Offerings for the Sanctuary

25 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ² “^(A)Tell the sons of Israel to ^[a]raise a ^[b]contribution for Me; ^(B)from every man whose heart moves him you shall ^[c]raise My ^[d]contribution. ³ This is the ^[e]contribution which you are to ^[f]raise from them: gold, silver and bronze, ^4 [g](C)blue, purple and scarlet material, fine linen, goat hair, ⁵ rams’ skins dyed red, porpoise skins, acacia wood, ^6 (D)oil for lighting, ^(E)spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense, ⁷ onyx stones and setting stones for the ^(F)ephod and for the ^[h](G)breastpiece. ⁸ Let them ^(H)construct a sanctuary for Me, ^(I)that I may dwell among them. ^9 (J)According to all that I am going to show you, as the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furniture, just so you shall construct it.

Ark of the Covenant

¹⁰ “^(K)They shall construct an ark of acacia wood two and a half ^[i]cubits ^[j]long, and one and a half cubits ^[k]wide, and one and a half cubits ^[l]high. ¹¹ You shall ^(L)overlay it with pure gold, inside and out you shall overlay it, and you shall make a gold molding ^[m]around it. ¹² You shall cast four gold rings for it and ^[n]fasten them on its four feet, and two rings shall be on one side of it and two rings on the other side of it. ¹³ You shall make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. ¹⁴ You shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark, to carry the ark with them. ¹⁵ The ^(M)poles shall ^[o]remain in the rings of the ark; they shall not be removed from it. ¹⁶ You shall ^(N)put into the ark the testimony which I shall give you.

¹⁷ “You shall ^(O)make a ^[p]mercy seat of pure gold, two and a half ^[q]cubits ^[r]long and one and a half cubits ^[s]wide. ¹⁸ You shall make two cherubim of gold, make them of hammered work ^[t]at the two ends of the mercy seat. ¹⁹ Make one cherub ^[u]at one end and one cherub ^[v]at the other end; you shall make the cherubim of one piece with the mercy seat at its two ends. ^20 (P)The cherubim shall have their wings spread upward, covering the mercy seat with their wings and ^[w]facing one another; the faces of the cherubim are to be turned toward the mercy seat. ^21 (Q)You shall put the mercy seat ^[x]on top of the ark, and ^(R)in the ark you shall put the testimony which I will give to you. ^22 (S)There I will meet with you; and from above the mercy seat, from ^(T)between the two cherubim which are upon the ark of the testimony, I will speak to you about all that I will give you in commandment for the sons of Israel.

The Table of Showbread

²³ “^(U)You shall make a table of acacia wood, two cubits ^[y]long and one cubit ^[z]wide and one and a half cubits ^[aa]high. ²⁴ You shall overlay it with pure gold and make a gold ^(V)border around it. ²⁵ You shall make for it a rim of a handbreadth around it; and you shall make a gold border for the rim around it. ²⁶ You shall make four gold rings for it and put rings on the four corners which are on its four feet. ²⁷ The rings shall be close to the rim as holders for the poles to carry the table. ²⁸ You shall make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold, so that with them the table may be carried. ²⁹ You shall make its ^[ab](W)dishes and its pans and its jars and its ^[ac]bowls with which to pour drink offerings; you shall make them of pure gold. ³⁰ You shall set ^(X)the bread of the ^[ad]Presence on the table before Me ^[ae]at all times.

The Golden Lampstand

³¹ “^(Y)Then you shall make a lampstand of pure gold. The lampstand and its base and its shaft are to be made of hammered work; its cups, its ^[af]bulbs and its flowers shall be of one piece with it. ^32 (Z)Six branches shall go out from its sides; three branches of the lampstand from its one side and three branches of the lampstand from its ^[ag]other side. ^33 (AA)Three cups shall be shaped like almond blossoms in the one branch, a ^[ah]bulb and a flower, and three cups shaped like almond blossoms in the ^[ai]other branch, a ^[aj]bulb and a flower—so for six branches going out from the lampstand; ³⁴ and ^(AB)in the lampstand four cups shaped like almond blossoms, its ^[ak]bulbs and its flowers. ^35 (AC)A ^[al]bulb shall be under the first pair of branches coming out of it, and a ^[am]bulb under the second pair of branches coming out of it, and a ^[an]bulb under the third pair of branches coming out of it, for the six branches coming out of the lampstand. ^36 (AD)Their ^[ao]bulbs and their branches shall be of one piece with it; all of it shall be one piece of hammered work of pure gold. ³⁷ Then you shall make its lamps seven in number; and ^(AE)they shall ^[ap]mount its lamps so as to shed light on the space in front of it. ³⁸ Its snuffers and ^[aq]their trays shall be of pure gold. ³⁹ It shall be made from a talent of pure gold, with all these utensils. ^40 (AF)See that you make them ^(AG)after the pattern for them, which was shown to you on the mountain.

