Exodus 21-36
New King James Version
The Law Concerning Servants(A)
21 “Now these are the [a]judgments which you shall (B)set before them: 2 (C)If you buy a Hebrew servant, he shall serve six years; and in the seventh he shall go out free and pay nothing. 3 If he comes in by himself, he shall go out by himself; if he comes in married, then his wife shall go out with him. 4 If his master has given him a wife, and she has borne him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall be her master’s, and he shall go out by himself. 5 (D)But if the servant plainly says, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free,’ 6 then his master shall bring him to the (E)judges. He shall also bring him to the door, or to the doorpost, and his master shall pierce his ear with an awl; and he shall serve him forever.
7 “And if a man (F)sells his daughter to be a female slave, she shall not go out as the male slaves do. 8 If she [b]does not please her master, who has betrothed her to himself, then he shall let her be redeemed. He shall have no right to sell her to a foreign people, since he has dealt deceitfully with her. 9 And if he has betrothed her to his son, he shall deal with her according to the custom of daughters. 10 If he takes another wife, he shall not diminish her food, her clothing, (G)and her marriage rights. 11 And if he does not do these three for her, then she shall go out free, without paying money.
The Law Concerning Violence
12 (H)“He who strikes a man so that he dies shall surely be put to death. 13 However, (I)if he did not lie in wait, but God (J)delivered him into his hand, then (K)I will appoint for you a place where he may flee.
14 “But if a man acts with (L)premeditation against his neighbor, to kill him by treachery, (M)you shall take him from My altar, that he may die.
15 “And he who strikes his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.
16 (N)“He who kidnaps a man and (O)sells him, or if he is (P)found in his hand, shall surely be put to death.
17 “And (Q)he who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.
18 “If men contend with each other, and one strikes the other with a stone or with his fist, and he does not die but is confined to his bed, 19 if he rises again and walks about outside (R)with his staff, then he who struck him shall be [c]acquitted. He shall only pay for the loss of his time, and shall provide for him to be thoroughly healed.
20 “And if a man beats his male or female servant with a rod, so that he dies under his hand, he shall surely be punished. 21 Notwithstanding, if he remains alive a day or two, he shall not be punished; for he is his (S)property.
22 “If men [d]fight, and hurt a woman with child, so that [e]she gives birth prematurely, yet no harm follows, he shall surely be punished accordingly as the woman’s husband imposes on him; and he shall (T)pay as the judges determine. 23 But if any harm follows, then you shall give life for life, 24 (U)eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 25 burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.
26 “If a man strikes the eye of his male or female servant, and destroys it, he shall let him go free for the sake of his eye. 27 And if he knocks out the tooth of his male or female servant, he shall let him go free for the sake of his tooth.
Animal Control Laws
28 “If an ox gores a man or a woman to death, then (V)the ox shall surely be stoned, and its flesh shall not be eaten; but the owner of the ox shall be [f]acquitted. 29 But if the ox [g]tended to thrust with its horn in times past, and it has been made known to his owner, and he has not kept it confined, so that it has killed a man or a woman, the ox shall be stoned and its owner also shall be put to death. 30 If there is imposed on him a sum of money, then he shall pay (W)to redeem his life, whatever is imposed on him. 31 Whether it has gored a son or gored a daughter, according to this judgment it shall be done to him. 32 If the ox gores a male or female servant, he shall give to their master (X)thirty shekels of silver, and the (Y)ox shall be stoned.
33 “And if a man opens a pit, or if a man digs a pit and does not cover it, and an ox or a donkey falls in it, 34 the owner of the pit shall make it good; he shall give money to their owner, but the dead animal shall be his.
35 “If one man’s ox hurts another’s, so that it dies, then they shall sell the live ox and divide the money from it; and the dead ox they shall also divide. 36 Or if it was known that the ox tended to thrust in time past, and its owner has not kept it confined, he shall surely pay ox for ox, and the dead animal shall be his own.
Responsibility for Property
22 “If a man steals an ox or a sheep, and slaughters it or sells it, he shall (Z)restore five oxen for an ox and four sheep for a sheep. 2 If the thief is found (AA)breaking in, and he is struck so that he dies, there shall be (AB)no guilt for his bloodshed. 3 If the sun has risen on him, there shall be guilt for his bloodshed. He should make full restitution; if he has nothing, then he shall be (AC)sold[h] for his theft. 4 If the theft is certainly (AD)found alive in his hand, whether it is an ox or donkey or sheep, he shall (AE)restore double.
5 “If a man causes a field or vineyard to be grazed, and lets loose his animal, and it feeds in another man’s field, he shall make restitution from the best of his own field and the best of his own vineyard.
6 “If fire breaks out and catches in thorns, so that stacked grain, standing grain, or the field is consumed, he who kindled the fire shall surely make restitution.
7 “If a man (AF)delivers to his neighbor money or articles to keep, and it is stolen out of the man’s house, (AG)if the thief is found, he shall pay double. 8 If the thief is not found, then the master of the house shall be brought to the (AH)judges to see whether he has put his hand into his neighbor’s goods.
9 “For any kind of trespass, whether it concerns an ox, a donkey, a sheep, or clothing, or for any kind of lost thing which another claims to be his, the (AI)cause of both parties shall come before the judges; and whomever the judges condemn shall pay double to his neighbor. 10 If a man delivers to his neighbor a donkey, an ox, a sheep, or any animal to keep, and it dies, is hurt, or driven away, no one seeing it, 11 then an (AJ)oath of the Lord shall be between them both, that he has not put his hand into his neighbor’s goods; and the owner of it shall accept that, and he shall not make it good. 12 But (AK)if, in fact, it is stolen from him, he shall make restitution to the owner of it. 13 If it is (AL)torn to pieces by a beast, then he shall bring it as evidence, and he shall not make good what was torn.
14 “And if a man borrows anything from his neighbor, and it becomes injured or dies, the owner of it not being with it, he shall surely make it good. 15 If its owner was with it, he shall not make it good; if it was hired, it came for its hire.
Moral and Ceremonial Principles
16 (AM)“If a man entices a virgin who is not betrothed, and lies with her, he shall surely pay the bride-price for her to be his wife. 17 If her father utterly refuses to give her to him, he shall pay money according to the (AN)bride-price of virgins.
18 (AO)“You shall not permit a sorceress to live.
19 (AP)“Whoever lies with an animal shall surely be put to death.
20 (AQ)“He who sacrifices to any god, except to the Lord only, he shall be utterly destroyed.
21 (AR)“You shall neither mistreat a [i]stranger nor oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.
22 (AS)“You shall not afflict any widow or fatherless child. 23 If you afflict them in any way, and they (AT)cry at all to Me, I will surely (AU)hear their cry; 24 and My (AV)wrath will become hot, and I will kill you with the sword; (AW)your wives shall be widows, and your children fatherless.
25 (AX)“If you lend money to any of My people who are poor among you, you shall not be like a moneylender to him; you shall not charge him (AY)interest. 26 (AZ)If you ever take your neighbor’s garment as a pledge, you shall return it to him before the sun goes down. 27 For that is his only covering, it is his garment for his skin. What will he sleep in? And it will be that when he cries to Me, I will hear, for I am (BA)gracious.
28 (BB)“You shall not revile God, nor curse a (BC)ruler of your people.
29 “You shall not delay to offer (BD)the first of your ripe produce and your juices. (BE)The firstborn of your sons you shall give to Me. 30 (BF)Likewise you shall do with your oxen and your sheep. It shall be with its mother (BG)seven days; on the eighth day you shall give it to Me.
31 “And you shall be (BH)holy men to Me: (BI)you shall not eat meat torn by beasts in the field; you shall throw it to the dogs.
Justice for All
23 “You (BJ)shall not circulate a false report. Do not put your hand with the wicked to be an (BK)unrighteous witness. 2 (BL)You shall not follow a crowd to do evil; (BM)nor shall you testify in a dispute so as to turn aside after many to pervert justice. 3 You shall not show partiality to a (BN)poor man in his dispute.
4 (BO)“If you meet your enemy’s ox or his donkey going astray, you shall surely bring it back to him again. 5 (BP)If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying under its burden, and you would refrain from helping it, you shall surely help him with it.
6 (BQ)“You shall not pervert the judgment of your poor in his dispute. 7 (BR)Keep yourself far from a false matter; (BS)do not kill the innocent and righteous. For (BT)I will not justify the wicked. 8 And (BU)you shall take no bribe, for a bribe blinds the discerning and perverts the words of the righteous.
9 “Also (BV)you shall not oppress a [j]stranger, for you know the heart of a stranger, because you were strangers in the land of Egypt.
The Law of Sabbaths
10 (BW)“Six years you shall sow your land and gather in its produce, 11 but the seventh year you shall let it rest and lie fallow, that the poor of your people may eat; and what they leave, the beasts of the field may eat. In like manner you shall do with your vineyard and your [k]olive grove. 12 (BX)Six days you shall do your work, and on the seventh day you shall rest, that your ox and your donkey may rest, and the son of your female servant and the stranger may be refreshed.
13 “And in all that I have said to you, (BY)be circumspect and (BZ)make no mention of the name of other gods, nor let it be heard from your mouth.
Three Annual Feasts(CA)
14 (CB)“Three times you shall keep a feast to Me in the year: 15 (CC)You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread (you shall eat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded you, at the time appointed in the month of Abib, for in it you came out of Egypt; (CD)none shall appear before Me empty); 16 (CE)and the Feast of Harvest, the firstfruits of your labors which you have sown in the field; and (CF)the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you have gathered in the fruit of your labors from the field.
17 (CG)“Three times in the year all your males shall appear before the Lord [l]God.
18 (CH)“You shall not offer the blood of My sacrifice with leavened (CI)bread; nor shall the fat of My [m]sacrifice remain until morning. 19 (CJ)The first of the firstfruits of your land you shall bring into the house of the Lord your God. (CK)You shall not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk.
The Angel and the Promises
20 (CL)“Behold, I send an Angel before you to keep you in the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared. 21 Beware of Him and obey His voice; (CM)do not provoke Him, for He will (CN)not pardon your transgressions; for (CO)My name is in Him. 22 But if you indeed obey His voice and do all that I speak, then (CP)I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries. 23 (CQ)For My Angel will go before you and (CR)bring you in to the Amorites and the Hittites and the Perizzites and the Canaanites and the Hivites and the Jebusites; and I will [n]cut them off. 24 You shall not (CS)bow down to their gods, nor serve them, (CT)nor do according to their works; (CU)but you shall utterly overthrow them and completely break down their sacred pillars.
25 “So you shall (CV)serve the Lord your God, and (CW)He will bless your bread and your water. And (CX)I will take sickness away from the midst of you. 26 (CY)No one shall suffer miscarriage or be barren in your land; I will (CZ)fulfill the number of your days.
27 “I will send (DA)My fear before you, I will (DB)cause confusion among all the people to whom you come, and will make all your enemies turn their backs to you. 28 And (DC)I will send hornets before you, which shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite from before you. 29 (DD)I will not drive them out from before you in one year, lest the land become desolate and the beasts of the field become too numerous for you. 30 Little by little I will drive them out from before you, until you have increased, and you inherit the land. 31 And (DE)I will set your [o]bounds from the Red Sea to the sea, Philistia, and from the desert to the [p]River. For I will (DF)deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand, and you shall drive them out before you. 32 (DG)You shall make no [q]covenant with them, nor with their gods. 33 They shall not dwell in your land, lest they make you sin against Me. For if you serve their gods, (DH)it will surely be a snare to you.”
Israel Affirms the Covenant
24 Now He said to Moses, “Come up to the Lord, you and Aaron, (DI)Nadab and Abihu, (DJ)and seventy of the elders of Israel, and worship from afar. 2 And Moses alone shall come near the Lord, but they shall not come near; nor shall the people go up with him.”
