The Ark^(A)

37 Bezalel^(B) made the ark^(C) of acacia wood—two and a half cubits long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit and a half high.^{[a] 2} He overlaid it with pure gold,^(D) both inside and out, and made a gold molding around it. ³ He cast four gold rings for it and fastened them to its four feet, with two rings on one side and two rings on the other. ⁴ Then he made poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold. ⁵ And he inserted the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry it.

⁶ He made the atonement cover^(E) of pure gold—two and a half cubits long and a cubit and a half wide. ⁷ Then he made two cherubim^(F) out of hammered gold at the ends of the cover. ⁸ He made one cherub on one end and the second cherub on the other; at the two ends he made them of one piece with the cover. ⁹ The cherubim had their wings spread upward, overshadowing^(G) the cover with them. The cherubim faced each other, looking toward the cover.^(H)

The Table^(I)

¹⁰ They^[b] made the table^(J) of acacia wood—two cubits long, a cubit wide and a cubit and a half high.^{[c] 11} Then they overlaid it with pure gold^(K) and made a gold molding around it. ¹² They also made around it a rim a handbreadth^[d] wide and put a gold molding on the rim. ¹³ They cast four gold rings for the table and fastened them to the four corners, where the four legs were. ¹⁴ The rings^(L) were put close to the rim to hold the poles used in carrying the table. ¹⁵ The poles for carrying the table were made of acacia wood and were overlaid with gold. ¹⁶ And they made from pure gold the articles for the table—its plates and dishes and bowls and its pitchers for the pouring out of drink offerings.

The Lampstand^(M)

¹⁷ They made the lampstand^(N) of pure gold. They hammered out its base and shaft, and made its flowerlike cups, buds and blossoms of one piece with them. ¹⁸ Six branches extended from the sides of the lampstand—three on one side and three on the other. ¹⁹ Three cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms were on one branch, three on the next branch and the same for all six branches extending from the lampstand. ²⁰ And on the lampstand were four cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms. ²¹ One bud was under the first pair of branches extending from the lampstand, a second bud under the second pair, and a third bud under the third pair—six branches in all. ²² The buds and the branches were all of one piece with the lampstand, hammered out of pure gold.^(O)

²³ They made its seven lamps,^(P) as well as its wick trimmers and trays, of pure gold. ²⁴ They made the lampstand and all its accessories from one talent^[e] of pure gold.

The Altar of Incense^(Q)

²⁵ They made the altar of incense^(R) out of acacia wood. It was square, a cubit long and a cubit wide and two cubits high^[f]—its horns^(S) of one piece with it. ²⁶ They overlaid the top and all the sides and the horns with pure gold, and made a gold molding around it. ²⁷ They made two gold rings^(T) below the molding—two on each of the opposite sides—to hold the poles used to carry it. ²⁸ They made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold.^(U)

²⁹ They also made the sacred anointing oil^(V) and the pure, fragrant incense^(W)—the work of a perfumer.

Psalm 67^[a]

For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A psalm. A song.

The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard

20 “For the kingdom of heaven is like^(A) a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard.^{(B) 2} He agreed to pay them a denarius^[a] for the day and sent them into his vineyard.

³ “About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. ⁴ He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ ⁵ So they went.

“He went out again about noon and about three in the afternoon and did the same thing. ⁶ About five in the afternoon he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’

⁷ “‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered.

“He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’

⁸ “When evening came,^(C) the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’

⁹ “The workers who were hired about five in the afternoon came and each received a denarius. ¹⁰ So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. ¹¹ When they received it, they began to grumble^(D) against the landowner. ¹² ‘These who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat^(E) of the day.’

¹³ “But he answered one of them, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend.^(F) Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? ¹⁴ Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. ¹⁵ Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’^(G)

¹⁶ “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”^(H)