the camp^(K) and burn it as he burned the first bull. This is the sin offering for the community.^(L)

²² “‘When a leader^(M) sins unintentionally^(N) and does what is forbidden in any of the commands of the Lord his God, when he realizes his guilt ²³ and the sin he has committed becomes known, he must bring as his offering a male goat^(O) without defect. ²⁴ He is to lay his hand on the goat’s head and slaughter it at the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered before the Lord.^(P) It is a sin offering.^{(Q) 25} Then the priest shall take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar^(R) of burnt offering and pour out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar.^{(S) 26} He shall burn all the fat on the altar as he burned the fat of the fellowship offering. In this way the priest will make atonement^(T) for the leader’s sin, and he will be forgiven.^(U)

²⁷ “‘If any member of the community sins unintentionally^(V) and does what is forbidden in any of the Lord’s commands, when they realize their guilt ²⁸ and the sin they have committed becomes known, they must bring as their offering^(W) for the sin they committed a female goat^(X) without defect. ²⁹ They are to lay their hand on the head^(Y) of the sin offering^(Z) and slaughter it at the place of the burnt offering.^{(AA) 30} Then the priest is to take some of the blood with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering^(AB) and pour out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar. ³¹ They shall remove all the fat, just as the fat is removed from the fellowship offering, and the priest shall burn it on the altar^(AC) as an aroma pleasing to the Lord.^(AD) In this way the priest will make atonement^(AE) for them, and they will be forgiven.^(AF)

³² “‘If someone brings a lamb^(AG) as their sin offering, they are to bring a female without defect.^{(AH) 33} They are to lay their hand on its head and slaughter it^(AI) for a sin offering^(AJ) at the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered.^{(AK) 34} Then the priest shall take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering and pour out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar.^{(AL) 35} They shall remove all the fat, just as the fat is removed from the lamb of the fellowship offering, and the priest shall burn it on the altar^(AM) on top of the food offerings presented to the Lord. In this way the priest will make atonement for them for the sin they have committed, and they will be forgiven.

¹⁵ So the prophet said to him, “Come home with me and eat.”

¹⁶ The man of God said, “I cannot turn back and go with you, nor can I eat bread^(A) or drink water with you in this place. ¹⁷ I have been told by the word of the Lord: ‘You must not eat bread or drink water there or return by the way you came.’”

¹⁸ The old prophet answered, “I too am a prophet, as you are. And an angel said to me by the word of the Lord:^(B) ‘Bring him back with you to your house so that he may eat bread and drink water.’” (But he was lying^(C) to him.) ¹⁹ So the man of God returned with him and ate and drank in his house.

²⁰ While they were sitting at the table, the word of the Lord came to the old prophet who had brought him back. ²¹ He cried out to the man of God who had come from Judah, “This is what the Lord says: ‘You have defied^(D) the word of the Lord and have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you. ²² You came back and ate bread and drank water in the place where he told you not to eat or drink. Therefore your body will not be buried in the tomb of your ancestors.’”

²³ When the man of God had finished eating and drinking, the prophet who had brought him back saddled his donkey for him. ²⁴ As he went on his way, a lion^(E) met him on the road and killed him, and his body was left lying on the road, with both the donkey and the lion standing beside it. ²⁵ Some people who passed by saw the body lying there, with the lion standing beside the body, and they went and reported it in the city where the old prophet lived.

²⁶ When the prophet who had brought him back from his journey heard of it, he said, “It is the man of God who defied^(F) the word of the Lord. The Lord has given him over to the lion, which has mauled him and killed him, as the word of the Lord had warned him.”

