Offerings for Priests and Levites

⁸ Then the Lord said to Aaron, “I myself have put you in charge of the offerings presented to me; all the holy offerings the Israelites give me I give to you and your sons as your portion,^(A) your perpetual share.^{(B) 9} You are to have the part of the most holy offerings^(C) that is kept from the fire. From all the gifts they bring me as most holy offerings, whether grain^(D) or sin^[a](E) or guilt offerings,^(F) that part belongs to you and your sons. ¹⁰ Eat it as something most holy; every male shall eat it.^(G) You must regard it as holy.^(H)

¹¹ “This also is yours: whatever is set aside from the gifts of all the wave offerings^(I) of the Israelites. I give this to you and your sons and daughters as your perpetual share.^(J) Everyone in your household who is ceremonially clean^(K) may eat it.

¹² “I give you all the finest olive oil and all the finest new wine and grain^(L) they give the Lord^(M) as the firstfruits of their harvest.^{(N) 13} All the land’s firstfruits that they bring to the Lord will be yours.^(O) Everyone in your household who is ceremonially clean may eat it.^(P)

¹⁴ “Everything in Israel that is devoted^[b] to the Lord^(Q) is yours. ¹⁵ The first offspring of every womb, both human and animal, that is offered to the Lord is yours.^(R) But you must redeem^(S) every firstborn^(T) son and every firstborn male of unclean animals.^{(U) 16} When they are a month old,^(V) you must redeem them at the redemption price set at five shekels^[c](W) of silver, according to the sanctuary shekel,^(X) which weighs twenty gerahs.^(Y)

¹⁷ “But you must not redeem the firstborn of a cow, a sheep or a goat; they are holy.^(Z) Splash their blood^(AA) against the altar and burn their fat^(AB) as a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the Lord.^{(AC) 18} Their meat is to be yours, just as the breast of the wave offering^(AD) and the right thigh are yours.^{(AE) 19} Whatever is set aside from the holy^(AF) offerings the Israelites present to the Lord I give to you and your sons and daughters as your perpetual share. It is an everlasting covenant of salt^(AG) before the Lord for both you and your offspring.”

²⁰ The Lord said to Aaron, “You will have no inheritance in their land, nor will you have any share among them;^(AH) I am your share and your inheritance^(AI) among the Israelites.

²¹ “I give to the Levites all the tithes^(AJ) in Israel as their inheritance^(AK) in return for the work they do while serving at the tent of meeting.^{(AL) 22} From now on the Israelites must not go near the tent of meeting, or they will bear the consequences of their sin and will die.^{(AM) 23} It is the Levites who are to do the work at the tent of meeting and bear the responsibility for any offenses they commit against it. This is a lasting ordinance^(AN) for the generations to come.^(AO) They will receive no inheritance^(AP) among the Israelites.^{(AQ) 24} Instead, I give to the Levites as their inheritance the tithes that the Israelites present as an offering to the Lord.^(AR) That is why I said concerning them: ‘They will have no inheritance among the Israelites.’”

²⁵ The Lord said to Moses, ²⁶ “Speak to the Levites and say to them: ‘When you receive from the Israelites the tithe I give you^(AS) as your inheritance, you must present a tenth of that tithe as the Lord’s offering.^{(AT) 27} Your offering will be reckoned^(AU) to you as grain from the threshing floor^(AV) or juice from the winepress.^{(AW) 28} In this way you also will present an offering to the Lord from all the tithes^(AX) you receive from the Israelites. From these tithes you must give the Lord’s portion to Aaron the priest. ²⁹ You must present as the Lord’s portion the best and holiest part of everything given to you.’

³⁰ “Say to the Levites: ‘When you present the best part, it will be reckoned to you as the product of the threshing floor or the winepress.^{(AY) 31} You and your households may eat the rest of it anywhere, for it is your wages for your work at the tent of meeting.^{(AZ) 32} By presenting the best part^(BA) of it you will not be guilty in this matter;^(BB) then you will not defile the holy offerings^(BC) of the Israelites, and you will not die.’”

Preparations for the Temple

² So David gave orders to assemble the foreigners^(A) residing in Israel, and from among them he appointed stonecutters^(B) to prepare dressed stone for building the house of God. ³ He provided a large amount of iron to make nails for the doors of the gateways and for the fittings, and more bronze than could be weighed.^{(C) 4} He also provided more cedar logs^(D) than could be counted, for the Sidonians and Tyrians had brought large numbers of them to David.

⁵ David said, “My son Solomon is young^(E) and inexperienced, and the house to be built for the Lord should be of great magnificence and fame and splendor^(F) in the sight of all the nations. Therefore I will make preparations for it.” So David made extensive preparations before his death.

⁶ Then he called for his son Solomon and charged him to build^(G) a house for the Lord, the God of Israel. ⁷ David said to Solomon: “My son, I had it in my heart^(H) to build^(I) a house for the Name^(J) of the Lord my God. ⁸ But this word of the Lord came to me: ‘You have shed much blood and have fought many wars.^(K) You are not to build a house for my Name,^(L) because you have shed much blood on the earth in my sight. ⁹ But you will have a son who will be a man of peace^(M) and rest,^(N) and I will give him rest from all his enemies on every side. His name will be Solomon,^[a](O) and I will grant Israel peace and quiet^(P) during his reign. ¹⁰ He is the one who will build a house for my Name.^(Q) He will be my son,^(R) and I will be his father. And I will establish^(S) the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.’^(T)

¹¹ “Now, my son, the Lord be with^(U) you, and may you have success and build the house of the Lord your God, as he said you would. ¹² May the Lord give you discretion and understanding^(V) when he puts you in command over Israel, so that you may keep the law of the Lord your God. ¹³ Then you will have success^(W) if you are careful to observe the decrees and laws^(X) that the Lord gave Moses for Israel. Be strong and courageous.^(Y) Do not be afraid or discouraged.

