Numbers 1

New International Version

The Census

1 The Lord spoke to Moses in the tent of meeting^(A) in the Desert of Sinai^(B) on the first day of the second month^(C) of the second year after the Israelites came out of Egypt.^(D) He said: ²“Take a census^(E) of the whole Israelite community by their clans and families,^(F) listing every man by name,^(G) one by one. ³You and Aaron^(H) are to count according to their divisions all the men in Israel who are twenty years old or more^(I) and able to serve in the army.^(J) ⁴One man from each tribe,^(K) each of them the head of his family,^(L) is to help you.^(M) ⁵These are the names^(N) of the men who are to assist you:

from Reuben,^(O) Elizur son of Shedeur;^(P)

⁶from Simeon,^(Q) Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai;^(R)

⁷from Judah,^(S) Nahshon son of Amminadab;^(T)

⁸from Issachar,^(U) Nethanel son of Zuar;^(V)

⁹from Zebulun,^(W) Eliab son of Helon;^(X)

¹⁰from the sons of Joseph:

from Ephraim,^(Y) Elishama son of Ammihud;^(Z)

from Manasseh,^(AA) Gamaliel son of Pedahzur;^(AB)

¹¹from Benjamin,^(AC) Abidan son of Gideoni;^(AD)

¹²from Dan,^(AE) Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai;^(AF)

¹³from Asher,^(AG) Pagiel son of Okran;^(AH)

¹⁴from Gad,^(AI) Eliasaph son of Deuel;^(AJ)

¹⁵from Naphtali,^(AK) Ahira son of Enan.^(AL)”

¹⁶These were the men appointed from the community, the leaders^(AM) of their ancestral tribes.^(AN) They were the heads of the clans of Israel.^(AO)

¹⁷Moses and Aaron took these men whose names had been specified, ¹⁸and they called the whole community together on the first day of the second month.^(AP) The people registered their ancestry^(AQ) by their clans and families,^(AR) and the men twenty years old or more^(AS) were listed by name, one by one, ¹⁹as the Lord commanded Moses. And so he counted^(AT) them in the Desert of Sinai:

²⁰From the descendants of Reuben^(AU) the firstborn son^(AV) of Israel:

All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, one by one, according to the records of their clans and families. ²¹The number from the tribe of Reuben^(AW) was 46,500.

²²From the descendants of Simeon:^(AX)

All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were counted and listed by name, one by one, according to the records of their clans and families. ²³The number from the tribe of Simeon was 59,300.^(AY)

²⁴From the descendants of Gad:^(AZ)

All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families. ²⁵The number from the tribe of Gad^(BA) was 45,650.

²⁶From the descendants of Judah:^(BB)

All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families. ²⁷The number from the tribe of Judah^(BC) was 74,600.

²⁸From the descendants of Issachar:^(BD)

All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families. ²⁹The number from the tribe of Issachar^(BE) was 54,400.^(BF)

³⁰From the descendants of Zebulun:^(BG)

All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families. ³¹The number from the tribe of Zebulun was 57,400.^(BH)

³²From the sons of Joseph:^(BI)

From the descendants of Ephraim:^(BJ)

All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families. ³³The number from the tribe of Ephraim^(BK) was 40,500.

³⁴From the descendants of Manasseh:^(BL)

All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families. ³⁵The number from the tribe of Manasseh was 32,200.

³⁶From the descendants of Benjamin:^(BM)

All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families. ³⁷The number from the tribe of Benjamin^(BN) was 35,400.

³⁸From the descendants of Dan:^(BO)

All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families. ³⁹The number from the tribe of Dan was 62,700.^(BP)

⁴⁰From the descendants of Asher:^(BQ)

All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families. ⁴¹The number from the tribe of Asher^(BR) was 41,500.

