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14 “Three times[a] in the year you must make a pilgrim feast[b] to me. 15 You are to observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread; seven days[c] you must eat bread made without yeast, as I commanded you, at the appointed time of the month of Abib, for at that time[d] you came out of Egypt. No one may appear before[e] me empty-handed.
16 “You are also to observe[f] the Feast of Harvest, the firstfruits of your labors that you have sown in the field, and the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year[g] when you have gathered in[h] your harvest[i] out of the field. 17 At[j] three times in the year all your males will appear before the Sovereign Lord.[k]
18 “You must not offer[l] the blood of my sacrifice with bread containing yeast; the fat of my festal sacrifice must not remain until morning.[m] 19 The first of the firstfruits of your soil you must bring to the house of the Lord your God.
“You must not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.[n]
The Angel of the Presence
20 [o] “I am going to send[p] an angel[q] before you to protect you as you journey[r] and to bring you into the place that I have prepared.[s] 21 Take heed because of him, and obey his voice; do not rebel against him, for he will not pardon your transgressions, for my Name[t] is in him. 22 But if you diligently obey him[u] and do all that I command, then I will be an enemy to your enemies, and I will be an adversary to your adversaries. 23 For my angel will go before you and bring you to the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, and I will destroy them completely.[v]
24 “You must not bow down to their gods; you must not serve them or do according to their practices. Instead you must completely overthrow them and smash their standing stones[w] to pieces.[x] 25 You must serve[y] the Lord your God, and he[z] will bless your bread and your water,[aa] and I will remove sickness from your midst. 26 No woman will miscarry her young[ab] or be barren in your land. I will fulfill[ac] the number of your days.
27 “I will send my terror[ad] before you, and I will alarm[ae] all the people whom you encounter; I will make all your enemies turn their backs[af] to you. 28 I will send[ag] hornets before you that will drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite before you. 29 I will not drive them out before you in one year, lest the land become desolate and the wild animals[ah] multiply against you. 30 Little by little[ai] I will drive them out before you, until you become fruitful and inherit the land. 31 I will set[aj] your boundaries from the Red Sea to the Sea of the Philistines, and from the desert to the River,[ak] for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand, and you will drive them out before you.
32 “You must make no covenant with them or with their gods. 33 They must not live in your land, lest they make you sin against me, for if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare[al] to you.”
The Lord Ratifies the Covenant
24 [am] But to Moses the Lord[an] said, “Come up[ao] to the Lord, you and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and worship from a distance.[ap] 2 Moses alone may come near[aq] the Lord, but the others[ar] must not come near,[as] nor may the people go up with him.”
3 Moses came[at] and told the people all the Lord’s words[au] and all the decisions. All the people answered together,[av] “We are willing to do[aw] all the words that the Lord has said,” 4 and Moses wrote down all the words of the Lord. Early in the morning he built[ax] an altar at the foot[ay] of the mountain and arranged[az] twelve standing stones[ba]—according to the twelve tribes of Israel. 5 He sent young Israelite men,[bb] and they offered burnt offerings and sacrificed young bulls for peace offerings[bc] to the Lord. 6 Moses took half of the blood and put it in bowls, and half of the blood he splashed on the altar.[bd] 7 He took the Book of the Covenant[be] and read it aloud[bf] to the people, and they said, “We are willing to do and obey[bg] all that the Lord has spoken.” 8 So Moses took the blood and splashed it on[bh] the people and said, “This is the blood of the covenant[bi] that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.”
9 Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel went up,[bj] 10 and they saw[bk] the God of Israel. Under his feet[bl] there was something like a pavement[bm] made of sapphire, clear like the sky itself.[bn] 11 But he did not lay a hand[bo] on the leaders of the Israelites, so they saw God,[bp] and they ate and they drank.[bq]
12 [br] The Lord said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain and remain there, and I will give you the stone tablets[bs] with[bt] the law and the commandments that I have written, so that you may teach them.”[bu] 13 So Moses set out[bv] with[bw] Joshua his attendant, and Moses went up the mountain of God. 14 He told the elders, “Wait for us in this place until we return to you. Here are[bx] Aaron and Hur with you. Whoever has any matters of dispute[by] can approach[bz] them.”
