The Righteous Will Never Be Moved

The Glory of the Lord Fills the Temple

43 Then he led me to ^(A)the gate, the gate facing east. ² And behold, ^(B)the glory of the God of Israel was coming from the east. And ^(C)the sound of his coming was like the sound of many waters, and ^(D)the earth shone with his glory. ³ And ^(E)the vision I saw was just like the vision that I had seen ^(F)when he^[a] came to destroy the city, and just like ^(G)the vision that I had seen ^(H)by the Chebar canal. And ^(I)I fell on my face. ⁴ As ^(J)the glory of the Lord ^(K)entered the temple by the gate facing east, ^5 (L)the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into ^(M)the inner court; and behold, ^(N)the glory of the Lord filled the temple.

^6 (O)While the man was standing beside me, ^(P)I heard one speaking to me out of the temple, ⁷ and he said to me, ^(Q)“Son of man, this is ^(R)the place of my throne and ^(S)the place of the soles of my feet, ^(T)where I will dwell in the midst of the people of Israel forever. And the house of Israel shall no more ^(U)defile my holy name, neither they, nor their kings, by their whoring and by the dead bodies^[b] of their kings at their high places,^{[c] 8} by setting their threshold by my threshold and their doorposts beside my doorposts, with ^(V)only a wall between me and them. They have ^(W)defiled my holy name by their abominations that they have committed, so I have consumed them in my anger. ⁹ Now let them put away their whoring and the dead bodies of their kings far from me, ^(X)and I will dwell in their midst forever.

¹⁰ “As for you, ^(Y)son of man, ^(Z)describe to the house of Israel the temple, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities; and they shall measure the plan. ¹¹ And if they are ashamed of all that they have done, ^(AA)make known to them the design of the temple, its arrangement, ^(AB)its exits and its entrances, that is, its whole design; and make known to them as well all its statutes and its whole design and all its laws, and write it down ^(AC)in their sight, so that they may observe all its laws and all its statutes and carry them out. ¹² This is the law of the temple: the whole territory on the top of ^(AD)the mountain ^(AE)all around shall be most holy. Behold, this is the law of the temple.

The Altar

¹³ “These are the measurements of ^(AF)the altar by cubits (the cubit being ^(AG)a cubit and a handbreadth):^[d] its base shall be one cubit high^[e] and one cubit broad, with a rim of one span^[f] around its edge. And this shall be the height of the altar: ¹⁴ from the base on the ground to the lower ledge, two cubits, with a breadth of one cubit; and from the smaller ledge to the larger ledge, four cubits, with a breadth of one cubit; ¹⁵ and the altar hearth, four cubits; and from the altar hearth projecting upward, ^(AH)four horns. ¹⁶ The altar hearth shall be ^(AI)square, twelve cubits long by twelve broad. ¹⁷ The ledge also shall be square, fourteen cubits long by fourteen broad, with a rim around it half a cubit broad, and its base one cubit all around. ^(AJ)The steps of the altar shall face east.”

¹⁸ And he said to me, ^(AK)“Son of man, thus says the Lord God: These are the ordinances for the altar: On the day when it is erected for offering burnt offerings upon it and ^(AL)for throwing blood against it, ¹⁹ you shall give to ^(AM)the Levitical priests ^(AN)of the family of Zadok, who draw near to me to minister to me, declares the Lord God, ^(AO)a bull from the herd for a sin offering. ²⁰ And ^(AP)you shall take some of its blood and put it on ^(AQ)the four horns of the altar and on the four corners of the ledge and upon ^(AR)the rim all around. ^(AS)Thus you shall purify the altar and make atonement for it. ²¹ You shall also take the bull of the sin offering, and ^(AT)it shall be burned in the appointed place belonging to the temple, outside the sacred area. ²² And on the second day you shall offer a male goat without blemish for a sin offering; and the altar shall be purified, as it was purified with the bull. ²³ When you have finished ^(AU)purifying it, you shall offer a bull from the herd without blemish and ^(AV)a ram from the flock without blemish. ²⁴ You shall present them before the Lord, and the priests ^(AW)shall sprinkle salt on them and offer them up as a burnt offering to the Lord. ^25 (AX)For seven days you shall provide daily a male goat for a sin offering; also, a bull from the herd and a ram from the flock, without blemish, shall be provided. ²⁶ Seven days shall they make atonement for the altar and cleanse it, and so consecrate it.^{[g] 27} And when they have completed these days, then ^(AY)from the eighth day onward the priests shall offer on the altar your burnt offerings and your ^(AZ)peace offerings, and ^(BA)I will accept you, declares the Lord God.”

