The Setting Apart of the Levites

⁵ The Lord said to Moses: ⁶ “Take the Levites from among all the Israelites and make them ceremonially clean.^{(A) 7} To purify them, do this: Sprinkle the water of cleansing^(B) on them; then have them shave their whole bodies^(C) and wash their clothes.^(D) And so they will purify themselves.^{(E) 8} Have them take a young bull with its grain offering of the finest flour mixed with olive oil;^(F) then you are to take a second young bull for a sin offering.^{[a](G) 9} Bring the Levites to the front of the tent of meeting^(H) and assemble the whole Israelite community.^{(I) 10} You are to bring the Levites before the Lord, and the Israelites are to lay their hands on them.^{(J) 11} Aaron is to present the Levites before the Lord as a wave offering^(K) from the Israelites, so that they may be ready to do the work of the Lord.

¹² “Then the Levites are to lay their hands on the heads of the bulls,^(L) using one for a sin offering^(M) to the Lord and the other for a burnt offering,^(N) to make atonement^(O) for the Levites. ¹³ Have the Levites stand in front of Aaron and his sons and then present them as a wave offering^(P) to the Lord. ¹⁴ In this way you are to set the Levites apart from the other Israelites, and the Levites will be mine.^(Q)

¹⁵ “After you have purified the Levites and presented them as a wave offering,^(R) they are to come to do their work at the tent of meeting.^{(S) 16} They are the Israelites who are to be given wholly to me. I have taken them as my own in place of the firstborn,^(T) the first male offspring^(U) from every Israelite woman. ¹⁷ Every firstborn male in Israel, whether human or animal,^(V) is mine. When I struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, I set them apart for myself.^{(W) 18} And I have taken the Levites in place of all the firstborn sons in Israel.^{(X) 19} From among all the Israelites, I have given the Levites as gifts to Aaron and his sons^(Y) to do the work at the tent of meeting on behalf of the Israelites^(Z) and to make atonement for them^(AA) so that no plague will strike the Israelites when they go near the sanctuary.”

²⁰ Moses, Aaron and the whole Israelite community did with the Levites just as the Lord commanded Moses. ²¹ The Levites purified themselves and washed their clothes.^(AB) Then Aaron presented them as a wave offering before the Lord and made atonement^(AC) for them to purify them.^{(AD) 22} After that, the Levites came to do their work^(AE) at the tent of meeting under the supervision of Aaron and his sons. They did with the Levites just as the Lord commanded Moses.

²³ The Lord said to Moses, ²⁴ “This applies to the Levites: Men twenty-five years old or more^(AF) shall come to take part in the work at the tent of meeting,^{(AG) 25} but at the age of fifty,^(AH) they must retire from their regular service and work no longer. ²⁶ They may assist their brothers in performing their duties at the tent of meeting, but they themselves must not do the work.^(AI) This, then, is how you are to assign the responsibilities of the Levites.”

²⁸ All these were heads of families, chiefs as listed in their genealogy, and they lived in Jerusalem.

9 All Israel^(I) was listed in the genealogies recorded in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah. They were taken captive to Babylon^(J) because of their unfaithfulness.^(K)

The People in Jerusalem^(L)

² Now the first to resettle on their own property in their own towns^(M) were some Israelites, priests, Levites and temple servants.^(N)

Hope for the Mountains of Israel

36 “Son of man, prophesy to the mountains of Israel^(A) and say, ‘Mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord. ² This is what the Sovereign Lord says:^(B) The enemy said of you, “Aha!^(C) The ancient heights^(D) have become our possession.^(E)”’ ³ Therefore prophesy and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because they ravaged^(F) and crushed you from every side so that you became the possession of the rest of the nations and the object of people’s malicious talk and slander,^{(G) 4} therefore, mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Sovereign Lord: This is what the Sovereign Lord says to the mountains and hills, to the ravines and valleys,^(H) to the desolate ruins^(I) and the deserted^(J) towns that have been plundered and ridiculed^(K) by the rest of the nations around you^(L)— ⁵ this is what the Sovereign Lord says: In my burning^(M) zeal I have spoken against the rest of the nations, and against all Edom, for with glee and with malice in their hearts they made my land their own possession so that they might plunder its pastureland.’^{(N) 6} Therefore prophesy concerning the land of Israel and say to the mountains and hills, to the ravines and valleys: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I speak in my jealous wrath because you have suffered the scorn of the nations.^{(O) 7} Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I swear with uplifted hand^(P) that the nations around you will also suffer scorn.^(Q)

⁸ “‘But you, mountains of Israel, will produce branches and fruit^(R) for my people Israel, for they will soon come home. ⁹ I am concerned for you and will look on you with favor; you will be plowed and sown,^{(S) 10} and I will cause many people to live on you—yes, all of Israel. The towns will be inhabited and the ruins^(T) rebuilt.^{(U) 11} I will increase the number of people and animals living on you, and they will be fruitful^(V) and become numerous. I will settle people^(W) on you as in the past^(X) and will make you prosper more than before.^(Y) Then you will know that I am the Lord. ¹² I will cause people, my people Israel, to live on you. They will possess you, and you will be their inheritance;^(Z) you will never again deprive them of their children.

¹³ “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because some say to you, “You devour people^(AA) and deprive your nation of its children,” ¹⁴ therefore you will no longer devour people or make your nation childless, declares the Sovereign Lord. ¹⁵ No longer will I make you hear the taunts of the nations, and no longer will you suffer the scorn of the peoples or cause your nation to fall, declares the Sovereign Lord.^(AB)’”

Psalm 122

A song of ascents. Of David.

Psalm 123

A song of ascents.

The Rich and the Kingdom of God^(A)

¹⁸ A certain ruler asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”^(B)

¹⁹ “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. ²⁰ You know the commandments: ‘You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.’^[a]”^(C)

²¹ “All these I have kept since I was a boy,” he said.

²² When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor,^(D) and you will have treasure in heaven.^(E) Then come, follow me.”

²³ When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was very wealthy. ²⁴ Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!^{(F) 25} Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”

²⁶ Those who heard this asked, “Who then can be saved?”

²⁷ Jesus replied, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”^(G)

²⁸ Peter said to him, “We have left all we had to follow you!”^(H)

²⁹ “Truly I tell you,” Jesus said to them, “no one who has left home or wife or brothers or sisters or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God ³⁰ will fail to receive many times as much in this age, and in the age to come^(I) eternal life.”^(J)

²³ For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church,^(A) his body, of which he is the Savior.