3 So Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord and all the [r]judgments. And all the people answered with one voice and said, (DK)“All the words which the Lord has said we will do.” 4 And Moses (DL)wrote all the words of the Lord. And he rose early in the morning, and built an altar at the foot of the mountain, and twelve (DM)pillars according to the twelve tribes of Israel. 5 Then he sent young men of the children of Israel, who offered (DN)burnt offerings and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen to the Lord. 6 And Moses (DO)took half the blood and put it in basins, and half the blood he sprinkled on the altar. 7 Then he (DP)took the Book of the Covenant and read in the hearing of the people. And they said, “All that the Lord has said we will do, and be obedient.” 8 And Moses took the blood, sprinkled it on the people, and said, “This is (DQ)the blood of the covenant which the Lord has made with you according to all these words.”
On the Mountain with God
9 Then Moses went up, also Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, 10 and they (DR)saw the God of Israel. And there was under His feet as it were a paved work of (DS)sapphire stone, and it was like the (DT)very[s] heavens in its clarity. 11 But on the nobles of the children of Israel He (DU)did not [t]lay His hand. So (DV)they saw God, and they (DW)ate and drank.
12 Then the Lord said to Moses, (DX)“Come up to Me on the mountain and be there; and I will give you (DY)tablets of stone, and the law and commandments which I have written, that you may teach them.”
13 So Moses arose with (DZ)his assistant Joshua, and Moses went up to the mountain of God. 14 And he said to the elders, “Wait here for us until we come back to you. Indeed, Aaron and (EA)Hur are with you. If any man has a difficulty, let him go to them.” 15 Then Moses went up into the mountain, and (EB)a cloud covered the mountain.
16 Now (EC)the glory of the Lord rested on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days. And on the seventh day He called to Moses out of the midst of the cloud. 17 The sight of the glory of the Lord was like (ED)a consuming fire on the top of the mountain in the eyes of the children of Israel. 18 So Moses went into the midst of the cloud and went up into the mountain. And (EE)Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights.
Offerings for the Sanctuary(EF)
25 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 2 “Speak to the children of Israel, that they bring Me an [u]offering. (EG)From everyone who gives it willingly with his heart you shall take My offering. 3 And this is the offering which you shall take from them: gold, silver, and bronze; 4 blue, purple, and scarlet thread, fine linen, and goats’ hair; 5 ram skins dyed red, [v]badger skins, and acacia wood; 6 (EH)oil for the light, and (EI)spices for the anointing oil and for the sweet incense; 7 onyx stones, and stones to be set in the (EJ)ephod and in the breastplate. 8 And let them make Me a (EK)sanctuary,[w] that (EL)I may dwell among them. 9 According to all that I show you, that is, the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furnishings, just so you shall make it.
The Ark of the Testimony(EM)
10 (EN)“And they shall make an ark of acacia wood; two and a half cubits shall be its length, a cubit and a half its width, and a cubit and a half its height. 11 And you shall overlay it with pure gold, inside and out you shall overlay it, and shall make on it a molding of (EO)gold all around. 12 You shall cast four rings of gold for it, and put them in its four corners; two rings shall be on one side, and two rings on the other side. 13 And you shall make poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold. 14 You shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark, that the ark may be carried by them. 15 (EP)The poles shall be in the rings of the ark; they shall not be taken from it. 16 And you shall put into the ark (EQ)the Testimony which I will give you.
17 (ER)“You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold; two and a half cubits shall be its length and a cubit and a half its width. 18 And you shall make two cherubim of gold; of hammered work you shall make them at the two ends of the mercy seat. 19 Make one cherub at one end, and the other cherub at the other end; you shall make the cherubim at the two ends of it of one piece with the mercy seat. 20 And (ES)the cherubim shall stretch out their wings above, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and they shall face one another; the faces of the cherubim shall be toward the mercy seat. 21 (ET)You shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark, and (EU)in the ark you shall put the Testimony that I will give you. 22 And (EV)there I will meet with you, and I will speak with you from above the mercy seat, from (EW)between the two cherubim which are on the ark of the Testimony, about everything which I will give you in commandment to the children of Israel.
The Table for the Showbread(EX)
23 (EY)“You shall also make a table of acacia wood; two cubits shall be its length, a cubit its width, and a cubit and a half its height. 24 And you shall overlay it with pure gold, and make a molding of gold all around. 25 You shall make for it a frame of a handbreadth all around, and you shall make a gold molding for the frame all around. 26 And you shall make for it four rings of gold, and put the rings on the four corners that are at its four legs. 27 The rings shall be close to the frame, as holders for the poles to bear the table. 28 And you shall make the poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold, that the table may be carried with them. 29 You shall make (EZ)its dishes, its pans, its pitchers, and its bowls for pouring. You shall make them of pure gold. 30 And you shall set the (FA)showbread on the table before Me always.
The Gold Lampstand(FB)
31 (FC)“You shall also make a lampstand of pure gold; the lampstand shall be of hammered work. Its shaft, its branches, its bowls, its ornamental knobs, and flowers shall be of one piece. 32 And six branches shall come out of its sides: three branches of the lampstand out of one side, and three branches of the lampstand out of the other side. 33 (FD)Three bowls shall be made like almond blossoms on one branch, with an ornamental knob and a flower, and three bowls made like almond blossoms on the other branch, with an ornamental knob and a flower—and so for the six branches that come out of the lampstand. 34 (FE)On the lampstand itself four bowls shall be made like almond blossoms, each with its ornamental knob and flower. 35 And there shall be a knob under the first two branches of the same, a knob under the second two branches of the same, and a knob under the third two branches of the same, according to the six branches that extend from the lampstand. 36 Their knobs and their branches shall be of one piece; all of it shall be one hammered piece of pure gold. 37 You shall make seven lamps for it, and (FF)they shall arrange its lamps so that they (FG)give light in front of it. 38 And its wick-trimmers and their trays shall be of pure gold. 39 It shall be made of a talent of pure gold, with all these utensils. 40 And (FH)see to it that you make them according to the pattern which was shown you on the mountain.
The Tabernacle(FI)
26 “Moreover (FJ)you shall make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine woven linen and blue, purple, and scarlet thread; with artistic designs of cherubim you shall weave them. 2 The length of each curtain shall be twenty-eight cubits, and the width of each curtain four cubits. And every one of the curtains shall have [x]the same measurements. 3 Five curtains shall be coupled to one another, and the other five curtains shall be coupled to one another. 4 And you shall make loops of blue yarn on the edge of the curtain on the selvedge of one set, and likewise you shall do on the outer edge of the other curtain of the second set. 5 Fifty loops you shall make in the one curtain, and fifty loops you shall make on the edge of the curtain that is on the end of the second set, that the loops may be clasped to one another. 6 And you shall make fifty clasps of gold, and couple the curtains together with the clasps, so that it may be one tabernacle.
7 (FK)“You shall also make curtains of goats’ hair, to be a tent over the tabernacle. You shall make eleven curtains. 8 The length of each curtain shall be thirty cubits, and the width of each curtain four cubits; and the eleven curtains shall all have the same measurements. 9 And you shall couple five curtains by themselves and six curtains by themselves, and you shall double over the sixth curtain at the forefront of the tent. 10 You shall make fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that is outermost in one set, and fifty loops on the edge of the curtain of the second set. 11 And you shall make fifty bronze clasps, put the clasps into the loops, and couple the tent together, that it may be one. 12 The remnant that remains of the curtains of the tent, the half curtain that remains, shall hang over the back of the tabernacle. 13 And a cubit on one side and a cubit on the other side, of what remains of the length of the curtains of the tent, shall hang over the sides of the tabernacle, on this side and on that side, to cover it.
14 (FL)“You shall also make a covering of ram skins dyed red for the tent, and a covering of badger skins above that.
15 “And for the tabernacle you shall (FM)make the boards of acacia wood, standing upright. 16 Ten cubits shall be the length of a board, and a cubit and a half shall be the width of each board. 17 Two [y]tenons shall be in each board for binding one to another. Thus you shall make for all the boards of the tabernacle. 18 And you shall make the boards for the tabernacle, twenty boards for the south side. 19 You shall make forty sockets of silver under the twenty boards: two sockets under each of the boards for its two tenons. 20 And for the second side of the tabernacle, the north side, there shall be twenty boards 21 and their forty sockets of silver: two sockets under each of the boards. 22 For the far side of the tabernacle, westward, you shall make six boards. 23 And you shall also make two boards for the two back corners of the tabernacle. 24 They shall be [z]coupled together at the bottom and they shall be coupled together at the top by one ring. Thus it shall be for both of them. They shall be for the two corners. 25 So there shall be eight boards with their sockets of silver—sixteen sockets—two sockets under each of the boards.
26 “And you shall make bars of acacia wood: five for the boards on one side of the tabernacle, 27 five bars for the boards on the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the side of the tabernacle, for the far side westward. 28 The (FN)middle bar shall pass through the midst of the boards from end to end. 29 You shall overlay the boards with gold, make their rings of gold as holders for the bars, and overlay the bars with gold. 30 And you shall raise up the tabernacle (FO)according to its pattern which you were shown on the mountain.
31 (FP)“You shall make a veil woven of blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and fine woven linen. It shall be woven with an artistic design of cherubim. 32 You shall hang it upon the four pillars of acacia wood overlaid with gold. Their hooks shall be gold, upon four sockets of silver. 33 And you shall hang the veil from the clasps. Then you shall bring (FQ)the ark of the Testimony in there, behind the veil. The veil shall be a divider for you between (FR)the holy place and the Most Holy. 34 (FS)You shall put the mercy seat upon the ark of the Testimony in the Most Holy. 35 (FT)You shall set the table outside the veil, and (FU)the lampstand across from the table on the side of the tabernacle toward the south; and you shall put the table on the north side.
36 (FV)“You shall make a screen for the door of the tabernacle, woven of blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and fine woven linen, made by a weaver. 37 And you shall make for the screen (FW)five pillars of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold; their hooks shall be gold, and you shall cast five sockets of bronze for them.
The Altar of Burnt Offering(FX)
27 “You shall make (FY)an altar of acacia wood, five cubits long and five cubits wide—the altar shall be square—and its height shall be three cubits. 2 You shall make its horns on its four corners; its horns shall be of one piece with it. And you shall overlay it with bronze. 3 Also you shall make its pans to receive its ashes, and its shovels and its basins and its forks and its firepans; you shall make all its utensils of bronze. 4 You shall make a grate for it, a network of bronze; and on the network you shall make four bronze rings at its four corners. 5 You shall put it under the rim of the altar beneath, that the network may be midway up the altar. 6 And you shall make poles for the altar, poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with bronze. 7 The poles shall be put in the rings, and the poles shall be on the two sides of the altar to bear it. 8 You shall make it hollow with boards; (FZ)as it was shown you on the mountain, so shall they make it.
The Court of the Tabernacle(GA)
9 (GB)“You shall also make the court of the tabernacle. For the south side there shall be hangings for the court made of fine woven linen, one hundred cubits long for one side. 10 And its twenty pillars and their twenty sockets shall be bronze. The hooks of the pillars and their bands shall be silver. 11 Likewise along the length of the north side there shall be hangings one hundred cubits long, with its twenty pillars and their twenty sockets of bronze, and the hooks of the pillars and their bands of silver.
12 “And along the width of the court on the west side shall be hangings of fifty cubits, with their ten pillars and their ten sockets. 13 The width of the court on the east side shall be fifty cubits. 14 The hangings on one side of the gate shall be fifteen cubits, with their three pillars and their three sockets. 15 And on the other side shall be hangings of fifteen cubits, with their three pillars and their three sockets.
16 “For the gate of the court there shall be a screen twenty cubits long, woven of blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and fine woven linen, made by a weaver. It shall have four pillars and four sockets. 17 All the pillars around the court shall have bands of silver; their (GC)hooks shall be of silver and their sockets of bronze. 18 The length of the court shall be one hundred cubits, the width fifty throughout, and the height five cubits, made of fine woven linen, and its sockets of bronze. 19 All the utensils of the tabernacle for all its service, all its pegs, and all the pegs of the court, shall be of bronze.
The Care of the Lampstand(GD)
20 “And (GE)you shall command the children of Israel that they bring you pure oil of pressed olives for the light, to cause the lamp to [aa]burn continually. 21 In the tabernacle of meeting, (GF)outside the veil which is before the Testimony, (GG)Aaron and his sons shall tend it from evening until morning before the Lord. (GH)It shall be a statute forever to their generations on behalf of the children of Israel.
