Oholiab and Bezalel

31 The Lord said to Moses, ² “See, I have called by name ^(A)Bezalel the son of Uri, son of ^(B)Hur, of the tribe of Judah, ³ and I have ^(C)filled him with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship, ⁴ to devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver, and bronze, ⁵ in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, to work in every craft. ⁶ And behold, I have appointed with him ^(D)Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan. And I have given to all able men ^(E)ability, that they may make all that I have commanded you: ^7 (F)the tent of meeting, and ^(G)the ark of the testimony, and ^(H)the mercy seat that is on it, and all the furnishings of the tent, ^8 (I)the table and its utensils, and ^(J)the pure lampstand with all its utensils, and ^(K)the altar of incense, ⁹ and ^(L)the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and ^(M)the basin and its stand, ¹⁰ and ^(N)the finely worked garments,^[a] the holy garments for Aaron the priest and the garments of his sons, for their service as priests, ¹¹ and ^(O)the anointing oil and the fragrant ^(P)incense for the Holy Place. According to all that I have commanded you, they shall do.”

The Sabbath

¹² And the Lord said to Moses, ¹³ “You are to speak to the people of Israel and say, ‘Above all you shall keep my Sabbaths, for this is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I, the Lord, sanctify you. ¹⁴ You shall keep the Sabbath, because it is holy for you. Everyone who profanes it shall be put to death. ^(Q)Whoever does any work on it, that soul shall be cut off from among his people. ^15 (R)Six days shall work be done, but ^(S)the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the Lord. ^(T)Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day shall be put to death. ¹⁶ Therefore the people of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, observing the Sabbath throughout their generations, as a covenant forever. ^17 (U)It is a sign forever between me and the people of Israel that ^(V)in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and ^(W)on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.’”

¹⁸ And he gave to Moses, when he had finished speaking with him on Mount Sinai, the ^(X)two tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone, written with ^(Y)the finger of God.

The Golden Calf

32 When the people saw that Moses ^(Z)delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered themselves together to Aaron and said to him, ^(AA)“Up, make us gods who shall ^(AB)go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.” ² So Aaron said to them, “Take off the ^(AC)rings of gold that are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” ³ So all the people took off the rings of gold that were in their ears and brought them to Aaron. ^4 (AD)And he received the gold from their hand and fashioned it with a graving tool and made a golden^[b] calf. And they said, ^(AE)“These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!” ⁵ When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it. And Aaron ^(AF)made a proclamation and said, “Tomorrow shall be a feast to the Lord.” ⁶ And they rose up early the next day and offered burnt offerings and brought peace offerings. And ^(AG)the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up ^(AH)to play.

⁷ And the Lord said to Moses, ^(AI)“Go down, for your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have ^(AJ)corrupted themselves. ⁸ They have turned aside quickly out of the way that ^(AK)I commanded them. They have made for themselves a golden calf and have worshiped it and sacrificed to it and said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!’” ⁹ And the Lord said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and behold, ^(AL)it is a stiff-necked people. ¹⁰ Now therefore ^(AM)let me alone, that ^(AN)my wrath may burn hot against them and ^(AO)I may consume them, in order that ^(AP)I may make a great nation of you.”

¹¹ But ^(AQ)Moses implored the Lord his God and said, “O Lord, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? ^12 (AR)Why should the Egyptians say, ‘With evil intent did he bring them out, to kill them in the mountains and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn from your burning anger and ^(AS)relent from this disaster against your people. ¹³ Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, to whom you ^(AT)swore by your own self, and said to them, ^(AU)‘I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give to your offspring, and they shall inherit it forever.’” ¹⁴ And the Lord ^(AV)relented from the disaster that he had spoken of bringing on his people.

