¹⁴ The Lord said to Moses in the Desert of Sinai,^{(A) 15} “Count^(B) the Levites by their families and clans. Count every male a month old or more.”^{(C) 16} So Moses counted them, as he was commanded by the word of the Lord.

These were the Levite clans, according to their families.

²¹ To Gershon^(L) belonged the clans of the Libnites and Shimeites;^(M) these were the Gershonite clans. ²² The number of all the males a month old or more who were counted was 7,500. ²³ The Gershonite clans were to camp on the west, behind the tabernacle.^(N)

Israel’s Sons^(A)

2 These were the sons of Israel:

Judah^(B)

To Hezron’s Sons

From Ram Son of Hezron

²⁰ “‘Dedan^(A) traded in saddle blankets with you.

²¹ “‘Arabia^(B) and all the princes of Kedar^(C) were your customers; they did business with you in lambs, rams and goats.

²² “‘The merchants of Sheba^(D) and Raamah traded with you; for your merchandise they exchanged the finest of all kinds of spices^(E) and precious stones, and gold.^(F)

²³ “‘Harran,^(G) Kanneh and Eden^(H) and merchants of Sheba, Ashur^(I) and Kilmad traded with you. ²⁴ In your marketplace they traded with you beautiful garments, blue fabric, embroidered work and multicolored rugs with cords twisted and tightly knotted.

Psalm 119^[a]

א Aleph

Jesus at a Pharisee’s House^(A)

14 One Sabbath, when Jesus went to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee,^(B) he was being carefully watched.^{(C) 2} There in front of him was a man suffering from abnormal swelling of his body. ³ Jesus asked the Pharisees and experts in the law,^(D) “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?”^{(E) 4} But they remained silent. So taking hold of the man, he healed him and sent him on his way.

⁵ Then he asked them, “If one of you has a child^[a] or an ox that falls into a well on the Sabbath day, will you not immediately pull it out?”^{(F) 6} And they had nothing to say.

⁷ When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table,^(G) he told them this parable: ⁸ “When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. ⁹ If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, ‘Give this person your seat.’ Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. ¹⁰ But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all the other guests. ¹¹ For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”^(H)

¹² Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. ¹³ But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind,^{(I) 14} and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”^(J)

Hagar and Sarah

²¹ Tell me, you who want to be under the law,^(A) are you not aware of what the law says? ²² For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman^(B) and the other by the free woman.^{(C) 23} His son by the slave woman was born according to the flesh,^(D) but his son by the free woman was born as the result of a divine promise.^(E)

²⁴ These things are being taken figuratively: The women represent two covenants. One covenant is from Mount Sinai and bears children who are to be slaves: This is Hagar. ²⁵ Now Hagar stands for Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present city of Jerusalem, because she is in slavery with her children. ²⁶ But the Jerusalem that is above^(F) is free, and she is our mother. ²⁷ For it is written:

²⁸ Now you, brothers and sisters, like Isaac, are children of promise.^{(H) 29} At that time the son born according to the flesh^(I) persecuted the son born by the power of the Spirit.^(J) It is the same now. ³⁰ But what does Scripture say? “Get rid of the slave woman and her son, for the slave woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with the free woman’s son.”^{[b](K) 31} Therefore, brothers and sisters, we are not children of the slave woman,^(L) but of the free woman.^(M)

Freedom in Christ

5 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.^(N) Stand firm,^(O) then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.^(P)