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The People Rebel against the Lord
14 Then all the people in the Israelite community raised their voices and cried out loud all that night. 2 They complained to Moses and Aaron, “If only we had died in Egypt or this desert! 3 Why is the Lord bringing us to this land—just to have us die in battle? Our wives and children will be taken as prisoners of war! Wouldn’t it be better for us to go back to Egypt?” 4 They said to each other, “Let’s choose a leader and go back to Egypt.”
5 Immediately, Moses and Aaron bowed with their faces touching the ground in front of the whole community of Israel assembled there. 6 At the same time, two of those who had explored the land, Joshua (son of Nun) and Caleb (son of Jephunneh), tore their clothes in despair. 7 They said to the whole community of Israel, “The land we explored is very good. 8 If Yahweh is pleased with us, he will bring us into this land and give it to us. This is a land flowing with milk and honey! 9 Don’t rebel against Yahweh, and don’t be afraid of the people of the land. We will devour them like bread. They have no protection, and Yahweh is with us. So don’t be afraid of them.”
10 But when the whole community of Israel talked about stoning Moses and Aaron to death, they all saw the glory of Yahweh shining at the tent of meeting. 11 Yahweh said to Moses, “How long will these people treat me with contempt? How long will they refuse to trust me in spite of all the miraculous signs I have done among them? 12 I’ll strike them with a plague, I’ll destroy them,[a] and I’ll make you into a nation larger and stronger than they are.”
13 But Moses said to Yahweh, “What if the Egyptians hear about it? (You used your power to take these people away from them.) 14 What if the Egyptians tell the people who live in this land? Yahweh, they have already heard that you are with these people, that they have seen you with their own eyes, that your column of smoke stays over them, and that you go ahead of them in a column of smoke by day and in a column of fire by night. 15 But if you kill all these people at the same time, then the nations who have heard these reports about you will say, 16 ‘Yahweh wasn’t able to bring these people into the land he promised them, so he slaughtered them in the desert.’
17 “Adonay, let your power be as great as when you said, 18 ‘Yahweh . . . patient, forever loving. . . . He forgives wrongdoing and disobedience. . . . He never lets the guilty go unpunished, punishing children . . . for their parents’ sins to the third and fourth generation. . . .’ 19 By your great love, please forgive these people’s sins, as you have been forgiving them from the time they left Egypt until now.”
20 Yahweh said, “I forgive them, as you have asked. 21 But as I live and as the glory of Yahweh fills the whole earth, I solemnly swear that 22 none of the people who saw my glory and the miraculous signs I did in Egypt and in the desert will see the land which I promised their ancestors. They have tested me now ten times and refused to obey me.[b] 23 None of those who treat me with contempt will see it! 24 But because my servant Caleb has a different attitude and has wholeheartedly followed me, I’ll bring him to the land he already explored. His descendants will possess it. 25 (The Amalekites and Canaanites are living in the valleys.) Tomorrow you must turn around, go back into the desert, and follow the road that goes to the Red Sea.”
26 Then Yahweh said to Moses and Aaron, 27 “How long must I put up with this wicked community that keeps complaining about me? I’ve heard the complaints the Israelites are making about me. 28 So tell them, ‘As I live, declares Yahweh, I solemnly swear I will do everything to you that you said I would do. 29 Your bodies will drop dead in this desert. All of you who are at least 20 years old, who were registered and listed, and who complained about me will die. 30 I raised my hand and swore an oath to give you this land to live in. But none of you will enter it except Caleb (son of Jephunneh) and Joshua (son of Nun). 31 You said your children would be taken as prisoners of war. Instead, I will bring them into the land you rejected, and they will enjoy it. 32 However, your bodies will drop dead in this desert. 33 Your children will be shepherds in the desert for 40 years. They will suffer for your unfaithfulness until the last of your bodies lies dead in the desert. 34 For 40 days you explored the land. So for 40 years—one year for each day—you will suffer for your sins and know what it means for me to be against you.’ 35 I, Yahweh, have spoken. I swear I will do these things to all the people in this whole wicked community who have joined forces against me. They will meet their end in this desert. Here they will die!”
36 So the men Moses sent to explore the land died in front of Yahweh from a plague. 37 They died because they had returned and made the whole community complain about Moses by spreading lies about the land.[c] 38 Of all the men who went to explore the land, only Joshua (son of Nun) and Caleb (son of Jephunneh) survived.
The Amalekites and Canaanites Defeat Israel
39 When Moses told these things to all the Israelites, the people mourned bitterly, as if someone had died. 40 Early the next morning they headed into the mountain region. They said, “We have sinned. Now we’ll go to the place Yahweh promised.”
41 But Moses asked, “Why are you disobeying Yahweh’s command? Your plan won’t work! 42 Don’t go! You will be defeated by your enemies because Yahweh is not with you. 43 The Amalekites and Canaanites are there, and you will die in battle. Now that you have turned away from Yahweh, Yahweh will not be with you.”