Curtains of Linen

26 “^(AH)Moreover you shall make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twisted linen and ^[ar]blue and purple and scarlet material; you shall make them with cherubim, the work of a skillful workman. ² The length of each curtain shall be twenty-eight ^[as]cubits, and the width of each curtain four ^[at]cubits; all the curtains shall have ^[au]the same measurements. ³ Five curtains shall be ^[av]joined to one another, and the other five curtains shall be ^[aw]joined to one another. ⁴ You shall make loops of ^[ax]blue on the edge of the ^[ay]outermost curtain in the first set, and likewise you shall make them on the edge of the curtain that is outermost in the second ^[az]set. ⁵ You shall make fifty loops in the one curtain, and you shall make fifty loops on the ^[ba]edge of the curtain that is in the second ^[bb]set; the loops shall be opposite each other. ⁶ You shall make fifty clasps of gold, and ^[bc]join the curtains to one another with the clasps so that the ^[bd]tabernacle will be a unit.

Curtains of Goats’ Hair

⁷ “Then ^(AI)you shall make curtains of goats’ hair for a tent over the tabernacle; you shall make eleven curtains in all. ⁸ The length of each curtain shall be thirty ^[be]cubits, and the width of each curtain four cubits; the eleven curtains shall have ^[bf]the same measurements. ⁹ You shall ^[bg]join five curtains by themselves and the other six curtains by themselves, and you shall double over the sixth curtain ^[bh]at the front of the tent. ¹⁰ You shall make fifty loops on the edge of the ^[bi]curtain that is outermost in the first ^[bj]set, and fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that is outermost in the second ^[bk]set.

¹¹ “You shall make fifty clasps of ^[bl]bronze, and you shall put the clasps into the loops and ^[bm]join the tent together so that it will be ^[bn]a unit. ¹² The ^[bo]overlapping part that is left over in the curtains of the tent, the half curtain that is left over, shall lap over the back of the tabernacle. ¹³ The cubit on one side and the cubit on the other, of what is left over in the length of the curtains of the tent, shall lap over the sides of the tabernacle on one side and on the other, to cover it. ^14 (AJ)You shall make a covering for the tent of rams’ skins ^[bp]dyed red and a covering of porpoise skins above.

Boards and Sockets

¹⁵ “Then you shall make ^(AK)the boards for the tabernacle of acacia wood, standing upright. ¹⁶ Ten cubits shall be the length of ^[bq]each board and one and a half cubits the width of each board. ¹⁷ There shall be two tenons for each board, ^[br]fitted to one another; thus you shall do for all the boards of the tabernacle. ¹⁸ You shall make the boards for the tabernacle: twenty boards ^[bs]for the south side. ¹⁹ You shall make forty ^[bt](AL)sockets of silver under the twenty boards, two ^[bu]sockets under one board for its two tenons and two ^[bv]sockets under another board for its two tenons; ²⁰ and for the second side of the tabernacle, on the north side, twenty boards, ²¹ and their forty ^[bw]sockets of silver; two ^[bx]sockets under one board and two ^[by]sockets under another board. ²² For the ^[bz]rear of the tabernacle, to the west, you shall make six boards. ²³ You shall make two boards for the corners of the tabernacle at the ^[ca]rear. ²⁴ They shall be double beneath, and together they shall be complete ^[cb]to its top ^[cc]to the first ring; thus it shall be with both of them: they shall form the two corners. ²⁵ There shall be eight boards with their ^[cd]sockets of silver, sixteen ^[ce]sockets; two ^[cf]sockets under one board and two ^[cg]sockets under another board.

²⁶ “Then you shall make ^(AM)bars of acacia wood, five for the boards of one side of the tabernacle, ²⁷ and five bars for the boards of the ^[ch]other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the side of the tabernacle for the ^[ci]rear side to the west. ²⁸ The middle bar in the ^[cj]center of the boards shall pass through from end to end. ²⁹ You shall overlay the boards with gold and make their rings of gold as holders for the bars; and you shall overlay the bars with gold. ³⁰ Then you shall erect the tabernacle ^(AN)according to its plan which you have been shown in the mountain.

The Veil and Screen

³¹ “You shall make ^(AO)a veil of ^[ck]blue and purple and scarlet material and fine twisted linen; it shall be made with cherubim, the work of a skillful workman. ³² You shall ^[cl]hang it on four pillars of acacia overlaid with gold, their hooks also being of gold, on four ^[cm]sockets of silver. ³³ You shall ^[cn]hang up the veil under the clasps, and shall bring in ^(AP)the ark of the testimony there within the veil; and the veil shall ^[co]serve for you as a partition ^(AQ)between the holy place and the holy of holies. ^34 (AR)You shall put the mercy seat on the ark of the testimony in the holy of holies. ^35 (AS)You shall set the table outside the veil, and the ^(AT)lampstand opposite the table on the side of the tabernacle toward the south; and you shall put the table on the north side.

