⁴⁰ The Lord said to Moses, “Count all the firstborn Israelite males who are a month old or more^(A) and make a list of their names.^{(B) 41} Take the Levites for me in place of all the firstborn of the Israelites,^(C) and the livestock of the Levites in place of all the firstborn of the livestock of the Israelites. I am the Lord.”^(D)

⁴² So Moses counted all the firstborn of the Israelites, as the Lord commanded him. ⁴³ The total number of firstborn males a month old or more,^(E) listed by name, was 22,273.^(F)

⁴⁴ The Lord also said to Moses, ⁴⁵ “Take the Levites in place of all the firstborn of Israel, and the livestock of the Levites in place of their livestock. The Levites are to be mine.^(G) I am the Lord.^{(H) 46} To redeem^(I) the 273 firstborn Israelites who exceed the number of the Levites, ⁴⁷ collect five shekels^[a](J) for each one, according to the sanctuary shekel,^(K) which weighs twenty gerahs.^{(L) 48} Give the money for the redemption^(M) of the additional Israelites to Aaron and his sons.”^(N)

⁴⁹ So Moses collected the redemption money^(O) from those who exceeded the number redeemed by the Levites. ⁵⁰ From the firstborn of the Israelites^(P) he collected silver weighing 1,365 shekels,^[b](Q) according to the sanctuary shekel. ⁵¹ Moses gave the redemption money to Aaron and his sons, as he was commanded by the word of the Lord.

The Clans of Caleb

¹¹ The word of the Lord came to me: ¹² “Son of man, take up a lament^(A) concerning the king of Tyre and say to him: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says:

A Prophecy Against Sidon

²⁰ The word of the Lord came to me: ²¹ “Son of man, set your face against^(S) Sidon;^(T) prophesy against her ²² and say: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says:

²⁴ “‘No longer will the people of Israel have malicious neighbors who are painful briers and sharp thorns.^(Y) Then they will know that I am the Sovereign Lord.

²⁵ “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: When I gather^(Z) the people of Israel from the nations where they have been scattered,^(AA) I will be proved holy^(AB) through them in the sight of the nations. Then they will live in their own land, which I gave to my servant Jacob.^{(AC) 26} They will live there in safety^(AD) and will build houses and plant^(AE) vineyards; they will live in safety when I inflict punishment^(AF) on all their neighbors who maligned them. Then they will know that I am the Lord their God.^(AG)’”

ג Gimel

ד Daleth

The Cost of Being a Disciple

²⁵ Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: ²⁶ “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple.^{(A) 27} And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.^(B)

²⁸ “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? ²⁹ For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, ³⁰ saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’

³¹ “Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? ³² If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. ³³ In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.^(C)

³⁴ “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?^{(D) 35} It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out.^(E)

“Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”^(F)

¹⁶ So I say, walk by the Spirit,^(A) and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.^{(B) 17} For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh.^(C) They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever^[a] you want.^{(D) 18} But if you are led by the Spirit,^(E) you are not under the law.^(F)

¹⁹ The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality,^(G) impurity and debauchery; ²⁰ idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions ²¹ and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like.^(H) I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.^(I)

²² But the fruit^(J) of the Spirit is love,^(K) joy, peace,^(L) forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness and self-control.^(M) Against such things there is no law.^{(N) 24} Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh^(O) with its passions and desires.^{(P) 25} Since we live by the Spirit,^(Q) let us keep in step with the Spirit. ²⁶ Let us not become conceited,^(R) provoking and envying each other.