The Daily Audio Bible
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The Seven Lamps
8 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to Aaron and say to him, ‘When you set up and light the lamps, the seven lamps will shine in front of the lampstand.’” 3 And Aaron did so; he set up the lamps at the front of the lampstand, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. 4 Now this was the workmanship of the lampstand: hammered work of gold; from its base to its flowers it was hammered work; according to the pattern which the Lord had shown Moses, so he made the lampstand.
Cleansing the Levites
5 Again the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 6 “Take the Levites from among the sons of Israel and cleanse them. 7 This is what you shall do to them to [ceremonially] cleanse them: sprinkle the water of purification on them, and let them use a razor over their whole body and wash their clothes, and they will be clean.(A) 8 Then let them take a young bull and its grain offering of fine flour mixed with oil, and you shall take another young bull as a sin offering. 9 You shall present the Levites before the Tent of Meeting (tabernacle), and you shall also assemble the whole congregation of the children of Israel, 10 and present the Levites before the Lord, and the Israelites shall lay their hands on the Levites. 11 Aaron shall [a]present the Levites before the Lord as a wave offering from the Israelites, so that they may perform the service of the Lord. 12 Then the Levites shall [b]lay their hands on the heads of the bulls, then you are to offer the one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering to the Lord, to make atonement for the Levites. 13 You shall have the Levites stand before Aaron and his sons and present them as a wave offering to the Lord.
14 “Thus you shall separate the Levites from among the Israelites, and the Levites shall be Mine [in a very special sense]. 15 Then after that the Levites may go in to serve the Tent of Meeting (tabernacle), but you shall cleanse them [first] and present them as a wave offering; 16 for they are wholly given to Me from among the Israelites. I have taken them for Myself instead of [c]all who are born first, the firstborn of all the Israelites. 17 For all the firstborn among the Israelites are Mine, among the men and among the animals; on the day that I struck down every firstborn in the land of Egypt, I sanctified and set the Israelites apart for Myself. 18 And I have taken the Levites instead of every firstborn among the Israelites. 19 I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and to his sons from among the Israelites, to perform the service of the Israelites at the Tent of Meeting (tabernacle) and to make atonement for them, so that there will be no plague among the Israelites if they should approach the sanctuary.”
20 Thus Moses and Aaron and all the congregation of the children of Israel did [these things] to the Levites; in accordance with all that the Lord had commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so the Israelites did to them. 21 The Levites, too, purified themselves from sin and they washed their clothes; and Aaron presented them as a wave offering before the Lord, and Aaron made atonement for them to cleanse them. 22 Then after that the Levites went in to perform their service in the Tent of Meeting before Aaron and his sons; just as the Lord had commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so they did to them.
Retirement
23 Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 24 “This is what applies to the Levites: from twenty-five years old and upward they shall enter to perform service in the work of the Tent of Meeting, 25 but at the age of fifty years, they shall [d]retire from the service of the [tabernacle] work and serve no longer. 26 They may assist their brothers in the Tent of Meeting to keep an obligation, but they shall do no [heavy or difficult] work. Thus you shall deal with the Levites concerning their obligations.”
The Passover
9 The Lord spoke to Moses in the Wilderness of Sinai in the first month of the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt, saying, 2 “The sons of Israel are to keep the Passover at its appointed time. 3 On the fourteenth day of this month [e]at twilight, you shall keep it at its appointed time; according to all its statutes and ordinances you shall keep it.” 4 So Moses told the Israelites to observe the Passover. 5 They observed the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month at twilight in the Wilderness of Sinai; in accordance with all that the Lord had commanded Moses, so the Israelites did. 6 But there were certain men who were [ceremonially] unclean because of [touching] the dead body of a man, so they could not observe the Passover on that day; so they came before Moses and Aaron that same day. 7 Those men said to Moses, “We are [ceremonially] unclean because of [touching] a dead body. Why are we being restrained from presenting the Lord’s offering at its appointed time among the Israelites?” 8 Therefore, Moses said to them, “Wait, and I will listen to what the Lord will command concerning you.”
9 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 10 “Say to the Israelites, ‘If any one of you or of your descendants becomes [ceremonially] unclean because of [touching] a dead body or is on a distant journey, he may, however, observe the Passover to the Lord. 11 On the fourteenth day of the second month [thirty days later] at twilight, they shall observe it; they shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. 12 They shall leave none of it until morning nor break any of its bones; in accordance with all the statutes of the Passover they shall observe it.(B) 13 But the man who is [ceremonially] clean and is not on a journey, and yet does not observe the Passover, that person shall be cut off from among his people [excluding him from the atonement made for them] because he did not bring the Lord’s offering at its appointed time; that man will bear [the penalty of] his sin. 14 If a stranger lives among you as a resident alien and observes the Passover to the Lord, in accordance with its statutes and its ordinances, so shall he do; you shall have one statute, both for the resident alien and for the native of the land.’”