The Gate for the Prince

44 Then he brought me ^(BB)back to the outer gate of the sanctuary, ^(BC)which faces east. And it was shut. ² And the Lord said to me, “This gate shall remain shut; it shall not be opened, and no one shall enter by it, for ^(BD)the Lord, the God of Israel, has entered by it. Therefore it shall remain shut. ³ Only ^(BE)the prince may sit in it ^(BF)to eat bread before the Lord. He ^(BG)shall enter by way of the vestibule of the gate, and shall go out by the same way.”

⁴ Then he brought me by way of ^(BH)the north gate to the front of the temple, and I looked, and behold, ^(BI)the glory of the Lord filled the temple of the Lord. And ^(BJ)I fell on my face. ⁵ And the Lord said to me, ^(BK)“Son of man, mark well, ^(BL)see with your eyes, ^(BM)and hear with your ears all that I shall tell you concerning ^(BN)all the statutes of the temple of the Lord and all its laws. And mark well ^(BO)the entrance to the temple and all the exits from the sanctuary. ⁶ And say to ^(BP)the rebellious house,^[h] to the ^(BQ)house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: O house of Israel, ^(BR)enough of all your abominations, ⁷ in ^(BS)admitting foreigners, ^(BT)uncircumcised in heart and flesh, to be in my sanctuary, ^(BU)profaning my temple, when you offer to me my food, the fat and the blood. You^[i] have broken my covenant, in addition to all your abominations. ⁸ And ^(BV)you have not kept charge of my holy things, but you have set others to keep my charge for you in my sanctuary.

⁹ “Thus says the Lord God: ^(BW)No foreigner, uncircumcised in heart and flesh, of all the foreigners who are among the people of Israel, shall enter my sanctuary. ¹⁰ But ^(BX)the Levites who went far from me, going astray from me after their idols ^(BY)when Israel went astray, ^(BZ)shall bear their punishment.^{[j] 11} They shall be ^(CA)ministers in my sanctuary, having oversight ^(CB)at the gates of the temple and ministering in the temple. They shall slaughter the burnt offering and the sacrifice for the people, and ^(CC)they shall stand before the people, to minister to them. ¹² Because they ministered to them before their idols and became ^(CD)a stumbling block of iniquity to the house of Israel, therefore I have ^(CE)sworn concerning them, declares the Lord God, and they shall bear their punishment. ¹³ They ^(CF)shall not come near to me, to serve me as priest, nor come near any of my holy things and the things that are most holy, but ^(CG)they shall bear their shame and the abominations that they have committed. ¹⁴ Yet I will appoint them to keep ^(CH)charge of the temple, ^(CI)to do all its service and all that is to be done in it.

Rules for Levitical Priests

¹⁵ “But ^(CJ)the Levitical priests, ^(CK)the sons of Zadok, who kept ^(CL)the charge of my sanctuary ^(CM)when the people of Israel went astray from me, shall come near to me ^(CN)to minister to me. And they shall stand before me to offer me ^(CO)the fat and the blood, declares the Lord God. ¹⁶ They shall enter my sanctuary, and they shall approach ^(CP)my table, to minister to me, and they shall keep my charge. ¹⁷ When they enter the gates of the inner court, they shall wear ^(CQ)linen garments. They shall have nothing of wool on them, while they minister at the gates of the inner court, and within. ¹⁸ They shall have linen turbans on their heads, and linen undergarments around their waists. They shall not bind themselves with anything that causes sweat. ¹⁹ And when they go out into the outer court to the people, they shall put off the garments in which they have been ministering ^(CR)and lay them in the holy chambers. And ^(CS)they shall put on other garments, ^(CT)lest they transmit holiness to the people with their garments. ^20 (CU)They shall not shave their heads or ^(CV)let their locks grow long; they shall surely trim the hair of their heads. ^21 (CW)No priest shall drink wine when he enters the inner court. ^22 (CX)They shall not marry a widow or a divorced woman, but only virgins of the offspring of the house of Israel, or a widow who is the widow of a priest. ^23 (CY)They shall teach my people the difference between the holy and the common, and ^(CZ)show them how to distinguish between the unclean and the clean. ^24 (DA)In a dispute, they shall act as judges, and they shall judge it according to my judgments. They shall keep my laws and my statutes in all my appointed feasts, and ^(DB)they shall keep my Sabbaths holy. ^25 (DC)They shall not defile themselves by going near to a dead person. However, for father or mother, for son or daughter, for brother or unmarried sister they may defile themselves. ^26 (DD)After he^[k] has become clean, they shall count seven days for him. ²⁷ And on the day that he goes into the Holy Place, ^(DE)into the inner court, to minister in the Holy Place, ^(DF)he shall offer his sin offering, declares the Lord God.