³⁶ “^(AU)You shall make a screen for the doorway of the tent of ^[cp]blue and purple and scarlet material and fine twisted linen, the work of a ^[cq]weaver. ^37 (AV)You shall make five pillars of acacia for the screen and overlay them with gold, their hooks also being of gold; and you shall cast five ^[cr]sockets of ^[cs]bronze for them.

The Bronze Altar

27 “And you shall make ^(AW)the altar of acacia wood, five ^[ct]cubits long and five cubits wide; the altar shall be square, and its height shall be three cubits. ² You shall make ^(AX)its horns on its four corners; its horns shall be of one piece with it, and you shall overlay it with ^[cu]bronze. ³ You shall make its pails for removing its ashes, and its shovels and its basins and its forks and its firepans; you shall make all its utensils of bronze. ⁴ You shall make for it a grating of network of bronze, and on the net you shall make four bronze rings ^[cv]at its four corners. ⁵ You shall put it beneath, under the ledge of the altar, so that the net will reach halfway up the altar. ⁶ You shall make poles for the altar, poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with bronze. ⁷ Its poles shall be inserted into the rings, so that the poles shall be on the two sides of the altar ^(AY)when it is carried. ⁸ You shall make it hollow with planks; ^(AZ)as it was shown to you in the mountain, so they shall make it.

Court of the Tabernacle

⁹ “You shall make ^(BA)the court of the ^[cw]tabernacle. ^[cx]On the south side there shall be hangings for the court of fine twisted linen one hundred cubits long for one side; ¹⁰ and its pillars shall be twenty, with their twenty ^[cy]sockets of bronze; the hooks of the pillars and their ^[cz]bands shall be of silver. ¹¹ Likewise for the north side in length there shall be hangings one hundred cubits long, and its twenty pillars with their twenty ^[da]sockets of bronze; the hooks of the pillars and their bands shall be of silver. ¹² For the width of the court on the west side shall be hangings of fifty cubits with their ten pillars and their ten ^[db]sockets. ¹³ The width of the court on the ^[dc]east side shall be fifty cubits. ¹⁴ The hangings for the one ^[dd]side of the gate shall be fifteen cubits with their three pillars and their three ^[de]sockets. ¹⁵ And for the ^[df]other ^[dg]side shall be hangings of fifteen cubits with their three pillars and their three ^[dh]sockets. ¹⁶ For the gate of the court there shall be a screen of twenty cubits, of ^[di]blue and purple and scarlet material and fine twisted linen, the work of a ^[dj]weaver, with their four pillars and their four ^[dk]sockets. ¹⁷ All the pillars around the court shall be furnished with silver bands with their hooks of silver and their ^[dl]sockets of bronze. ¹⁸ The length of the court shall be one hundred cubits, and the width fifty throughout, and the height five cubits of fine twisted linen, and their ^[dm]sockets of bronze. ¹⁹ All the utensils of the tabernacle used in all its service, and all its pegs, and all the pegs of the court, shall be of bronze.

^12 (A)The Lord gave wisdom to Solomon, just as He ^[a]promised him; and there was peace between Hiram and Solomon, and the two of them made a covenant.

Conscription of Laborers

¹³ Now ^(B)King Solomon ^[b]levied forced laborers from all Israel; and the forced laborers ^[c]numbered 30,000 men. ¹⁴ He sent them to Lebanon, 10,000 a month in relays; they were in Lebanon a month and two months at home. And ^(C)Adoniram was over the forced laborers. ¹⁵ Now ^(D)Solomon had 70,000 ^[d]transporters, and 80,000 hewers of stone in the mountains, ^16 (E)besides Solomon’s 3,300 chief deputies who were over the ^[e]project and who ruled over the people who were doing the work. ¹⁷ Then ^(F)the king commanded, and they quarried great stones, costly stones, to lay the foundation of the house with cut stones. ¹⁸ So Solomon’s builders and ^[f]Hiram’s builders and ^(G)the Gebalites ^[g]cut them, and prepared the timbers and the stones to build the house.

The Building of the Temple

6 ^(H)Now it came about in the four hundred and eightieth year after the sons of Israel came out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv which is the second month, that he ^[h]began to build the house of the Lord. ² As for the house which King Solomon built for the Lord, its length was sixty ^[i]cubits and its width twenty cubits and its height thirty cubits. ³ The porch in front of the nave of the house was twenty cubits ^[j]in length, ^[k]corresponding to the width of the house, and its ^[l]depth along the front of the house was ten cubits. ⁴ Also for the house ^(I)he made windows with artistic frames. ^5 (J)Against the wall of the house he built stories encompassing the walls of the house around both the nave and the ^(K)inner sanctuary; thus he made ^(L)side chambers all around. ⁶ The lowest story was five cubits wide, and the middle was six cubits wide, and the third was seven cubits wide; for on the outside he ^[m]made offsets in the wall of the house all around in order that the beams would not ^[n]be inserted in the walls of the house.