⁴²From the descendants of Naphtali:^(BS)

All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families. ⁴³The number from the tribe of Naphtali^(BT) was 53,400.^(BU)

⁴⁴These were the men counted by Moses and Aaron^(BV) and the twelve leaders of Israel, each one representing his family. ⁴⁵All the Israelites twenty years old or more^(BW) who were able to serve in Israel’s army were counted according to their families.^(BX) ⁴⁶The total number was 603,550.^(BY)

⁴⁷The ancestral tribe of the Levites,^(BZ) however, was not counted^(CA) along with the others. ⁴⁸The Lord had said to Moses: ⁴⁹“You must not count the tribe of Levi or include them in the census of the other Israelites. ⁵⁰Instead, appoint the Levites to be in charge of the tabernacle^(CB) of the covenant law^(CC)—over all its furnishings^(CD) and everything belonging to it. They are to carry the tabernacle and all its furnishings; they are to take care of it and encamp around it. ⁵¹Whenever the tabernacle^(CE) is to move,^(CF) the Levites are to take it down, and whenever the tabernacle is to be set up, the Levites shall do it.^(CG) Anyone else who approaches it is to be put to death.^(CH) ⁵²The Israelites are to set up their tents by divisions, each of them in their own camp under their standard.^(CI) ⁵³The Levites, however, are to set up their tents around the tabernacle^(CJ) of the covenant law so that my wrath will not fall^(CK) on the Israelite community. The Levites are to be responsible for the care of the tabernacle of the covenant law.^(CL)”

⁵⁴The Israelites did all this just as the Lord commanded Moses.

Isaiah 26

New International Version

A Song of Praise

26 In that day^(A) this song will be sung^(B) in the land of Judah:

We have a strong city;^(C)
    God makes salvation
    its walls^(D) and ramparts.^(E)
²Open the gates^(F)
    that the righteous^(G) nation may enter,
    the nation that keeps faith.
³You will keep in perfect peace^(H)
    those whose minds are steadfast,
    because they trust^(I) in you.
⁴Trust^(J) in the Lord forever,^(K)
    for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock^(L) eternal.
⁵He humbles those who dwell on high,
    he lays the lofty city low;
he levels it to the ground^(M)
    and casts it down to the dust.^(N)
⁶Feet trample^(O) it down—
    the feet of the oppressed,^(P)
    the footsteps of the poor.^(Q)

⁷The path of the righteous is level;^(R)
    you, the Upright One,^(S) make the way of the righteous smooth.^(T)
⁸Yes, Lord, walking in the way of your laws,^[a]^(U)
    we wait^(V) for you;
your name^(W) and renown
    are the desire of our hearts.
⁹My soul yearns for you in the night;^(X)
    in the morning my spirit longs^(Y) for you.
When your judgments^(Z) come upon the earth,
    the people of the world learn righteousness.^(AA)
¹⁰But when grace is shown to the wicked,^(AB)
    they do not learn righteousness;
even in a land of uprightness they go on doing evil^(AC)
    and do not regard^(AD) the majesty of the Lord.
¹¹Lord, your hand is lifted high,^(AE)
    but they do not see^(AF) it.
Let them see your zeal^(AG) for your people and be put to shame;^(AH)
    let the fire^(AI) reserved for your enemies consume them.

¹²Lord, you establish peace^(AJ) for us;
    all that we have accomplished you have done^(AK) for us.
¹³Lord our God, other lords^(AL) besides you have ruled over us,
    but your name^(AM) alone do we honor.^(AN)
¹⁴They are now dead,^(AO) they live no more;
    their spirits^(AP) do not rise.
You punished them and brought them to ruin;^(AQ)
    you wiped out all memory of them.^(AR)
¹⁵You have enlarged the nation, Lord;
    you have enlarged the nation.^(AS)
You have gained glory for yourself;
    you have extended all the borders^(AT) of the land.