¹⁴ “I have taken great pains to provide for the temple of the Lord a hundred thousand talents^[b] of gold, a million talents^[c] of silver, quantities of bronze and iron too great to be weighed, and wood and stone. And you may add to them.^{(Z) 15} You have many workers: stonecutters, masons and carpenters,^(AA) as well as those skilled in every kind of work ¹⁶ in gold and silver, bronze and iron—craftsmen^(AB) beyond number. Now begin the work, and the Lord be with you.”

¹⁷ Then David ordered^(AC) all the leaders of Israel to help his son Solomon. ¹⁸ He said to them, “Is not the Lord your God with you? And has he not granted you rest^(AD) on every side?^(AE) For he has given the inhabitants of the land into my hands, and the land is subject to the Lord and to his people. ¹⁹ Now devote your heart and soul to seeking the Lord your God.^(AF) Begin to build the sanctuary of the Lord God, so that you may bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord and the sacred articles belonging to God into the temple that will be built for the Name of the Lord.”

¹⁸ “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: In the first month^(A) on the first day you are to take a young bull without defect^(B) and purify the sanctuary.^{(C) 19} The priest is to take some of the blood of the sin offering and put it on the doorposts of the temple, on the four corners of the upper ledge^(D) of the altar^(E) and on the gateposts of the inner court. ²⁰ You are to do the same on the seventh day of the month for anyone who sins unintentionally^(F) or through ignorance; so you are to make atonement for the temple.

²¹ “‘In the first month on the fourteenth day you are to observe the Passover,^(G) a festival lasting seven days, during which you shall eat bread made without yeast. ²² On that day the prince is to provide a bull as a sin offering for himself and for all the people of the land.^{(H) 23} Every day during the seven days of the festival he is to provide seven bulls and seven rams^(I) without defect as a burnt offering to the Lord, and a male goat for a sin offering.^{(J) 24} He is to provide as a grain offering^(K) an ephah for each bull and an ephah for each ram, along with a hin^[a] of olive oil for each ephah.^(L)

²⁵ “‘During the seven days of the festival,^(M) which begins in the seventh month on the fifteenth day, he is to make the same provision for sin offerings, burnt offerings, grain offerings and oil.^(N)

46 “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: The gate of the inner court^(O) facing east^(P) is to be shut on the six working days, but on the Sabbath day and on the day of the New Moon^(Q) it is to be opened. ² The prince is to enter from the outside through the portico^(R) of the gateway and stand by the gatepost. The priests are to sacrifice his burnt offering^(S) and his fellowship offerings. He is to bow down in worship at the threshold of the gateway and then go out, but the gate will not be shut until evening.^{(T) 3} On the Sabbaths^(U) and New Moons the people of the land are to worship in the presence of the Lord at the entrance of that gateway.^{(V) 4} The burnt offering the prince brings to the Lord on the Sabbath day is to be six male lambs and a ram, all without defect. ⁵ The grain offering given with the ram is to be an ephah,^[b] and the grain offering with the lambs is to be as much as he pleases, along with a hin^[c] of olive oil for each ephah.^{(W) 6} On the day of the New Moon^(X) he is to offer a young bull, six lambs and a ram, all without defect.^{(Y) 7} He is to provide as a grain offering one ephah with the bull, one ephah with the ram, and with the lambs as much as he wants to give, along with a hin of oil for each ephah.^{(Z) 8} When the prince enters, he is to go in through the portico^(AA) of the gateway, and he is to come out the same way.^(AB)

Jesus Arrested^(A)

⁴⁷ While he was still speaking a crowd came up, and the man who was called Judas, one of the Twelve, was leading them. He approached Jesus to kiss him, ⁴⁸ but Jesus asked him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?”

⁴⁹ When Jesus’ followers saw what was going to happen, they said, “Lord, should we strike with our swords?”^{(B) 50} And one of them struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear.

⁵¹ But Jesus answered, “No more of this!” And he touched the man’s ear and healed him.

⁵² Then Jesus said to the chief priests, the officers of the temple guard,^(C) and the elders, who had come for him, “Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come with swords and clubs? ⁵³ Every day I was with you in the temple courts,^(D) and you did not lay a hand on me. But this is your hour^(E)—when darkness reigns.”^(F)

Instructions for Christian Households^(A)

¹⁸ Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands,^(B) as is fitting in the Lord.

¹⁹ Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them.

²⁰ Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.

²¹ Fathers,^[a] do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged.

²² Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to curry their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. ²³ Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, ²⁴ since you know that you will receive an inheritance^(C) from the Lord as a reward.^(D) It is the Lord Christ you are serving. ²⁵ Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for their wrongs, and there is no favoritism.^(E)

4 Masters, provide your slaves with what is right and fair,^(F) because you know that you also have a Master in heaven.

Further Instructions

² Devote yourselves to prayer,^(G) being watchful and thankful. ³ And pray for us, too, that God may open a door^(H) for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery^(I) of Christ, for which I am in chains.^{(J) 4} Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. ⁵ Be wise^(K) in the way you act toward outsiders;^(L) make the most of every opportunity.^{(M) 6} Let your conversation be always full of grace,^(N) seasoned with salt,^(O) so that you may know how to answer everyone.^(P)