The Priests Begin Their Ministry

9 On the eighth day^(A) Moses summoned Aaron and his sons and the elders^(B) of Israel. ² He said to Aaron, “Take a bull calf for your sin offering^[a] and a ram for your burnt offering, both without defect, and present them before the Lord. ³ Then say to the Israelites: ‘Take a male goat^(C) for a sin offering,^(D) a calf^(E) and a lamb^(F)—both a year old and without defect—for a burnt offering, ⁴ and an ox^[b](G) and a ram for a fellowship offering^(H) to sacrifice before the Lord, together with a grain offering mixed with olive oil. For today the Lord will appear to you.^(I)’”

⁵ They took the things Moses commanded to the front of the tent of meeting, and the entire assembly came near and stood before the Lord. ⁶ Then Moses said, “This is what the Lord has commanded you to do, so that the glory of the Lord^(J) may appear to you.”

⁷ Moses said to Aaron, “Come to the altar and sacrifice your sin offering and your burnt offering and make atonement for yourself and the people;^(K) sacrifice the offering that is for the people and make atonement for them, as the Lord has commanded.^(L)”

⁸ So Aaron came to the altar and slaughtered the calf as a sin offering^(M) for himself. ⁹ His sons brought the blood to him,^(N) and he dipped his finger into the blood and put it on the horns of the altar; the rest of the blood he poured out at the base of the altar.^{(O) 10} On the altar he burned the fat, the kidneys and the long lobe of the liver from the sin offering, as the Lord commanded Moses; ¹¹ the flesh and the hide^(P) he burned up outside the camp.^(Q)

¹² Then he slaughtered the burnt offering.^(R) His sons handed him the blood,^(S) and he splashed it against the sides of the altar. ¹³ They handed him the burnt offering piece by piece, including the head, and he burned them on the altar.^{(T) 14} He washed the internal organs and the legs and burned them on top of the burnt offering on the altar.^(U)

¹⁵ Aaron then brought the offering that was for the people.^(V) He took the goat for the people’s sin offering and slaughtered it and offered it for a sin offering as he did with the first one.

¹⁶ He brought the burnt offering and offered it in the prescribed way.^{(W) 17} He also brought the grain offering, took a handful of it and burned it on the altar in addition to the morning’s burnt offering.^(X)

¹⁸ He slaughtered the ox and the ram as the fellowship offering for the people.^(Y) His sons handed him the blood, and he splashed it against the sides of the altar. ¹⁹ But the fat portions of the ox and the ram—the fat tail, the layer of fat, the kidneys and the long lobe of the liver— ²⁰ these they laid on the breasts, and then Aaron burned the fat on the altar. ²¹ Aaron waved the breasts and the right thigh before the Lord as a wave offering,^(Z) as Moses commanded.

²² Then Aaron lifted his hands toward the people and blessed them.^(AA) And having sacrificed the sin offering, the burnt offering and the fellowship offering, he stepped down.

²³ Moses and Aaron then went into the tent of meeting.^(AB) When they came out, they blessed the people; and the glory of the Lord^(AC) appeared to all the people. ²⁴ Fire^(AD) came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and the fat portions on the altar. And when all the people saw it, they shouted for joy and fell facedown.^(AE)

⁴¹ And Elijah said to Ahab, “Go, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain.” ⁴² So Ahab went off to eat and drink, but Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel, bent down to the ground and put his face between his knees.^(A)

⁴³ “Go and look toward the sea,” he told his servant. And he went up and looked.

“There is nothing there,” he said.

Seven times Elijah said, “Go back.”

⁴⁴ The seventh time^(B) the servant reported, “A cloud^(C) as small as a man’s hand is rising from the sea.”

So Elijah said, “Go and tell Ahab, ‘Hitch up your chariot and go down before the rain stops you.’”

⁴⁵ Meanwhile, the sky grew black with clouds, the wind rose, a heavy rain^(D) started falling and Ahab rode off to Jezreel.^{(E) 46} The power^(F) of the Lord came on Elijah and, tucking his cloak into his belt,^(G) he ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel.

Elijah Flees to Horeb

19 Now Ahab told Jezebel^(H) everything Elijah had done and how he had killed^(I) all the prophets with the sword. ² So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely,^(J) if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them.”^(K)

³ Elijah was afraid^[a] and ran^(L) for his life.^(M) When he came to Beersheba^(N) in Judah, he left his servant there, ⁴ while he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush,^(O) sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life;^(P) I am no better than my ancestors.” ⁵ Then he lay down under the bush and fell asleep.^(Q)

All at once an angel^(R) touched him and said, “Get up and eat.” ⁶ He looked around, and there by his head was some bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again.

⁷ The angel of the Lord came back a second time and touched him and said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.” ⁸ So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty^(S) days and forty nights until he reached Horeb,^(T) the mountain of God. ⁹ There he went into a cave^(U) and spent the night.

The Lord Appears to Elijah

And the word of the Lord came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?”^(V)

¹⁰ He replied, “I have been very zealous^(W) for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant,^(X) torn down your altars,^(Y) and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left,^(Z) and now they are trying to kill me too.”

Psalm 84^[a]

For the director of music. According to gittith.^[b] Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm.

²³ Now Jesus himself was about thirty years old when he began his ministry.^(A) He was the son, so it was thought, of Joseph,^(B)

On Covering the Head in Worship

² I praise you^(A) for remembering me in everything^(B) and for holding to the traditions just as I passed them on to you.^{(C) 3} But I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ,^(D) and the head of the woman is man,^[a](E) and the head of Christ is God.^{(F) 4} Every man who prays or prophesies^(G) with his head covered dishonors his head. ⁵ But every woman who prays or prophesies^(H) with her head uncovered dishonors her head—it is the same as having her head shaved.^{(I) 6} For if a woman does not cover her head, she might as well have her hair cut off; but if it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, then she should cover her head.

⁷ A man ought not to cover his head,^[b] since he is the image^(J) and glory of God; but woman is the glory of man. ⁸ For man did not come from woman, but woman from man;^{(K) 9} neither was man created for woman, but woman for man.^{(L) 10} It is for this reason that a woman ought to have authority over her own^[c] head, because of the angels. ¹¹ Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman. ¹² For as woman came from man, so also man is born of woman. But everything comes from God.^(M)

¹³ Judge for yourselves: Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? ¹⁴ Does not the very nature of things teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him, ¹⁵ but that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For long hair is given to her as a covering. ¹⁶ If anyone wants to be contentious about this, we have no other practice—nor do the churches of God.^(N)