³⁰ On the fourth day Elizur son of Shedeur,^(A) the leader of the people of Reuben, brought his offering.

³⁶ On the fifth day Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai,^(B) the leader of the people of Simeon, brought his offering.

⁴² On the sixth day Eliasaph son of Deuel,^(C) the leader of the people of Gad, brought his offering.

⁴⁸ On the seventh day Elishama son of Ammihud,^(D) the leader of the people of Ephraim, brought his offering.

⁶⁵ From the tribes of Judah, Simeon and Benjamin they allotted the previously named towns.

⁶⁶ Some of the Kohathite clans were given as their territory towns from the tribe of Ephraim.

²³ Then the word of the Lord came to me: ²⁴ “Son of man, the people living in those ruins^(A) in the land of Israel are saying, ‘Abraham was only one man, yet he possessed the land. But we are many;^(B) surely the land has been given to us as our possession.’^{(C) 25} Therefore say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Since you eat^(D) meat with the blood^(E) still in it and look to your idols and shed blood, should you then possess the land?^{(F) 26} You rely on your sword, you do detestable things,^(G) and each of you defiles his neighbor’s wife.^(H) Should you then possess the land?’

²⁷ “Say this to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: As surely as I live, those who are left in the ruins will fall by the sword, those out in the country I will give to the wild animals to be devoured, and those in strongholds and caves will die of a plague.^{(I) 28} I will make the land a desolate waste, and her proud strength will come to an end, and the mountains^(J) of Israel will become desolate so that no one will cross them.^{(K) 29} Then they will know that I am the Lord, when I have made the land a desolate^(L) waste because of all the detestable things they have done.’^(M)

³⁰ “As for you, son of man, your people are talking together about you by the walls and at the doors of the houses, saying to each other, ‘Come and hear the message that has come from the Lord.’ ³¹ My people come to you, as they usually do, and sit before^(N) you to hear your words, but they do not put them into practice. Their mouths speak of love, but their hearts are greedy^(O) for unjust gain.^{(P) 32} Indeed, to them you are nothing more than one who sings love songs^(Q) with a beautiful voice and plays an instrument well, for they hear your words but do not put them into practice.^(R)

³³ “When all this comes true—and it surely will—then they will know that a prophet has been among them.^(S)”

The Lord Will Be Israel’s Shepherd

34 The word of the Lord came to me: ² “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to you shepherds of Israel who only take care of yourselves! Should not shepherds take care of the flock?^{(T) 3} You eat the curds, clothe yourselves with the wool and slaughter the choice animals, but you do not take care of the flock.^{(U) 4} You have not strengthened the weak or healed^(V) the sick or bound up^(W) the injured. You have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost. You have ruled them harshly and brutally.^{(X) 5} So they were scattered because there was no shepherd,^(Y) and when they were scattered they became food for all the wild animals.^{(Z) 6} My sheep wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill.^(AA) They were scattered^(AB) over the whole earth, and no one searched or looked for them.^(AC)

⁷ “‘Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: ⁸ As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, because my flock lacks a shepherd and so has been plundered^(AD) and has become food for all the wild animals,^(AE) and because my shepherds did not search for my flock but cared for themselves rather than for my flock,^{(AF) 9} therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: ¹⁰ This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against^(AG) the shepherds and will hold them accountable for my flock. I will remove them from tending the flock so that the shepherds can no longer feed themselves. I will rescue^(AH) my flock from their mouths, and it will no longer be food for them.^(AI)

צ Tsadhe

ק Qoph

The Coming of the Kingdom of God^(A)

²⁰ Once, on being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come,^(B) Jesus replied, “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, ²¹ nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’^(C) because the kingdom of God is in your midst.”^[a]

²² Then he said to his disciples, “The time is coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man,^(D) but you will not see it.^{(E) 23} People will tell you, ‘There he is!’ or ‘Here he is!’ Do not go running off after them.^{(F) 24} For the Son of Man in his day^[b] will be like the lightning,^(G) which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other. ²⁵ But first he must suffer many things^(H) and be rejected^(I) by this generation.^(J)

²⁶ “Just as it was in the days of Noah,^(K) so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. ²⁷ People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all.

²⁸ “It was the same in the days of Lot.^(L) People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building.

Unity and Maturity in the Body of Christ

4 As a prisoner^(A) for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy^(B) of the calling^(C) you have received. ² Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another^(D) in love.^{(E) 3} Make every effort to keep the unity^(F) of the Spirit through the bond of peace.^{(G) 4} There is one body^(H) and one Spirit,^(I) just as you were called to one hope when you were called^(J); ⁵ one Lord,^(K) one faith, one baptism; ⁶ one God and Father of all,^(L) who is over all and through all and in all.^(M)

⁷ But to each one of us^(N) grace^(O) has been given^(P) as Christ apportioned it. ⁸ This is why it^[a] says:

⁹ (What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions^[c]? ¹⁰ He who descended is the very one who ascended^(S) higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.)^{(T) 11} So Christ himself gave^(U) the apostles,^(V) the prophets,^(W) the evangelists,^(X) the pastors and teachers,^{(Y) 12} to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ^(Z) may be built up^{(AA) 13} until we all reach unity^(AB) in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God^(AC) and become mature,^(AD) attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.^(AE)

¹⁴ Then we will no longer be infants,^(AF) tossed back and forth by the waves,^(AG) and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.^{(AH) 15} Instead, speaking the truth in love,^(AI) we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head,^(AJ) that is, Christ. ¹⁶ From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows^(AK) and builds itself up^(AL) in love,^(AM) as each part does its work.