Daily Offerings

28 The Lord said to Moses, ² “Give this command to the Israelites and say to them: ‘Make sure that you present to me at the appointed time^(A) my food^(B) offerings, as an aroma pleasing to me.’^{(C) 3} Say to them: ‘This is the food offering you are to present to the Lord: two lambs a year old without defect,^(D) as a regular burnt offering each day.^{(E) 4} Offer one lamb in the morning and the other at twilight,^{(F) 5} together with a grain offering^(G) of a tenth of an ephah^[a] of the finest flour^(H) mixed with a quarter of a hin^[b] of oil^(I) from pressed olives. ⁶ This is the regular burnt offering^(J) instituted at Mount Sinai^(K) as a pleasing aroma, a food offering presented to the Lord.^{(L) 7} The accompanying drink offering^(M) is to be a quarter of a hin of fermented drink^(N) with each lamb. Pour out the drink offering to the Lord at the sanctuary.^{(O) 8} Offer the second lamb at twilight,^(P) along with the same kind of grain offering and drink offering that you offer in the morning.^(Q) This is a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the Lord.^(R)

Sabbath Offerings

⁹ “‘On the Sabbath^(S) day, make an offering of two lambs a year old without defect,^(T) together with its drink offering and a grain offering of two-tenths of an ephah^[c](U) of the finest flour mixed with olive oil.^{(V) 10} This is the burnt offering for every Sabbath,^(W) in addition to the regular burnt offering^(X) and its drink offering.

Solomon’s Other Activities^(A)

8 At the end of twenty years, during which Solomon built the temple of the Lord and his own palace,^{(B) 2} Solomon rebuilt the villages that Hiram^[a] had given him, and settled Israelites in them. ³ Solomon then went to Hamath Zobah and captured it. ⁴ He also built up Tadmor in the desert and all the store cities he had built in Hamath.^{(C) 5} He rebuilt Upper Beth Horon^(D) and Lower Beth Horon as fortified cities, with walls and with gates and bars, ⁶ as well as Baalath^(E) and all his store cities, and all the cities for his chariots and for his horses^[b]—whatever he desired to build in Jerusalem, in Lebanon and throughout all the territory he ruled.

⁷ There were still people left from the Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites^(F) (these people were not Israelites). ⁸ Solomon conscripted^(G) the descendants of all these people remaining in the land—whom the Israelites had not destroyed—to serve as slave labor, as it is to this day. ⁹ But Solomon did not make slaves of the Israelites for his work; they were his fighting men, commanders of his captains, and commanders of his chariots and charioteers. ¹⁰ They were also King Solomon’s chief officials—two hundred and fifty officials supervising the men.

¹¹ Solomon brought Pharaoh’s daughter^(H) up from the City of David to the palace he had built for her, for he said, “My wife must not live in the palace of David king of Israel, because the places the ark of the Lord has entered are holy.”

¹² On the altar^(I) of the Lord that he had built in front of the portico, Solomon sacrificed burnt offerings to the Lord, ¹³ according to the daily requirement^(J) for offerings commanded by Moses for the Sabbaths,^(K) the New Moons^(L) and the three^(M) annual festivals—the Festival of Unleavened Bread,^(N) the Festival of Weeks^(O) and the Festival of Tabernacles.^{(P) 14} In keeping with the ordinance of his father David, he appointed the divisions^(Q) of the priests for their duties, and the Levites^(R) to lead the praise and to assist the priests according to each day’s requirement. He also appointed the gatekeepers^(S) by divisions for the various gates, because this was what David the man of God^(T) had ordered.^{(U) 15} They did not deviate from the king’s commands to the priests or to the Levites in any matter, including that of the treasuries.

¹⁶ All Solomon’s work was carried out, from the day the foundation of the temple of the Lord was laid until its completion. So the temple of the Lord was finished.

