Numbers 4

New King James Version

Duties of the Sons of Kohath

4 Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying: ²“Take a census of the sons of ^(A)Kohath from among the children of Levi, by their families, by their fathers’ house, ³^(B)from thirty years old and above, even to fifty years old, all who enter the service to do the work in the tabernacle of meeting.

⁴^(C)“This is the service of the sons of Kohath in the tabernacle of meeting, relating to ^(D)the most holy things: ⁵When the camp prepares to journey, Aaron and his sons shall come, and they shall take down ^(E)the covering veil and cover the ^(F)ark of the Testimony with it. ⁶Then they shall put on it a covering of badger skins, and spread over that a cloth entirely of ^(G)blue; and they shall insert ^(H)its poles.

⁷“On the ^(I)table of showbread they shall spread a blue cloth, and put on it the dishes, the pans, the bowls, and the ^[a]pitchers for pouring; and the ^(J)showbread^[b] shall be on it. ⁸They shall spread over them a scarlet cloth, and cover the same with a covering of badger skins; and they shall insert its poles. ⁹And they shall take a blue cloth and cover the ^(K)lampstand of the light, ^(L)with its lamps, its wick-trimmers, its trays, and all its oil vessels, with which they service it. ¹⁰Then they shall put it with all its utensils in a covering of badger skins, and put it on a carrying beam.

¹¹“Over ^(M)the golden altar they shall spread a blue cloth, and cover it with a covering of badger skins; and they shall insert its poles. ¹²Then they shall take all the ^(N)utensils of service with which they minister in the sanctuary, put them in a blue cloth, cover them with a covering of badger skins, and put them on a carrying beam. ¹³Also they shall take away the ashes from the altar, and spread a purple cloth over it. ¹⁴They shall put on it all its implements with which they minister there—the firepans, the forks, the shovels, the ^[c]basins, and all the utensils of the altar—and they shall spread on it a covering of badger skins, and insert its poles. ¹⁵And when Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary and all the furnishings of the sanctuary, when the camp is set to go, then ^(O)the sons of Kohath shall come to carry them; ^(P)but they shall not touch any holy thing, lest they die.

“^(Q)These are the things in the tabernacle of meeting which the sons of Kohath are to carry.

¹⁶“The appointed duty of Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest is ^(R)the oil for the light, the ^(S)sweet incense, ^(T)the daily grain offering, the ^(U)anointing oil, the oversight of all the tabernacle, of all that is in it, with the sanctuary and its furnishings.”

¹⁷Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying: ¹⁸“Do not cut off the tribe of the families of the Kohathites from among the Levites; ¹⁹but do this in regard to them, that they may live and not die when they approach ^(V)the most holy things: Aaron and his sons shall go in and ^[d]appoint each of them to his service and his task. ²⁰^(W)But they shall not go in to watch while the holy things are being covered, lest they die.”

Duties of the Sons of Gershon

²¹Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: ²²“Also take a census of the sons of ^(X)Gershon, by their fathers’ house, by their families. ²³^(Y)From thirty years old and above, even to fifty years old, you shall number them, all who enter to perform the service, to do the work in the tabernacle of meeting. ²⁴This is the ^(Z)service of the families of the Gershonites, in serving and carrying: ²⁵^(AA)They shall carry the ^(AB)curtains of the tabernacle and the tabernacle of meeting with its covering, the covering of ^(AC)badger skins that is on it, the screen for the door of the tabernacle of meeting, ²⁶the screen for the door of the gate of the court, the hangings of the court which are around the tabernacle and altar, and their cords, all the furnishings for their service and all that is made for these things: so shall they serve.

²⁷“Aaron and his sons shall ^[e]assign all the service of the sons of the Gershonites, all their tasks and all their service. And you shall ^[f]appoint to them all their tasks as their duty. ²⁸This is the service of the families of the sons of Gershon in the tabernacle of meeting. And their duties shall be ^(AD)under the ^[g]authority of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.

