Military Divisions

27 This is the number of the people of Israel, the heads of fathers' houses, the commanders of thousands and hundreds, and their officers who served the king in all matters concerning the divisions that came and went, month after month throughout the year, each division numbering 24,000:

^2 (A)Jashobeam the son of Zabdiel was in charge of the first division in the first month; in his division were 24,000. ³ He was a ^(B)descendant of Perez and was chief of all the commanders. He served for the first month. ^4 (C)Dodai the Ahohite^[a] was in charge of the division of the second month; in his division were 24,000. ⁵ The third commander, for the third month, was ^(D)Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada the chief priest; in his division were 24,000. ⁶ This is the Benaiah ^(E)who was a mighty man of the thirty and in command of the thirty; Ammizabad his son was in charge of his division.^{[b] 7 (F)}Asahel the brother of Joab was fourth, for the fourth month, and his son Zebadiah after him; in his division were 24,000. ⁸ The fifth commander, for the fifth month, was ^(G)Shamhuth the Izrahite; in his division were 24,000. ⁹ Sixth, for the sixth month, was ^(H)Ira, the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite; in his division were 24,000. ¹⁰ Seventh, for the seventh month, was ^(I)Helez the Pelonite, of the sons of Ephraim; in his division were 24,000. ¹¹ Eighth, for the eighth month, was ^(J)Sibbecai the Hushathite, of the Zerahites; in his division were 24,000. ¹² Ninth, for the ninth month, was ^(K)Abiezer of Anathoth, a Benjaminite; in his division were 24,000. ¹³ Tenth, for the tenth month, was ^(L)Maharai of Netophah, of the Zerahites; in his division were 24,000. ¹⁴ Eleventh, for the eleventh month, was ^(M)Benaiah of Pirathon, of the sons of Ephraim; in his division were 24,000. ¹⁵ Twelfth, for the twelfth month, was ^(N)Heldai the Netophathite, of ^(O)Othniel; in his division were 24,000.

Leaders of Tribes

¹⁶ Over the tribes of Israel, for the Reubenites, Eliezer the son of Zichri was chief officer; for the Simeonites, Shephatiah the son of Maacah; ¹⁷ for Levi, ^(P)Hashabiah the son of Kemuel; for Aaron, ^(Q)Zadok; ¹⁸ for Judah, Elihu, one of David's brothers; for Issachar, Omri the son of Michael; ¹⁹ for Zebulun, Ishmaiah the son of Obadiah; for Naphtali, Jeremoth the son of Azriel; ²⁰ for the Ephraimites, Hoshea the son of Azaziah; for the half-tribe of Manasseh, Joel the son of Pedaiah; ²¹ for the half-tribe of Manasseh in Gilead, Iddo the son of Zechariah; for Benjamin, Jaasiel the son of Abner; ²² for Dan, Azarel the son of Jeroham. These were the ^(R)leaders of the tribes of Israel. ²³ David did not count those below twenty years of age, for the ^(S)Lord had promised to make Israel as many as the stars of heaven. ²⁴ Joab the son of Zeruiah began to count, but ^(T)did not finish. Yet ^(U)wrath came upon Israel for this, and the number was not entered in the chronicles of King David.

²⁵ Over the king's treasuries was ^(V)Azmaveth the son of Adiel; and over the treasuries in the country, in the cities, in the villages, and in the towers, was Jonathan the son of Uzziah; ²⁶ and over those who did the work of the field for tilling the soil was Ezri the son of Chelub; ²⁷ and over the vineyards was Shimei the Ramathite; and over the produce of the vineyards for the wine cellars was Zabdi the Shiphmite. ²⁸ Over the olive and ^(W)sycamore trees in the Shephelah was Baal-hanan the Gederite; and over the stores of oil was Joash. ²⁹ Over the herds that pastured in ^(X)Sharon was Shitrai the Sharonite; over the herds in the valleys was Shaphat the son of Adlai. ³⁰ Over the camels was Obil the Ishmaelite; and over the donkeys was Jehdeiah the Meronothite. ³¹ Over the flocks was Jaziz the ^(Y)Hagrite. All these were stewards of King David's property.

