Psalm 128

A song of ascents.

¹³ “‘This is the special gift you are to offer: a sixth of an ephah^[a] from each homer of wheat and a sixth of an ephah^[b] from each homer of barley. ¹⁴ The prescribed portion of olive oil, measured by the bath, is a tenth of a bath^[c] from each cor (which consists of ten baths or one homer, for ten baths are equivalent to a homer). ¹⁵ Also one sheep is to be taken from every flock of two hundred from the well-watered pastures of Israel. These will be used for the grain offerings, burnt offerings^(A) and fellowship offerings to make atonement^(B) for the people, declares the Sovereign Lord. ¹⁶ All the people of the land will be required to give this special offering to the prince in Israel. ¹⁷ It will be the duty of the prince to provide the burnt offerings, grain offerings and drink offerings at the festivals, the New Moons^(C) and the Sabbaths^(D)—at all the appointed festivals of Israel. He will provide the sin offerings,^[d] grain offerings, burnt offerings and fellowship offerings to make atonement for the Israelites.^(E)

¹⁸ “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: In the first month^(F) on the first day you are to take a young bull without defect^(G) and purify the sanctuary.^{(H) 19} The priest is to take some of the blood of the sin offering and put it on the doorposts of the temple, on the four corners of the upper ledge^(I) of the altar^(J) and on the gateposts of the inner court. ²⁰ You are to do the same on the seventh day of the month for anyone who sins unintentionally^(K) or through ignorance; so you are to make atonement for the temple.

²¹ “‘In the first month on the fourteenth day you are to observe the Passover,^(L) a festival lasting seven days, during which you shall eat bread made without yeast. ²² On that day the prince is to provide a bull as a sin offering for himself and for all the people of the land.^{(M) 23} Every day during the seven days of the festival he is to provide seven bulls and seven rams^(N) without defect as a burnt offering to the Lord, and a male goat for a sin offering.^{(O) 24} He is to provide as a grain offering^(P) an ephah for each bull and an ephah for each ram, along with a hin^[e] of olive oil for each ephah.^(Q)

²⁵ “‘During the seven days of the festival,^(R) which begins in the seventh month on the fifteenth day, he is to make the same provision for sin offerings, burnt offerings, grain offerings and oil.^(S)

46 “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: The gate of the inner court^(T) facing east^(U) is to be shut on the six working days, but on the Sabbath day and on the day of the New Moon^(V) it is to be opened. ² The prince is to enter from the outside through the portico^(W) of the gateway and stand by the gatepost. The priests are to sacrifice his burnt offering^(X) and his fellowship offerings. He is to bow down in worship at the threshold of the gateway and then go out, but the gate will not be shut until evening.^{(Y) 3} On the Sabbaths^(Z) and New Moons the people of the land are to worship in the presence of the Lord at the entrance of that gateway.^{(AA) 4} The burnt offering the prince brings to the Lord on the Sabbath day is to be six male lambs and a ram, all without defect. ⁵ The grain offering given with the ram is to be an ephah,^[f] and the grain offering with the lambs is to be as much as he pleases, along with a hin^[g] of olive oil for each ephah.^{(AB) 6} On the day of the New Moon^(AC) he is to offer a young bull, six lambs and a ram, all without defect.^{(AD) 7} He is to provide as a grain offering one ephah with the bull, one ephah with the ram, and with the lambs as much as he wants to give, along with a hin of oil for each ephah.^{(AE) 8} When the prince enters, he is to go in through the portico^(AF) of the gateway, and he is to come out the same way.^(AG)

⁹ “‘When the people of the land come before the Lord at the appointed festivals,^(AH) whoever enters by the north gate to worship is to go out the south gate; and whoever enters by the south gate is to go out the north gate. No one is to return through the gate by which they entered, but each is to go out the opposite gate. ¹⁰ The prince is to be among them, going in when they go in and going out when they go out.^{(AI) 11} At the feasts and the appointed festivals, the grain offering is to be an ephah with a bull, an ephah with a ram, and with the lambs as much as he pleases, along with a hin of oil for each ephah.^(AJ)

