The Daily Audio Bible
Today's audio is from the AMP. Switch to the AMP to read along with the audio.
The Camp Arrangement
2 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron: 2 “The ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] should make their camps around the Meeting Tent, but they should not camp too close to it. They should camp under their ·family flag [standard] and ·banners [ensign].”
3 The camp of Judah will ·be [camp] on the east side, where the sun rises, and they will camp by divisions there under their ·flag [banner]. The leader of the ·people [L sons; descendants] of Judah is Nahshon son of Amminadab. 4 There are 74,600 men in his division.
5 Next to them the tribe of Issachar will camp. The leader of the ·people [L sons; descendants] of Issachar is Nethanel son of Zuar. 6 There are 54,400 men in his division.
7 Next is the tribe of Zebulun. The leader of the ·people [L sons; descendants] of Zebulun is Eliab son of Helon. 8 There are 57,400 men in his division.
9 There are a total of 186,400 men in the camps of Judah and its neighbors, in all their divisions. They will be the first to march out of camp.
10 The divisions of the camp of Reuben will be on the south side, where they will camp under their ·flag [banner]. The leader of the ·people [L sons; descendants] of Reuben is Elizur son of Shedeur. 11 There are 46,500 men in his division.
12 Next to them the tribe of Simeon will camp. The leader of the ·people [L sons; descendants] of Simeon is Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai. 13 There are 59,300 men in his division.
14 Next is the tribe of Gad. The leader of the ·people [L sons; descendants] of Gad is Eliasaph son of Deuel. 15 There are 45,650 men in his division.
16 There are a total of 151,450 men in the camps of Reuben and its neighbors, in all their divisions. They will be the second group to march out of camp.
17 When the camp of the Levites march out with the Meeting Tent, they will be in the middle of the other camps. The tribes will march out in the same order as they camp, each in its place under its ·flag [banner].
18 The divisions of the camp of Ephraim will be on the west side, where they will camp under their ·flag [banner]. The leader of the ·people [L sons; descendants] of Ephraim is Elishama son of Ammihud. 19 There are 40,500 men in his division.
20 Next to them the tribe of Manasseh will camp. The leader of the ·people [L sons; descendants] of Manasseh is Gamaliel son of Pedahzur. 21 There are 32,200 men in his division.
22 Next is the tribe of Benjamin. The leader of the ·people [L sons; descendants] of Benjamin is Abidan son of Gideoni. 23 There are 35,400 men in his division.
24 There are a total of 108,100 men in the camps of Ephraim and its neighbors, in all their divisions. They will be the third group to march out of camp.
25 The divisions of the camp of Dan will be on the north side, where they will camp under their ·flag [banner]. The leader of the ·people [L sons; descendants] of Dan is Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai. 26 There are 62,700 men in his division.
27 Next to them the tribe of Asher will camp. The leader of the ·people [L sons; descendants] of Asher is Pagiel son of Ocran. 28 There are 41,500 men in his division.
29 Next is the tribe of Naphtali. The leader of the ·people [L sons; descendants] of Naphtali is Ahira son of Enan. 30 There are 53,400 men in his division.
31 There are 157,600 men in the camps of Dan and its neighbors. They will be the last to march out of camp, and they will travel under their own ·flag [banner].
32 These are the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] who were counted by families groups. The total number in the camps, counted by divisions, is 603,550. 33 Moses obeyed the Lord and did not count the Levites among the other ·people [L sons; T children] of Israel.
34 So the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] obeyed everything the Lord commanded Moses. They camped under their ·flags [banners] and marched out by ·families [clans] and family groups.
Aaron’s Family, the Priests
3 ·This is the family history [L These are the generations; Gen. 2:4] of Aaron and Moses at the time the Lord talked to Moses on Mount Sinai.
2 ·Aaron had four sons [L These are the names of the sons of Aaron]: Nadab, the ·oldest [firstborn], Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 3 These were the names of Aaron’s sons, who were appointed to serve as priests. 4 But Nadab and Abihu died in the presence of the Lord when they offered ·the wrong kind of [L strange; C an inappropriate performance of a ritual] fire before the Lord in the ·Desert [Wilderness] of Sinai [Lev. 10]. They had no sons. So Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests during the lifetime of their father Aaron.
5 The Lord said to Moses, 6 “Bring the tribe of Levi and ·present them to [L make them stand before] Aaron the priest to ·help [minister to; assist] him. 7 They will ·help [take care of] him and all the ·Israelites [community; assembly; congregation] at the Meeting Tent, doing the work in the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle]. 8 The Levites must take care of everything in the Meeting Tent and serve the people of Israel by doing the work in the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle]. 9 Give the Levites to Aaron and his sons; of all the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel], the Levites are given completely to him. 10 Appoint Aaron and his sons to serve as priests, but anyone else who comes near the holy things must be put to death.”
11 The Lord also said to Moses, 12 “I am ·choosing [taking] the Levites from all the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] to take the place of all the firstborn ·children [L who open the womb] of ·Israel [L the sons/T children of Israel]. The Levites will be mine, 13 because the firstborn are mine. When you were in Egypt, I ·killed [L struck] all the firstborn ·children of the [L in the land of the] Egyptians [Ex. 12:12–13] and took all the firstborn of Israel to be mine [Ex. 13:2, 11–16; 22:29–30; 34:19–20], both animals and children. They are mine. I am the Lord.”