Garments for the Priesthood(GI)
28 “Now take (GJ)Aaron your brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may minister to Me as (GK)priest, Aaron and Aaron’s sons: (GL)Nadab, Abihu, (GM)Eleazar, and Ithamar. 2 And (GN)you shall make [ab]holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty. 3 So (GO)you shall speak to all who are gifted artisans, (GP)whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they may make Aaron’s garments, to consecrate him, that he may minister to Me as priest. 4 And these are the garments which they shall make: (GQ)a breastplate, (GR)an [ac]ephod, (GS)a robe, (GT)a skillfully woven tunic, a turban, and (GU)a sash. So they shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother and his sons, that he may minister to Me as priest.
The Ephod
5 “They shall take the gold, blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and the fine linen, 6 (GV)and they shall make the ephod of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and fine woven linen, artistically worked. 7 It shall have two shoulder straps joined at its two edges, and so it shall be joined together. 8 And the [ad]intricately woven band of the ephod, which is on it, shall be of the same workmanship, made of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and fine woven linen.
9 “Then you shall take two onyx (GW)stones and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel: 10 six of their names on one stone and six names on the other stone, in order of their (GX)birth. 11 With the work of an (GY)engraver in stone, like the engravings of a signet, you shall engrave the two stones with the names of the sons of Israel. You shall set them in settings of gold. 12 And you shall put the two stones on the shoulders of the ephod as memorial stones for the sons of Israel. So (GZ)Aaron shall bear their names before the Lord on his two shoulders (HA)as a memorial. 13 You shall also make settings of gold, 14 and you shall make two chains of pure gold like braided cords, and fasten the braided chains to the settings.
The Breastplate(HB)
15 (HC)“You shall make the breastplate of judgment. Artistically woven according to the workmanship of the ephod you shall make it: of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and fine woven linen, you shall make it. 16 It shall be doubled into a square: a span shall be its length, and a span shall be its width. 17 (HD)And you shall put settings of stones in it, four rows of stones: The first row shall be a [ae]sardius, a topaz, and an emerald; this shall be the first row; 18 the second row shall be a turquoise, a sapphire, and a diamond; 19 the third row, a [af]jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst; 20 and the fourth row, a [ag]beryl, an [ah]onyx, and a jasper. They shall be set in gold settings. 21 And the stones shall have the names of the sons of Israel, twelve according to their names, like the engravings of a signet, each one with its own name; they shall be according to the twelve tribes.
22 “You shall make chains for the breastplate at the end, like braided cords of pure gold. 23 And you shall make two rings of gold for the breastplate, and put the two rings on the two ends of the breastplate. 24 Then you shall put the two braided chains of gold in the two rings which are on the ends of the breastplate; 25 and the other two ends of the two braided chains you shall fasten to the two settings, and put them on the shoulder straps of the ephod in the front.
26 “You shall make two rings of gold, and put them on the two ends of the breastplate, on the edge of it, which is on the inner side of the ephod. 27 And two other rings of gold you shall make, and put them on the two shoulder straps, underneath the ephod toward its front, right at the seam above the [ai]intricately woven band of the ephod. 28 They shall bind the breastplate by means of its rings to the rings of the ephod, using a blue cord, so that it is above the intricately woven band of the ephod, and so that the breastplate does not come loose from the ephod.
29 “So Aaron shall (HE)bear the names of the sons of Israel on the breastplate of judgment over his heart, when he goes into the holy place, as a memorial before the Lord continually. 30 And (HF)you shall put in the breastplate of judgment the [aj]Urim and the Thummim, and they shall be over Aaron’s heart when he goes in before the Lord. So Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel over his heart before the Lord continually.
Other Priestly Garments(HG)
31 (HH)“You shall make the robe of the ephod all of blue. 32 There shall be an opening for his head in the middle of it; it shall have a woven binding all around its opening, like the opening in a coat of mail, so that it does not tear. 33 And upon its hem you shall make pomegranates of blue, purple, and scarlet, all around its hem, and bells of gold between them all around: 34 a golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, upon the hem of the robe all around. 35 And it shall be upon Aaron when he ministers, and its sound will be heard when he goes into the holy place before the Lord and when he comes out, that he may not die.
36 (HI)“You shall also make a plate of pure gold and engrave on it, like the engraving of a signet:
HOLINESS TO THE LORD.
37 And you shall put it on a blue cord, that it may be on the turban; it shall be on the front of the turban. 38 So it shall be on Aaron’s forehead, that Aaron may (HJ)bear the iniquity of the holy things which the children of Israel hallow in all their [ak]holy gifts; and it shall always be on his forehead, that they may be (HK)accepted before the Lord.
39 “You shall (HL)skillfully weave the tunic of fine linen thread, you shall make the turban of fine linen, and you shall make the sash of woven work.
40 (HM)“For Aaron’s sons you shall make tunics, and you shall make sashes for them. And you shall make [al]hats for them, for glory and (HN)beauty. 41 So you shall put them on Aaron your brother and on his sons with him. You shall (HO)anoint them, (HP)consecrate them, and [am]sanctify them, that they may minister to Me as priests. 42 And you shall make (HQ)for them linen trousers to cover their [an]nakedness; they shall [ao]reach from the waist to the thighs. 43 They shall be on Aaron and on his sons when they come into the tabernacle of meeting, or when they come near (HR)the altar to minister in the holy place, that they (HS)do not incur [ap]iniquity and die. (HT)It shall be a statute forever to him and his descendants after him.
Aaron and His Sons Consecrated(HU)
29 “And this is what you shall do to them to hallow them for ministering to Me as priests: (HV)Take one young bull and two rams without blemish, 2 and (HW)unleavened bread, unleavened cakes mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil (you shall make them of wheat flour). 3 You shall put them in one basket and bring them in the basket, with the bull and the two rams.
4 “And Aaron and his sons you shall bring to the door of the tabernacle of meeting, (HX)and you shall wash them with water. 5 (HY)Then you shall take the garments, put the tunic on Aaron, and the robe of the ephod, the ephod, and the breastplate, and gird him with (HZ)the intricately woven band of the ephod. 6 (IA)You shall put the turban on his head, and put the holy crown on the turban. 7 And you shall take the anointing (IB)oil, pour it on his head, and anoint him. 8 Then (IC)you shall bring his sons and put tunics on them. 9 And you shall gird them with sashes, Aaron and his sons, and put the hats on them. (ID)The priesthood shall be theirs for a perpetual statute. So you shall (IE)consecrate Aaron and his sons.
10 “You shall also have the bull brought before the tabernacle of meeting, and (IF)Aaron and his sons shall put their hands on the head of the bull. 11 Then you shall kill the bull before the Lord, by the door of the tabernacle of meeting. 12 You shall take some of the blood of the bull and put it on (IG)the horns of the altar with your finger, and (IH)pour all the blood beside the base of the altar. 13 And (II)you shall take all the fat that covers the entrails, the fatty lobe attached to the liver, and the two kidneys and the fat that is on them, and burn them on the altar. 14 But (IJ)the flesh of the bull, with its skin and its offal, you shall burn with fire outside the camp. It is a sin offering.
15 (IK)“You shall also take one ram, and Aaron and his sons shall (IL)put their hands on the head of the ram; 16 and you shall kill the ram, and you shall take its blood and (IM)sprinkle it all around on the altar. 17 Then you shall cut the ram in pieces, wash its entrails and its legs, and put them with its pieces and with its head. 18 And you shall burn the whole ram on the altar. It is a (IN)burnt offering to the Lord; it is a sweet aroma, an offering made by fire to the Lord.
19 (IO)“You shall also take the other ram, and Aaron and his sons shall put their hands on the head of the ram. 20 Then you shall kill the ram, and take some of its blood and put it on the tip of the right ear of Aaron and on the tip of the right ear of his sons, on the thumb of their right hand and on the big toe of their right foot, and sprinkle the blood all around on the altar. 21 And you shall take some of the blood that is on the altar, and some of (IP)the anointing oil, and sprinkle it on Aaron and on his garments, on his sons and on the garments of his sons with him; and (IQ)he and his garments shall be hallowed, and his sons and his sons’ garments with him.
22 “Also you shall take the fat of the ram, the fat tail, the fat that covers the entrails, the fatty lobe attached to the liver, the two kidneys and the fat on them, the right thigh (for it is a ram of consecration), 23 (IR)one loaf of bread, one cake made with oil, and one wafer from the basket of the unleavened bread that is before the Lord; 24 and you shall put all these in the hands of Aaron and in the hands of his sons, and you shall (IS)wave them as a wave offering before the Lord. 25 (IT)You shall receive them back from their hands and burn them on the altar as a burnt offering, as a sweet aroma before the Lord. It is an offering made by fire to the Lord.
26 “Then you shall take (IU)the breast of the ram of Aaron’s consecration and wave it as a wave offering before the Lord; and it shall be your portion. 27 And from the ram of the consecration you shall consecrate (IV)the breast of the wave offering which is waved, and the thigh of the heave offering which is raised, of that which is for Aaron and of that which is for his sons. 28 It shall be from the children of Israel for Aaron and his sons (IW)by a statute forever. For it is a heave offering; (IX)it shall be a heave offering from the children of Israel from the sacrifices of their peace offerings, that is, their heave offering to the Lord.
29 “And the (IY)holy garments of Aaron (IZ)shall be his sons’ after him, (JA)to be anointed in them and to be consecrated in them. 30 (JB)That son who becomes priest in his place shall put them on for (JC)seven days, when he enters the tabernacle of meeting to minister in the [aq]holy place.
31 “And you shall take the ram of the consecration and (JD)boil its flesh in the holy place. 32 Then Aaron and his sons shall eat the flesh of the ram, and the (JE)bread that is in the basket, by the door of the tabernacle of meeting. 33 (JF)They shall eat those things with which the atonement was made, to consecrate and to sanctify them; (JG)but an outsider shall not eat them, because they are holy. 34 And if any of the flesh of the consecration offerings, or of the bread, remains until the morning, then (JH)you shall burn the remainder with fire. It shall not be eaten, because it is holy.
35 “Thus you shall do to Aaron and his sons, according to all that I have commanded you. (JI)Seven days you shall consecrate them. 36 And you (JJ)shall offer a bull every day as a sin offering for atonement. (JK)You shall cleanse the altar when you make atonement for it, and you shall anoint it to sanctify it. 37 Seven days you shall make atonement for the altar and sanctify it. And the altar shall be most holy. (JL)Whatever touches the altar must be holy.
The Daily Offerings(JM)
38 “Now this is what you shall offer on the altar: (JN)two lambs of the first year, (JO)day by day continually. 39 One lamb you shall offer (JP)in the morning, and the other lamb you shall offer [ar]at twilight. 40 With the one lamb shall be one-tenth of an ephah of flour mixed with one-fourth of a hin of pressed oil, and one-fourth of a hin of wine as a drink offering. 41 And the other lamb you shall (JQ)offer [as]at twilight; and you shall offer with it the grain offering and the drink offering, as in the morning, for a sweet aroma, an offering made by fire to the Lord. 42 This shall be (JR)a continual burnt offering throughout your generations at the door of the tabernacle of meeting before the Lord, (JS)where I will meet you to speak with you. 43 And there I will meet with the children of Israel, and the tabernacle (JT)shall be sanctified by My glory. 44 So I will consecrate the tabernacle of meeting and the altar. I will also (JU)consecrate both Aaron and his sons to minister to Me as priests. 45 (JV)I will dwell among the children of Israel and will (JW)be their God. 46 And they shall know that (JX)I am the Lord their God, who (JY)brought them up out of the land of Egypt, that I may dwell among them. I am the Lord their God.
The Altar of Incense(JZ)
30 “You shall make (KA)an altar to burn incense on; you shall make it of acacia wood. 2 A cubit shall be its length and a cubit its width—it shall be square—and two cubits shall be its height. Its horns shall be of one piece with it. 3 And you shall overlay its top, its sides all around, and its horns with pure gold; and you shall make for it a [at]molding of gold all around. 4 Two gold rings you shall make for it, under the molding on both its sides. You shall place them on its two sides, and they will be holders for the poles with which to bear it. 5 You shall make the poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold. 6 And you shall put it before the (KB)veil that is before the ark of the Testimony, before the (KC)mercy seat that is over the Testimony, where I will meet with you.
