² On the first day of every week,^(A) each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with your income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made.^(B)

² take some of the firstfruits^(A) of all that you produce from the soil of the land the Lord your God is giving you and put them in a basket. Then go to the place the Lord your God will choose as a dwelling for his Name^{(B) 3} and say to the priest in office at the time, “I declare today to the Lord your God that I have come to the land the Lord swore to our ancestors to give us.” ⁴ The priest shall take the basket from your hands and set it down in front of the altar of the Lord your God. ⁵ Then you shall declare before the Lord your God: “My father was a wandering^(C) Aramean,^(D) and he went down into Egypt with a few people^(E) and lived there and became a great nation,^(F) powerful and numerous. ⁶ But the Egyptians mistreated us and made us suffer,^(G) subjecting us to harsh labor.^{(H) 7} Then we cried out to the Lord, the God of our ancestors, and the Lord heard our voice^(I) and saw^(J) our misery,^(K) toil and oppression.^{(L) 8} So the Lord brought us out of Egypt^(M) with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm,^(N) with great terror and with signs and wonders.^{(O) 9} He brought us to this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey;^{(P) 10} and now I bring the firstfruits of the soil that you, Lord, have given me.^(Q)” Place the basket before the Lord your God and bow down before him. ¹¹ Then you and the Levites^(R) and the foreigners residing among you shall rejoice^(S) in all the good things the Lord your God has given to you and your household.

¹² When you have finished setting aside a tenth^(T) of all your produce in the third year, the year of the tithe,^(U) you shall give it to the Levite, the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow, so that they may eat in your towns and be satisfied. ¹³ Then say to the Lord your God: “I have removed from my house the sacred portion and have given it to the Levite, the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow, according to all you commanded. I have not turned aside from your commands nor have I forgotten any of them.^{(V) 14} I have not eaten any of the sacred portion while I was in mourning, nor have I removed any of it while I was unclean,^(W) nor have I offered any of it to the dead. I have obeyed the Lord my God; I have done everything you commanded me. ¹⁵ Look down from heaven,^(X) your holy dwelling place, and bless^(Y) your people Israel and the land you have given us as you promised on oath to our ancestors, a land flowing with milk and honey.”

¹⁷ Not that I desire your gifts; what I desire is that more be credited to your account.^{(A) 18} I have received full payment and have more than enough. I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus^(B) the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant^(C) offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God.

¹⁹ “Bring the best of the firstfruits^(A) of your soil to the house of the Lord your God.

“Do not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.^(B)

²⁰ Then the whole Israelite community withdrew from Moses’ presence, ²¹ and everyone who was willing and whose heart moved them came and brought an offering to the Lord for the work on the tent of meeting, for all its service, and for the sacred garments. ²² All who were willing, men and women alike, came and brought gold jewelry of all kinds: brooches, earrings, rings and ornaments. They all presented their gold as a wave offering to the Lord. ²³ Everyone who had blue, purple or scarlet yarn^(A) or fine linen, or goat hair, ram skins dyed red or the other durable leather brought them. ²⁴ Those presenting an offering of silver or bronze brought it as an offering to the Lord, and everyone who had acacia wood for any part of the work brought it. ²⁵ Every skilled woman^(B) spun with her hands and brought what she had spun—blue, purple or scarlet yarn or fine linen. ²⁶ And all the women who were willing and had the skill spun the goat hair. ²⁷ The leaders^(C) brought onyx stones and other gems^(D) to be mounted on the ephod and breastpiece. ²⁸ They also brought spices and olive oil for the light and for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense.^{(E) 29} All the Israelite men and women who were willing^(F) brought to the Lord freewill offerings^(G) for all the work the Lord through Moses had commanded them to do.

²⁹ “Do not hold back offerings^(A) from your granaries or your vats.^[a]

“You must give me the firstborn of your sons.^(B)

⁷ The poor you will always have with you,^[a] and you can help them any time you want.^(A) But you will not always have me. ⁸ She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial.^(B)

⁴ “Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses,^(A) while this house remains a ruin?^(B)”

⁵ Now this is what the Lord Almighty says: “Give careful thought^(C) to your ways. ⁶ You have planted much, but harvested little.^(D) You eat, but never have enough.^(E) You drink, but never have your fill.^(F) You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages,^(G) only to put them in a purse with holes in it.”

⁷ This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Give careful thought^(H) to your ways. ⁸ Go up into the mountains and bring down timber^(I) and build my house, so that I may take pleasure^(J) in it and be honored,^(K)” says the Lord. ⁹ “You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little.^(L) What you brought home, I blew^(M) away. Why?” declares the Lord Almighty. “Because of my house, which remains a ruin,^(N) while each of you is busy with your own house.