14 The Lord again said to Moses in the ·Desert [Wilderness] of Sinai, 15 “Count the ·Levites [L sons/descendants of Levi] by ·families [clans] and family groups. Count every male one month old or older.” 16 So Moses obeyed the Lord and counted them all.
17 Levi had three sons, whose names were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
18 The Gershonite ·family groups [clans] were Libni and Shimei [4:21–28].
19 The ·Kohathite family groups [L the sons/descendants of Kohath by their clans] were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel [4:1–20].
20 The ·Merarite family groups [L the sons/descendants of Merari by their clans] were Mahli and Mushi [4:29–33].
These were the ·family groups [clans according to the family groups] of the Levites.
21 The ·family groups [clans] of Libni and Shimei belonged to Gershon; they were the Gershonite ·family groups [clans]. 22 The number that was counted was 7,500 males one month old or older. 23 The Gershonite ·family groups [clan] camped on the west side, behind the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle]. 24 The leader of the ·families [family groups] of Gershon was Eliasaph son of Lael. 25 In the Meeting Tent the Gershonites were in charge of the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle], its covering [Ex. 26:1–6], the curtain at the entrance to the Meeting Tent, 26 the curtains in the courtyard, the curtain at the entry to the courtyard around the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle] and the altar, the ropes, and all the work connected with these items.
27 The ·family groups [clans] of Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel belonged to Kohath; they were the Kohathite ·family groups [clans]. 28 They had 8,600 males one month old or older, and they were responsible for taking care of the Holy Place. 29 The Kohathite ·family groups [clans] camped south of the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle]. 30 The leader of the Kohathite families was Elizaphan son of Uzziel. 31 They were responsible for the Ark [Ex. 25:10], the table [Ex. 25:23–30], the lampstand [L Menorah; Ex. 25:31–40], the altars [Ex. 27:1–8], the tools of the Holy Place which they were to use, the curtain, and all the work connected with these items. 32 The main leader of the Levites was Eleazar son of Aaron, the priest, who was in charge of all those responsible for the Holy Place.
33 The ·family groups [clans] of Mahli and Mushi belonged to Merari; they were the Merarite ·family groups [clans]. 34 The number that was counted was 6,200 males one month old or older. 35 The leader of the Merari families was Zuriel son of Abihail, and they were to camp north of the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle]. 36 The Merarites were responsible for the frames of the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle], the ·braces [bars], the ·posts [pillars], the bases, and all the work connected with these items. 37 They were also responsible for the ·posts [pillars] in the courtyard around the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle] and their bases, tent pegs, and ropes.
38 Moses, Aaron, and his sons camped east of the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle], toward the sunrise, in front of the Meeting Tent. They were responsible for the Holy Place for the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel]. Anyone else who came near the Holy Place was to be put to death.
39 Moses and Aaron counted the Levite men by their ·families [clans], as the Lord commanded, and there were 22,000 males one month old or older.
Levites Take the Place of the Firstborn Sons
40 The Lord said to Moses, “Count all the firstborn sons in Israel one month old or older, and list their names. 41 Take the Levites for me instead of the firstborn sons of Israel; take the animals of the Levites instead of the firstborn animals from the ·rest [L sons] of Israel. I am the Lord.”
42 So Moses did what the Lord commanded and counted all the firstborn sons of the Israelites. 43 When he listed all the firstborn sons one month old or older, there were 22,273 names.
44 The Lord also said to Moses, 45 “Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn sons of the Israelites, and take the animals of the Levites instead of the animals of the other people. The Levites are mine. I am the Lord. 46 Since there are 273 more firstborn sons than Levites, 47 collect ·two ounces [L five shekels] of silver for each of the 273 sons. Use the ·measure as set by [L shekel of] the Holy Place, which is ·two-fifths of an ounce [L a shekel of twenty gerahs]. 48 Give the silver to Aaron and his sons as the payment for the 273 Israelites.”
49 So Moses collected the money for the people the Levites could not ·replace [redeem]. 50 From the firstborn of the Israelites, he collected ·thirty-five pounds [L 1,365 shekels] of silver, using the ·measure set by [L shekel of] the Holy Place. 51 Moses obeyed the command of the Lord and gave the silver to Aaron and his sons.
Leaders Doubt Jesus’ Authority(A)
27 Jesus and his ·followers [disciples] went again to Jerusalem. As Jesus was walking in the Temple [complex; area; courts; see 11:15], the ·leading [T chief] priests, the ·teachers of the law [scribes], and the elders came to him. 28 They said to him, “What authority do you have to do these things? Who gave you this authority?”
29 Jesus answered, “I will ask you one question. If you answer me, I will tell you what authority I have to do these things. 30 Tell me: When John baptized people, was that authority from ·God [L heaven; C a reverential Jewish way of referring to God] or just from ·other people [human beings]?”
