The Daily Audio Bible
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Counting the Israelites
11 Then the Lord said to Moses, 12 “When you take a census of the Israelites, each person must pay the Lord a ransom for his life when he is counted. Then no plague will happen to them when they are counted. 13 As each person is counted, he must give one-fifth of an ounce of silver using the standard weight of the holy place.[a] This one-fifth of an ounce of silver is a contribution to the Lord. 14 Everyone counted who is at least 20 years old must give this contribution to the Lord. 15 The rich must not give more than one-fifth of an ounce of silver, and the poor must not give less. This contribution is given to make peace with the Lord and make your lives acceptable to the Lord. 16 Take the money the Israelites give to make peace with the Lord, and use it to pay the expenses of the tent of meeting. It will be a reminder for the Israelites in the Lord’s presence that the sins in their lives are removed.”
The Bronze Basin(A)
17 The Lord said to Moses, 18 “Make a bronze basin with a bronze stand for washing. Put it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and fill it with water. 19 Aaron and his sons will use it for washing their hands and feet. 20 Before they go into the tent of meeting, they must wash so that they will not die. Before they come near the altar to serve as priests and burn an offering by fire to the Lord, 21 they will wash their hands and feet so that they will not die. This will be a permanent law for him and his descendants for generations to come.”
The Oil for Anointing
22 The Lord said to Moses, 23 “Take the finest spices: 12½ pounds of powdered [b] myrrh; half as much, that is, 6¼ pounds of fragrant cinnamon; 6¼ pounds of fragrant cane; 24 12½ pounds of cassia—all weighed using the standard weight of the holy place—and 4 quarts of olive oil. 25 Have a perfumer make these into a holy oil, a fragrant mixture, used only for anointing. This will be the holy oil used for anointing.
26 “Use it to anoint the tent of meeting, the ark containing the words of my promise, 27 the table and all the dishes, the lamp stand and all the utensils, the altar for incense, 28 the altar for burnt offerings and all its accessories, and the basin with its stand. 29 In this way you will dedicate them for their holy purpose. Then they will be most holy, and anything that touches them will become holy. 30 Anoint Aaron and his sons as well. In this way you will set them apart for their holy duties of serving me as priests.
31 “Say to the Israelites, ‘For generations to come, this will be my holy oil used only for anointing. 32 It must never be poured on the bodies of other people. Never make any perfumed oil using this formula. It is holy, and you must treat it as holy. 33 Whoever prepares a perfume like this or puts it on anyone who is not a priest must be excluded from the people.’ ”
The Incense for Use in the Tent
34 The Lord said to Moses, “Take one part fragrant spices (two kinds of gum resin and aromatic mollusk shells), and mix them with one part pure frankincense. 35 Have a perfumer make it into fragrant incense, seasoned with salt, pure and holy. 36 Grind some of it into a fine powder, and put it in front of ⌞the ark containing⌟ the words of my promise in the tent of meeting, where I will meet with you. You must treat it as most holy. 37 Never make any incense for yourselves using this formula. Treat it as holy to the Lord. 38 Whoever prepares anything like it for his own enjoyment must be excluded from his people.”
The Craftsmen for the Tent(B)
31 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “I have chosen Bezalel, son of Uri and grandson of Hur, from the tribe of Judah. 3 I have filled Bezalel with the Spirit of God, making him highly skilled, resourceful, and knowledgeable in all trades. 4 He’s a master artist familiar with gold, silver, and bronze. 5 He knows how to cut and set stones and how to work with wood. He’s an expert in all trades. 6 Also, I have appointed Oholiab, son of Ahisamach, from the tribe of Dan, to help him. I have given every craftsman the skill necessary to make everything I have commanded you: 7 the tent of meeting, the ark containing the words of my promise with the throne of mercy on it, and all the ⌞other⌟ furnishings for the tent, 8 the table and the dishes, the pure ⌞gold⌟ lamp stand and all its utensils, the altar for incense, 9 the altar for burnt offerings and all its accessories, the basin with its stand, 10 the special clothes—the holy clothes for the priest Aaron and the clothes for his sons when they serve as priests, 11 the anointing oil, and the sweet-smelling incense for the holy place. They will make all these things as I commanded you.”
The Sign between the Lord and His People
12 The Lord said to Moses, 13 “Say to the Israelites, ‘Be sure to observe my days of rest as holy days. This will be a sign between me and you for generations to come so that you will know that I am the Lord who makes you holy.
