The Guilt Offering

¹⁴ The Lord said to Moses: ¹⁵ “When anyone is unfaithful to the Lord by sinning unintentionally^(A) in regard to any of the Lord’s holy things, they are to bring to the Lord as a penalty^(B) a ram^(C) from the flock, one without defect and of the proper value in silver, according to the sanctuary shekel.^[a](D) It is a guilt offering.^{(E) 16} They must make restitution^(F) for what they have failed to do in regard to the holy things, pay an additional penalty of a fifth of its value^(G) and give it all to the priest. The priest will make atonement for them with the ram as a guilt offering, and they will be forgiven.

¹⁷ “If anyone sins and does what is forbidden in any of the Lord’s commands, even though they do not know it,^(H) they are guilty and will be held responsible.^{(I) 18} They are to bring to the priest as a guilt offering^(J) a ram from the flock, one without defect and of the proper value. In this way the priest will make atonement for them for the wrong they have committed unintentionally, and they will be forgiven.^{(K) 19} It is a guilt offering; they have been guilty of^[b] wrongdoing against the Lord.”^(L)

6 ^[c]The Lord said to Moses: ² “If anyone sins and is unfaithful to the Lord^(M) by deceiving a neighbor^(N) about something entrusted to them or left in their care^(O) or about something stolen, or if they cheat^(P) their neighbor, ³ or if they find lost property and lie about it,^(Q) or if they swear falsely^(R) about any such sin that people may commit— ⁴ when they sin in any of these ways and realize their guilt, they must return^(S) what they have stolen or taken by extortion, or what was entrusted to them, or the lost property they found, ⁵ or whatever it was they swore falsely about. They must make restitution^(T) in full, add a fifth of the value to it and give it all to the owner on the day they present their guilt offering.^{(U) 6} And as a penalty they must bring to the priest, that is, to the Lord, their guilt offering,^(V) a ram from the flock, one without defect and of the proper value.^{(W) 7} In this way the priest will make atonement^(X) for them before the Lord, and they will be forgiven for any of the things they did that made them guilty.”

¹⁹ The other events of Jeroboam’s reign, his wars and how he ruled, are written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel. ²⁰ He reigned for twenty-two years and then rested with his ancestors. And Nadab his son succeeded him as king.

Rehoboam King of Judah^(A)

²¹ Rehoboam son of Solomon was king in Judah. He was forty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city the Lord had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel in which to put his Name. His mother’s name was Naamah; she was an Ammonite.^(B)

²² Judah^(C) did evil in the eyes of the Lord. By the sins they committed they stirred up his jealous anger^(D) more than those who were before them had done. ²³ They also set up for themselves high places, sacred stones^(E) and Asherah poles^(F) on every high hill and under every spreading tree.^{(G) 24} There were even male shrine prostitutes^(H) in the land; the people engaged in all the detestable^(I) practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites.

²⁵ In the fifth year of King Rehoboam, Shishak king of Egypt attacked^(J) Jerusalem. ²⁶ He carried off the treasures of the temple^(K) of the Lord and the treasures of the royal palace. He took everything, including all the gold shields^(L) Solomon had made. ²⁷ So King Rehoboam made bronze shields to replace them and assigned these to the commanders of the guard on duty at the entrance to the royal palace.^{(M) 28} Whenever the king went to the Lord’s temple, the guards bore the shields, and afterward they returned them to the guardroom.

²⁹ As for the other events of Rehoboam’s reign, and all he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? ³⁰ There was continual warfare^(N) between Rehoboam and Jeroboam. ³¹ And Rehoboam rested with his ancestors and was buried with them in the City of David. His mother’s name was Naamah; she was an Ammonite.^(O) And Abijah^[a] his son succeeded him as king.

Abijah King of Judah^(P)

15 In the eighteenth year of the reign of Jeroboam son of Nebat, Abijah^[b] became king of Judah, ² and he reigned in Jerusalem three years. His mother’s name was Maakah^(Q) daughter of Abishalom.^[c]

³ He committed all the sins his father had done before him; his heart was not fully devoted^(R) to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his forefather had been. ⁴ Nevertheless, for David’s sake the Lord his God gave him a lamp^(S) in Jerusalem by raising up a son to succeed him and by making Jerusalem strong. ⁵ For David had done what was right in the eyes of the Lord and had not failed to keep^(T) any of the Lord’s commands all the days of his life—except in the case of Uriah^(U) the Hittite.

⁶ There was war^(V) between Abijah^[d] and Jeroboam throughout Abijah’s lifetime. ⁷ As for the other events of Abijah’s reign, and all he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? There was war between Abijah and Jeroboam. ⁸ And Abijah rested with his ancestors and was buried in the City of David. And Asa his son succeeded him as king.

⁸ And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. ⁹ An angel^(A) of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. ¹⁰ But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid.^(B) I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. ¹¹ Today in the town of David a Savior^(C) has been born to you; he is the Messiah,^(D) the Lord.^{(E) 12} This will be a sign^(F) to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

¹³ Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

¹⁵ When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

¹⁶ So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.^{(H) 17} When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, ¹⁸ and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. ¹⁹ But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.^{(I) 20} The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God^(J) for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

³³ But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world—how he can please his wife— ³⁴ and his interests are divided. An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord’s affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit.^(A) But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world—how she can please her husband. ³⁵ I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided^(B) devotion to the Lord.

³⁶ If anyone is worried that he might not be acting honorably toward the virgin he is engaged to, and if his passions are too strong^[a] and he feels he ought to marry, he should do as he wants. He is not sinning.^(C) They should get married. ³⁷ But the man who has settled the matter in his own mind, who is under no compulsion but has control over his own will, and who has made up his mind not to marry the virgin—this man also does the right thing. ³⁸ So then, he who marries the virgin does right,^(D) but he who does not marry her does better.^[b]

³⁹ A woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives.^(E) But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, but he must belong to the Lord.^{(F) 40} In my judgment,^(G) she is happier if she stays as she is—and I think that I too have the Spirit of God.