³² Jonathan, David's uncle, was a counselor, being a man of understanding and a scribe. He and Jehiel the son of Hachmoni attended the king's sons. ^33 (Z)Ahithophel was the ^(AA)king's counselor, and Hushai the Archite was the king's friend. ³⁴ Ahithophel was succeeded by Jehoiada the son of ^(AB)Benaiah, and ^(AC)Abiathar. Joab was ^(AD)commander of the king's army.

David's Charge to Israel

28 ^(AE)David assembled at Jerusalem all the officials of Israel, the ^(AF)officials of the tribes, the officers of the divisions that served the king, the ^(AG)commanders of thousands, the commanders of hundreds, the ^(AH)stewards of all the property and livestock of the king and his sons, together with the palace officials, the ^(AI)mighty men and all the seasoned warriors. ² Then King David rose to his feet and said: “Hear me, my brothers and my people. ^(AJ)I had it in my heart to build a house of rest for the ark of the covenant of the Lord and for the ^(AK)footstool of our God, and I made preparations for building. ³ But God said to me, ^(AL)‘You may not build a house for my name, for you are a man of war and have shed blood.’ ⁴ Yet the Lord God of Israel ^(AM)chose me from all my father's house to be king over Israel ^(AN)forever. ^(AO)For he chose Judah as leader, and in the house of Judah my father's ^(AP)house, and among my father's sons he took pleasure in me to make me king over all Israel. ⁵ And of ^(AQ)all my sons (for the Lord has given me many sons) he ^(AR)has chosen Solomon my son to sit on the throne of the kingdom of the Lord over Israel. ⁶ He said to me, ‘It is ^(AS)Solomon your son who shall build my house and my courts, for I have chosen him to be my son, and I will be his father. ⁷ I will establish his kingdom ^(AT)forever ^(AU)if he continues strong in keeping my commandments and my rules, as he is today.’ ⁸ Now therefore in the sight of all Israel, the assembly of the Lord, and in the hearing of our God, observe and seek out all the commandments of the Lord your God, that you may possess this good land and leave it for an inheritance to your children after you forever.

David's Charge to Solomon

⁹ “And you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve him with a ^(AV)whole heart and with a willing mind, ^(AW)for the Lord searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought. ^(AX)If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will cast you off forever. ¹⁰ Be careful now, for the Lord has chosen you to build a house for the sanctuary; ^(AY)be strong and do it.”

¹¹ Then David gave Solomon his son the ^(AZ)plan of the ^(BA)vestibule of the temple,^[c] and of its houses, its treasuries, its upper rooms, and its inner chambers, and of the room for the ^(BB)mercy seat; ¹² and the plan of all that he had in mind for the courts of the house of the Lord, all the surrounding chambers, ^(BC)the treasuries of the house of God, and the treasuries for dedicated gifts; ¹³ for the ^(BD)divisions of the priests and of the ^(BE)Levites, and all the work of the service in the house of the Lord; for all the vessels for the service in the house of the Lord, ¹⁴ the weight of gold for all golden vessels for each service, the weight of silver vessels for each service, ¹⁵ the weight of the golden ^(BF)lampstands and their lamps, the weight of gold for each lampstand and its lamps, the weight of silver for a lampstand and its lamps, according to the use of each lampstand in the service, ¹⁶ the weight of gold for each table for the showbread, the silver for the silver tables, ¹⁷ and pure gold for the forks, the basins and the cups; for the golden bowls and the weight of each; for the silver bowls and the weight of each; ¹⁸ for the ^(BG)altar of incense made of refined gold, and its weight; also his plan for the golden chariot of the ^(BH)cherubim that spread their wings and covered the ark of the covenant of the Lord. ¹⁹ “All this he made clear to me in writing from the hand of the Lord, ^(BI)all the work to be done according to the plan.”

