The Fellowship Offering

¹¹ “‘These are the regulations for the fellowship offering anyone may present to the Lord:

¹² “‘If they offer it as an expression of thankfulness, then along with this thank offering^(A) they are to offer thick loaves^(B) made without yeast^(C) and with olive oil mixed in, thin loaves^(D) made without yeast and brushed with oil,^(E) and thick loaves of the finest flour well-kneaded and with oil mixed in. ¹³ Along with their fellowship offering of thanksgiving^(F) they are to present an offering with thick loaves of bread made with yeast.^{(G) 14} They are to bring one of each kind as an offering, a contribution to the Lord; it belongs to the priest who splashes the blood of the fellowship offering against the altar. ¹⁵ The meat of their fellowship offering of thanksgiving must be eaten on the day it is offered; they must leave none of it till morning.^(H)

¹⁶ “‘If, however, their offering is the result of a vow^(I) or is a freewill offering,^(J) the sacrifice shall be eaten on the day they offer it, but anything left over may be eaten on the next day.^{(K) 17} Any meat of the sacrifice left over till the third day must be burned up.^{(L) 18} If any meat of the fellowship offering^(M) is eaten on the third day, the one who offered it will not be accepted.^(N) It will not be reckoned^(O) to their credit, for it has become impure; the person who eats any of it will be held responsible.^(P)

¹⁹ “‘Meat that touches anything ceremonially unclean must not be eaten; it must be burned up. As for other meat, anyone ceremonially clean may eat it. ²⁰ But if anyone who is unclean^(Q) eats any meat of the fellowship offering belonging to the Lord, they must be cut off from their people.^{(R) 21} Anyone who touches something unclean^(S)—whether human uncleanness or an unclean animal or any unclean creature that moves along the ground^[a]—and then eats any of the meat of the fellowship offering belonging to the Lord must be cut off from their people.’”

Eating Fat and Blood Forbidden

²² The Lord said to Moses,

Omri King of Israel

²¹ Then the people of Israel were split into two factions; half supported Tibni son of Ginath for king, and the other half supported Omri. ²² But Omri’s followers proved stronger than those of Tibni son of Ginath. So Tibni died and Omri became king.

²³ In the thirty-first year of Asa king of Judah, Omri became king of Israel, and he reigned twelve years, six of them in Tirzah.^{(A) 24} He bought the hill of Samaria from Shemer for two talents^[a] of silver and built a city on the hill, calling it Samaria,^(B) after Shemer, the name of the former owner of the hill.

²⁵ But Omri did evil^(C) in the eyes of the Lord and sinned more than all those before him. ²⁶ He followed completely the ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat, committing the same sin Jeroboam had caused^(D) Israel to commit, so that they aroused the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, by their worthless idols.^(E)

²⁷ As for the other events of Omri’s reign, what he did and the things he achieved, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel? ²⁸ Omri rested with his ancestors and was buried in Samaria.^(F) And Ahab his son succeeded him as king.

Ahab Becomes King of Israel

²⁹ In the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, Ahab son of Omri became king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria over Israel twenty-two years. ³⁰ Ahab son of Omri did more^(G) evil in the eyes of the Lord than any of those before him. ³¹ He not only considered it trivial to commit the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, but he also married^(H) Jezebel daughter^(I) of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and began to serve Baal^(J) and worship him. ³² He set up an altar^(K) for Baal in the temple^(L) of Baal that he built in Samaria. ³³ Ahab also made an Asherah pole^(M) and did more^(N) to arouse the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, than did all the kings of Israel before him.

³⁴ In Ahab’s time, Hiel of Bethel rebuilt Jericho. He laid its foundations at the cost of his firstborn son Abiram, and he set up its gates at the cost of his youngest son Segub, in accordance with the word of the Lord spoken by Joshua son of Nun.^(O)

Elijah Announces a Great Drought

17 Now Elijah^(P) the Tishbite, from Tishbe^[b] in Gilead,^(Q) said to Ahab, “As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain^(R) in the next few years except at my word.”

Elijah Fed by Ravens

² Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah: ³ “Leave here, turn eastward and hide^(S) in the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan. ⁴ You will drink from the brook, and I have directed the ravens^(T) to supply you with food there.”

⁵ So he did what the Lord had told him. He went to the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan, and stayed there. ⁶ The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning^(U) and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook.

Elijah and the Widow at Zarephath

⁷ Some time later the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land.

Psalm 81^[a]

For the director of music. According to gittith.^[b] Of Asaph.

³⁹ When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth.^{(A) 40} And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him.^(B)

The Boy Jesus at the Temple

⁴¹ Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Festival of the Passover.^{(C) 42} When he was twelve years old, they went up to the festival, according to the custom. ⁴³ After the festival was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. ⁴⁴ Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends. ⁴⁵ When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. ⁴⁶ After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. ⁴⁷ Everyone who heard him was amazed^(D) at his understanding and his answers. ⁴⁸ When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother^(E) said to him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father^(F) and I have been anxiously searching for you.”

⁴⁹ “Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?”^{[a](G) 50} But they did not understand what he was saying to them.^(H)

⁵¹ Then he went down to Nazareth with them^(I) and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart.^{(J) 52} And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.^(K)

¹² If others have this right of support from you, shouldn’t we have it all the more?

But we did not use this right.^(A) On the contrary, we put up with anything rather than hinder^(B) the gospel of Christ.

¹³ Don’t you know that those who serve in the temple get their food from the temple, and that those who serve at the altar share in what is offered on the altar?^{(C) 14} In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel.^(D)

¹⁵ But I have not used any of these rights.^(E) And I am not writing this in the hope that you will do such things for me, for I would rather die than allow anyone to deprive me of this boast.^{(F) 16} For when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, since I am compelled to preach.^(G) Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! ¹⁷ If I preach voluntarily, I have a reward;^(H) if not voluntarily, I am simply discharging the trust committed to me.^{(I) 18} What then is my reward? Just this: that in preaching the gospel I may offer it free of charge,^(J) and so not make full use of my rights^(K) as a preacher of the gospel.

Paul’s Use of His Freedom

¹⁹ Though I am free^(L) and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone,^(M) to win as many as possible.^{(N) 20} To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews.^(O) To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law),^(P) so as to win those under the law. ²¹ To those not having the law I became like one not having the law^(Q) (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law),^(R) so as to win those not having the law. ²² To the weak I became weak, to win the weak.^(S) I have become all things to all people^(T) so that by all possible means I might save some.^{(U) 23} I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.

The Need for Self-Discipline

²⁴ Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize?^(V) Run^(W) in such a way as to get the prize. ²⁵ Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown^(X) that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.^{(Y) 26} Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly;^(Z) I do not fight like a boxer beating the air.^{(AA) 27} No, I strike a blow to my body^(AB) and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.^(AC)