Duties of the Sons of Merari

²⁹“As for the sons of ^(AE)Merari, you shall number them by their families and by their fathers’ house. ³⁰^(AF)From thirty years old and above, even to fifty years old, you shall number them, everyone who enters the service to do the work of the tabernacle of meeting. ³¹And ^(AG)this is ^(AH)what they must carry as all their service for the tabernacle of meeting: ^(AI)the boards of the tabernacle, its bars, its pillars, its sockets, ³²and the pillars around the court with their sockets, pegs, and cords, with all their furnishings and all their service; and you shall ^(AJ)assign to each man by name the items he must carry. ³³This is the service of the families of the sons of Merari, as all their service for the tabernacle of meeting, under the ^[h]authority of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.”

Census of the Levites

³⁴^(AK)And Moses, Aaron, and the leaders of the congregation numbered the sons of the Kohathites by their families and by their fathers’ house, ³⁵from thirty ^(AL)years old and above, even to fifty years old, everyone who entered the service for work in the tabernacle of meeting; ³⁶and those who were numbered by their families were two thousand seven hundred and fifty. ³⁷These were the ones who were numbered of the families of the Kohathites, all who might serve in the tabernacle of meeting, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the commandment of the Lord by the hand of Moses.

³⁸And those who were numbered of the sons of Gershon, by their families and by their fathers’ house, ³⁹from thirty years old and above, even to fifty years old, everyone who entered the service for work in the tabernacle of meeting— ⁴⁰those who were numbered by their families, by their fathers’ house, were two thousand six hundred and thirty. ⁴¹^(AM)These are the ones who were numbered of the families of the sons of Gershon, of all who might serve in the tabernacle of meeting, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the commandment of the Lord.

⁴²Those of the families of the sons of Merari who were numbered, by their families, by their fathers’ ^[i]house, ⁴³from thirty years old and above, even to fifty years old, everyone who entered the service for work in the tabernacle of meeting— ⁴⁴those who were numbered by their families were three thousand two hundred. ⁴⁵These are the ones who were numbered of the families of the sons of Merari, whom Moses and Aaron numbered ^(AN)according to the word of the Lord by the hand of Moses.

⁴⁶All who were ^(AO)numbered of the Levites, whom Moses, Aaron, and the leaders of Israel numbered, by their families and by their fathers’ houses, ⁴⁷^(AP)from thirty years old and above, even to fifty years old, everyone who came to do the work of service and the work of bearing burdens in the tabernacle of meeting— ⁴⁸those who were numbered were eight thousand five hundred and eighty.

⁴⁹According to the commandment of the Lord they were numbered by the hand of Moses, ^(AQ)each according to his service and according to his task; thus were they numbered by him, ^(AR)as the Lord commanded Moses.

Footnotes

Numbers 4:7 jars for the drink offering
Numbers 4:7 Lit. continual bread
Numbers 4:14 bowls
Numbers 4:19 assign
Numbers 4:27 command
Numbers 4:27 assign
Numbers 4:28 Lit. hand
Numbers 4:33 Lit. hand
Numbers 4:42 household

Psalm 59

New King James Version

The Assured Judgment of the Wicked

To the Chief Musician. Set to ^[a]“Do Not Destroy.” A Michtam of David ^(A)when Saul sent men, and they watched the house in order to kill him.

59 Deliver me from my enemies, O my God;
^[b]Defend me from those who rise up against me.
²Deliver me from the workers of iniquity,
And save me from bloodthirsty men.

³For look, they lie in wait for my life;
^(B)The mighty gather against me,
Not for my transgression nor for my sin, O Lord.
⁴They run and prepare themselves through no fault of mine.

^(C)Awake to help me, and behold!
⁵You therefore, O Lord God of hosts, the God of Israel,
Awake to punish all the ^[c]nations;
Do not be merciful to any wicked transgressors. Selah

⁶^(D)At evening they return,
They growl like a dog,
And go all around the city.
⁷Indeed, they belch with their mouth;
^(E)Swords are in their lips;
For they say, ^(F)“Who hears?”