7 “Aaron shall burn on it (KD)sweet incense every morning; when (KE)he tends the lamps, he shall burn incense on it. 8 And when Aaron lights the lamps [au]at twilight, he shall burn incense on it, a perpetual incense before the Lord throughout your generations. 9 You shall not offer (KF)strange incense on it, or a burnt offering, or a grain offering; nor shall you pour a drink offering on it. 10 And (KG)Aaron shall make atonement upon its horns once a year with the blood of the sin offering of atonement; once a year he shall make atonement upon it throughout your generations. It is most holy to the Lord.”
The Ransom Money
11 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 12 (KH)“When you take the census of the children of Israel for their number, then every man shall give (KI)a[av] ransom for himself to the Lord, when you number them, that there may be no (KJ)plague among them when you number them. 13 (KK)This is what everyone among those who are numbered shall give: half a shekel according to the shekel of the sanctuary (KL)(a shekel is twenty gerahs). (KM)The half-shekel shall be an offering to the Lord. 14 Everyone included among those who are numbered, from twenty years old and above, shall give an [aw]offering to the Lord. 15 The (KN)rich shall not give more and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel, when you give an offering to the Lord, to make atonement for yourselves. 16 And you shall take the atonement money of the children of Israel, and (KO)shall [ax]appoint it for the service of the tabernacle of meeting, that it may be (KP)a memorial for the children of Israel before the Lord, to make atonement for yourselves.”
The Bronze Laver
17 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 18 (KQ)“You shall also make a [ay]laver of bronze, with its base also of bronze, for washing. You shall (KR)put it between the tabernacle of meeting and the altar. And you shall put water in it, 19 for Aaron and his sons (KS)shall wash their hands and their feet in water from it. 20 When they go into the tabernacle of meeting, or when they come near the altar to minister, to burn an offering made by fire to the Lord, they shall wash with water, lest they die. 21 So they shall wash their hands and their feet, lest they die. And (KT)it shall be a [az]statute forever to them—to him and his descendants throughout their generations.”
The Holy Anointing Oil(KU)
22 Moreover the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 23 “Also take for yourself (KV)quality spices—five hundred shekels of liquid (KW)myrrh, half as much sweet-smelling cinnamon (two hundred and fifty shekels), two hundred and fifty shekels of sweet-smelling (KX)cane, 24 five hundred shekels of (KY)cassia, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, and a (KZ)hin of olive oil. 25 And you shall make from these a holy anointing oil, an ointment compounded according to the art of the perfumer. It shall be (LA)a holy anointing oil. 26 (LB)With it you shall anoint the tabernacle of meeting and the ark of the Testimony; 27 the table and all its utensils, the lampstand and its utensils, and the altar of incense; 28 the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the laver and its base. 29 You shall consecrate them, that they may be most holy; (LC)whatever touches them must be holy. 30 (LD)And you shall anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them, that they may minister to Me as priests.
31 “And you shall speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘This shall be a holy anointing oil to Me throughout your generations. 32 It shall not be poured on man’s flesh; nor shall you make any other like it, according to its composition. (LE)It is holy, and it shall be holy to you. 33 (LF)Whoever [ba]compounds any like it, or whoever puts any of it on an outsider, (LG)shall be [bb]cut off from his people.’ ”
The Incense(LH)
34 And the Lord said to Moses: (LI)“Take sweet spices, stacte and onycha and galbanum, and pure frankincense with these sweet spices; there shall be equal amounts of each. 35 You shall make of these an incense, a compound (LJ)according to the art of the perfumer, salted, pure, and holy. 36 And you shall beat some of it very fine, and put some of it before the Testimony in the tabernacle of meeting (LK)where I will meet with you. (LL)It shall be most holy to you. 37 But as for the incense which you shall make, (LM)you shall not make any for yourselves, according to its [bc]composition. It shall be to you holy for the Lord. 38 (LN)Whoever makes any like it, to smell it, he shall be cut off from his people.”
Artisans for Building the Tabernacle(LO)
31 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 2 (LP)“See, I have called by name Bezalel the (LQ)son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. 3 And I have (LR)filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, 4 to design artistic works, to work in gold, in silver, in bronze, 5 in cutting jewels for setting, in carving wood, and to work in all manner of workmanship.
6 “And I, indeed I, have appointed with him (LS)Aholiab the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan; and I have put wisdom in the hearts of all the (LT)gifted artisans, that they may make all that I have commanded you: 7 (LU)the tabernacle of meeting, (LV)the ark of the Testimony and (LW)the mercy seat that is on it, and all the furniture of the tabernacle— 8 (LX)the table and its utensils, (LY)the pure gold lampstand with all its utensils, the altar of incense, 9 (LZ)the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and (MA)the laver and its base— 10 (MB)the [bd]garments of ministry, the holy garments for Aaron the priest and the garments of his sons, to minister as priests, 11 (MC)and the anointing oil and (MD)sweet incense for the holy place. According to all that I have commanded you they shall do.”
The Sabbath Law
12 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 13 “Speak also to the children of Israel, saying: (ME)‘Surely My Sabbaths you shall keep, for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the Lord who (MF)sanctifies[be] you. 14 (MG)You shall keep the Sabbath, therefore, for it is holy to you. Everyone who [bf]profanes it shall surely be put to death; for (MH)whoever does any work on it, that person shall be cut off from among his people. 15 Work shall be done for (MI)six days, but the (MJ)seventh is the Sabbath of rest, holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. 16 Therefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant. 17 It is (MK)a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever; for (ML)in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed.’ ”
18 And when He had made an end of speaking with him on Mount Sinai, He gave Moses (MM)two tablets of the Testimony, tablets of stone, written with the finger of God.
The Gold Calf(MN)
32 Now when the people saw that Moses (MO)delayed coming down from the mountain, the people (MP)gathered together to Aaron, and said to him, (MQ)“Come, make us [bg]gods that shall (MR)go before us; for as for this Moses, the man who (MS)brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.”
2 And Aaron said to them, “Break off the (MT)golden earrings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” 3 So all the people broke off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them to Aaron. 4 (MU)And he received the gold from their hand, and he fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made a molded calf.
Then they said, “This is your god, O Israel, that (MV)brought you out of the land of Egypt!”
5 So when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it. And Aaron made a (MW)proclamation and said, “Tomorrow is a feast to the Lord.” 6 Then they rose early on the next day, offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people (MX)sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.
7 And the Lord said to Moses, (MY)“Go, get down! For your people whom you brought out of the land of Egypt (MZ)have corrupted themselves. 8 They have turned aside quickly out of the way which (NA)I commanded them. They have made themselves a molded calf, and worshiped it and sacrificed to it, and said, (NB)‘This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!’ ” 9 And the Lord said to Moses, (NC)“I have seen this people, and indeed it is a [bh]stiff-necked people! 10 Now therefore, (ND)let Me alone, that (NE)My wrath may burn hot against them and I may [bi]consume them. And (NF)I will make of you a great nation.”
11 (NG)Then Moses pleaded with [bj]the Lord his God, and said: “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 (NH)Why should the Egyptians speak, and say, ‘He brought them out to harm them, to kill them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn from Your fierce wrath, and (NI)relent from this harm to Your people. 13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants, to whom You (NJ)swore by Your own self, and said to them, (NK)‘I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven; and all this land that I have spoken of I give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.’ ” 14 So the Lord (NL)relented from the harm which He said He would do to His people.
15 And (NM)Moses turned and went down from the mountain, and the two tablets of the Testimony were in his hand. The tablets were written on both sides; on the one side and on the other they were written. 16 Now the (NN)tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God engraved on the tablets.
17 And when 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 noise of the shout of victory,
Nor the noise of the cry of defeat,
But the sound of singing I hear.”
19 So it was, as soon as he came near the camp, that (NO)he saw the calf and the dancing. So Moses’ anger became hot, and he cast the tablets out of his hands and broke them at the foot of the mountain. 20 (NP)Then he took the calf which they had made, burned it in the fire, and ground it to powder; and he scattered it on the water and made the children of Israel drink it. 21 And Moses said to Aaron, (NQ)“What did this people do to you that you have brought so great a sin upon them?”
22 So Aaron said, “Do not let the anger of my lord become hot. (NR)You know the people, that they are set on evil. 23 For they said to me, ‘Make us gods that shall go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’ 24 And I said to them, ‘Whoever has any gold, let them break it off.’ So they gave it to me, and I cast it into the fire, and this calf came out.”
25 Now when Moses saw that the people were (NS)unrestrained (for Aaron (NT)had not restrained them, to their shame among their enemies), 26 then Moses stood in the entrance of the camp, and said, “Whoever is on the Lord’s side—come to me!” And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together to him. 27 And he said to them, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘Let every man put his sword on his side, and go in and out from entrance to entrance throughout the camp, and (NU)let every man kill his brother, every man his companion, and every man his neighbor.’ ” 28 So the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses. And about three thousand men of the people fell that day. 29 (NV)Then Moses said, [bk]“Consecrate yourselves today to the Lord, that He may bestow on you a blessing this day, for every man has opposed his son and his brother.”
30 Now it came to pass on the next day that Moses said to the people, (NW)“You have committed a great sin. So now I will go up to the Lord; (NX)perhaps I can (NY)make atonement for your sin.” 31 Then Moses (NZ)returned to the Lord and said, “Oh, these people have committed a great sin, and have (OA)made for themselves a god of gold! 32 Yet now, if You will forgive their sin—but if not, I pray, (OB)blot me (OC)out of Your book which You have written.”
33 And the Lord said to Moses, (OD)“Whoever has sinned against Me, I will (OE)blot him out of My book. 34 Now therefore, go, lead the people to the place of which I have (OF)spoken to you. (OG)Behold, My Angel shall go before you. Nevertheless, (OH)in the day when I (OI)visit for punishment, I will visit punishment upon them for their sin.”
35 So the Lord plagued the people because of (OJ)what they did with the calf which Aaron made.
The Command to Leave Sinai
33 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Depart and go up from here, you (OK)and the people whom you have brought out of the land of Egypt, to the land of which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, (OL)‘To your descendants I will give it.’ 2 (OM)And I will send My Angel before you, (ON)and I will drive out the Canaanite and the Amorite and the Hittite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite. 3 Go up (OO)to a land flowing with milk and honey; for I will not go up in your midst, lest (OP)I [bl]consume you on the way, for you are a (OQ)stiff-necked[bm] people.”
4 And when the people heard this bad news, (OR)they mourned, (OS)and no one put on his ornaments. 5 For the Lord had said to Moses, “Say to the children of Israel, ‘You are a stiff-necked people. I could come up into your midst in one moment and consume you. Now therefore, take off your [bn]ornaments, that I may (OT)know what to do to you.’ ” 6 So the children of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments by Mount Horeb.
Moses Meets with the Lord
7 Moses took his tent and pitched it outside the camp, far from the camp, and (OU)called it the tabernacle of meeting. And it came to pass that everyone who (OV)sought the Lord went out to the tabernacle of meeting which was outside the camp. 8 So it was, whenever Moses went out to the tabernacle, that all the people rose, and each man stood (OW)at his tent door and watched Moses until he had gone into the tabernacle. 9 And it came to pass, when Moses entered the tabernacle, that the pillar of cloud descended and stood at the door of the tabernacle, and the Lord (OX)talked with Moses. 10 All the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the tabernacle door, and all the people rose and (OY)worshiped, each man in his tent door. 11 So (OZ)the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. And he would return to the camp, but (PA)his servant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, did not depart from the tabernacle.
The Promise of God’s Presence
12 Then Moses said to the Lord, “See, (PB)You say to me, ‘Bring up this people.’ But You have not let me know whom You will send with me. Yet You have said, (PC)‘I know you by name, and you have also found grace in My sight.’ 13 Now therefore, I pray, (PD)if I have found grace in Your sight, (PE)show me now Your way, that I may know You and that I may find grace in Your sight. And consider that this nation is (PF)Your people.”