44 But they headed into the mountain region anyway, even though the ark of Yahweh’s promise and Moses stayed in the camp. 45 The Amalekites and Canaanites who lived there came down from those mountains, attacked the Israelites, and defeated them at Hormah.[d]
Grain and Wine Made Part of the Sacrifices to the Lord
15 Yahweh said to Moses, 2 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them: Once you’re settled in the land I’m giving you, 3 you may bring offerings by fire to Yahweh. They may be burnt offerings or any other kind of sacrifice. They may be offered to fulfill a vow, as a freewill offering, or as one of your festival offerings. They may be cattle, sheep, or goats—offerings that are a soothing aroma to Yahweh. 4 Whoever brings the offering must also give Yahweh a grain offering of eight cups of flour mixed with one quart of olive oil. 5 With each sheep or goat for the burnt offering or any other sacrifice, also give an offering of one quart of wine.
6 “With a ram, give a grain offering of 16 cups of flour mixed with 1¼ quarts of oil 7 and an offering of 1¼ quarts of wine. Offer them as a soothing aroma to Yahweh.
8 “Suppose you sacrifice a young bull as a burnt offering to Yahweh or make any other kind of sacrifice—to keep a vow or as a fellowship offering. 9 Offer with the young bull a grain offering of 24 cups of flour mixed with two quarts of olive oil. 10 Also give an offering of two quarts of wine. It is an offering by fire, a soothing aroma to Yahweh. 11 Do this for each bull, each ram, and each sheep or goat. 12 Do it for each animal, however many you sacrifice. 13 All native-born Israelites must do it this way when they bring an offering by fire, a soothing aroma to Yahweh.
14 “Suppose foreigners are visiting you or living among you in future generations. If they bring an offering by fire, a soothing aroma to Yahweh, they must do as you do. 15 There is one law for the whole assembly: for you and foreigners who are living with you. It is a permanent law for future generations. As far as Yahweh is concerned, you and foreigners are the same. 16 The instructions and rules are the same for you as well as foreigners who are living with you.”
The Trial in Front of the Jewish Council(A)
53 The men took Yeshua to the chief priest. All the chief priests, the leaders, and the experts in Moses’ Teachings had gathered together. 54 Peter followed him at a distance and went into the chief priest’s courtyard. He sat with the guards and warmed himself facing the glow of a fire.
55 The chief priests and the whole Jewish council were searching for some testimony against Yeshua in order to execute him. But they couldn’t find any. 56 Many gave false testimony against him, but their statements did not agree.
57 Then some men stood up and gave false testimony against him. They said, 58 “We heard him say, ‘I’ll tear down this temple made by humans, and in three days I’ll build another temple, one not made by human hands.’” 59 But their testimony did not agree even on this point.
60 So the chief priest stood up in the center and asked Yeshua, “Don’t you have any answer to what these men testify against you?”
61 But he was silent.
The chief priest asked him again, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?”
62 Yeshua answered, “Yes, I am, and you will see the Son of Man in the highest position in heaven. He will be coming with the clouds of heaven.”
63 The chief priest tore his clothes in horror and said, “Why do we need any more witnesses? 64 You’ve heard him dishonor God! What’s your verdict?”
All of them condemned him with the death sentence. 65 Some of them began to spit on him. They covered his face and hit him with their fists. They said to him, “Prophesy!” Even the guards took him and slapped him.
Peter Denies Jesus(B)
66 Peter was in the courtyard. One of the chief priest’s female servants 67 saw Peter warming himself. She looked at him and said, “You, too, were with Yeshua from Nazareth!”
68 But Peter denied it by saying, “I don’t know him, and I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”
He went to the entrance. Then a rooster crowed.[a]
69 The servant saw him. Once again she said to those who were standing around, “This man is one of them!” 70 Peter again denied it.
After a little while the men standing there said to Peter again, “It’s obvious you’re one of them. You’re a Galilean!”
71 Then Peter began to curse and swear with an oath, “I don’t know this man you’re talking about!” 72 Just then a rooster crowed a second time. Peter remembered that Yeshua said to him, “Before a rooster crows twice, you will say three times that you don’t know me.” Then Peter began to cry very hard.
Psalm 53[a]
For the choir director; according to mahalath,[b] a maskil by David.
1 Godless fools say in their hearts,
“There is no Elohim.”
They are corrupt.
They do disgusting things.
There is no one who does good things.
2 Elohim looks down from heaven on Adam’s descendants
to see if there is anyone who acts wisely,
if there is anyone who seeks help from Elohim.
3 Everyone has fallen away.
Together they have become rotten to the core.
No one, not even one person, does good things.
4 Are all those troublemakers,
those who devour my people as if they were devouring food,
so ignorant that they do not call on Elohim?
5 There they are—panic-stricken—
but there was no reason to panic,
because Elohim has scattered the bones
of those who set up camp against you.[c]
You put them to shame.
After all, Elohim has rejected them.
6 If only salvation for Israel would come from Zion!
When Elohim restores the fortunes of his people,
Jacob will rejoice.
Israel will be glad.
4 Riches are of no help on the day of fury,
but righteousness saves from death.
The Names of God Bible (without notes) © 2011 by Baker Publishing Group.