The Festival of Weeks^(A)

²⁶ “‘On the day of firstfruits,^(B) when you present to the Lord an offering of new grain during the Festival of Weeks,^(C) hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work.^{(D) 27} Present a burnt offering of two young bulls, one ram and seven male lambs a year old as an aroma pleasing to the Lord.^{(E) 28} With each bull there is to be a grain offering of three-tenths of an ephah of the finest flour mixed with oil; with the ram, two-tenths;^{(F) 29} and with each of the seven lambs, one-tenth.^{(G) 30} Include one male goat^(H) to make atonement for you. ³¹ Offer these together with their drink offerings, in addition to the regular burnt offering^(I) and its grain offering. Be sure the animals are without defect.

The Festival of Trumpets^(J)

29 “‘On the first day of the seventh month hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work.^(K) It is a day for you to sound the trumpets. ² As an aroma pleasing to the Lord,^(L) offer a burnt offering^(M) of one young bull, one ram and seven male lambs a year old,^(N) all without defect.^{(O) 3} With the bull offer a grain offering^(P) of three-tenths of an ephah^[a] of the finest flour mixed with olive oil; with the ram, two-tenths^[b]; ⁴ and with each of the seven lambs, one-tenth.^{[c](Q) 5} Include one male goat^(R) as a sin offering^[d] to make atonement for you. ⁶ These are in addition to the monthly^(S) and daily burnt offerings^(T) with their grain offerings^(U) and drink offerings^(V) as specified. They are food offerings presented to the Lord, a pleasing aroma.^(W)

The Day of Atonement^(X)

⁷ “‘On the tenth day of this seventh month hold a sacred assembly. You must deny yourselves^[e](Y) and do no work.^{(Z) 8} Present as an aroma pleasing to the Lord a burnt offering of one young bull, one ram and seven male lambs a year old, all without defect.^{(AA) 9} With the bull offer a grain offering^(AB) of three-tenths of an ephah of the finest flour mixed with oil; with the ram, two-tenths;^{(AC) 10} and with each of the seven lambs, one-tenth.^{(AD) 11} Include one male goat^(AE) as a sin offering, in addition to the sin offering for atonement and the regular burnt offering^(AF) with its grain offering, and their drink offerings.^(AG)

Solomon’s Splendor^(A)

¹³ The weight of the gold that Solomon received yearly was 666 talents,^{[a] 14} not including the revenues brought in by merchants and traders. Also all the kings of Arabia^(B) and the governors of the territories brought gold and silver to Solomon.

¹⁵ King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; six hundred shekels^[b] of hammered gold went into each shield. ¹⁶ He also made three hundred small shields^(C) of hammered gold, with three hundred shekels^[c] of gold in each shield. The king put them in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon.^(D)

¹⁷ Then the king made a great throne covered with ivory^(E) and overlaid with pure gold. ¹⁸ The throne had six steps, and a footstool of gold was attached to it. On both sides of the seat were armrests, with a lion standing beside each of them. ¹⁹ Twelve lions stood on the six steps, one at either end of each step. Nothing like it had ever been made for any other kingdom. ²⁰ All King Solomon’s goblets were gold, and all the household articles in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold. Nothing was made of silver, because silver was considered of little value in Solomon’s day. ²¹ The king had a fleet of trading ships^[d] manned by Hiram’s^[e] servants. Once every three years it returned, carrying gold, silver and ivory, and apes and baboons.

²² King Solomon was greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth.^{(F) 23} All the kings^(G) of the earth sought audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom God had put in his heart. ²⁴ Year after year, everyone who came brought a gift^(H)—articles of silver and gold, and robes, weapons and spices, and horses and mules.

²⁵ Solomon had four thousand stalls for horses and chariots,^(I) and twelve thousand horses,^[f] which he kept in the chariot cities and also with him in Jerusalem. ²⁶ He ruled^(J) over all the kings from the Euphrates River^(K) to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt.^{(L) 27} The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar as plentiful as sycamore-fig trees in the foothills. ²⁸ Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt and from all other countries.

Solomon’s Death^(M)

²⁹ As for the other events of Solomon’s reign, from beginning to end, are they not written in the records of Nathan^(N) the prophet, in the prophecy of Ahijah^(O) the Shilonite and in the visions of Iddo the seer concerning Jeroboam^(P) son of Nebat? ³⁰ Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel forty years. ³¹ Then he rested with his ancestors and was buried in the city of David^(Q) his father. And Rehoboam his son succeeded him as king.

Daniel’s Vision of a Ram and a Goat

8 In the third year of King Belshazzar’s^(A) reign, I, Daniel, had a vision,^(B) after the one that had already appeared to me. ² In my vision I saw myself in the citadel of Susa^(C) in the province of Elam;^(D) in the vision I was beside the Ulai Canal. ³ I looked up,^(E) and there before me was a ram^(F) with two horns, standing beside the canal, and the horns were long. One of the horns was longer than the other but grew up later. ⁴ I watched the ram as it charged toward the west and the north and the south. No animal could stand against it, and none could rescue from its power.^(G) It did as it pleased^(H) and became great.

⁵ As I was thinking about this, suddenly a goat with a prominent horn between its eyes came from the west, crossing the whole earth without touching the ground. ⁶ It came toward the two-horned ram I had seen standing beside the canal and charged at it in great rage. ⁷ I saw it attack the ram furiously, striking the ram and shattering its two horns. The ram was powerless to stand against it; the goat knocked it to the ground and trampled on it,^(I) and none could rescue the ram from its power.^{(J) 8} The goat became very great, but at the height of its power the large horn was broken off,^(K) and in its place four prominent horns grew up toward the four winds of heaven.^(L)

⁹ Out of one of them came another horn, which started small^(M) but grew in power to the south and to the east and toward the Beautiful Land.^{(N) 10} It grew until it reached^(O) the host of the heavens, and it threw some of the starry host down to the earth^(P) and trampled^(Q) on them. ¹¹ It set itself up to be as great as the commander^(R) of the army of the Lord;^(S) it took away the daily sacrifice^(T) from the Lord, and his sanctuary was thrown down.^{(U) 12} Because of rebellion, the Lord’s people^[a] and the daily sacrifice were given over to it. It prospered in everything it did, and truth was thrown to the ground.^(V)

¹³ Then I heard a holy one^(W) speaking, and another holy one said to him, “How long will it take for the vision to be fulfilled^(X)—the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, the rebellion that causes desolation, the surrender of the sanctuary and the trampling underfoot^(Y) of the Lord’s people?”

¹⁴ He said to me, “It will take 2,300 evenings and mornings; then the sanctuary will be reconsecrated.”^(Z)

Wisdom’s Call

Jesus Teaches Nicodemus

3 Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus^(A) who was a member of the Jewish ruling council.^{(B) 2} He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi,^(C) we know^(D) that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs^(E) you are doing if God were not with him.”^(F)

³ Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.^[a]”^(G)

⁴ “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”

⁵ Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit.^{(H) 6} Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit^[b] gives birth to spirit.^{(I) 7} You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You^[c] must be born again.’ ⁸ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”^[d](J)

⁹ “How can this be?”^(K) Nicodemus asked.

Warning Against Falling Away^(A)

¹¹ We have much to say about this, but it is hard to make it clear to you because you no longer try to understand. ¹² In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths^(B) of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food!^{(C) 13} Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant,^(D) is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. ¹⁴ But solid food is for the mature,^(E) who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.^(F)