14 And He said, (PG)“My Presence will go with you, and I will give you (PH)rest.”
15 Then he said to Him, (PI)“If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here. 16 For how then will it be known that Your people and I have found grace in Your sight, (PJ)except You go with us? So we (PK)shall be separate, Your people and I, from all the people who are upon the face of the earth.”
17 So the Lord said to Moses, (PL)“I will also do this thing that you have spoken; for you have found grace in My sight, and I know you by name.”
18 And he said, “Please, show me (PM)Your glory.”
19 Then He said, “I will make all My (PN)goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you. (PO)I will be gracious to whom I will be (PP)gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.” 20 But He said, “You cannot see My face; for (PQ)no man shall see Me, and live.” 21 And the Lord said, “Here is a place by Me, and you shall stand on the rock. 22 So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you (PR)in the cleft of the rock, and will (PS)cover you with My hand while I pass by. 23 Then I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back; but My face shall (PT)not be seen.”
Moses Makes New Tablets(PU)
34 And the Lord said to Moses, (PV)“Cut two tablets of stone like the first ones, and (PW)I will write on these tablets the words that were on the first tablets which you broke. 2 So be ready in the morning, and come up in the morning to Mount Sinai, and present yourself to Me there (PX)on the top of the mountain. 3 And no man shall (PY)come up with you, and let no man be seen throughout all the mountain; let neither flocks nor herds feed before that mountain.”
4 So he cut two tablets of stone like the first ones. Then Moses rose early in the morning and went up Mount Sinai, as the Lord had commanded him; and he took in his hand the two tablets of stone.
5 Now the Lord descended in the (PZ)cloud and stood with him there, and (QA)proclaimed the name of the Lord. 6 And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord (QB)God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in (QC)goodness and (QD)truth, 7 (QE)keeping mercy for thousands, (QF)forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, (QG)by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children to the third and the fourth generation.”
8 So Moses made haste and (QH)bowed his head toward the earth, and worshiped. 9 Then he said, “If now I have found grace in Your sight, O Lord, (QI)let my Lord, I pray, go among us, even though we are a (QJ)stiff-necked[bo] people; and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us as (QK)Your inheritance.”
The Covenant Renewed(QL)
10 And He said: “Behold, (QM)I make a covenant. Before all your people I will (QN)do [bp]marvels such as have not been done in all the earth, nor in any nation; and all the people among whom you are shall see the work of the Lord. For it is (QO)an awesome thing that I will do with you. 11 (QP)Observe what I command you this day. Behold, (QQ)I am driving out from before you the Amorite and the Canaanite and the Hittite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite. 12 (QR)Take heed to yourself, lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land where you are going, lest it be a snare in your midst. 13 But you shall (QS)destroy their altars, break their sacred pillars, and (QT)cut down their wooden images 14 (for you shall worship (QU)no other god, for the Lord, whose (QV)name is Jealous, is a (QW)jealous God), 15 lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they (QX)play the harlot with their gods and make sacrifice to their gods, and one of them (QY)invites you and you (QZ)eat of his sacrifice, 16 and you take of (RA)his daughters for your sons, and his daughters (RB)play the harlot with their gods and make your sons play the harlot with their gods.
17 (RC)“You shall make no molded gods for yourselves.
18 “The Feast of (RD)Unleavened Bread you shall keep. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, in the appointed time of the month of Abib; for in the (RE)month of Abib you came out from Egypt.
19 (RF)“All [bq]that open the womb are Mine, and every male firstborn among your livestock, whether ox or sheep. 20 But (RG)the firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb. And if you will not redeem him, then you shall break his neck. All the firstborn of your sons you shall redeem.
“And none shall appear before Me (RH)empty-handed.
21 (RI)“Six days you shall work, but on the seventh day you shall rest; in plowing time and in harvest you shall rest.
22 “And you shall observe the Feast of Weeks, of the firstfruits of wheat harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering at the year’s end.
23 (RJ)“Three times in the year all your men shall appear before the Lord, the Lord God of Israel. 24 For I will (RK)cast out the nations before you and enlarge your borders; neither will any man covet your land when you go up to appear before the Lord your God three times in the year.
25 “You shall not offer the blood of My sacrifice with leaven, (RL)nor shall the sacrifice of the Feast of the Passover be left until morning.
26 (RM)“The first of the firstfruits of your land you shall bring to the house of the Lord your God. You shall not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk.”
27 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write (RN)these words, for according to the tenor of these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel.” 28 (RO)So he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights; he neither ate bread nor drank water. And (RP)He wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the [br]Ten Commandments.
The Shining Face of Moses
29 Now it was so, when Moses came down from Mount Sinai (and the (RQ)two tablets of the Testimony were in Moses’ hand when he came down from the mountain), that Moses did not know that (RR)the skin of his face shone while he talked with Him. 30 So when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come near him. 31 Then Moses called to them, and Aaron and all the rulers of the congregation returned to him; and Moses talked with them. 32 Afterward all the children of Israel came near, (RS)and he gave them as commandments all that the Lord had spoken with him on Mount Sinai. 33 And when Moses had finished speaking with them, he put (RT)a veil on his face. 34 But (RU)whenever Moses went in before the Lord to speak with Him, he would take the veil off until he came out; and he would come out and speak to the children of Israel whatever he had been commanded. 35 And whenever the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses’ face shone, then Moses would put the veil on his face again, until he went in to speak with Him.
Sabbath Regulations
35 Then Moses gathered all the congregation of the children of Israel together, and said to them, (RV)“These are the words which the Lord has commanded you to do: 2 Work shall be done for (RW)six days, but the seventh day shall be a holy day for you, a Sabbath of rest to the Lord. Whoever does any work on it shall be put to (RX)death. 3 (RY)You shall kindle no fire throughout your dwellings on the Sabbath day.”
Offerings for the Tabernacle(RZ)
4 And Moses spoke to all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying, (SA)“This is the thing which the Lord commanded, saying: 5 ‘Take from among you an offering to the Lord. (SB)Whoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it as an offering to the Lord: (SC)gold, silver, and bronze; 6 (SD)blue, purple, and scarlet thread, fine linen, and (SE)goats’ hair; 7 ram skins dyed red, badger skins, and acacia wood; 8 oil for the light, (SF)and spices for the anointing oil and for the sweet incense; 9 onyx stones, and stones to be set in the ephod and in the breastplate.
Articles of the Tabernacle
10 (SG)‘All who are gifted artisans among you shall come and make all that the Lord has commanded: 11 (SH)the tabernacle, its tent, its covering, its clasps, its boards, its bars, its pillars, and its sockets; 12 (SI)the ark and its poles, with the mercy seat, and the veil of the covering; 13 the (SJ)table and its poles, all its utensils, (SK)and the showbread; 14 also (SL)the lampstand for the light, its utensils, its lamps, and the oil for the light; 15 (SM)the incense altar, its poles, (SN)the anointing oil, (SO)the sweet incense, and the screen for the door at the entrance of the tabernacle; 16 (SP)the altar of burnt offering with its bronze grating, its poles, all its utensils, and the laver and its base; 17 (SQ)the hangings of the court, its pillars, their sockets, and the screen for the gate of the court; 18 the pegs of the tabernacle, the pegs of the court, and their cords; 19 (SR)the [bs]garments of ministry, for ministering in the holy place—the holy garments for Aaron the priest and the garments of his sons, to minister as priests.’ ”
The Tabernacle Offerings Presented
20 And all the congregation of the children of Israel departed from the presence of Moses. 21 Then everyone came (SS)whose heart [bt]was stirred, and everyone whose spirit was willing, and they (ST)brought the Lord’s offering for the work of the tabernacle of meeting, for all its service, and for the holy garments. 22 They came, both men and women, as many as had a willing heart, and brought (SU)earrings and nose rings, rings and necklaces, all (SV)jewelry of gold, that is, every man who made an offering of gold to the Lord. 23 And (SW)every man, with whom was found blue, purple, and scarlet thread, fine linen, and goats’ hair, red skins of rams, and [bu]badger skins, brought them. 24 Everyone who offered an offering of silver or bronze brought the Lord’s offering. And everyone with whom was found acacia wood for any work of the service, brought it. 25 All the women who were (SX)gifted artisans spun yarn with their hands, and brought what they had spun, of blue, purple, and scarlet, and fine linen. 26 And all the women whose hearts [bv]stirred with wisdom spun yarn of goats’ hair. 27 (SY)The rulers brought onyx stones, and the stones to be set in the ephod and in the breastplate, 28 and (SZ)spices and oil for the light, for the anointing oil, and for the sweet incense. 29 The children of Israel brought a (TA)freewill offering to the Lord, all the men and women whose hearts were willing to bring material for all kinds of work which the Lord, by the hand of Moses, had commanded to be done.
The Artisans Called by God(TB)
30 And Moses said to the children of Israel, “See, (TC)the Lord has called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah; 31 and He has filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom and understanding, in knowledge and all manner of workmanship, 32 to design artistic works, to work in gold and silver and bronze, 33 in cutting jewels for setting, in carving wood, and to work in all manner of artistic workmanship.
34 “And He has put in his heart the ability to teach, in him and (TD)Aholiab the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan. 35 He has (TE)filled them with skill to do all manner of work of the engraver and the designer and the tapestry maker, in blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and fine linen, and of the weaver—those who do every work and those who design artistic works.
Building the Tabernacle
36 “And Bezalel and Aholiab, and every (TF)gifted artisan in whom the Lord has put wisdom and understanding, to know how to do all manner of work for the service of the (TG)sanctuary,[bw] shall do according to all that the Lord has commanded.”
The People Give More than Enough
2 Then Moses called Bezalel and Aholiab, and every gifted artisan in whose heart the Lord had put wisdom, everyone (TH)whose heart [bx]was stirred, to come and do the work. 3 And they received from Moses all the (TI)offering which the children of Israel (TJ)had brought for the work of the service of making the sanctuary. So they continued bringing to him freewill offerings every morning. 4 Then all the craftsmen who were doing all the work of the sanctuary came, each from the work he was doing, 5 and they spoke to Moses, saying, (TK)“The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work which the Lord commanded us to do.”
6 So Moses gave a commandment, and they caused it to be proclaimed throughout the camp, saying, “Let neither man nor woman do any more work for the offering of the sanctuary.” And the people were restrained from bringing, 7 for the material they had was sufficient for all the work to be done—indeed too (TL)much.
Building the Tabernacle(TM)
8 (TN)Then all the gifted artisans among them who worked on the tabernacle made ten curtains woven of fine linen, and of blue, purple, and scarlet thread; with artistic designs of cherubim they made them. 9 The length of each curtain was twenty-eight cubits, and the width of each curtain four cubits; the curtains were all the same size. 10 And he coupled five curtains to one another, and the other five curtains he coupled to one another. 11 He made loops of blue yarn on the edge of the curtain on the selvedge of one set; likewise he did on the outer edge of the other curtain of the second set. 12 (TO)Fifty loops he made on one curtain, and fifty loops he made on the edge of the curtain on the end of the second set; the loops held one curtain to another. 13 And he made fifty clasps of gold, and coupled the curtains to one another with the clasps, that it might be one tabernacle.
14 (TP)He made curtains of goats’ hair for the tent over the tabernacle; he made eleven curtains. 15 The length of each curtain was thirty cubits, and the width of each curtain four cubits; the eleven curtains were the same size. 16 He coupled five curtains by themselves and six curtains by themselves. 17 And he made fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that is outermost in one set, and fifty loops he made on the edge of the curtain of the second set. 18 He also made fifty bronze clasps to couple the tent together, that it might be one. 19 (TQ)Then he made a covering for the tent of ram skins dyed red, and a covering of [by]badger skins above that.
20 For the tabernacle (TR)he made boards of acacia wood, standing upright. 21 The length of each board was ten cubits, and the width of each board a cubit and a half. 22 Each board had two [bz]tenons (TS)for binding one to another. Thus he made for all the boards of the tabernacle. 23 And he made boards for the tabernacle, twenty boards for the south side. 24 Forty sockets of silver he made to go under the twenty boards: two sockets under each of the boards for its two tenons. 25 And for the other side of the tabernacle, the north side, he made twenty boards 26 and their forty sockets of silver: two sockets under each of the boards. 27 For the west side of the tabernacle he made six boards. 28 He also made two boards for the two back corners of the tabernacle. 29 And they were coupled at the bottom and [ca]coupled together at the top by one ring. Thus he made both of them for the two corners. 30 So there were eight boards and their sockets—sixteen sockets of silver—two sockets under each of the boards.