14 “ ‘Observe the day of rest because it is holy to you. Whoever treats it like any other day must be put to death. Whoever works on that day must be excluded from the people. 15 You may work for six days, but the seventh day is a day of rest—a holy day, a day when you don’t work. It is holy to the Lord. Whoever works on that day must be put to death. 16 The Israelites must observe this day of rest as a holy day, celebrating it for generations to come as a permanent reminder of my promise.[c] 17 It will be a permanent sign between me and the Israelites, because the Lord made heaven and earth in six days, and on the seventh day he stopped working and was refreshed.’ ”
18 The Lord finished speaking to Moses on Mount Sinai. Then he gave him the two tablets with his words on them, stone tablets inscribed by God himself.
Jesus Is Arrested(A)
47 Just then, while Jesus was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve apostles, arrived. A large crowd carrying swords and clubs was with him. They were from the chief priests and leaders of the people. 48 Now, the traitor had given them a signal. He said, “The one I kiss is the man you want. Arrest him!”
49 Then Judas quickly stepped up to Jesus and said, “Hello, Rabbi!” and kissed him.
50 Jesus said to him, “Friend, why are you here?”
Then some men came forward, took hold of Jesus, and arrested him. 51 Suddenly, one of the men with Jesus pulled out his sword and cut off the ear of the chief priest’s servant. 52 Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword away! All who use a sword will be killed by a sword. 53 Don’t you think that I could call on my Father to send more than twelve legions of angels to help me now? 54 How, then, are the Scriptures to be fulfilled that say this must happen?”
55 At that time Jesus said to the crowd, “Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest me as if I were a criminal? I used to sit teaching in the temple courtyard every day. But you didn’t arrest me then. 56 All of this has happened so that what the prophets have written would come true.”
Then all the disciples abandoned him and ran away.
The Trial in Front of the Jewish Council(B)
57 Those who had arrested Jesus took him to Caiaphas, the chief priest, where the experts in Moses’ Teachings and the leaders had gathered together. 58 Peter followed at a distance until he came to the chief priest’s courtyard. He went inside and sat with the guards to see how this would turn out.
59 The chief priests and the whole council were searching for false testimony to use against Jesus in order to execute him. 60 But they did not find any, although many came forward with false testimony. At last two men came forward. 61 They stated, “This man said, ‘I can tear down God’s temple and rebuild it in three days.’ ”
62 The chief priest stood up and said to Jesus, “Don’t you have any answer to what these men testify against you?”
63 But Jesus was silent.
Then the chief priest said to him, “Swear an oath in front of the living God and tell us, are you the Messiah, the Son of God?”
64 Jesus answered him, “Yes, I am. But I alone can guarantee that from now on you will see the Son of Man in the honored position—the one next to God the Father on the heavenly throne [a]. He will be coming on the clouds of heaven.”
65 Then the chief priest tore his robes in horror and said, “He has dishonored God! Why do we need any more witnesses? You’ve just heard him dishonor God! 66 What’s your verdict?”
They answered, “He deserves the death penalty!”
67 Then they spit in his face, hit him with their fists, and some of them slapped him. 68 They said, “You Christ, if you’re a prophet, tell us who hit you.”
A psalm by David; a maskil.[a]
32 Blessed is the person whose disobedience is forgiven
and whose sin is pardoned.
2 Blessed is the person whom the Lord no longer accuses of sin
and who has no deceitful thoughts.
3 When I kept silent ⌞about my sins⌟,
my bones began to weaken because of my groaning all day long.
4 Day and night your hand laid heavily on me.
My strength shriveled in the summer heat. Selah
5 I made my sins known to you, and I did not cover up my guilt.
I decided to confess them to you, O Lord.
Then you forgave all my sins. Selah
6 For this reason let all godly people pray to you
when you may be found.
Then raging floodwater will not reach them.
7 You are my hiding place.
You protect me from trouble.
You surround me with joyous songs of salvation. Selah
8 ⌞The Lord says,⌟
“I will instruct you.
I will teach you the way that you should go.
I will advise you as my eyes watch over you.
9 Don’t be stubborn like a horse or mule.
⌞They need⌟ a bit and bridle in their mouth to restrain them,
or they will not come near you.”
10 Many heartaches await wicked people,
but mercy surrounds those who trust the Lord.
11 Be glad and find joy in the Lord, you righteous people.
Sing with joy, all whose motives are decent.
27 “When he set up the heavens, I was there.
When he traced the horizon on the surface of the ocean,
28 when he established the skies above,
when he determined the currents in the ocean,
29 when he set a limit for the sea
so the waters would not overstep his command,
when he traced the foundations of the earth,
30 I was beside him as a master craftsman.
I made him happy day after day,
I rejoiced in front of him all the time,
31 found joy in his inhabited world, and delighted in the human race.
Wisdom as Lifegiver
32 “Now, sons, listen to me.
Blessed are those who follow my ways.
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