⁸But ^(G)You, O Lord, shall laugh at them;
You shall have all the ^[d]nations in derision.
⁹I will wait for You, O You ^[e]his Strength;
^(H)For God is my ^[f]defense.
¹⁰^[g]My God of mercy shall ^(I)come to meet me;
God shall let ^(J)me see my desire on my enemies.

¹¹Do not slay them, lest my people forget;
Scatter them by Your power,
And bring them down,
O Lord our shield.
¹²^(K)For the sin of their mouth and the words of their lips,
Let them even be taken in their pride,
And for the cursing and lying which they speak.
¹³^(L)Consume them in wrath, consume them,
That they may not be;
And ^(M)let them know that God rules in Jacob
To the ends of the earth. Selah

¹⁴And ^(N)at evening they return,
They growl like a dog,
And go all around the city.
¹⁵They ^(O)wander up and down for food,
And ^[h]howl if they are not satisfied.

¹⁶But I will sing of Your power;
Yes, I will sing aloud of Your mercy in the morning;
For You have been my defense
And refuge in the day of my trouble.
¹⁷To You, ^(P)O my Strength, I will sing praises;
For God is my defense,
My God of mercy.

Footnotes

Psalm 59:1 Heb. Al Tashcheth
Psalm 59:1 Lit. Set me on high
Psalm 59:5 Gentiles
Psalm 59:8 Gentiles
Psalm 59:9 So with MT, Syr.; some Heb. mss., LXX, Tg., Vg. my Strength
Psalm 59:9 Lit. fortress
Psalm 59:10 So with Qr.; some Heb. mss., LXX, Vg. My God, His mercy; Kt., some Heb. mss., Tg. O God, my mercy; Syr. O God, Your mercy
Psalm 59:15 So with LXX, Vg.; MT, Syr., Tg. spend the night

Proverbs 6

New King James Version

Dangerous Promises

6 My son, ^(A)if you become ^[a]surety for your friend,
If you have ^[b]shaken hands in pledge for a stranger,
²You are snared by the words of your mouth;
You are taken by the words of your mouth.
³So do this, my son, and deliver yourself;
For you have come into the hand of your friend:
Go and humble yourself;
Plead with your friend.
⁴^(B)Give no sleep to your eyes,
Nor slumber to your eyelids.
⁵Deliver yourself like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter,
And like a bird from the hand of the ^[c]fowler.

The Folly of Indolence

⁶^(C)Go to the ant, you sluggard!
Consider her ways and be wise,
⁷Which, having no ^[d]captain,
Overseer or ruler,
⁸Provides her ^[e]supplies in the summer,
And gathers her food in the harvest.
⁹^(D)How long will you ^[f]slumber, O sluggard?
When will you rise from your sleep?
¹⁰A little sleep, a little slumber,
A little folding of the hands to sleep—
¹¹^(E)So shall your poverty come on you like a prowler,
And your need like an armed man.

The Wicked Man

¹²A worthless person, a wicked man,
Walks with a perverse mouth;
¹³^(F)He winks with his eyes,
He ^[g]shuffles his feet,
He points with his fingers;
¹⁴Perversity is in his heart,
^(G)He devises evil continually,
^(H)He sows discord.
¹⁵Therefore his calamity shall come ^(I)suddenly;
Suddenly he shall ^(J)be broken ^(K)without remedy.

¹⁶These six things the Lord hates,
Yes, seven are an abomination to ^[h]Him:
¹⁷^(L)A^[i] proud look,
^(M)A lying tongue,
^(N)Hands that shed innocent blood,
¹⁸^(O)A heart that devises wicked plans,
^(P)Feet that are swift in running to evil,
¹⁹^(Q)A false witness who speaks lies,
And one who ^(R)sows discord among brethren.