¹⁷ Then Solomon went to Ezion Geber and Elath on the coast of Edom. ¹⁸ And Hiram sent him ships commanded by his own men, sailors who knew the sea. These, with Solomon’s men, sailed to Ophir and brought back four hundred and fifty talents^[c] of gold,^(V) which they delivered to King Solomon.

Daniel’s Dream of Four Beasts

7 In the first year of Belshazzar^(A) king of Babylon, Daniel had a dream, and visions^(B) passed through his mind^(C) as he was lying in bed.^(D) He wrote^(E) down the substance of his dream.

² Daniel said: “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me were the four winds of heaven^(F) churning up the great sea. ³ Four great beasts,^(G) each different from the others, came up out of the sea.

⁴ “The first was like a lion,^(H) and it had the wings of an eagle.^(I) I watched until its wings were torn off and it was lifted from the ground so that it stood on two feet like a human being, and the mind of a human was given to it.

⁵ “And there before me was a second beast, which looked like a bear. It was raised up on one of its sides, and it had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. It was told, ‘Get up and eat your fill of flesh!’^(J)

⁶ “After that, I looked, and there before me was another beast, one that looked like a leopard.^(K) And on its back it had four wings like those of a bird. This beast had four heads, and it was given authority to rule.

⁷ “After that, in my vision^(L) at night I looked, and there before me was a fourth beast—terrifying and frightening and very powerful. It had large iron^(M) teeth; it crushed and devoured its victims and trampled^(N) underfoot whatever was left.^(O) It was different from all the former beasts, and it had ten horns.^(P)

⁸ “While I was thinking about the horns, there before me was another horn, a little^(Q) one, which came up among them; and three of the first horns were uprooted before it. This horn had eyes like the eyes of a human being^(R) and a mouth that spoke boastfully.^(S)

⁹ “As I looked,

¹¹ “Then I continued to watch because of the boastful words the horn was speaking.^(AB) I kept looking until the beast was slain and its body destroyed and thrown into the blazing fire.^{(AC) 12} (The other beasts had been stripped of their authority, but were allowed to live for a period of time.)

¹³ “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man,^[a](AD) coming^(AE) with the clouds of heaven.^(AF) He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. ¹⁴ He was given authority,^(AG) glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him.^(AH) His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom^(AI) is one that will never be destroyed.^(AJ)

Warning Against the Adulterous Woman

Jesus Changes Water Into Wine

2 On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee.^(A) Jesus’ mother^(B) was there, ² and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. ³ When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”

⁴ “Woman,^[a](C) why do you involve me?”^(D) Jesus replied. “My hour^(E) has not yet come.”

⁵ His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”^(F)

⁶ Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing,^(G) each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.^[b]

⁷ Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim.

⁸ Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.”

They did so, ⁹ and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine.^(H) He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside ¹⁰ and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”

¹¹ What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs^(I) through which he revealed his glory;^(J) and his disciples believed in him.^(K)

¹² After this he went down to Capernaum^(L) with his mother^(M) and brothers^(N) and his disciples. There they stayed for a few days.

A Sabbath-Rest for the People of God

4 Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it.^{(A) 2} For we also have had the good news proclaimed to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because they did not share the faith of those who obeyed.^{[a](B) 3} Now we who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said,

And yet his works have been finished since the creation of the world. ⁴ For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in these words: “On the seventh day God rested from all his works.”^{[c](D) 5} And again in the passage above he says, “They shall never enter my rest.”^(E)

⁶ Therefore since it still remains for some to enter that rest, and since those who formerly had the good news proclaimed to them did not go in because of their disobedience,^{(F) 7} God again set a certain day, calling it “Today.” This he did when a long time later he spoke through David, as in the passage already quoted:

⁸ For if Joshua had given them rest,^(H) God would not have spoken^(I) later about another day. ⁹ There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; ¹⁰ for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works,^[e](J) just as God did from his.^{(K) 11} Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.^(L)

¹² For the word of God^(M) is alive^(N) and active.^(O) Sharper than any double-edged sword,^(P) it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.^{(Q) 13} Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight.^(R) Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.