¹² “‘When the prince provides^(AK) a freewill offering^(AL) to the Lord—whether a burnt offering or fellowship offerings—the gate facing east is to be opened for him. He shall offer his burnt offering or his fellowship offerings as he does on the Sabbath day. Then he shall go out, and after he has gone out, the gate will be shut.^(AM)

¹³ “‘Every day you are to provide a year-old lamb without defect for a burnt offering to the Lord; morning by morning^(AN) you shall provide it.^{(AO) 14} You are also to provide with it morning by morning a grain offering, consisting of a sixth of an ephah^[h] with a third of a hin^[i] of oil^(AP) to moisten the flour. The presenting of this grain offering to the Lord is a lasting ordinance.^{(AQ) 15} So the lamb and the grain offering and the oil shall be provided morning by morning for a regular^(AR) burnt offering.^(AS)

¹⁶ “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: If the prince makes a gift from his inheritance to one of his sons, it will also belong to his descendants; it is to be their property by inheritance.^{(AT) 17} If, however, he makes a gift from his inheritance to one of his servants, the servant may keep it until the year of freedom;^(AU) then it will revert to the prince. His inheritance belongs to his sons only; it is theirs. ¹⁸ The prince must not take^(AV) any of the inheritance^(AW) of the people, driving them off their property. He is to give his sons their inheritance out of his own property, so that not one of my people will be separated from their property.’”

¹⁹ Then the man brought me through the entrance^(AX) at the side of the gate to the sacred rooms facing north,^(AY) which belonged to the priests, and showed me a place at the western end. ²⁰ He said to me, “This is the place where the priests are to cook the guilt offering and the sin offering^[j] and bake the grain offering, to avoid bringing them into the outer court and consecrating^(AZ) the people.”^(BA)

²¹ He then brought me to the outer court and led me around to its four corners, and I saw in each corner another court. ²² In the four corners of the outer court were enclosed^[k] courts, forty cubits long and thirty cubits wide;^[l] each of the courts in the four corners was the same size. ²³ Around the inside of each of the four courts was a ledge of stone, with places for fire built all around under the ledge. ²⁴ He said to me, “These are the kitchens where those who minister at the temple are to cook the sacrifices of the people.”

Be Holy

¹³ Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober,^(A) set your hope^(B) on the grace to be brought to you^(C) when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming.^{(D) 14} As obedient^(E) children, do not conform^(F) to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance.^{(G) 15} But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do;^{(H) 16} for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”^[a](I)

¹⁷ Since you call on a Father^(J) who judges each person’s work^(K) impartially,^(L) live out your time as foreigners^(M) here in reverent fear.^{(N) 18} For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed^(O) from the empty way of life^(P) handed down to you from your ancestors, ¹⁹ but with the precious blood^(Q) of Christ, a lamb^(R) without blemish or defect.^{(S) 20} He was chosen before the creation of the world,^(T) but was revealed in these last times^(U) for your sake. ²¹ Through him you believe in God,^(V) who raised him from the dead^(W) and glorified him,^(X) and so your faith and hope^(Y) are in God.

²² Now that you have purified^(Z) yourselves by obeying^(AA) the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply,^(AB) from the heart.^{[b] 23} For you have been born again,^(AC) not of perishable seed, but of imperishable,^(AD) through the living and enduring word of God.^{(AE) 24} For,

And this is the word that was preached to you.

2 Therefore, rid yourselves^(AG) of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander^(AH) of every kind. ² Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk,^(AI) so that by it you may grow up^(AJ) in your salvation, ³ now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.^(AK)

The Living Stone and a Chosen People

⁴ As you come to him, the living Stone^(AL)—rejected by humans but chosen by God^(AM) and precious to him— ⁵ you also, like living stones, are being built^(AN) into a spiritual house^[d](AO) to be a holy priesthood,^(AP) offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.^{(AQ) 6} For in Scripture it says:

⁷ Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe,^(AT)

⁸ and,

They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for.^(AX)

⁹ But you are a chosen people,^(AY) a royal priesthood,^(AZ) a holy nation,^(BA) God’s special possession,^(BB) that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.^{(BC) 10} Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God;^(BD) once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.