The Cloud on the Tabernacle
15 Now on the day that the tabernacle was erected, the cloud [of God’s presence] covered the tabernacle, that is, the tent of the Testimony; and in the evening it was over the tabernacle, appearing like [a pillar of] fire until the morning.(C) 16 So it was continuously; the cloud covered it by day, and the appearance of fire by night. 17 Whenever the cloud was lifted from over the tent (tabernacle), afterward the Israelites would set out; and in the place where the cloud stopped, there the Israelites would camp. 18 At the Lord’s command the Israelites would journey on, and at His command they would camp. As long as the cloud remained over the tabernacle they remained camped. 19 Even when the cloud lingered over the tabernacle for many days, the Israelites would keep their obligation to the Lord and not set out. 20 Sometimes the cloud remained only a few days over the tabernacle, and in accordance with the command of the Lord they remained camped. Then at His command they set out. 21 If sometimes the cloud remained [over the tabernacle] from evening only until morning, when the cloud was lifted in the morning, they would journey on; whether in the daytime or at night, whenever the cloud was lifted, they would set out. 22 Whether it was two days or a month or a year that the cloud [of the Lord’s presence] lingered over the tabernacle, staying above it, the Israelites remained camped and did not set out; but when it was lifted, they set out. 23 At the command of the Lord they camped, and at the command of the Lord they journeyed on; they kept their obligation to the Lord, in accordance with the command of the Lord through Moses.
14 “But when you see the [a]abomination of desolation standing [in the temple sanctuary] where it ought not to be (let the [b]reader understand) then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains.(A) 15 Whoever is on the housetop must not go down [to enter the house], or go inside to take anything out of his house; 16 whoever is in the field must not turn back to get his coat. 17 And woe to those women who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 18 Pray that it will not occur in winter, 19 for at that time there will be such tribulation as has not occurred, from the beginning of the creation which God made, until now—and never will [be again]. 20 And if the Lord had not shortened the days, no human life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect, whom He chose [for Himself], He shortened the days.(B) 21 Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed)!’ or, ‘Look, He is there!’ do not believe it; 22 for false Christs and false prophets will arise, and they will provide signs and wonders in order to deceive, if [such a thing were] possible, even the elect [those God has chosen for Himself]. 23 But be on your guard; I have told you everything in advance.
The Return of Christ
24 “But in those days, after [the suffering and distress of] that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light,(C) 25 and the stars will be falling from the sky, and the powers that are in the heavens will be shaken.(D) 26 Then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory [in royal majesty and splendor].(E) 27 And then He will send out the angels, and will gather together His elect [those He has chosen for Himself] from the four winds, from the farthest end of the earth to the farthest end of heaven.
28 “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: as soon as its branch becomes tender and it puts out its leaves, you recognize that summer is near.(F) 29 Even so, you too, when you see these things happening, know [for certain] that He is near, right at the door. 30 I assure you and most solemnly say to you, this generation [the people living when these signs and events begin] will not pass away until all these things take place. 31 Heaven and earth [as now known] will [c]pass away, but My words will not pass away. 32 But of that [exact] day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son [in His humanity], but the Father alone.
33 “Be on guard and stay constantly alert [d][and pray]; for you do not know when the appointed time will come. 34 It is like a man away on a journey, who when he left home put his servants in charge, each with his particular task, and also ordered the doorkeeper to be continually alert. 35 Therefore, be continually on the alert—for you do not know when the master of the house is coming, whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning— 36 [stay alert,] in case he should come suddenly and unexpectedly and find you asleep and unprepared. 37 What I say to you I say to everyone, ‘Be on the alert [stay awake and be continually cautious]!’”
God the Judge of the Righteous and the Wicked.
A Psalm of [a]Asaph
50 The mighty One, God, the Lord, has spoken,
And summoned the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting [from east to west].
2
Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty,
God has shone forth.
3
May our God come and not keep silent;
Fire devours before Him,
And around Him a mighty tempest rages.
4
He summons the heavens above,
And the earth, to judge His people:
5
“Gather My godly ones to Me,
Those who have made a covenant with Me by sacrifice.”
6
And the heavens declare His righteousness,
For God Himself is judge. Selah.
7
“Hear, O My people, and I will speak;
O Israel, I will testify against you:
I am God, your God.
8
“I do not reprove you for your sacrifices;
Your burnt offerings are continually before Me.
9
“I will accept no young bull from your house
Nor male goat from your folds.
10
“For every beast of the forest is Mine,
And the cattle on a thousand hills.
11
“I know every bird of the mountains,
And everything that moves in the field is [b]Mine.
12
“If I were hungry, I would not tell you,
For the world and all it contains are Mine.(A)
13
“Shall I eat the flesh of bulls
Or drink the blood of male goats?
14
“Offer to God the sacrifice of thanksgiving
And pay your vows to the Most High;
15
Call on Me in the day of trouble;
I will rescue you, and you shall honor and glorify Me.”
16
But to the wicked God says:
“What right have you to recite My statutes
Or to take My covenant on your lips?
17
“For you hate instruction and discipline
And cast My words behind you [discarding them].
18
“When you see a thief, you are pleased with him and condone his behavior,
And you associate with adulterers.
19
“You give your mouth to evil
And your tongue frames deceit.
20
“You sit and speak against your brother;
You slander your own mother’s son.
21
“These things you have done and I kept silent;
You thought that I was just like you.
Now I will reprimand and denounce you and state the case in order before your eyes.
22
“Now consider this, you who forget God,
Or I will tear you in pieces, and there will be no one to rescue [you].
23
“He who offers a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving honors Me;
And to him who orders his way rightly [who follows the way that I show him],
I shall show the salvation of God.”
29
The way of the Lord is a stronghold to the upright,
But it is ruin to those who do evil.
30
The [consistently] righteous will never be shaken,
But the wicked will not inhabit the earth.(A)
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