²⁰ Then David said to Solomon his son, ^(BJ)“Be strong and courageous and do it. Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed, for the Lord God, even my God, is with you. He will not leave you or forsake you, until all the work for the service of the house of the Lord is finished. ²¹ And behold the ^(BK)divisions of the priests and the Levites for all the service of the house of God; and with you in all the work will be ^(BL)every willing man who has skill for any kind of service; also the officers and all the people will be wholly at your command.”

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The Temptation of Jesus

4 ^(A)Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness ^(B)to be tempted by the devil. ² And after fasting ^(C)forty days and forty nights, he ^(D)was hungry. ³ And ^(E)the tempter came and said to him, “If you are ^(F)the Son of God, command ^(G)these stones to become loaves of bread.” ⁴ But he answered, ^(H)“It is written,

^5 (J)Then the devil took him to ^(K)the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple ⁶ and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written,

and

⁷ Jesus said to him, “Again ^(M)it is written, ^(N)‘You shall not ^(O)put the Lord your God to the test.’” ^8 (P)Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. ⁹ And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” ¹⁰ Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, ^(Q)Satan! For ^(R)it is written,

¹¹ Then the devil left him, and behold, ^(U)angels came and were ministering to him.

Jesus Begins His Ministry

¹² Now when he heard that ^(V)John had been arrested, ^(W)he withdrew into Galilee. ¹³ And leaving ^(X)Nazareth he went and lived in ^(Y)Capernaum by ^(Z)the sea, in the territory of ^(AA)Zebulun and Naphtali, ^14 (AB)so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:

^17 (AF)From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, ^(AG)“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”^[a]

Jesus Calls the First Disciples

^18 (AH)While walking by ^(AI)the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. ¹⁹ And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you ^(AJ)fishers of men.”^{[b] 20} Immediately they left their nets and followed him. ²¹ And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. ²² Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

Jesus Ministers to Great Crowds

^23 (AK)And he went throughout all Galilee, ^(AL)teaching in their synagogues and ^(AM)proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and ^(AN)healing every disease and every affliction among the people. ²⁴ So his fame spread throughout all ^(AO)Syria, and ^(AP)they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and ^(AQ)pains, ^(AR)those oppressed by demons, ^(AS)those having seizures, and ^(AT)paralytics, and he healed them. ^25 (AU)And great crowds followed him from Galilee and the ^(AV)Decapolis, and from Jerusalem and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.

The Sermon on the Mount

5 Seeing the crowds, ^(AW)he went up on the mountain, and when he ^(AX)sat down, his disciples came to him.

The Beatitudes

² And ^(AY)he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:

^3 (AZ)“Blessed are ^(BA)the poor in spirit, for ^(BB)theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

⁴ “Blessed are ^(BC)those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

⁵ “Blessed are the ^(BD)meek, for they ^(BE)shall inherit the earth.

⁶ “Blessed are those who hunger and ^(BF)thirst ^(BG)for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

⁷ “Blessed are ^(BH)the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

⁸ “Blessed are ^(BI)the pure in heart, for ^(BJ)they shall see God.

⁹ “Blessed are ^(BK)the peacemakers, for ^(BL)they shall be called ^(BM)sons^[c] of God.

^10 (BN)“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for ^(BO)theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

^11 (BP)“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely ^(BQ)on my account. ^12 (BR)Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for ^(BS)so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Salt and Light

¹³ “You are the salt of the earth, ^(BT)but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet.

^14 (BU)“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. ^15 (BV)Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. ¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before others, so ^(BW)that^[d] they may see your good works and ^(BX)give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Christ Came to Fulfill the Law

^17 (BY)“Do not think that I have come to abolish ^(BZ)the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but ^(CA)to fulfill them. ¹⁸ For truly, I say to you, ^(CB)until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. ^19 (CC)Therefore whoever relaxes ^(CD)one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least ^(CE)in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great ^(CF)in the kingdom of heaven. ²⁰ For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds ^(CG)that of the scribes and Pharisees, you ^(CH)will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Anger