31 And he made (TT)bars of acacia wood: five for the boards on one side of the tabernacle, 32 five bars for the boards on the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the tabernacle on the far side westward. 33 And he made the middle bar to pass through the boards from one end to the other. 34 He overlaid the boards with gold, made their rings of gold to be holders for the bars, and overlaid the bars with gold.
35 And he made (TU)a veil of blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and fine woven linen; it was worked with an artistic design of cherubim. 36 He made for it four pillars of acacia wood, and overlaid them with gold, with their hooks of gold; and he cast four sockets of silver for them.
37 He also made a (TV)screen for the tabernacle door, of blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and fine woven linen, made by a [cb]weaver, 38 and its five pillars with their hooks. And he overlaid their capitals and their rings with gold, but their five sockets were bronze.
Footnotes
- Exodus 21:1 ordinances
- Exodus 21:8 Lit. is evil in the eyes of
- Exodus 21:19 exempt from punishment
- Exodus 21:22 struggle
- Exodus 21:22 Lit. her children come out
- Exodus 21:28 exempt from punishment
- Exodus 21:29 was inclined
- Exodus 22:3 Sold as a slave
- Exodus 22:21 sojourner
- Exodus 23:9 sojourner
- Exodus 23:11 olive yards
- Exodus 23:17 Heb. YHWH, usually translated Lord
- Exodus 23:18 feast
- Exodus 23:23 annihilate them
- Exodus 23:31 boundaries
- Exodus 23:31 Heb. Nahar, the Euphrates
- Exodus 23:32 treaty
- Exodus 24:3 ordinances
- Exodus 24:10 Lit. substance of heaven
- Exodus 24:11 stretch out His
- Exodus 25:2 heave offering
- Exodus 25:5 Or dolphin
- Exodus 25:8 sacred place
- Exodus 26:2 Lit. one measure
- Exodus 26:17 Projections for joining, lit. hands
- Exodus 26:24 Lit. doubled
- Exodus 27:20 Lit. ascend
- Exodus 28:2 sacred
- Exodus 28:4 Ornamented vest
- Exodus 28:8 ingenious work of
- Exodus 28:17 Or ruby
- Exodus 28:19 Or amber
- Exodus 28:20 Or yellow jasper
- Exodus 28:20 Or carnelian
- Exodus 28:27 ingenious work of
- Exodus 28:30 Lit. Lights and the Perfections
- Exodus 28:38 sacred
- Exodus 28:40 headpieces or turbans
- Exodus 28:41 set them apart
- Exodus 28:42 bare flesh
- Exodus 28:42 Lit. be
- Exodus 28:43 guilt
- Exodus 29:30 sanctuary
- Exodus 29:39 Lit. between the two evenings
- Exodus 29:41 Lit. between the two evenings
- Exodus 30:3 border
- Exodus 30:8 Lit. between the two evenings
- Exodus 30:12 the price of a life
- Exodus 30:14 contribution
- Exodus 30:16 give
- Exodus 30:18 basin
- Exodus 30:21 requirement
- Exodus 30:33 mixes
- Exodus 30:33 Put to death
- Exodus 30:37 Lit. proportion
- Exodus 31:10 Or woven garments
- Exodus 31:13 consecrates
- Exodus 31:14 defiles
- Exodus 32:1 Or a god
- Exodus 32:9 stubborn
- Exodus 32:10 destroy
- Exodus 32:11 Lit. the face of the Lord
- Exodus 32:29 Lit. Fill your hand
- Exodus 33:3 destroy
- Exodus 33:3 stubborn
- Exodus 33:5 jewelry
- Exodus 34:9 stubborn
- Exodus 34:10 wonderful acts
- Exodus 34:19 the firstborn
- Exodus 34:28 Lit. Ten Words
- Exodus 35:19 Or woven garments
- Exodus 35:21 Lit. lifted him up
- Exodus 35:23 Or dolphin
- Exodus 35:26 Lit. lifted them up
- Exodus 36:1 holy place
- Exodus 36:2 lifted him up
- Exodus 36:19 Or dolphin
- Exodus 36:22 Projections for joining, lit. hands
- Exodus 36:29 Lit. doubled
- Exodus 36:37 Lit. variegator, a weaver in colors
Psalm 12
New King James Version
Man’s Treachery and God’s Constancy
To the Chief Musician. (A)On [a]an eight-stringed harp. A Psalm of David.
12 Help,[b] Lord, for the godly man (B)ceases!
For the faithful disappear from among the sons of men.
2 (C)They speak idly everyone with his neighbor;
With flattering lips and [c]a double heart they speak.
3 May the Lord [d]cut off all flattering lips,
And the tongue that speaks [e]proud things,
4 Who have said,
“With our tongue we will prevail;
Our lips are our own;
Who is lord over us?”
5 “For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy,
Now I will arise,” says the Lord;
“I will set him in the safety for which he yearns.”
6 The words of the Lord are (D)pure words,
Like silver tried in a furnace of earth,
Purified seven times.
7 You shall keep them, O Lord,
You shall preserve them from this generation forever.
8 The wicked prowl on every side,
When vileness is exalted among the sons of men.
Footnotes
- Psalm 12:1 Heb. sheminith
- Psalm 12:1 Save
- Psalm 12:2 An inconsistent mind
- Psalm 12:3 destroy
- Psalm 12:3 great
Psalm 14
New King James Version
Folly of the Godless, and God’s Final Triumph(A)
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.
14 The (B)fool has said in his heart,
“There is no God.”
They are corrupt,
They have done abominable works,
There is none who does good.
2 (C)The Lord looks down from heaven upon the children of men,
To see if there are any who understand, who seek God.
3 (D)They have all turned aside,
They have together become corrupt;
There is none who does good,
No, not one.
4 Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge,
Who eat up my people as they eat bread,
And (E)do not call on the Lord?
5 There they are in great fear,
For God is with the generation of the righteous.
6 You shame the counsel of the poor,
But the Lord is his (F)refuge.
7 (G)Oh,[a] that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion!
(H)When the Lord brings back [b]the captivity of His people,
Let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad.
Footnotes
- Psalm 14:7 Lit. Who will give out of Zion the salvation of Israel?
- Psalm 14:7 Or His captive people
Psalm 16
New King James Version
The Hope of the Faithful, and the Messiah’s Victory
A (A)Michtam of David.
16 Preserve[a] me, O God, for in You I put my trust.
2 O my soul, you have said to the Lord,
“You are my Lord,
(B)My goodness is nothing apart from You.”
3 As for the saints who are on the earth,
“They are the excellent ones, in (C)whom is all my delight.”
4 Their sorrows shall be multiplied who hasten after another god;
Their drink offerings of (D)blood I will not offer,
(E)Nor take up their names on my lips.
5 O Lord, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup;
You [b]maintain my lot.
6 The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places;
Yes, I have a good inheritance.
7 I will bless the Lord who has given me counsel;
My [c]heart also instructs me in the night seasons.
8 (F)I have set the Lord always before me;
Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved.
9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices;
My flesh also will [d]rest in hope.
10 (G)For You will not leave my soul in [e]Sheol,
Nor will You allow Your Holy One to [f]see corruption.
11 You will show me the (H)path of life;
In Your presence is fullness of joy;
At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
Footnotes
- Psalm 16:1 Watch over
- Psalm 16:5 Lit. uphold
- Psalm 16:7 Mind, lit. kidneys
- Psalm 16:9 Or dwell securely
- Psalm 16:10 The abode of the dead
- Psalm 16:10 undergo
Acts 4-10
New King James Version
Peter and John Arrested
4 Now as they spoke to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple, and the (A)Sadducees came upon them, 2 being greatly disturbed that they taught the people and preached in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. 3 And they laid hands on them, and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. 4 However, many of those who heard the word believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand.
Addressing the Sanhedrin
5 And it came to pass, on the next day, that their rulers, elders, and scribes, 6 as well as (B)Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, and Alexander, and as many as were of the family of the high priest, were gathered together at Jerusalem. 7 And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, (C)“By what power or by what name have you done this?”
8 (D)Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders of Israel: 9 If we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well, 10 let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, (E)that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, (F)whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. 11 This is the (G)‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’ 12 (H)Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
The Name of Jesus Forbidden
13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, (I)and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus. 14 And seeing the man who had been healed (J)standing with them, they could say nothing against it. 15 But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves, 16 saying, (K)“What shall we do to these men? For, indeed, that a [a]notable miracle has been done through them is (L)evident[b] to all who dwell in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. 17 But so that it spreads no further among the people, let us severely threaten them, that from now on they speak to no man in this name.”
18 (M)So they called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John answered and said to them, (N)“Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. 20 (O)For we cannot but speak the things which (P)we have seen and heard.” 21 So when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way of punishing them, (Q)because of the people, since they all (R)glorified God for (S)what had been done. 22 For the man was over forty years old on whom this miracle of healing had been performed.
Prayer for Boldness(T)
23 And being let go, (U)they went to their own companions and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them. 24 So when they heard that, they raised their voice to God with one accord and said: “Lord, (V)You are God, who made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them, 25 who [c]by the mouth of Your servant David have said:
(W)‘Why did the nations rage,
And the people plot vain things?
26 The kings of the earth took their stand,
And the rulers were gathered together
Against the Lord and against His Christ.’
27 “For (X)truly against (Y)Your holy Servant Jesus, (Z)whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together 28 (AA)to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose determined before to be done. 29 Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants (AB)that with all boldness they may speak Your word, 30 by stretching out Your hand to heal, (AC)and that signs and wonders may be done (AD)through the name of (AE)Your holy Servant Jesus.”
31 And when they had prayed, (AF)the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, (AG)and they spoke the word of God with boldness.
Sharing in All Things
32 Now the multitude of those who believed (AH)were of one heart and one soul; (AI)neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common. 33 And with (AJ)great power the apostles gave (AK)witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And (AL)great grace was upon them all. 34 Nor was there anyone among them who lacked; (AM)for all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold, 35 (AN)and laid them at the apostles’ feet; (AO)and they distributed to each as anyone had need.
36 And [d]Joses, who was also named Barnabas by the apostles (which is translated Son of [e]Encouragement), a Levite of the country of Cyprus, 37 (AP)having land, sold it, and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.
Lying to the Holy Spirit
5 But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession. 2 And he kept back part of the proceeds, his wife also being aware of it, and brought a certain part and laid it at the apostles’ feet. 3 (AQ)But Peter said, “Ananias, why has (AR)Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself? 4 While it remained, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in your own control? Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.”
5 Then Ananias, hearing these words, (AS)fell down and breathed his last. So great fear came upon all those who heard these things. 6 And the young men arose and (AT)wrapped him up, carried him out, and buried him.
7 Now it was about three hours later when his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8 And Peter answered her, “Tell me whether you sold the land for so much?”
She said, “Yes, for so much.”
9 Then Peter said to her, “How is it that you have agreed together (AU)to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.” 10 (AV)Then immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. And the young men came in and found her dead, and carrying her out, buried her by her husband. 11 (AW)So great fear came upon all the church and upon all who heard these things.
Continuing Power in the Church
12 And (AX)through the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were done among the people. (AY)And they were all with one accord in Solomon’s Porch. 13 Yet (AZ)none of the rest dared join them, (BA)but the people esteemed them highly. 14 And believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women, 15 so that they brought the sick out into the streets and laid them on beds and couches, (BB)that at least the shadow of Peter passing by might fall on some of them. 16 Also a multitude gathered from the surrounding cities to Jerusalem, bringing (BC)sick people and those who were tormented by unclean spirits, and they were all healed.
Imprisoned Apostles Freed
17 (BD)Then the high priest rose up, and all those who were with him (which is the sect of the Sadducees), and they were filled with [f]indignation, 18 (BE)and laid their hands on the apostles and put them in the common prison. 19 But at night (BF)an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out, and said, 20 “Go, stand in the temple and speak to the people (BG)all the words of this life.”
