The Appointed Festivals

23 The Lord said to Moses, ² “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘These are my appointed festivals,^(A) the appointed festivals of the Lord, which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies.^(B)

The Sabbath

³ “‘There are six days when you may work,^(C) but the seventh day is a day of sabbath rest,^(D) a day of sacred assembly. You are not to do any work;^(E) wherever you live, it is a sabbath to the Lord.

The Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread^(F)

⁴ “‘These are the Lord’s appointed festivals, the sacred assemblies you are to proclaim at their appointed times:^{(G) 5} The Lord’s Passover^(H) begins at twilight on the fourteenth day of the first month.^{(I) 6} On the fifteenth day of that month the Lord’s Festival of Unleavened Bread^(J) begins; for seven days^(K) you must eat bread made without yeast. ⁷ On the first day hold a sacred assembly^(L) and do no regular work. ⁸ For seven days present a food offering to the Lord.^(M) And on the seventh day hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work.’”

Offering the Firstfruits

⁹ The Lord said to Moses, ¹⁰ “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When you enter the land I am going to give you^(N) and you reap its harvest,^(O) bring to the priest a sheaf^(P) of the first grain you harvest.^{(Q) 11} He is to wave the sheaf before the Lord^(R) so it will be accepted^(S) on your behalf; the priest is to wave it on the day after the Sabbath. ¹² On the day you wave the sheaf, you must sacrifice as a burnt offering to the Lord a lamb a year old^(T) without defect,^{(U) 13} together with its grain offering^(V) of two-tenths of an ephah^[a](W) of the finest flour mixed with olive oil—a food offering presented to the Lord, a pleasing aroma—and its drink offering^(X) of a quarter of a hin^[b] of wine.^{(Y) 14} You must not eat any bread, or roasted or new grain,^(Z) until the very day you bring this offering to your God.^(AA) This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come,^(AB) wherever you live.^(AC)

The Festival of Weeks^(AD)

¹⁵ “‘From the day after the Sabbath, the day you brought the sheaf of the wave offering, count off seven full weeks. ¹⁶ Count off fifty days up to the day after the seventh Sabbath,^(AE) and then present an offering of new grain to the Lord. ¹⁷ From wherever you live, bring two loaves made of two-tenths of an ephah^(AF) of the finest flour, baked with yeast, as a wave offering of firstfruits^(AG) to the Lord. ¹⁸ Present with this bread seven male lambs, each a year old and without defect, one young bull and two rams. They will be a burnt offering to the Lord, together with their grain offerings and drink offerings^(AH)—a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the Lord. ¹⁹ Then sacrifice one male goat for a sin offering^[c] and two lambs, each a year old, for a fellowship offering. ²⁰ The priest is to wave the two lambs before the Lord as a wave offering,^(AI) together with the bread of the firstfruits. They are a sacred offering to the Lord for the priest. ²¹ On that same day you are to proclaim a sacred assembly^(AJ) and do no regular work.^(AK) This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live.

²² “‘When you reap the harvest^(AL) of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest.^(AM) Leave them for the poor and for the foreigner residing among you.^(AN) I am the Lord your God.’”

The Festival of Trumpets^(AO)

²³ The Lord said to Moses, ²⁴ “Say to the Israelites: ‘On the first day of the seventh month you are to have a day of sabbath rest, a sacred assembly^(AP) commemorated with trumpet blasts.^{(AQ) 25} Do no regular work,^(AR) but present a food offering to the Lord.^(AS)’”

The Day of Atonement^(AT)

²⁶ The Lord said to Moses, ²⁷ “The tenth day of this seventh month^(AU) is the Day of Atonement.^(AV) Hold a sacred assembly^(AW) and deny yourselves,^[d] and present a food offering to the Lord. ²⁸ Do not do any work^(AX) on that day, because it is the Day of Atonement, when atonement is made for you before the Lord your God. ²⁹ Those who do not deny themselves on that day must be cut off from their people.^{(AY) 30} I will destroy from among their people^(AZ) anyone who does any work on that day. ³¹ You shall do no work at all. This is to be a lasting ordinance^(BA) for the generations to come, wherever you live. ³² It is a day of sabbath rest^(BB) for you, and you must deny yourselves. From the evening of the ninth day of the month until the following evening you are to observe your sabbath.”^(BC)

The Festival of Tabernacles^(BD)

³³ The Lord said to Moses, ³⁴ “Say to the Israelites: ‘On the fifteenth day of the seventh^(BE) month the Lord’s Festival of Tabernacles^(BF) begins, and it lasts for seven days. ³⁵ The first day is a sacred assembly;^(BG) do no regular work.^{(BH) 36} For seven days present food offerings to the Lord, and on the eighth day hold a sacred assembly^(BI) and present a food offering to the Lord.^(BJ) It is the closing special assembly; do no regular work.

³⁷ (“‘These are the Lord’s appointed festivals, which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies for bringing food offerings to the Lord—the burnt offerings and grain offerings, sacrifices and drink offerings^(BK) required for each day. ³⁸ These offerings^(BL) are in addition to those for the Lord’s Sabbaths^(BM) and^[e] in addition to your gifts and whatever you have vowed and all the freewill offerings^(BN) you give to the Lord.)

³⁹ “‘So beginning with the fifteenth day of the seventh month, after you have gathered the crops of the land, celebrate the festival^(BO) to the Lord for seven days;^(BP) the first day is a day of sabbath rest, and the eighth day also is a day of sabbath rest. ⁴⁰ On the first day you are to take branches^(BQ) from luxuriant trees—from palms, willows and other leafy trees^(BR)—and rejoice^(BS) before the Lord your God for seven days. ⁴¹ Celebrate this as a festival to the Lord for seven days each year. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come; celebrate it in the seventh month. ⁴² Live in temporary shelters^(BT) for seven days: All native-born Israelites are to live in such shelters ⁴³ so your descendants will know^(BU) that I had the Israelites live in temporary shelters when I brought them out of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.’”

⁴⁴ So Moses announced to the Israelites the appointed festivals of the Lord.

6 I have seen another evil under the sun, and it weighs heavily on mankind: ² God gives some people wealth, possessions and honor, so that they lack nothing their hearts desire, but God does not grant them the ability to enjoy them,^(A) and strangers enjoy them instead. This is meaningless, a grievous evil.^(B)

³ A man may have a hundred children and live many years; yet no matter how long he lives, if he cannot enjoy his prosperity and does not receive proper burial, I say that a stillborn^(C) child is better off than he.^{(D) 4} It comes without meaning, it departs in darkness, and in darkness its name is shrouded. ⁵ Though it never saw the sun or knew anything, it has more rest than does that man— ⁶ even if he lives a thousand years twice over but fails to enjoy his prosperity. Do not all go to the same place?^(E)

¹² For who knows what is good for a person in life, during the few and meaningless days^(J) they pass through like a shadow?^(K) Who can tell them what will happen under the sun after they are gone?

Psalm 109

For the director of music. Of David. A psalm.