Giving the Firstfruits

26 “When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance,^(A) and you take possession of it and live in it, ² take some of the first of all the land’s produce that you harvest from the land the Lord your God is giving you and put it in a basket. Then go to the place where the Lord your God chooses to have his name dwell.^{(B) 3} When you come before the priest who is serving at that time, say to him, ‘Today I declare to the Lord your^[a] God that I have entered the land the Lord swore to our ancestors to give us.’

⁴ “Then the priest will take the basket from you and place it before the altar of the Lord your God. ⁵ You are to respond by saying in the presence of the Lord your God:

My father was a wandering Aramean.^(C) He went down to Egypt with a few people and resided there as an alien.^(D) There he became a great, powerful, and populous nation. ⁶ But the Egyptians mistreated and oppressed us, and forced us to do hard labor. ⁷ So we called out to the Lord, the God of our ancestors, and the Lord heard our cry and saw our misery, hardship, and oppression.^{(E) 8} Then the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a strong hand and an outstretched arm, with terrifying power, and with signs and wonders. ⁹ He led us to this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey.^{(F) 10} I have now brought the first of the land’s produce that you, Lord, have given me.

You will then place the container before the Lord your God and bow down to him. ¹¹ You, the Levites, and the resident aliens among you will rejoice^(G) in all the good things the Lord your God has given you and your household.

⁸ On the contrary, what does it say? The message is near you, in your mouth and in your heart.^[a](A) This is the message of faith that we proclaim: ⁹ If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,”^(B) and believe in your heart^(C) that God raised him from the dead,^(D) you will be saved. ¹⁰ One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation. ¹¹ For the Scripture says, Everyone who believes on him will not be put to shame,^{[b](E) 12} since there is no distinction between Jew and Greek,^(F) because the same Lord^(G) of all^(H) richly blesses all who call on him. ¹³ For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.^[c](I)

The Temptation of Jesus

4 Then Jesus^(A) left the Jordan,^(B) full of the Holy Spirit,^(C) and was led by the Spirit^(D) in the wilderness ² for forty days^(E) to be tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and when they were over, he was hungry. ³ The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.”

⁴ But Jesus answered him, “It is written: Man must not live on bread alone.”^[a][b](F)

⁵ So he took him up^[c] and showed him all the kingdoms of the world^(G) in a moment of time. ⁶ The devil said to him, “I will give you their splendor and all this authority, because it has been given over to me,^(H) and I can give it to anyone I want. ⁷ If you, then, will worship me,^[d] all will be yours.”

⁸ And Jesus answered him,^[e] “It is written: Worship the Lord your God, and serve^[f] him only.”^(I)

⁹ So he took him to Jerusalem, had him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here. ¹⁰ For it is written:

¹² And Jesus answered him, “It is said: Do not test the Lord your God.”^[i](L)

¹³ After the devil had finished every temptation, he departed from him for a time.