21 And when they heard that, they entered the temple early in the morning and taught. (BH)But the high priest and those with him came and called the [g]council together, with all the [h]elders of the children of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought.
Apostles on Trial Again
22 But when the officers came and did not find them in the prison, they returned and reported, 23 saying, “Indeed we found the prison shut securely, and the guards standing [i]outside before the doors; but when we opened them, we found no one inside!” 24 Now when [j]the high priest, (BI)the captain of the temple, and the chief priests heard these things, they wondered what the outcome would be. 25 So one came and told them, [k]saying, “Look, the men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people!”
26 Then the captain went with the officers and brought them without violence, (BJ)for they feared the people, lest they should be stoned. 27 And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest asked them, 28 saying, (BK)“Did we not strictly command you not to teach in this name? And look, you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, (BL)and intend to bring this Man’s (BM)blood on us!”
29 But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: (BN)“We ought to obey God rather than men. 30 (BO)The God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom you murdered by (BP)hanging on a tree. 31 (BQ)Him God has exalted to His right hand to be (BR)Prince and (BS)Savior, (BT)to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. 32 And (BU)we are His witnesses to these things, and so also is the Holy Spirit (BV)whom God has given to those who obey Him.”
Gamaliel’s Advice
33 When they heard this, they were (BW)furious[l] and plotted to kill them. 34 Then one in the council stood up, a Pharisee named (BX)Gamaliel, a teacher of the law held in respect by all the people, and commanded them to put the apostles outside for a little while. 35 And he said to them: “Men of Israel, [m]take heed to yourselves what you intend to do regarding these men. 36 For some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody. A number of men, about four hundred, [n]joined him. He was slain, and all who obeyed him were scattered and came to nothing. 37 After this man, Judas of Galilee rose up in the days of the census, and drew away many people after him. He also perished, and all who obeyed him were dispersed. 38 And now I say to you, keep away from these men and let them alone; for if this plan or this work is of men, it will come to nothing; 39 (BY)but if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it—lest you even be found (BZ)to fight against God.”
40 And they agreed with him, and when they had (CA)called for the apostles (CB)and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. 41 So they departed from the presence of the council, (CC)rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for [o]His name. 42 And daily (CD)in the temple, and in every house, (CE)they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.
Seven Chosen to Serve
6 Now in those days, (CF)when the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a complaint against the Hebrews by the (CG)Hellenists,[p] because their widows were neglected (CH)in the daily distribution. 2 Then the twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, (CI)“It is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables. 3 Therefore, brethren, (CJ)seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this (CK)business; 4 but we (CL)will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”
5 And the saying pleased the whole multitude. And they chose Stephen, (CM)a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and (CN)Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and (CO)Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch, 6 whom they set before the apostles; and (CP)when they had prayed, (CQ)they laid hands on them.
7 Then (CR)the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many (CS)of the priests were obedient to the faith.
Stephen Accused of Blasphemy
8 And Stephen, full of [q]faith and power, did great (CT)wonders and signs among the people. 9 Then there arose some from what is called the Synagogue of the Freedmen (Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and those from Cilicia and Asia), disputing with Stephen. 10 And (CU)they were not able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke. 11 (CV)Then they secretly induced men to say, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.” 12 And they stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes; and they came upon him, seized him, and brought him to the council. 13 They also set up false witnesses who said, “This man does not cease to speak [r]blasphemous words against this holy place and the law; 14 (CW)for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs which Moses delivered to us.” 15 And all who sat in the council, looking steadfastly at him, saw his face as the face of an angel.
Stephen’s Address: The Call of Abraham
7 Then the high priest said, “Are these things so?”
2 And he said, (CX)“Brethren and fathers, listen: The (CY)God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in (CZ)Haran, 3 and said to him, (DA)‘Get out of your country and from your relatives, and come to a land that I will show you.’ 4 Then (DB)he came out of the land of the Chaldeans and dwelt in Haran. And from there, when his father was (DC)dead, He moved him to this land in which you now dwell. 5 And God gave him no inheritance in it, not even enough to set his foot on. But even when Abraham had no child, (DD)He promised to give it to him for a possession, and to his descendants after him. 6 But God spoke in this way: (DE)that his descendants would dwell in a foreign land, and that they would bring them into (DF)bondage and oppress them four hundred years. 7 (DG)‘And the nation to whom they will be in bondage I will (DH)judge,’ said God, (DI)‘and after that they shall come out and serve Me in this place.’ 8 (DJ)Then He gave him the covenant of circumcision; (DK)and so Abraham begot Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day; (DL)and Isaac begot Jacob, and (DM)Jacob begot the twelve patriarchs.
The Patriarchs in Egypt
9 (DN)“And the patriarchs, becoming envious, (DO)sold Joseph into Egypt. (DP)But God was with him 10 and delivered him out of all his troubles, (DQ)and gave him favor and wisdom in the presence of Pharaoh, king of Egypt; and he made him governor over Egypt and all his house. 11 (DR)Now a famine and great [s]trouble came over all the land of Egypt and Canaan, and our fathers found no sustenance. 12 (DS)But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent out our fathers first. 13 And the (DT)second time Joseph was made known to his brothers, and Joseph’s family became known to the Pharaoh. 14 (DU)Then Joseph sent and called his father Jacob and (DV)all his relatives to him, [t]seventy-five people. 15 (DW)So Jacob went down to Egypt; (DX)and he died, he and our fathers. 16 And (DY)they were carried back to Shechem and laid in (DZ)the tomb that Abraham bought for a sum of money from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem.
God Delivers Israel by Moses
17 “But when (EA)the time of the promise drew near which God had sworn to Abraham, (EB)the people grew and multiplied in Egypt 18 till another king (EC)arose who did not know Joseph. 19 This man dealt treacherously with our people, and oppressed our forefathers, (ED)making them expose their babies, so that they might not live. 20 (EE)At this time Moses was born, and (EF)was well pleasing to God; and he was brought up in his father’s house for three months. 21 But (EG)when he was set out, (EH)Pharaoh’s daughter took him away and brought him up as her own son. 22 And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was (EI)mighty in words and deeds.
23 (EJ)“Now when he was forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren, the children of Israel. 24 And seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended and avenged him who was oppressed, and struck down the Egyptian. 25 For he supposed that his brethren would have understood that God would deliver them by his hand, but they did not understand. 26 And the next day he appeared to two of them as they were fighting, and tried to reconcile them, saying, ‘Men, you are brethren; why do you wrong one another?’ 27 But he who did his neighbor wrong pushed him away, saying, (EK)‘Who made you a ruler and a judge over us? 28 Do you want to kill me as you did the Egyptian yesterday?’ 29 (EL)Then, at this saying, Moses fled and became a dweller in the land of Midian, where he (EM)had two sons.
30 (EN)“And when forty years had passed, an Angel [u]of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire in a bush, in the wilderness of Mount Sinai. 31 When Moses saw it, he marveled at the sight; and as he drew near to observe, the voice of the Lord came to him, 32 saying, (EO)‘I am the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ And Moses trembled and dared not look. 33 (EP)‘Then the Lord said to him, “Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground. 34 I have surely (EQ)seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt; I have heard their groaning and have come down to deliver them. And now come, I will (ER)send you to Egypt.” ’
35 “This Moses whom they rejected, saying, (ES)‘Who made you a ruler and a judge?’ is the one God sent to be a ruler and a deliverer (ET)by the hand of the Angel who appeared to him in the bush. 36 (EU)He brought them out, after he had (EV)shown wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, (EW)and in the Red Sea, (EX)and in the wilderness forty years.
Israel Rebels Against God
37 “This is that Moses who said to the children of Israel, (EY)‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. (EZ)Him[v] you shall hear.’
38 (FA)“This is he who was in the [w]congregation in the wilderness with (FB)the Angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our fathers, (FC)the one who received the living (FD)oracles[x] to give to us, 39 whom our fathers (FE)would not obey, but rejected. And in their hearts they turned back to Egypt, 40 (FF)saying to Aaron, ‘Make us gods to go before us; as for this Moses who brought us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’ 41 (FG)And they made a calf in those days, offered sacrifices to the idol, and (FH)rejoiced in the works of their own hands. 42 Then (FI)God turned and gave them up to worship (FJ)the host of heaven, as it is written in the book of the Prophets:
(FK)‘Did you offer Me slaughtered animals and sacrifices during forty years in the wilderness,
O house of Israel?
43 You also took up the tabernacle of Moloch,
And the star of your god Remphan,
Images which you made to worship;
And (FL)I will carry you away beyond Babylon.’
God’s True Tabernacle
44 “Our fathers had the tabernacle of witness in the wilderness, as He appointed, instructing Moses (FM)to make it according to the pattern that he had seen, 45 (FN)which our fathers, having received it in turn, also brought with Joshua into the land possessed by the Gentiles, (FO)whom God drove out before the face of our fathers until the (FP)days of David, 46 (FQ)who found favor before God and (FR)asked to find a dwelling for the God of Jacob. 47 (FS)But Solomon built Him a house.
48 “However, (FT)the Most High does not dwell in temples made with hands, as the prophet says:
49 ‘Heaven(FU) is My throne,
And earth is My footstool.
What house will you build for Me? says the Lord,
Or what is the place of My rest?
50 Has My hand not (FV)made all these things?’
Israel Resists the Holy Spirit
51 “You (FW)stiff-necked[y] and (FX)uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you. 52 (FY)Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of (FZ)the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers, 53 (GA)who have received the law by the direction of angels and have not kept it.”
Stephen the Martyr
54 (GB)When they heard these things they were [z]cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth. 55 But he, (GC)being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the (GD)glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, 56 and said, “Look! (GE)I see the heavens opened and the (GF)Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!”
57 Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord; 58 and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And (GG)the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59 And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, “Lord Jesus, (GH)receive my spirit.” 60 Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, (GI)“Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.
Saul Persecutes the Church
8 Now Saul was consenting to his death.
At that time a great persecution arose against the church which was at Jerusalem; and (GJ)they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. 2 And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and (GK)made great lamentation over him.
3 As for Saul, (GL)he made havoc of the church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison.
Christ Is Preached in Samaria
4 Therefore (GM)those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word. 5 Then (GN)Philip went down to [aa]the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them. 6 And the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. 7 For (GO)unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, came out of many who were possessed; and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed. 8 And there was great joy in that city.
The Sorcerer’s Profession of Faith
9 But there was a certain man called Simon, who previously (GP)practiced [ab]sorcery in the city and (GQ)astonished the [ac]people of Samaria, claiming that he was someone great, 10 to whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, “This man is the great power of God.” 11 And they heeded him because he had astonished them with his [ad]sorceries for a long time. 12 But when they believed Philip as he preached the things (GR)concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized. 13 Then Simon himself also believed; and when he was baptized he continued with Philip, and was amazed, seeing the miracles and signs which were done.
The Sorcerer’s Sin
14 Now when the (GS)apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them, 15 who, when they had come down, prayed for them (GT)that they might receive the Holy Spirit. 16 For (GU)as yet He had fallen upon none of them. (GV)They had only been baptized in (GW)the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then (GX)they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
18 And when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money, 19 saying, “Give me this power also, that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”
20 But Peter said to him, “Your money perish with you, because (GY)you thought that (GZ)the gift of God could be purchased with money! 21 You have neither part nor portion in this matter, for your (HA)heart is not right in the sight of God. 22 Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God (HB)if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you. 23 For I see that you are (HC)poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity.”
24 Then Simon answered and said, (HD)“Pray to the Lord for me, that none of the things which you have spoken may come upon me.”
25 So when they had testified and preached the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many villages of the Samaritans.
Christ Is Preached to an Ethiopian(HE)
26 Now an angel of the Lord spoke to (HF)Philip, saying, “Arise and go toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is [ae]desert. 27 So he arose and went. And behold, (HG)a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace the queen of the Ethiopians, who had charge of all her treasury, and (HH)had come to Jerusalem to worship, 28 was returning. And sitting in his chariot, he was reading Isaiah the prophet. 29 Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go near and overtake this chariot.”
30 So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?”
31 And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him. 32 The place in the Scripture which he read was this:
(HI)“He was led as a sheep to the slaughter;
And as a lamb before its shearer is silent,
(HJ)So He opened not His mouth.
