The Golden Calf

32 When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain,^(A) they gathered around Aaron and said, “Come, make us gods^[a] who will go before^(B) us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.”^(C)

² Aaron answered them, “Take off the gold earrings^(D) that your wives, your sons and your daughters are wearing, and bring them to me.” ³ So all the people took off their earrings and brought them to Aaron. ⁴ He took what they handed him and made it into an idol^(E) cast in the shape of a calf,^(F) fashioning it with a tool. Then they said, “These are your gods,^[b](G) Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.”^(H)

⁵ When Aaron saw this, he built an altar in front of the calf and announced, “Tomorrow there will be a festival^(I) to the Lord.” ⁶ So the next day the people rose early and sacrificed burnt offerings and presented fellowship offerings.^(J) Afterward they sat down to eat and drink^(K) and got up to indulge in revelry.^(L)

⁷ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go down, because your people, whom you brought up out of Egypt,^(M) have become corrupt.^{(N) 8} They have been quick to turn away^(O) from what I commanded them and have made themselves an idol^(P) cast in the shape of a calf.^(Q) They have bowed down to it and sacrificed^(R) to it and have said, ‘These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.’^(S)

⁹ “I have seen these people,” the Lord said to Moses, “and they are a stiff-necked^(T) people. ¹⁰ Now leave me alone^(U) so that my anger may burn against them and that I may destroy^(V) them. Then I will make you into a great nation.”^(W)

¹¹ But Moses sought the favor^(X) of the Lord his God. “Lord,” he said, “why should your anger burn against your people, whom you brought out of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand?^{(Y) 12} Why should the Egyptians say, ‘It was with evil intent that he brought them out, to kill them in the mountains and to wipe them off the face of the earth’?^(Z) Turn from your fierce anger; relent and do not bring disaster^(AA) on your people. ¹³ Remember^(AB) your servants Abraham, Isaac and Israel, to whom you swore by your own self:^(AC) ‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars^(AD) in the sky and I will give your descendants all this land^(AE) I promised them, and it will be their inheritance forever.’” ¹⁴ Then the Lord relented^(AF) and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened.

Balak Summons Balaam

22 Then the Israelites traveled to the plains of Moab^(A) and camped along the Jordan^(B) across from Jericho.^(C)

² Now Balak son of Zippor^(D) saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites, ³ and Moab was terrified because there were so many people. Indeed, Moab was filled with dread^(E) because of the Israelites.

⁴ The Moabites^(F) said to the elders of Midian,^(G) “This horde is going to lick up everything^(H) around us, as an ox licks up the grass of the field.^(I)”

So Balak son of Zippor, who was king of Moab at that time, ⁵ sent messengers to summon Balaam son of Beor,^(J) who was at Pethor, near the Euphrates River,^(K) in his native land. Balak said:

⁷ The elders of Moab and Midian left, taking with them the fee for divination.^(O) When they came to Balaam, they told him what Balak had said.

⁸ “Spend the night here,” Balaam said to them, “and I will report back to you with the answer the Lord gives me.^(P)” So the Moabite officials stayed with him.

⁹ God came to Balaam^(Q) and asked,^(R) “Who are these men with you?”

¹⁰ Balaam said to God, “Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, sent me this message: ¹¹ ‘A people that has come out of Egypt covers the face of the land. Now come and put a curse on them for me. Perhaps then I will be able to fight them and drive them away.’”

¹² But God said to Balaam, “Do not go with them. You must not put a curse on those people, because they are blessed.^(S)”

¹³ The next morning Balaam got up and said to Balak’s officials, “Go back to your own country, for the Lord has refused to let me go with you.”

¹⁴ So the Moabite officials returned to Balak and said, “Balaam refused to come with us.”

¹⁵ Then Balak sent other officials, more numerous and more distinguished than the first. ¹⁶ They came to Balaam and said:

¹⁸ But Balaam answered them, “Even if Balak gave me all the silver and gold in his palace, I could not do anything great or small to go beyond the command of the Lord my God.^{(V) 19} Now spend the night here so that I can find out what else the Lord will tell me.^(W)”

²⁰ That night God came to Balaam^(X) and said, “Since these men have come to summon you, go with them, but do only what I tell you.”^(Y)

Balaam’s Donkey

²¹ Balaam got up in the morning, saddled his donkey and went with the Moabite officials.

The Resurrection Body

³⁵ But someone will ask,^(A) “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?”^{(B) 36} How foolish!^(C) What you sow does not come to life unless it dies.^{(D) 37} When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else. ³⁸ But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body.^{(E) 39} Not all flesh is the same: People have one kind of flesh, animals have another, birds another and fish another. ⁴⁰ There are also heavenly bodies and there are earthly bodies; but the splendor of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is another. ⁴¹ The sun has one kind of splendor,^(F) the moon another and the stars another;^(G) and star differs from star in splendor.

⁴² So will it be^(H) with the resurrection of the dead.^(I) The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable;^{(J) 43} it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory;^(K) it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; ⁴⁴ it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.^(L)

If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. ⁴⁵ So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being”^[a];^(M) the last Adam,^(N) a life-giving spirit.^{(O) 46} The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual.^{(P) 47} The first man was of the dust of the earth;^(Q) the second man is of heaven.^{(R) 48} As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the heavenly man, so also are those who are of heaven.^{(S) 49} And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man,^(T) so shall we^[b] bear the image of the heavenly man.^(U)

⁵⁰ I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood^(V) cannot inherit the kingdom of God,^(W) nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.^{(X) 51} Listen, I tell you a mystery:^(Y) We will not all sleep,^(Z) but we will all be changed^(AA)— ⁵² in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound,^(AB) the dead^(AC) will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. ⁵³ For the perishable^(AD) must clothe itself with the imperishable,^(AE) and the mortal with immortality. ⁵⁴ When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”^[c](AF)

⁵⁶ The sting of death is sin,^(AH) and the power of sin is the law.^{(AI) 57} But thanks be to God!^(AJ) He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.^(AK)

⁵⁸ Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord,^(AL) because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.^(AM)

Jesus Raises a Widow’s Son^(A)

¹¹ Soon afterward, Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went along with him. ¹² As he approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out—the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her. ¹³ When the Lord^(B) saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, “Don’t cry.”

¹⁴ Then he went up and touched the bier they were carrying him on, and the bearers stood still. He said, “Young man, I say to you, get up!”^{(C) 15} The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother.

¹⁶ They were all filled with awe^(D) and praised God.^(E) “A great prophet^(F) has appeared among us,” they said. “God has come to help his people.”^{(G) 17} This news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the surrounding country.^(H)