Jesus and Abraham

⁴⁸ The people told Jesus, “We were right to say that you are a Samaritan^[a] and that you have a demon in you!”

⁴⁹ Jesus answered, “I don't have a demon in me. I honor my Father, and you refuse to honor me. ⁵⁰ I don't want honor for myself. But there is one who wants me to be honored, and he is also the one who judges. ⁵¹ I tell you for certain that if you obey my words, you will never die.”

⁵² Then the people said, “Now we are sure that you have a demon. Abraham is dead, and so are the prophets. How can you say that no one who obeys your words will ever die? ⁵³ Are you greater than our father Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you are?”

⁵⁴ Jesus replied, “If I honored myself, it would mean nothing. My Father is the one who honors me. You claim that he is your God, ⁵⁵ even though you don't really know him. If I said I didn't know him, I would be a liar, just like all of you. But I know him, and I do what he says. ⁵⁶ Your father Abraham was really glad to see me.”

⁵⁷ “You are not even 50 years old!” they said. “How could you have seen Abraham?”

⁵⁸ Jesus answered, “I tell you for certain that even before Abraham was, I was, and I am.”^{[b] 59} The people picked up stones to kill Jesus, but he hid and left the temple.

Solomon Brings the Sacred Chest to the Temple

(1 Kings 8.1-13)

^2-3 (A) The sacred chest had been kept on Mount Zion, also known as the city of David. But Solomon decided to have the chest moved to the temple while everyone was in Jerusalem to celebrate the Festival of Shelters during the seventh month.^[a]

Solomon called together all the important leaders of Israel. ^4-5 Then the priests and the Levites picked up the sacred chest, the sacred tent, and the objects used for worship, and they carried them to the temple. ⁶ Solomon and a crowd of people stood in front of the chest and sacrificed more sheep and cattle than could be counted.

⁷ The priests carried the chest into the most holy place and put it under the winged creatures, ⁸ whose wings covered both the chest and the poles used for carrying it. ⁹ The poles were so long that they could be seen from just outside the most holy place, but not from anywhere else. And they stayed there from then on.

^10 (B) The only things kept in the chest were the two flat stones Moses had put there when the Lord made his agreement with the people of Israel at Mount Sinai,^[b] after bringing them out of Egypt.

^11-13 (C) The priests of every group had gone through the ceremony to make themselves clean and acceptable to the Lord. The Levite musicians, including Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun, and their sons and relatives, were wearing robes of fine linen. They were standing on the east side of the altar, playing cymbals, small harps, and other stringed instruments. One hundred and twenty priests were with these musicians, and they were blowing trumpets.

They were praising the Lord by playing music and singing:

Suddenly a cloud filled the temple as the priests were leaving the holy place. ¹⁴ The Lord's glory was in that cloud, and the light from it was so bright that the priests could not stay inside to do their work.

A Broken Agreement

¹⁰ Don't you know that we all have God as our Father? Didn't the one God create each of us? Then why do you cheat each other by breaking the agreement God made with your ancestors? ¹¹ You people in Judah and Jerusalem have been unfaithful to the Lord. You have disgraced the temple that he loves, and you have committed the disgusting sin of marrying the worshipers of other gods. ¹² I pray that the Lord will no longer let those who are guilty belong to his people, even if they eagerly decide to offer the Lord a gift.^[a]

¹³ And what else are you doing? You cry noisily and flood the Lord's altar with your tears, because he isn't pleased with your offerings and refuses to accept them. ¹⁴ And why isn't God pleased? It's because he knows that each of you men has been unfaithful to the wife you married when you were young. You promised that she would be your partner, but now you have broken that promise. ¹⁵ Didn't God create you and your wife to become like one person?^[b] And why did he do this? It was so you would have children, and then lead them to become God's people. Don't ever be unfaithful to your wife. ¹⁶ The Lord God All-Powerful of Israel hates anyone who is cruel enough to divorce his wife. So take care never to be unfaithful!

¹⁷ You have worn out the Lord with your words. And yet, you ask, “How did we do that?”

You did it by saying, “The Lord is pleased with evil and doesn't care about justice.”

The Promised Messenger

A Day of Change

^2 (B) On the day the Lord comes, he will be like a furnace that purifies silver or like strong soap in a washbasin. No one will be able to stand up to him. ³ The Lord will purify the descendants of Levi,^[c] as though they were gold or silver. Then they will bring the proper offerings to the Lord, ⁴ and the offerings of the people of Judah and Jerusalem will please him, just as they did in the past.

Don't Cheat God

⁵ The Lord All-Powerful said:

I'm now on my way to judge you. And I will quickly condemn all who practice witchcraft or cheat in marriage or tell lies in court or rob workers of their pay or mistreat widows and orphans or steal the property of foreigners or refuse to respect me.

^6 (C) Descendants of Jacob, I am the Lord All-Powerful, and I never change. That's why you haven't been wiped out, ⁷ even though you have ignored and disobeyed my laws ever since the time of your ancestors. But if you return to me, I will return to you.

And yet you ask, “How can we return?”

⁸ You people are robbing me, your God. And, here you are, asking, “How are we robbing you?”

You are robbing me of the offerings and of the ten percent that belongs to me.^{[d] 9} That's why your whole nation is under a curse. ^10 (D) I am the Lord All-Powerful, and I challenge you to put me to the test. Bring the entire ten percent into the storehouse, so there will be food in my house. Then I will open the windows of heaven and flood you with blessing after blessing.^{[e] 11} I will also stop locusts^[f] from destroying your crops and keeping your vineyards from producing. ¹² Everyone of every nation will talk about how I have blessed you and about your wonderful land. I, the Lord All-Powerful, have spoken!

¹³ You have said horrible things about me, and yet you ask, “What have we said?”

¹⁴ Here is what you have said: “It's foolish to serve the Lord God All-Powerful. What do we get for obeying God and from going around looking sad? ¹⁵ See how happy those arrogant people are. Everyone who does wrong is successful, and when they put God to the test, they always get away with it.”

Faithfulness Is Rewarded

¹⁶ All those who truly respected the Lord and honored his name started discussing these things, and when God saw what was happening, he had their names^[g] written as a reminder in his book.

¹⁷ Then the Lord All-Powerful said:

You people are precious to me, and when I come to bring justice, I will protect you, just as parents protect an obedient child. ¹⁸ Then everyone will once again see the difference between those who obey me by doing right and those who reject me by doing wrong.

The Day of Judgment

The Lord said:

4 The day of judgment is certain to come. And it will be like a red-hot furnace with flames that burn up proud and sinful people, as though they were straw. Not a branch or a root will be left. I, the Lord All-Powerful, have spoken! ² But for you that honor my name, victory will shine like the sun with healing in its rays, and you will jump around like calves at play. ³ When I come to bring justice, you will trample those who are evil, as though they were ashes under your feet. I, the Lord All-Powerful, have spoken!

⁴ Don't ever forget the laws and teachings I gave my servant Moses on Mount Sinai.^[h]

^5 (E) I, the Lord, promise to send the prophet Elijah before that great and terrible day comes. ⁶ He will lead children and parents to love each other more, so that when I come, I won't bring destruction to the land.