33 In His humiliation His (HK)justice was taken away,
And who will declare His generation?
For His life is (HL)taken from the earth.”
34 So the eunuch answered Philip and said, “I ask you, of whom does the prophet say this, of himself or of some other man?” 35 Then Philip opened his mouth, (HM)and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him. 36 Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, “See, here is water. (HN)What hinders me from being baptized?”
37 [af]Then Philip said, (HO)“If you believe with all your heart, you may.”
And he answered and said, (HP)“I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”
38 So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him. 39 Now when they came up out of the water, (HQ)the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, so that the eunuch saw him no more; and he went on his way rejoicing. 40 But Philip was found at [ag]Azotus. And passing through, he preached in all the cities till he came to (HR)Caesarea.
The Damascus Road: Saul Converted(HS)
9 Then (HT)Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2 and asked (HU)letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.
3 (HV)As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. 4 Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, (HW)why are you persecuting Me?”
5 And he said, “Who are You, Lord?”
Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. [ah]It is hard for you to kick against the goads.”
6 So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?”
Then the Lord said to him, “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
7 And (HX)the men who journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice but seeing no one. 8 Then Saul arose from the ground, and when his eyes were opened he saw no one. But they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. 9 And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank.
Ananias Baptizes Saul
10 Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus (HY)named Ananias; and to him the Lord said in a vision, “Ananias.”
And he said, “Here I am, Lord.”
11 So the Lord said to him, “Arise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for one called Saul (HZ)of Tarsus, for behold, he is praying. 12 And in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him, so that he might receive his sight.”
13 Then Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, (IA)how much [ai]harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem. 14 And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all (IB)who call on Your name.”
15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for (IC)he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before (ID)Gentiles, (IE)kings, and the (IF)children[aj] of Israel. 16 For (IG)I will show him how many things he must suffer for My (IH)name’s sake.”
17 (II)And Ananias went his way and entered the house; and (IJ)laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord [ak]Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and (IK)be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized.
19 So when he had received food, he was strengthened. (IL)Then Saul spent some days with the disciples at Damascus.
Saul Preaches Christ
20 Immediately he preached [al]the Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God.
21 Then all who heard were amazed, and said, (IM)“Is this not he who destroyed those who called on this name in Jerusalem, and has come here for that purpose, so that he might bring them bound to the chief priests?”
22 But Saul increased all the more in strength, (IN)and confounded the Jews who dwelt in Damascus, proving that this Jesus is the Christ.
Saul Escapes Death
23 Now after many days were past, (IO)the Jews plotted to kill him. 24 (IP)But their plot became known to Saul. And they watched the gates day and night, to kill him. 25 Then the disciples took him by night and (IQ)let him down through the wall in a large basket.
Saul at Jerusalem
26 And (IR)when Saul had come to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples; but they were all afraid of him, and did not believe that he was a disciple. 27 (IS)But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. And he declared to them how he had seen the Lord on the road, and that He had spoken to him, (IT)and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus. 28 So (IU)he was with them at Jerusalem, coming in and going out. 29 And he spoke boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus and disputed against the (IV)Hellenists,[am] (IW)but they attempted to kill him. 30 When the brethren found out, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him out to Tarsus.
The Church Prospers
31 (IX)Then the [an]churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were (IY)edified.[ao] And walking in the (IZ)fear of the Lord and in the (JA)comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were (JB)multiplied.
Aeneas Healed
32 Now it came to pass, as Peter went (JC)through all parts of the country, that he also came down to the saints who dwelt in Lydda. 33 There he found a certain man named Aeneas, who had been bedridden eight years and was paralyzed. 34 And Peter said to him, “Aeneas, (JD)Jesus the Christ heals you. Arise and make your bed.” Then he arose immediately. 35 So all who dwelt at Lydda and (JE)Sharon saw him and (JF)turned to the Lord.
Dorcas Restored to Life
36 At Joppa there was a certain disciple named [ap]Tabitha, which is translated [aq]Dorcas. This woman was full (JG)of good works and charitable deeds which she did. 37 But it happened in those days that she became sick and died. When they had washed her, they laid her in (JH)an upper room. 38 And since Lydda was near Joppa, and the disciples had heard that Peter was there, they sent two men to him, imploring him not to delay in coming to them. 39 Then Peter arose and went with them. When he had come, they brought him to the upper room. And all the widows stood by him weeping, showing the tunics and garments which Dorcas had made while she was with them. 40 But Peter (JI)put them all out, and (JJ)knelt down and prayed. And turning to the body he (JK)said, “Tabitha, arise.” And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter she sat up. 41 Then he gave her his hand and lifted her up; and when he had called the saints and widows, he presented her alive. 42 And it became known throughout all Joppa, (JL)and many believed on the Lord. 43 So it was that he stayed many days in Joppa with (JM)Simon, a tanner.
Cornelius Sends a Delegation
10 There was a certain man in (JN)Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian [ar]Regiment, 2 (JO)a devout man and one who (JP)feared God with all his household, who gave [as]alms generously to the people, and prayed to God always. 3 About [at]the ninth hour of the day (JQ)he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God coming in and saying to him, “Cornelius!”
4 And when he observed him, he was afraid, and said, “What is it, lord?”
So he said to him, “Your prayers and your alms have come up for a memorial before God. 5 Now (JR)send men to Joppa, and send for Simon whose surname is Peter. 6 He is lodging with (JS)Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea. (JT)He[au] will tell you what you must do.” 7 And when the angel who spoke to him had departed, Cornelius called two of his household servants and a devout soldier from among those who waited on him continually. 8 So when he had explained all these things to them, he sent them to Joppa.
Peter’s Vision
9 The next day, as they went on their journey and drew near the city, (JU)Peter went up on the housetop to pray, about [av]the sixth hour. 10 Then he became very hungry and wanted to eat; but while they made ready, he fell into a trance 11 and (JV)saw heaven opened and an object like a great sheet bound at the four corners, descending to him and let down to the earth. 12 In it were all kinds of four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air. 13 And a voice came to him, “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.”
14 But Peter said, “Not so, Lord! (JW)For I have never eaten anything common or unclean.”
15 And a voice spoke to him again the second time, (JX)“What God has [aw]cleansed you must not call common.” 16 This was done three times. And the object was taken up into heaven again.
Summoned to Caesarea
17 Now while Peter [ax]wondered within himself what this vision which he had seen meant, behold, the men who had been sent from Cornelius had made inquiry for Simon’s house, and stood before the gate. 18 And they called and asked whether Simon, whose surname was Peter, was lodging there.
19 While Peter thought about the vision, (JY)the Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men are seeking you. 20 (JZ)Arise therefore, go down and go with them, doubting nothing; for I have sent them.”
21 Then Peter went down to the men [ay]who had been sent to him from Cornelius, and said, “Yes, I am he whom you seek. For what reason have you come?”
22 And they said, “Cornelius the centurion, a just man, one who fears God and (KA)has a good reputation among all the nation of the Jews, was divinely instructed by a holy angel to summon you to his house, and to hear words from you.” 23 Then he invited them in and lodged them.
On the next day Peter went away with them, (KB)and some brethren from Joppa accompanied him.
Peter Meets Cornelius
24 And the following day they entered Caesarea. Now Cornelius was waiting for them, and had called together his relatives and close friends. 25 As Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him. 26 But Peter lifted him up, saying, (KC)“Stand up; I myself am also a man.” 27 And as he talked with him, he went in and found many who had come together. 28 Then he said to them, “You know how (KD)unlawful it is for a Jewish man to keep company with or go to one of another nation. But (KE)God has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean. 29 Therefore I came without objection as soon as I was sent for. I ask, then, for what reason have you sent for me?”
30 So Cornelius said, [az]“Four days ago I was fasting until this hour; and at the ninth hour I prayed in my house, and behold, (KF)a man stood before me (KG)in bright clothing, 31 and said, ‘Cornelius, (KH)your prayer has been heard, and (KI)your [ba]alms are remembered in the sight of God. 32 Send therefore to Joppa and call Simon here, whose surname is Peter. He is lodging in the house of Simon, a tanner, by the sea. [bb]When he comes, he will speak to you.’ 33 So I sent to you immediately, and you have done well to come. Now therefore, we are all present before God, to hear all the things commanded you by God.”
Preaching to Cornelius’ Household
34 Then Peter opened his mouth and said: (KJ)“In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. 35 But (KK)in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is (KL)accepted by Him. 36 The word which God sent to the [bc]children of Israel, (KM)preaching peace through Jesus Christ—(KN)He is Lord of all— 37 that word you know, which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, and (KO)began from Galilee after the baptism which John preached: 38 how (KP)God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who (KQ)went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, (KR)for God was with Him. 39 And we are (KS)witnesses of all things which He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem, whom [bd]they (KT)killed by hanging on a tree. 40 Him (KU)God raised up on the third day, and showed Him openly, 41 (KV)not to all the people, but to witnesses chosen before by God, even to us (KW)who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead. 42 And (KX)He commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify (KY)that it is He who was ordained by God to be Judge (KZ)of the living and the dead. 43 (LA)To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, (LB)whoever believes in Him will receive (LC)remission[be] of sins.”
The Holy Spirit Falls on the Gentiles
44 While Peter was still speaking these words, (LD)the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word. 45 (LE)And [bf]those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, (LF)because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. 46 For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God.
Then Peter answered, 47 “Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit (LG)just as we have?” 48 (LH)And he commanded them to be baptized (LI)in the name of the Lord. Then they asked him to stay a few days.
Footnotes
- Acts 4:16 remarkable sign
- Acts 4:16 well known
- Acts 4:25 NU through the Holy Spirit, by the mouth of our father, Your servant David,
- Acts 4:36 NU Joseph
- Acts 4:36 Or Consolation
- Acts 5:17 jealousy
- Acts 5:21 Sanhedrin
- Acts 5:21 council of elders or senate
- Acts 5:23 NU, M omit outside
- Acts 5:24 NU omits the high priest
- Acts 5:25 NU, M omit saying
- Acts 5:33 cut to the quick
- Acts 5:35 be careful
- Acts 5:36 followed
- Acts 5:41 NU the name; M the name of Jesus
- Acts 6:1 Greek-speaking Jews
- Acts 6:8 NU grace
- Acts 6:13 NU omits blasphemous
- Acts 7:11 affliction
- Acts 7:14 Or seventy, Ex. 1:5
- Acts 7:30 NU omits of the Lord
- Acts 7:37 NU, M omit Him you shall hear
- Acts 7:38 Gr. ekklesia, assembly or church
- Acts 7:38 sayings
- Acts 7:51 stubborn
- Acts 7:54 furious
- Acts 8:5 Or a
- Acts 8:9 magic
- Acts 8:9 Or nation
- Acts 8:11 magic arts
- Acts 8:26 Or a deserted place
- Acts 8:37 NU, M omit v. 37. It is found in Western texts, including the Latin tradition.
- Acts 8:40 Same as Heb. Ashdod
- Acts 9:5 NU, M omit the rest of v. 5 and begin v. 6 with But arise and go
- Acts 9:13 bad things
- Acts 9:15 Lit. sons
- Acts 9:17 M omits Jesus
- Acts 9:20 NU Jesus
- Acts 9:29 Greek-speaking Jews
- Acts 9:31 NU church . . . was
- Acts 9:31 built up
- Acts 9:36 Lit., in Aram., Gazelle
- Acts 9:36 Lit., in Gr., Gazelle
- Acts 10:1 Cohort
- Acts 10:2 charitable gifts
- Acts 10:3 3 p.m.
- Acts 10:6 NU, M omit the rest of v. 6.
- Acts 10:9 Noon
- Acts 10:15 Declared clean
- Acts 10:17 was perplexed
- Acts 10:21 NU, M omit who had been sent to him from Cornelius
- Acts 10:30 NU Four days ago to this hour, at the ninth hour
- Acts 10:31 charitable gifts
- Acts 10:32 NU omits the rest of v. 32.
- Acts 10:36 Lit. sons
- Acts 10:39 NU, M they also
- Acts 10:43 forgiveness
- Acts 10:45 The Jews
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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