15 Moses went up the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain. 16 The glory of the Lord resided[ca] on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days.[cb] On the seventh day he called to Moses from within the cloud. 17 Now the appearance of the glory of the Lord was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain in plain view[cc] of the people. 18 Moses went into the cloud when he went up[cd] the mountain, and Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights.[ce]
The Materials for the Tabernacle
25 [cf] The Lord spoke to Moses, 2 “Tell the Israelites to take[cg] an offering[ch] for me; from every person motivated by a willing[ci] heart you[cj] are to receive my offering. 3 This is the offering you[ck] are to accept from them: gold, silver, bronze, 4 blue,[cl] purple,[cm] scarlet,[cn] fine linen,[co] goats’ hair,[cp] 5 ram skins dyed red,[cq] fine leather,[cr] acacia[cs] wood, 6 oil for the light, spices for the anointing oil and for fragrant incense, 7 onyx stones, and other gems to be set in the ephod and in the breastpiece. 8 Let them make[ct] for me a sanctuary,[cu] so that I may live among them. 9 According to all that I am showing you[cv]—the pattern of the tabernacle[cw] and the pattern of all its furnishings—you[cx] must make it exactly so.[cy]
The Ark of the Testimony
10 [cz] “They are to make an ark[da] of acacia wood—its length is to be 45 inches, its width 27 inches, and its height 27 inches.[db] 11 You are to overlay[dc] it with pure gold—both inside and outside you must overlay it,[dd] and you are to make a surrounding border[de] of gold over it. 12 You are to cast four gold rings for it and put them on its four feet, with two rings on one side and two rings on the other side. 13 You are to make poles of acacia wood, overlay them with gold, 14 and put the poles into the rings at the sides of the ark in order to carry the ark with them. 15 The poles must remain in the rings of the ark; they must not be removed from it. 16 You are to put into the ark the testimony[df] that I will give to you.
17 “You are to make an atonement lid[dg] of pure gold;[dh] its length is to be 45 inches, and its width is to be 27 inches. 18 You are to make two cherubim[di] of gold; you are to make them of hammered metal on the two ends of the atonement lid. 19 Make[dj] one cherub on one end[dk] and one cherub on the other end; from the atonement lid[dl] you are to make the cherubim on the two ends. 20 The cherubim are to be spreading their wings upward, overshadowing[dm] the atonement lid with their wings, and the cherubim are to face each other,[dn] looking[do] toward the atonement lid. 21 You are to put the atonement lid on top of the ark, and in the ark you are to put the testimony I am giving you. 22 I will meet with you there,[dp] and[dq] from above the atonement lid, from between the two cherubim that are over the ark of the testimony, I will speak with you about all that I will command you for the Israelites.
The Table for the Bread of the Presence
23 [dr] “You are to make a table of acacia wood; its length is to be 36 inches, its width 18 inches, and its height 27 inches. 24 You are to overlay it with[ds] pure gold, and you are to make a surrounding border of gold for it. 25 You are to make a surrounding frame[dt] for it about three inches broad, and you are to make a surrounding border of gold for its frame. 26 You are to make four rings of gold for it and attach[du] the rings at the four corners where its four legs are.[dv] 27 The rings are to be close to the frame to provide places[dw] for the poles to carry the table. 28 You are to make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold, so that the table may be carried with them.[dx] 29 You are to make its plates,[dy] its ladles,[dz] its pitchers, and its bowls, to be used in pouring out offerings;[ea] you are to make them of pure gold. 30 You are to set the Bread of the Presence[eb] on the table before me continually.
The Lampstand
31 [ec] “You are to make a lampstand[ed] of pure gold. The lampstand is to be made of hammered metal; its base and its shaft, its cups,[ee] its buds, and its blossoms are to be from the same piece.[ef] 32 Six branches are to extend from the sides of the lampstand,[eg] three branches of the lampstand from one side of it and three branches of the lampstand from the other side of it.[eh] 33 Three cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms are to be on one branch, and three cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms are to be on the next[ei] branch, and the same[ej] for the six branches extending from the lampstand. 34 On the lampstand there are to be four cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms, 35 with a bud under the first[ek] two branches from it, and a bud under the next[el] two branches from it, and a bud under the third[em] two branches from it, according to the six branches that extend from the lampstand. 36 Their buds and their branches will be one piece,[en] all of it one hammered piece of pure gold.