^28 (DG)“This shall be their inheritance: I am their inheritance: and ^(DH)you shall give them no possession in Israel; I am their possession. ^29 (DI)They shall eat the grain offering, the sin offering, and the guilt offering, and ^(DJ)every devoted thing in Israel shall be theirs. ^30 (DK)And the first of all the firstfruits of all kinds, and every offering of all kinds from all your offerings, shall belong to the priests. ^(DL)You shall also give to the priests the first of your dough, ^(DM)that a blessing may rest on your house. ^31 (DN)The priests shall not eat of ^(DO)anything, whether bird or beast, that has died of itself or is torn by wild animals.

Greeting

1 Paul, ^(A)an apostle of Christ Jesus ^(B)by the will of God according to ^(C)the promise of the life that is in Christ Jesus,

² To Timothy, ^(D)my beloved child:

^(E)Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

Guard the Deposit Entrusted to You

^3 (F)I thank God ^(G)whom I serve, as did my ancestors, ^(H)with a clear conscience, as I remember you ^(I)constantly in my prayers night and day. ^4 (J)As I remember your tears, ^(K)I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy. ⁵ I am reminded of ^(L)your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and ^(M)your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well. ⁶ For this reason I remind you ^(N)to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, ⁷ for God gave us ^(O)a spirit not of fear but ^(P)of power and love and self-control.

⁸ Therefore ^(Q)do not be ashamed of ^(R)the testimony about our Lord, nor of ^(S)me his prisoner, but ^(T)share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, ^9 (U)who saved us and ^(V)called us to^[a] a holy calling, ^(W)not because of our works but because of ^(X)his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus ^(Y)before the ages began,^{[b] 10} and which now has ^(Z)been manifested through ^(AA)the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, ^(AB)who abolished death and ^(AC)brought life and ^(AD)immortality to light through the gospel, ^11 (AE)for which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher, ^12 (AF)which is why I suffer as I do. But ^(AG)I am not ashamed, for ^(AH)I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until ^(AI)that day ^(AJ)what has been entrusted to me.^{[c] 13 (AK)}Follow ^(AL)the pattern of ^(AM)the sound^[d] words ^(AN)that you have heard from me, in ^(AO)the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. ¹⁴ By the Holy Spirit ^(AP)who dwells within us, guard ^(AQ)the good deposit entrusted to you.

¹⁵ You are aware that ^(AR)all who are in Asia turned away from me, among whom are Phygelus and Hermogenes. ¹⁶ May the Lord grant mercy to ^(AS)the household of Onesiphorus, for he often ^(AT)refreshed me and was not ashamed of ^(AU)my chains, ¹⁷ but when he arrived in Rome ^(AV)he searched for me earnestly and found me— ¹⁸ may the Lord grant him to find mercy from the Lord on ^(AW)that day!—and you well know all the service he ^(AX)rendered at Ephesus.

Greeting

1 Paul, a servant^[a] of God and ^(A)an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God's elect and ^(B)their knowledge of the truth, ^(C)which accords with godliness, ^2 (D)in hope of eternal life, which God, ^(E)who never lies, ^(F)promised ^(G)before the ages began^{[b] 3} and ^(H)at the proper time manifested in his word^{[c] (I)}through the preaching ^(J)with which I have been entrusted ^(K)by the command of God our Savior;

⁴ To Titus, ^(L)my true child in ^(M)a common faith:

^(N)Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.

Qualifications for Elders

^5 (O)This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and ^(P)appoint elders in every town as I directed you— ^6 (Q)if anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife,^[d] and his children are believers^[e] and not open to the charge of ^(R)debauchery or insubordination. ⁷ For an overseer,^{[f] (S)}as God's steward, must be above reproach. He must not ^(T)be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent ^(U)or greedy for gain, ⁸ but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, ^(V)and disciplined. ⁹ He must ^(W)hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in ^(X)sound^[g] doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.

¹⁰ For there are many who are insubordinate, ^(Y)empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of ^(Z)the circumcision party.^{[h] 11} They must be silenced, since ^(AA)they are upsetting whole families by teaching ^(AB)for shameful gain what they ought not to teach. ^12 (AC)One of the Cretans,^[i] a prophet of their own, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.”^{[j] 13} This testimony is true. Therefore ^(AD)rebuke them ^(AE)sharply, that they ^(AF)may be sound in the faith, ^14 (AG)not devoting themselves to Jewish myths and ^(AH)the commands of people ^(AI)who turn away from the truth. ^15 (AJ)To the pure, all things are pure, but to the defiled and ^(AK)unbelieving, nothing is pure; but both ^(AL)their minds and their consciences are defiled. ^16 (AM)They profess to know God, but they ^(AN)deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, ^(AO)unfit for any good work.