^21 (CI)“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ^(CJ)‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable ^(CK)to judgment.’ ²² But I say to you that ^(CL)everyone who is angry with his brother^[e] will be liable ^(CM)to judgment; whoever insults^[f] his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to ^(CN)the hell^[g] of fire. ^23 (CO)So if ^(CP)you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, ²⁴ leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. ^25 (CQ)Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison. ²⁶ Truly, I say to you, ^(CR)you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.^[h]

Lust

^27 (CS)“You have heard that it was said, ^(CT)‘You shall not commit adultery.’ ²⁸ But I say to you that ^(CU)everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. ^29 (CV)If your right eye ^(CW)causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into ^(CX)hell. ^30 (CY)And if your right hand ^(CZ)causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into ^(DA)hell.

Divorce

^31 (DB)“It was also said, ^(DC)‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ ^32 (DD)But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and ^(DE)whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

Oaths

³³ “Again ^(DF)you have heard that it was said to those of old, ^(DG)‘You shall not swear falsely, but ^(DH)shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’ ³⁴ But I say to you, ^(DI)Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for ^(DJ)it is the throne of God, ³⁵ or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is ^(DK)the city of the great King. ³⁶ And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. ³⁷ Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; ^(DL)anything more than this comes from evil.^[i]

Retaliation

^38 (DM)“You have heard that it was said, ^(DN)‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ ³⁹ But I say to you, ^(DO)Do not resist the one who is evil. But ^(DP)if anyone ^(DQ)slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. ⁴⁰ And ^(DR)if anyone would sue you and take your tunic,^[j] let him have your cloak as well. ⁴¹ And if anyone ^(DS)forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. ^42 (DT)Give to the one who begs from you, and ^(DU)do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.

Love Your Enemies

^43 (DV)“You have heard that it was said, ^(DW)‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ ⁴⁴ But I say to you, ^(DX)Love your enemies and ^(DY)pray for those who persecute you, ^45 (DZ)so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and ^(EA)sends rain on the just and on the unjust. ^46 (EB)For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? ⁴⁷ And if you greet only your brothers,^[k] what more are you doing than others? Do not even ^(EC)the Gentiles do the same? ^48 (ED)You therefore must be ^(EE)perfect, ^(EF)as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Giving to the Needy

6 “Beware of ^(EG)practicing your righteousness before other people in order ^(EH)to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.

^2 (EI)“Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may ^(EJ)be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have ^(EK)received their reward. ³ But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, ⁴ so that your giving may be in secret. ^(EL)And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

The Lord's Prayer

⁵ “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love ^(EM)to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. ^(EN)Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. ⁶ But when you pray, ^(EO)go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. ^(EP)And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

⁷ “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as ^(EQ)the Gentiles do, for ^(ER)they think that they will be heard ^(ES)for their many words. ⁸ Do not be like them, ^(ET)for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. ^9 (EU)Pray then like this:

^14 (FG)For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, ^15 (FH)but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Fasting

¹⁶ “And ^(FI)when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. ^(FJ)Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. ¹⁷ But when you fast, ^(FK)anoint your head and wash your face, ¹⁸ that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. ^(FL)And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Lay Up Treasures in Heaven

^19 (FM)“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where ^(FN)moth and rust^[p] destroy and where thieves ^(FO)break in and steal, ^20 (FP)but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

^22 (FQ)“The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, ^23 (FR)but if ^(FS)your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

^24 (FT)“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and ^(FU)money.^[q]

Do Not Be Anxious

^25 (FV)“Therefore I tell you, ^(FW)do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? ^26 (FX)Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. ^(FY)Are you not of more value than they? ²⁷ And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his ^(FZ)span of life?^{[r] 28} And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, ²⁹ yet I tell you, ^(GA)even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. ³⁰ But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, ^(GB)O you of little faith? ³¹ Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For ^(GC)the Gentiles seek after all these things, and ^(GD)your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. ³³ But ^(GE)seek first ^(GF)the kingdom of God and his righteousness, ^(GG)and all these things will be added to you.

^34 (GH)“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.