37 “You are to make its seven lamps[eo] and then set[ep] its lamps up on it, so that it will give light[eq] to the area in front of it. 38 Its trimmers and its trays[er] are to be[es] of pure gold. 39 About seventy-five pounds[et] of pure gold is to be used for it[eu] and for all these utensils. 40 Now be sure to make[ev] them according to the pattern you were shown[ew] on the mountain.[ex]
The Arrival of the Son of Man
29 “Immediately[a] after the suffering[b] of those days, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of heaven will be shaken.[c] 30 Then[d] the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven,[e] and[f] all the tribes of the earth will mourn. They[g] will see the Son of Man arriving on the clouds of heaven[h] with power and great glory. 31 And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet blast, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven[i] to the other.
The Parable of the Fig Tree
32 “Learn[j] this parable from the fig tree: Whenever its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. 33 So also you, when you see all these things, know[k] that he is near, right at the door. 34 I tell you the truth,[l] this generation[m] will not pass away until all these things take place. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.[n]
Be Ready!
36 “But as for that day and hour no one knows it—not even the angels in heaven[o]—except the Father alone. 37 For just like the days of Noah[p] were, so the coming of the Son of Man will be. 38 For in those days before the flood, people[q] were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark. 39 And they knew nothing until the flood came and took them all away.[r] It will be the same at the coming of the Son of Man.[s] 40 Then there will be two men in the field; one will be taken and one left.[t] 41 There will be two women grinding grain with a mill;[u] one will be taken and one left.
42 “Therefore stay alert, because you do not know on what day[v] your Lord will come. 43 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief[w] was coming, he would have been alert and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 Therefore you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.[x]
The Faithful and Wise Slave
45 “Who then is the faithful and wise slave,[y] whom the master has put in charge of his household, to give the other slaves[z] their food at the proper time? 46 Blessed is that slave whom the master finds at work[aa] when he comes. 47 I tell you the truth,[ab] the master[ac] will put him in charge of all his possessions. 48 But if[ad] that evil slave should say to himself,[ae] ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ 49 and he begins to beat his fellow slaves and to eat and drink with drunkards, 50 then the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not foresee, 51 and will cut him in two,[af] and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Psalm 30[a]
A psalm, a song used at the dedication of the temple;[b] by David.
30 I will praise you, O Lord, for you lifted me up,[c]
and did not allow my enemies to gloat[d] over me.
2 O Lord my God,
I cried out to you and you healed me.[e]
3 O Lord, you pulled me[f] up from Sheol;
you rescued me from among those descending into the grave.[g]
4 Sing to the Lord, you faithful followers[h] of his;
give thanks to his holy name.[i]
5 For his anger lasts only a brief moment,
and his good favor restores one’s life.[j]
One may experience sorrow during the night,
but joy arrives in the morning.[k]
6 In my self-confidence I said,
“I will never be shaken.”[l]
7 O Lord, in your good favor you made me secure.[m]
Then you rejected me[n] and I was terrified.
8 To you, O Lord, I cried out;
I begged the Lord for mercy:[o]
9 “What[p] profit is there in taking my life,[q]
in my descending into the Pit?[r]
Can the dust of the grave[s] praise you?
Can it declare your loyalty?[t]
10 Hear, O Lord, and have mercy on me.
O Lord, deliver me.”[u]
11 Then you turned my lament into dancing;
you removed my sackcloth and covered me with joy.[v]
12 So now[w] my heart[x] will sing to you and not be silent;
O Lord my God, I will always[y] give thanks to you.
24 So now, sons,[a] listen to me,
and pay attention to the words I speak.[b]
25 Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways—
do not wander into her pathways;
26 for she has brought down[c] many fatally wounded,
and all those she has slain are many.[d]
27 Her house is the way to the grave,[e]
going down to the chambers of death.
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