¹⁵ Then ^(AW)Moses turned and went down from the mountain with the ^(AX)two tablets of the testimony in his hand, tablets that were written on both sides; on the front and on the back they were written. ^16 (AY)The tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets. ¹⁷ When ^(AZ)Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said to Moses, “There is a noise of war in the camp.” ¹⁸ But he said, “It is not the sound of ^(BA)shouting for victory, or the sound of the cry of defeat, but the sound of singing that I hear.” ¹⁹ And as soon as he came near the camp and ^(BB)saw the calf and the dancing, Moses' anger burned hot, and he threw the tablets out of his hands and broke them at the foot of the mountain. ²⁰ He took the calf that they had made and burned it with fire and ground it to powder and scattered it on the water and made the people of Israel drink it.

²¹ And Moses said to Aaron, ^(BC)“What did this people do to you that you have brought such a great sin upon them?” ²² And Aaron said, “Let not the anger of my lord burn hot. ^(BD)You know the people, that they are set on evil. ²³ For ^(BE)they said to me, ‘Make us gods who shall go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’ ²⁴ So ^(BF)I said to them, ‘Let any who have gold take it off.’ So they gave it to me, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf.”

²⁵ And when Moses saw that the people had broken loose (for Aaron had let them break loose, ^(BG)to the derision of their enemies), ²⁶ then Moses stood in the gate of the camp and said, “Who is on the Lord's side? Come to me.” And all the sons of Levi gathered around him. ²⁷ And he said to them, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel, ‘Put your sword on your side each of you, and go to and fro from gate to gate throughout the camp, and each of you ^(BH)kill his brother and his companion and his neighbor.’” ²⁸ And the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses. And that day about three thousand men of the people fell. ²⁹ And Moses said, “Today you have been ^(BI)ordained for the service of the Lord, each one at the cost of his son and of his brother, so that he might bestow a blessing upon you this day.”

³⁰ The next day Moses said to the people, ^(BJ)“You have sinned a great sin. And now I will go up to the Lord; ^(BK)perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.” ³¹ So Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Alas, ^(BL)this people has sinned a great sin. They have ^(BM)made for themselves gods of gold. ³² But now, if ^(BN)you will forgive their sin—but if not, please ^(BO)blot me out of ^(BP)your book that you have written.” ³³ But the Lord said to Moses, ^(BQ)“Whoever has sinned against me, I will blot out of my book. ^34 (BR)But now go, lead the people to the place about which I have spoken to you; ^(BS)behold, my angel shall go before you. Nevertheless, in the day when I visit, I will visit their sin upon them.”

³⁵ Then the Lord sent a plague on the people, because they made the calf, the one that Aaron made.

Wives and Husbands

3 Likewise, wives, ^(A)be subject to your own husbands, so that ^(B)even if some do not obey the word, ^(C)they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, ² when they see your ^(D)respectful and pure conduct. ^3 (E)Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— ⁴ but let your adorning be ^(F)the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious. ⁵ For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands, ⁶ as Sarah obeyed Abraham, ^(G)calling him lord. And you are her children, if you do good and ^(H)do not fear anything that is frightening.

⁷ Likewise, ^(I)husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker ^(J)vessel, since they are heirs with you^[a] of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.

Suffering for Righteousness' Sake

⁸ Finally, all of you, ^(K)have unity of mind, sympathy, ^(L)brotherly love, ^(M)a tender heart, and ^(N)a humble mind. ^9 (O)Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, ^(P)bless, for ^(Q)to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing. ¹⁰ For

¹³ Now ^(S)who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? ^14 (T)But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. ^(U)Have no fear of them, ^(V)nor be troubled, ¹⁵ but ^(W)in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, ^(X)always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and ^(Y)respect, ^16 (Z)having a good conscience, so that, ^(AA)when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. ¹⁷ For ^(AB)it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God's will, than for doing evil.

