Psalm 104

God the Creator

My soul, bless the Lord!
Lord my God, you are very great;
you are clothed with majesty and splendor.(A)
He wraps himself in light as if it were a robe,
spreading out the sky like a canopy,(B)
laying the beams of his palace
on the waters above,(C)
making the clouds his chariot,(D)
walking on the wings of the wind,(E)
and making the winds his messengers,[a]
flames of fire his servants.(F)

He established the earth on its foundations;
it will never be shaken.(G)
You covered it with the deep
as if it were a garment;
the water stood above the mountains.(H)
At your rebuke the water fled;
at the sound of your thunder they hurried away(I)
mountains rose and valleys sank[b]
to the place you established for them.(J)
You set a boundary they cannot cross;
they will never cover the earth again.(K)

10 He causes the springs to gush into the valleys;
they flow between the mountains.(L)
11 They supply water for every wild beast;
the wild donkeys quench their thirst.(M)
12 The birds of the sky live beside the springs;
they make their voices heard among the foliage.(N)
13 He waters the mountains from his palace;
the earth is satisfied by the fruit of your labor.(O)

14 He causes grass to grow for the livestock
and provides crops for man to cultivate,
producing food from the earth,(P)
15 wine that makes human hearts glad—
making his face shine with oil—
and bread that sustains human hearts.(Q)

16 The trees of the Lord flourish,[c]
the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.(R)
17 There the birds make their nests;
storks make their homes in the pine trees.(S)
18 The high mountains are for the wild goats;
the cliffs are a refuge for hyraxes.(T)

19 He made the moon to mark the[d] festivals;[e]
the sun knows when to set.(U)
20 You bring darkness, and it becomes night,
when all the forest animals stir.(V)
21 The young lions roar for their prey
and seek their food from God.(W)
22 The sun rises; they go back
and lie down in their dens.(X)
23 Man goes out to his work
and to his labor until evening.(Y)

24 How countless are your works, Lord!
In wisdom you have made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.[f](Z)
25 Here is the sea, vast and wide,
teeming with creatures beyond number—
living things both large and small.(AA)
26 There the ships move about,
and Leviathan, which you formed to play there.(AB)

27 All of them wait for you
to give them their food at the right time.(AC)
28 When you give it to them,
they gather it;
when you open your hand,
they are satisfied with good things.(AD)
29 When you hide your face,
they are terrified;
when you take away their breath,
they die and return to the dust.(AE)
30 When you send your breath,[g]
they are created,(AF)
and you renew the surface of the ground.(AG)

31 May the glory of the Lord endure forever;
may the Lord rejoice in his works.(AH)
32 He looks at the earth, and it trembles;
he touches the mountains,
and they pour out smoke.(AI)
33 I will sing to the Lord all my life;
I will sing praise to my God while I live.(AJ)
34 May my meditation be pleasing to him;
I will rejoice in the Lord.(AK)
35 May sinners vanish from the earth
and wicked people be no more.(AL)
My soul, bless the Lord!
Hallelujah!

Footnotes

  1. 104:4 Or angels
  2. 104:7–8 Or away. They flowed over the mountains and went down valleys
  3. 104:16 Lit are satisfied
  4. 104:19 Lit moon for
  5. 104:19 Or the appointed times
  6. 104:24 Lit possessions
  7. 104:30 Or Spirit

The Priestly Garments

28 “Have your brother Aaron, with his sons, come to you from the Israelites to serve me as priest—Aaron, his sons Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.(A) Make holy garments(B) for your brother Aaron, for glory and beauty. You are to instruct all the skilled artisans,[a](C) whom I have filled with a spirit of wisdom, to make Aaron’s garments for consecrating him to serve me as priest. These are the garments that they must make: a breastpiece, an ephod, a robe, a specially woven tunic,[b] a turban, and a sash. They are to make holy garments for your brother Aaron and his sons so that they may serve me as priests. They should use[c] gold; blue, purple, and scarlet yarn; and fine linen.

The Ephod

“They(D) are to make the ephod of finely spun linen embroidered[d] with gold, and with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn. It must have two shoulder pieces attached to its two edges so that it can be joined together. The artistically woven waistband that is on the ephod[e] must be of one piece,[f] according to the same workmanship of gold, of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and of finely spun linen.

“Take two onyx stones and engrave on them the names of Israel’s sons: 10 six of their names on the first stone and the remaining six names on the second stone, in the order of their birth. 11 Engrave the two stones with the names of Israel’s sons as a gem cutter engraves a seal. Mount them, surrounded with gold filigree settings. 12 Fasten both stones on the shoulder pieces of the ephod as memorial stones for the Israelites. Aaron will carry their names on his two shoulders before the Lord as a reminder.(E) 13 Fashion gold filigree settings 14 and two chains of pure gold; you will make them of braided cord work, and attach the cord chains to the settings.

The Breastpiece

15 “You(F) are to make an embroidered breastpiece for making decisions.[g] Make it with the same workmanship as the ephod; make it of gold, of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and of finely spun linen. 16 It must be square and folded double, nine inches long and nine inches wide.[h] 17 Place a setting of gemstones[i] on it, four rows of stones:

The first row should be

a row of carnelian, topaz, and emerald;[j]

18 the second row,

a turquoise,[k] a lapis lazuli, and a diamond;[l]

19 the third row,

a jacinth,[m] an agate, and an amethyst;

20 and the fourth row,

a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper.