^7 (M)The house, while it was being built, was built of stone ^[o]prepared at the quarry, and there was neither hammer nor axe nor any iron tool heard in the house while it was being built.

⁸ The doorway for the ^[p]lowest side chamber was on the right side of the house; and they would go up by winding stairs to the middle story, and from the middle to the third. ⁹ So ^(N)he built the house and finished it; and he covered the house with beams and ^[q]planks of cedar. ¹⁰ He also built the stories against the whole house, each five ^[r]cubits high; and they ^[s]were fastened to the house with timbers of cedar.

¹¹ Now the word of the Lord came to Solomon saying, ¹² “Concerning this house which you are building, ^(O)if you will walk in My statutes and execute My ordinances and keep all My commandments by walking in them, then I will carry out My word with you which I spoke to David your father. ^13 (P)I will dwell among the sons of Israel, and ^(Q)will not forsake My people Israel.”

God Gives Most

9 For ^(A)it is superfluous for me to write to you about this ^(B)ministry to the ^[a]saints; ² for I know your readiness, of which I ^(C)boast about you to the ^(D)Macedonians, namely, that ^(E)Achaia has been prepared since ^(F)last year, and your zeal has stirred up most of them. ³ But I have sent the brethren, in order that our ^(G)boasting about you may not be made empty in this case, so that, ^(H)as I was saying, you may be prepared; ⁴ otherwise if any ^(I)Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we—not to speak of you—will be put to shame by this confidence. ⁵ So I thought it necessary to urge the ^(J)brethren that they would go on ahead to you and arrange beforehand your previously promised ^[b](K)bountiful gift, so that the same would be ready as a ^[c](L)bountiful gift and not ^[d](M)affected by covetousness.

⁶ Now this I say, ^(N)he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows ^[e]bountifully will also reap ^[f]bountifully. ⁷ Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not ^(O)grudgingly or under compulsion, for ^(P)God loves a cheerful giver. ⁸ And ^(Q)God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed; ⁹ as it is written,

¹⁰ Now He who supplies ^(S)seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and ^(T)increase the harvest of your righteousness; ¹¹ you will be ^(U)enriched in everything for all liberality, which through us is producing ^(V)thanksgiving to God. ¹² For the ministry of this service is not only fully supplying ^(W)the needs of the ^[h]saints, but is also overflowing ^(X)through many thanksgivings to God. ¹³ Because of the proof given by this ^(Y)ministry, they will ^(Z)glorify God for your obedience to your ^(AA)confession of the ^(AB)gospel of Christ and for the liberality of your ^[i]contribution to them and to all, ¹⁴ while they also, by prayer on your behalf, yearn for you because of the surpassing grace of God in you. ^15 (AC)Thanks be to God for His indescribable ^(AD)gift!

³³ “Again, ^(A)you have heard that ^[a]the ancients were told, ‘^[b](B)You shall not ^[c]make false vows, but shall fulfill your ^[d]vows to the Lord.’ ³⁴ But I say to you, ^(C)make no oath at all, either by heaven, for it is ^(D)the throne of God, ³⁵ or by the earth, for it is the ^(E)footstool of His feet, or ^[e]by Jerusalem, for it is ^(F)the city of the great King. ³⁶ Nor shall you make an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. ³⁷ But let your statement be, ‘Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no’; anything beyond these is ^[f]of ^(G)evil.

^35 (A)And Jesus began to say, as He ^(B)taught in the temple, “How is it that the scribes say that ^[a]the Christ is the ^(C)son of David? ³⁶ David himself said ^[b]in the Holy Spirit,

³⁷ David himself calls Him ‘Lord’; so in what sense is He his son?” And ^(E)the large crowd ^[c]enjoyed listening to Him.

^38 (F)In His teaching He was saying: “Beware of the scribes who like to walk around in long robes, and like ^(G)respectful greetings in the market places, ³⁹ and chief seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets, ^40 (H)who devour widows’ houses, and for appearance’s sake offer long prayers; these will receive greater condemnation.”

The Widow’s Mite

^41 (I)And He sat down opposite ^(J)the treasury, and began observing how the people were ^(K)putting ^[d]money into the treasury; and many rich people were putting in large sums. ⁴² A poor widow came and put in two ^[e]small copper coins, which amount to a ^[f]cent. ⁴³ Calling His disciples to Him, He said to them, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all ^[g]the contributors to the treasury; ⁴⁴ for they all put in out of their ^[h]surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, ^[i]all she had ^(L)to live on.”