¹⁸ For Christ also ^(AC)suffered^{[b] (AD)}once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, ^(AE)that he might bring us to God, being put to death ^(AF)in the flesh but made alive ^(AG)in the spirit, ¹⁹ in which^[c] he went and ^(AH)proclaimed^[d] to the spirits in prison, ²⁰ because^[e] they formerly did not obey, ^(AI)when God's patience waited in the days of Noah, ^(AJ)while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, ^(AK)eight persons, were brought safely through water. ²¹ Baptism, which corresponds to this, ^(AL)now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but ^(AM)as an appeal to God for a good conscience, ^(AN)through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, ²² who has gone into heaven and ^(AO)is at the right hand of God, ^(AP)with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.

Stewards of God's Grace

4 Since therefore ^(AQ)Christ suffered in the flesh,^{[f] (AR)}arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for ^(AS)whoever has suffered in the flesh ^(AT)has ceased from sin, ^2 (AU)so as to live for ^(AV)the rest of the time in the flesh ^(AW)no longer for human passions but ^(AX)for the will of God. ³ For the time that is past ^(AY)suffices ^(AZ)for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry. ⁴ With respect to this they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of ^(BA)debauchery, and ^(BB)they malign you; ⁵ but they will give account to him who is ready ^(BC)to judge the living and the dead. ⁶ For this is why ^(BD)the gospel was preached even to those who are dead, that though judged in the flesh the way people are, they might live in the spirit the way God does.

^7 (BE)The end of all things is at hand; therefore ^(BF)be self-controlled and sober-minded ^(BG)for the sake of your prayers. ⁸ Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since ^(BH)love covers a multitude of sins. ^9 (BI)Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. ^10 (BJ)As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, ^(BK)as good stewards of God's varied grace: ¹¹ whoever speaks, as one who speaks ^(BL)oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves ^(BM)by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything ^(BN)God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. ^(BO)To him belong glory and ^(BP)dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Suffering as a Christian

¹² Beloved, do not be surprised at ^(BQ)the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. ¹³ But rejoice ^(BR)insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad ^(BS)when his glory is revealed. ^14 (BT)If you are insulted ^(BU)for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory^[g] and of God rests upon you. ¹⁵ But ^(BV)let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or ^(BW)as a meddler. ¹⁶ Yet ^(BX)if anyone suffers as a ^(BY)Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God ^(BZ)in that name. ¹⁷ For it is time for judgment ^(CA)to begin at the household of God; and ^(CB)if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who ^(CC)do not obey the gospel of God? ¹⁸ And

¹⁹ Therefore let those who suffer according to God's will ^(CE)entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.

Shepherd the Flock of God

5 So I exhort the elders among you, ^(CF)as a fellow elder and ^(CG)a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: ^2 (CH)shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight,^{[i] (CI)}not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you;^{[j] (CJ)}not for shameful gain, but eagerly; ³ not ^(CK)domineering over those in your charge, but ^(CL)being examples to the flock. ⁴ And when ^(CM)the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the ^(CN)unfading ^(CO)crown of glory. ⁵ Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. ^(CP)Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for ^(CQ)“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

^6 (CR)Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, ^7 (CS)casting all your anxieties on him, because ^(CT)he cares for you. ^8 (CU)Be sober-minded; ^(CV)be watchful. Your ^(CW)adversary the devil ^(CX)prowls around ^(CY)like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. ^9 (CZ)Resist him, ^(DA)firm in your faith, knowing that ^(DB)the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. ¹⁰ And ^(DC)after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, ^(DD)who has called you to his ^(DE)eternal glory in Christ, will himself ^(DF)restore, ^(DG)confirm, strengthen, and establish you. ^11 (DH)To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Final Greetings

¹² By ^(DI)Silvanus, a faithful brother as I regard him, ^(DJ)I have written briefly to you, exhorting and declaring that this is ^(DK)the true grace of God. ^(DL)Stand firm in it. ¹³ She who is at Babylon, who is likewise chosen, sends you greetings, and so does ^(DM)Mark, my son. ^14 (DN)Greet one another with the kiss of love.

^(DO)Peace to all of you who are in Christ.