31 They argued about Jesus’ question, saying, “If we answer, ‘John’s baptism was from ·God [L heaven],’ Jesus will say, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ 32 But if we say, ‘It was from ·other people [human beings],’ the crowd will be against us.” (These leaders were afraid of the people, because all the people believed that John was a prophet.)
33 So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.”
Jesus said to them, “Then I won’t tell you what authority I have to do these things.”
The Story of the Evil Farmers(B)
12 [Then] Jesus began ·to use stories to teach the people [L to speak to them in parables; see 3:23]. He said, “A man planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it and dug a ·hole [vat; pit] for a winepress and built a tower [C to protect against thieves; see Is. 5:1–7 for the background to this parable]. Then he leased the land to some [C tenant] farmers and left for a trip [C the owner represents God, the farmers are Israel’s religious leaders]. 2 When it was time for the grapes to be picked, he sent a ·servant [slave] to the farmers to get his share of the grapes. 3 But the farmers grabbed ·the servant [L him] and beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 4 Then the man sent another ·servant [slave]. They ·hit [beat] him on the head and ·showed no respect for [humiliated; dishonored] him. 5 So the man sent another, whom they killed. The man sent many others; the farmers beat some of them and killed others [C the servants represent the prophets God sent to Israel].
6 “The man had one person left to send, his son whom he loved [C representing Jesus; see 1:11; 9:7]. He sent him last of all, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’
7 “But the farmers said to each other, ‘This son will inherit the vineyard. Let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ 8 So they took the son, killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard.
9 “So what will the ·owner [lord] of the vineyard do? He will come and ·kill [destroy] those farmers and will give the vineyard to ·other farmers [L others; C referring to the sinners who were responding to Jesus’ call for repentance, and eventually to the Gentiles who would be saved]. 10 ·Surely you have read [L Have you never read…?] this Scripture:
‘The stone that the builders rejected
became the ·cornerstone [capstone; keystone; L head of the corner; C the meaning is uncertain, but clearly refers to the most important stone in the building; Jesus is the rejected stone].
11 The Lord did this,
and it is ·wonderful [amazing; marvelous] ·to us [for us to see; L in our eyes; Ps. 118:22–23].’”
12 The Jewish leaders knew that the ·story [parable] was about them. So they ·wanted to find a way [were seeking/trying] to arrest Jesus, but they were afraid of the people. So the leaders left him and went away.
Is It Right to Pay Taxes or Not?(C)
13 Later, the Jewish leaders sent some Pharisees and Herodians [C a political group that supported king Herod and his family; 3:6] to Jesus to ·trap [catch] him in saying something wrong. 14 They came to him and said, “Teacher, we know that you are ·an honest man [true; honest; sincere]. You are not ·afraid of [concerned about] what other people think about you, because you ·pay no attention to who they are [play no favorites; are impartial; aren’t swayed by appearances]. And you teach ·the truth [with sincerity/honesty] about God’s way. Tell us: Is it ·right [permissible; lawful] to pay taxes to Caesar or not? 15 Should we pay them, or not?” [C Saying “yes” would anger Jews who hated Roman rule; saying “no” could result in being charged with insurrection.]
But knowing ·what these men were really trying to do [L their hypocrisy], Jesus said to them, “Why are you ·trying to trap [testing] me? Bring me a ·coin [L denarius; C a Roman coin worth a day’s wages] to look at.” 16 They gave Jesus a coin, and he asked, “Whose ·image [likeness; portrait] and ·name [inscription] are on the coin?”
They answered, “Caesar’s.” [C Ironically, the religious leaders carry coins bearing the idolatrous image of Caesar.]
17 Then Jesus said to them, “·Give [T Render] to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and give to God the things that are God’s.” They were amazed at what Jesus said.
God, the King of the World
For the director of music. A psalm of the sons of Korah [C descendants of Kohath, son of Levi, who served as Temple musicians; 1 Chr. 6:22].
47 Clap your hands, all you people.
Shout to God with ·joy [jubilant shouts/cries/L sound].
2 The Lord Most High is ·wonderful [awesome].
He is the great King over all the earth!
3 He ·defeated [subdues] ·nations [or armies] ·for [L under] us
and ·put them under our control [L peoples under our feet].
4 He chose ·the land we would inherit [L for us our heritage/inheritance].
We are the ·children [L pride] of Jacob, whom he loved. ·
5 God has risen with a shout of joy;
the Lord has risen ·as the trumpets sounded [L with the sound of the ram’s horn].
6 Sing praises to God. Sing praises.
Sing praises to our King. Sing praises.
7 God is King of all the earth,
so sing a ·song of praise [psalm; a skillful psalm; meditation; L maskil] to him.
8 God is King over the nations.
God sits on his holy throne.
9 The ·leaders [princes] of the ·nations [or armies] ·meet [L gather together]
with the ·people [or army] of the God of Abraham,
because the ·leaders [L shields; C military leaders] of the earth belong to God.
He is ·supreme [highly exalted].
24 Evil people will get what they fear most,
but ·good [righteous] people will get what they want most.
25 A ·storm [whirlwind] will blow the evil person away,
but a ·good [righteous] person will always ·be safe [L have a firm foundation].
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.