They should be adorned with gold filigree in their settings. 21 The twelve stones are to correspond to the names of Israel’s sons. Each stone must be engraved like a seal, with one of the names of the twelve tribes.

22 “You are to make braided chains[n] of pure gold cord work for the breastpiece. 23 Fashion two gold rings for the breastpiece and attach them to its two corners. 24 Then attach the two gold cords to the two gold rings at the corners of the breastpiece. 25 Attach the other ends of the two cords to the two filigree settings, and in this way attach them to the ephod’s shoulder pieces in the front. 26 Make two other gold rings and put them at the two other corners of the breastpiece on the edge that is next to the inner border of the ephod. 27 Make two more gold rings and attach them to the bottom of the ephod’s two shoulder pieces on its front, close to its seam,[o] and above the ephod’s woven waistband. 28 The artisans are to tie the breastpiece from its rings to the rings of the ephod with a cord of blue yarn, so that the breastpiece is above the ephod’s waistband and does not come loose from the ephod.

29 “Whenever he enters the sanctuary, Aaron is to carry the names of Israel’s sons over his heart on the breastpiece for decisions, as a continual reminder before the Lord. 30 Place the Urim and Thummim(G) in the breastpiece for decisions, so that they will also be over Aaron’s heart whenever he comes before the Lord. Aaron will continually carry the means of decisions for the Israelites over his heart before the Lord.

The Robe

31 “You(H) are to make the robe of the ephod entirely of blue yarn. 32 There should be an opening at its top in the center of it. Around the opening, there should be a woven collar with an opening like that of body armor[p] so that it does not tear. 33 Make pomegranates of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn on its lower hem and all around it. Put gold bells between them all the way around, 34 so that gold bells and pomegranates alternate around the lower hem of the robe. 35 The robe will be worn by Aaron whenever he ministers, and its sound will be heard when he enters the sanctuary before the Lord and when he exits, so that he does not die.

The Turban

36 “You are to make a pure gold medallion and engrave it, like the engraving of a seal:(I) Holy to the Lord. 37 Fasten it to a cord of blue yarn so it can be placed on the turban; the medallion is to be on the front of the turban. 38 It will be on Aaron’s forehead so that Aaron may bear the guilt(J) connected with the holy offerings that the Israelites consecrate as all their holy gifts. It is always to be on his forehead, so that they may find acceptance with the Lord.

Other Priestly Garments

39 “You are to weave the tunic from fine linen, make a turban of fine linen, and make an embroidered sash. 40 Make tunics, sashes, and headbands for Aaron’s sons to give them glory and beauty.(K) 41 Put these on your brother Aaron and his sons; then anoint,(L) ordain,[q] and consecrate(M) them, so that they may serve me as priests. 42 Make them linen undergarments(N) to cover their naked bodies; they must extend from the waist to the thighs. 43 These must be worn by Aaron and his sons whenever they enter the tent of meeting or approach the altar to minister in the sanctuary area, so that they do not incur guilt(O) and die. This is to be a permanent statute(P) for Aaron and for his future descendants.

Footnotes

  1. 28:3 Lit all wise of heart
  2. 28:4 Hb obscure
  3. 28:5 Lit receive
  4. 28:6 Or woven
  5. 28:8 Lit waistband of its ephod, which is on it
  6. 28:8 Lit piece with the ephod
  7. 28:15 Used for determining God’s will; Nm 27:21
  8. 28:16 Lit a span its length and a span its width
  9. 28:17 Many of these stones cannot be identified with certainty.
  10. 28:17 Or beryl
  11. 28:18 Or malachite, or garnet
  12. 28:18 Hb obscure; LXX, Vg read jasper
  13. 28:19 Hb obscure
  14. 28:22 The same chains mentioned in v. 14
  15. 28:27 The place where the shoulder pieces join the front of the ephod
  16. 28:32 Hb obscure
  17. 28:41 Lit anoint them, fill their hand

The Rich Young Ruler

18 A(A) ruler(B) asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” (C)

19 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked him. “No one is good except God alone. 20 You know the commandments: Do not commit adultery; do not murder; do not steal; do not bear false witness; honor your father and mother.[a](D)

21 “I have kept all these from my youth,” he said.

22 When Jesus heard this, he told him, “You still lack one thing: Sell all you have and distribute it to the poor,(E) and you will have treasure in heaven.(F) Then come, follow me.”(G)

23 After he heard this, he became extremely sad,(H) because he was very rich.

Possessions and the Kingdom

24 Seeing that he became sad,[b] Jesus said, “How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! 25 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”

26 Those who heard this asked, “Then who can be saved?” (I)

27 He replied, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”(J)

28 Then Peter said, “Look, we have left what we had and followed(K) you.”

29 So he said to them, “Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left a house, wife or brothers or sisters, parents or children because of the kingdom of God, 30 who will not receive many times more at this time,(L) and eternal life in the age to come.”

The Third Prediction of His Death

31 Then(M) he took the Twelve aside and told them, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem.(N) Everything that is written(O) through the prophets about the Son of Man will be accomplished.(P) 32 For he will be handed over to the Gentiles,(Q) and he will be mocked,(R) insulted, spit(S) on; 33 and after they flog him, they will kill him, and he will rise on the third day.”(T)

34 They understood none of these things.(U) The meaning of the saying[c](V) was hidden(W) from them, and they did not grasp what was said.

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Footnotes

  1. 18:20 Ex 20:12–16; Dt 5:16–20
  2. 18:24 Other mss omit he became sad
  3. 18:34 Lit This saying

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