¹⁶Lord, they came to you in their distress;^(AU)
    when you disciplined^(AV) them,
    they could barely whisper^(AW) a prayer.^[b]
¹⁷As a pregnant woman about to give birth^(AX)
    writhes and cries out in her pain,
    so were we in your presence, Lord.
¹⁸We were with child, we writhed in labor,
    but we gave birth^(AY) to wind.
We have not brought salvation^(AZ) to the earth,
    and the people of the world have not come to life.^(BA)

¹⁹But your dead^(BB) will live, Lord;
    their bodies will rise—
let those who dwell in the dust^(BC)
    wake up and shout for joy—
your dew^(BD) is like the dew of the morning;
    the earth will give birth to her dead.^(BE)

²⁰Go, my people, enter your rooms
    and shut the doors^(BF) behind you;
hide^(BG) yourselves for a little while
    until his wrath^(BH) has passed by.^(BI)
²¹See, the Lord is coming^(BJ) out of his dwelling^(BK)
    to punish^(BL) the people of the earth for their sins.
The earth will disclose the blood^(BM) shed on it;
    the earth will conceal its slain no longer.

Footnotes

Isaiah 26:8 Or judgments
Isaiah 26:16 The meaning of the Hebrew for this clause is uncertain.

Acts 11

New International Version

Peter Explains His Actions

11 The apostles and the believers^(A) throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God.^(B) ²So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers^(C) criticized him ³and said, “You went into the house of uncircumcised men and ate with them.”^(D)

⁴Starting from the beginning, Peter told them the whole story: ⁵“I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision.^(E) I saw something like a large sheet being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came down to where I was. ⁶I looked into it and saw four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, reptiles and birds. ⁷Then I heard a voice telling me, ‘Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.’

⁸“I replied, ‘Surely not, Lord! Nothing impure or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’

⁹“The voice spoke from heaven a second time, ‘Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.’^(F) ¹⁰This happened three times, and then it was all pulled up to heaven again.

¹¹“Right then three men who had been sent to me from Caesarea^(G) stopped at the house where I was staying. ¹²The Spirit told^(H) me to have no hesitation about going with them.^(I) These six brothers^(J) also went with me, and we entered the man’s house. ¹³He told us how he had seen an angel^(K) appear in his house and say, ‘Send to Joppa for Simon who is called Peter. ¹⁴He will bring you a message^(L) through which you and all your household^(M) will be saved.’

¹⁵“As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on^(N) them as he had come on us at the beginning.^(O) ¹⁶Then I remembered what the Lord had said: ‘John baptized with^[a] water,^(P) but you will be baptized with^[b] the Holy Spirit.’^(Q) ¹⁷So if God gave them the same gift^(R) he gave us^(S) who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could stand in God’s way?”

¹⁸When they heard this, they had no further objections and praised God, saying, “So then, even to Gentiles God has granted repentance that leads to life.”^(T)

The Church in Antioch

¹⁹Now those who had been scattered by the persecution that broke out when Stephen was killed^(U) traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch,^(V) spreading the word only among Jews. ²⁰Some of them, however, men from Cyprus^(W) and Cyrene,^(X) went to Antioch^(Y) and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news^(Z) about the Lord Jesus. ²¹The Lord’s hand was with them,^(AA) and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord.^(AB)

²²News of this reached the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas^(AC) to Antioch. ²³When he arrived and saw what the grace of God had done,^(AD) he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts.^(AE) ²⁴He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit^(AF) and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord.^(AG)

²⁵Then Barnabas went to Tarsus^(AH) to look for Saul, ²⁶and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples^(AI) were called Christians first^(AJ) at Antioch.

²⁷During this time some prophets^(AK) came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. ²⁸One of them, named Agabus,^(AL) stood up and through the Spirit predicted that a severe famine would spread over the entire Roman world.^(AM) (This happened during the reign of Claudius.)^(AN) ²⁹The disciples,^(AO) as each one was able, decided to provide help^(AP) for the brothers and sisters^(AQ) living in Judea. ³⁰This they did, sending their gift to the elders^(AR) by Barnabas^(AS) and Saul.^(AT)