Beware of Adultery

²⁰^(S)My son, keep your father’s command,
And do not forsake the law of your mother.
²¹^(T)Bind them continually upon your heart;
Tie them around your neck.
²²^(U)When you roam, ^[j]they will lead you;
When you sleep, ^(V)they will keep you;
And when you awake, they will speak with you.
²³^(W)For the commandment is a lamp,
And the law a light;
Reproofs of instruction are the way of life,
²⁴^(X)To keep you from the evil woman,
From the flattering tongue of a seductress.
²⁵^(Y)Do not lust after her beauty in your heart,
Nor let her allure you with her eyelids.
²⁶For ^(Z)by means of a harlot
A man is reduced to a crust of bread;
^(AA)And ^[k]an adulteress will ^(AB)prey upon his precious life.
²⁷Can a man take fire to his bosom,
And his clothes not be burned?
²⁸Can one walk on hot coals,
And his feet not be seared?
²⁹So is he who goes in to his neighbor’s wife;
Whoever touches her shall not be innocent.

³⁰People do not despise a thief
If he steals to satisfy himself when he is starving.
³¹Yet when he is found, ^(AC)he must restore sevenfold;
He may have to give up all the substance of his house.
³²Whoever commits adultery with a woman ^(AD)lacks understanding;
He who does so destroys his own soul.
³³Wounds and dishonor he will get,
And his reproach will not be wiped away.
³⁴For ^(AE)jealousy is a husband’s fury;
Therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance.
³⁵He will ^[l]accept no recompense,
Nor will he be appeased though you give many gifts.

Footnotes

Proverbs 6:1 guaranty or collateral
Proverbs 6:1 Lit. struck
Proverbs 6:5 One who catches birds in a trap or snare
Proverbs 6:7 Lit. leader
Proverbs 6:8 Lit. bread
Proverbs 6:9 Lit. lie down
Proverbs 6:13 gives signals, lit. scrapes
Proverbs 6:16 Lit. His soul
Proverbs 6:17 Lit. Haughty eyes
Proverbs 6:22 Lit. it
Proverbs 6:26 Wife of another, lit. a man’s wife
Proverbs 6:35 Lit. lift up the face of any

John 3

New King James Version

The New Birth

3 There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. ²^(A)This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for ^(B)no one can do these signs that You do unless ^(C)God is with him.”

³Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, ^(D)unless one is born ^[a]again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

⁴Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”

⁵Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, ^(E)unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. ⁶That which is born of the flesh is ^(F)flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. ⁷Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ ⁸^(G)The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

⁹Nicodemus answered and said to Him, ^(H)“How can these things be?”

¹⁰Jesus answered and said to him, “Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things? ¹¹^(I)Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and ^(J)you do not receive Our witness. ¹²If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? ¹³^(K)No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man ^[b]who is in heaven. ¹⁴^(L)And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so ^(M)must the Son of Man be lifted up, ¹⁵that whoever ^(N)believes in Him should ^[c]not perish but ^(O)have eternal life. ¹⁶^(P)For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten ^(Q)Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. ¹⁷^(R)For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

¹⁸^(S)“He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. ¹⁹And this is the condemnation, ^(T)that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. ²⁰For ^(U)everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. ²¹But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been ^(V)done in God.”

John the Baptist Exalts Christ

²²After these things Jesus and His disciples came into the land of Judea, and there He remained with them ^(W)and baptized. ²³Now John also was baptizing in Aenon near ^(X)Salim, because there was much water there. ^(Y)And they came and were baptized. ²⁴For ^(Z)John had not yet been thrown into prison.

²⁵Then there arose a dispute between some of John’s disciples and the Jews about purification. ²⁶And they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, ^(AA)to whom you have testified—behold, He is baptizing, and all ^(AB)are coming to Him!”

²⁷John answered and said, ^(AC)“A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven. ²⁸You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ^(AD)‘I am not the Christ,’ but, ^(AE)‘I have been sent before Him.’ ²⁹^(AF)He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but ^(AG)the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled. ³⁰^(AH)He must increase, but I must decrease. ³¹^(AI)He who comes from above ^(AJ)is above all; ^(AK)he who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of the earth. ^(AL)He who comes from heaven is above all. ³²And ^(AM)what He has seen and heard, that He testifies; and no one receives His testimony. ³³He who has received His testimony ^(AN)has certified that God is true. ³⁴^(AO)For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God does not give the Spirit ^(AP)by measure. ³⁵^(AQ)The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand. ³⁶^(AR)He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the ^(AS)wrath of God abides on him.”