²⁷ The prophet said to his sons, “Saddle the donkey for me,” and they did so. ²⁸ Then he went out and found the body lying on the road, with the donkey and the lion standing beside it. The lion had neither eaten the body nor mauled the donkey. ²⁹ So the prophet picked up the body of the man of God, laid it on the donkey, and brought it back to his own city to mourn for him and bury him. ³⁰ Then he laid the body in his own tomb,^(G) and they mourned over him and said, “Alas, my brother!”^(H)

³¹ After burying him, he said to his sons, “When I die, bury me in the grave where the man of God is buried; lay my bones^(I) beside his bones. ³² For the message he declared by the word of the Lord against the altar in Bethel and against all the shrines on the high places^(J) in the towns of Samaria^(K) will certainly come true.”^(L)

³³ Even after this, Jeroboam did not change his evil ways,^(M) but once more appointed priests for the high places from all sorts^(N) of people. Anyone who wanted to become a priest he consecrated for the high places. ³⁴ This was the sin^(O) of the house of Jeroboam that led to its downfall and to its destruction^(P) from the face of the earth.

¹⁴ The whole Babylonian army, under the commander of the imperial guard, broke down all the walls^(A) around Jerusalem. ¹⁵ Nebuzaradan the commander of the guard carried into exile^(B) some of the poorest people and those who remained in the city, along with the rest of the craftsmen^[a] and those who had deserted^(C) to the king of Babylon. ¹⁶ But Nebuzaradan left behind^(D) the rest of the poorest people of the land to work the vineyards and fields.

¹⁷ The Babylonians broke up the bronze pillars,^(E) the movable stands^(F) and the bronze Sea^(G) that were at the temple of the Lord and they carried all the bronze to Babylon.^{(H) 18} They also took away the pots, shovels, wick trimmers, sprinkling bowls,^(I) dishes and all the bronze articles used in the temple service.^{(J) 19} The commander of the imperial guard took away the basins, censers,^(K) sprinkling bowls, pots, lampstands,^(L) dishes^(M) and bowls used for drink offerings^(N)—all that were made of pure gold or silver.^(O)

²⁰ The bronze from the two pillars, the Sea and the twelve bronze bulls^(P) under it, and the movable stands, which King Solomon had made for the temple of the Lord, was more than could be weighed.^{(Q) 21} Each pillar was eighteen cubits high and twelve cubits in circumference^[b]; each was four fingers thick, and hollow.^{(R) 22} The bronze capital^(S) on top of one pillar was five cubits^[c] high and was decorated with a network and pomegranates^(T) of bronze all around. The other pillar, with its pomegranates, was similar. ²³ There were ninety-six pomegranates on the sides; the total number of pomegranates^(U) above the surrounding network was a hundred.^(V)

²⁴ The commander of the guard took as prisoners Seraiah^(W) the chief priest, Zephaniah^(X) the priest next in rank and the three doorkeepers.^{(Y) 25} Of those still in the city, he took the officer in charge of the fighting men, and seven royal advisers. He also took the secretary^(Z) who was chief officer in charge of conscripting the people of the land, sixty of whom were found in the city. ²⁶ Nebuzaradan^(AA) the commander took them all and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. ²⁷ There at Riblah,^(AB) in the land of Hamath, the king had them executed.

So Judah went into captivity, away^(AC) from her land. ²⁸ This is the number of the people Nebuchadnezzar carried into exile:^(AD)

Zechariah’s Song

⁶⁷ His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit^(A) and prophesied:^(B)

⁸⁰ And the child grew and became strong in spirit^[b];^(U) and he lived in the wilderness until he appeared publicly to Israel.

Concerning Change of Status

¹⁷ Nevertheless, each person should live as a believer in whatever situation the Lord has assigned to them, just as God has called them.^(A) This is the rule I lay down in all the churches.^{(B) 18} Was a man already circumcised when he was called? He should not become uncircumcised. Was a man uncircumcised when he was called? He should not be circumcised.^{(C) 19} Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing.^(D) Keeping God’s commands is what counts. ²⁰ Each person should remain in the situation they were in when God called them.^(E)

²¹ Were you a slave when you were called? Don’t let it trouble you—although if you can gain your freedom, do so. ²² For the one who was a slave when called to faith in the Lord is the Lord’s freed person;^(F) similarly, the one who was free when called is Christ’s slave.^{(G) 23} You were bought at a price;^(H) do not become slaves of human beings. ²⁴ Brothers and sisters, each person, as responsible to God, should remain in the situation they were in when God called them.^(I)