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Each day includes a passage from both the Old Testament and New Testament.
Duration: 365 days
Expanded Bible (EXB)
Version
Exodus 39-40

Clothes for the Priests

39 They used blue, purple, and ·red [scarlet] thread to make woven clothes for the priests to wear when they ·served [ministered] in the Holy Place. They made the holy clothes for Aaron as the Lord had commanded Moses.

They made the ·holy vest [ephod] of gold, and blue, purple, and ·red [scarlet] thread, and fine linen [28:6–14]. They hammered the gold into sheets and then cut it into long, thin strips. They worked the gold into the blue, purple, and ·red [scarlet] thread, and fine linen. This was done ·by skilled craftsmen [or with a skilled design]. They made the shoulder straps for the ·holy vest [ephod], which were attached to the top corners of it and tied together over each shoulder. The skillfully ·woven belt [embroidered waistband] was made in the same way; it was joined to ·the holy vest [L it] as one piece. It was made of gold, and blue, purple, and ·red [scarlet] thread, and fine linen, the way the Lord commanded Moses.

They put gold [L filigree] around the onyx stones and then ·wrote [engraved] the names of the sons of Israel on these gems, ·as a person carves words and designs on a seal [like the engravings on a seal/signet]. Then they attached the gems on the shoulder straps of the ·holy vest [ephod], as reminders of the twelve sons of Israel. This was done just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

·The skilled craftsmen [L They] made the ·chest covering [breastpiece] like the ·holy vest [ephod]; it was made of gold, and blue, purple, and ·red [scarlet] thread, and fine linen. ·The chest covering [L It] was square—·nine inches [a span] long and ·nine inches [a span] wide—and it was ·folded double to make a pocket [L doubled]. 10 Then they put four rows of ·beautiful jewels [L stones] on it: In the first row there was a ·ruby [or carnelian], a ·topaz [or chrysolite], and a ·yellow quartz [or emerald]; 11 in the second there was a turquoise, a ·sapphire [or lapis], and an ·emerald [or moonstone]; 12 in the third there was a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst; 13 in the fourth there was a ·chrysolite [or beryl], an onyx, and a jasper [C identification is uncertain]. Gold [L filigree] was put around these ·jewels [stones] to attach them to the ·chest covering [breastpiece], 14 and the names of the sons of Israel were ·carved [engraved] on these twelve ·jewels [stones] as a person ·carves [engraves] a ·seal [signet]. Each ·jewel [stone] had the name of one of the twelve tribes of Israel.

15 They made chains of pure gold, twisted together like a rope, for the ·chest covering [breastpiece]. 16 They made two gold pieces and two gold rings. They put the two gold rings on the two upper corners of the ·chest covering [breastpiece]. 17 Then they put two gold chains in the two rings at the ends of the ·chest covering [breastpiece], 18 and they fastened the other two ends of the chains to the two ·gold pieces [or settings]. They attached these gold pieces to the two shoulder straps in the front of the ·holy vest [ephod]. 19 They made two gold rings and put them at the lower corners of the ·chest covering [breastpiece] on the inside edge next to the ·holy vest [ephod]. 20 They made two more gold rings on the bottom of the shoulder straps in front of the ·holy vest [ephod], near the seam, just above the ·woven belt [embroidered waistband] of the ·holy vest [ephod]. 21 They used a blue ·ribbon [cord] and tied the rings of the ·chest covering [breastpiece] to the rings of the ·holy vest [ephod], connecting it to the ·woven belt [L embroidered waistband]. In this way the ·chest covering [breastpiece] would not ·swing out [get loose] from the ·holy vest [ephod]. They did all these things the way the Lord commanded.

22 Then they made the outer robe ·to be worn under the holy vest [L of the ephod]. It was woven only of blue cloth. 23 They made a ·hole [opening] in the center of the outer robe, with a woven collar ·sewn around it [L like a coat of mail; C the Hebrew is obscure] so it would not tear. 24 Then they made balls like pomegranates of blue, purple, and ·red [scarlet] thread, and fine linen and hung them around the bottom of the outer robe. 25 They also made bells of pure gold and hung these around the bottom of the outer robe between the balls. 26 So around the bottom of the outer robe there was a bell and a pomegranate ball, a bell and a pomegranate ball. The priest wore this outer robe when he ·served as priest [ministered], just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

27 They ·wove [L made] inner robes of fine linen for Aaron and his sons, 28 and they made turbans, ·headbands [headdresses], and underclothes of fine linen. 29 Then they made the ·cloth belt [sash] of fine linen, and blue, purple, and ·red [scarlet] thread·, and designs were sewn onto it [embroidered with needlework], just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

30 They made a ·strip [rosette; medallion; plate; L flower] of pure gold, which is the holy ·crown [diadem], and ·carved [engraved] these words in the gold, as one might ·carve [engrave] on a ·seal [signet]: “Holy to the Lord.” 31 Then they tied ·this flat piece [a blue cord to it to fasten it] to the turban with a blue ribbon, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

32 So all the work on the [L Tabernacle of the] Meeting Tent was finished. The ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] did everything just as the Lord had commanded Moses. 33 Then they brought the ·Holy Tent [L Tabernacle] to Moses: the Tent and all its furniture, hooks, frames, crossbars, ·posts [pillars], and bases; 34 the covering made of male ·sheepskins [ramskins] colored red, the covering made of ·fine leather [sea cow/porpoise hide], and the curtain ·that covered the entrance to the Most Holy Place [L for the screen]; 35 the Ark of the ·Agreement [Covenant; Treaty; L Testimony; 25:10], its poles and ·lid [the mercy seat/atonement cover; 25:17–22]; 36 the table [25:23–40], all its ·containers [utensils; tools], and the bread ·that showed they were in God’s presence [L of presence]; 37 the pure ·gold lampstand [L Menorah; 25:31–40] with its lamps in a row, all its ·tools [utensils], and the olive oil for the light; 38 the gold altar [C the incense altar; 30:1–6], the special olive oil used for ·appointing priests [anointing], the sweet-smelling incense, and the ·curtain that covered [screen at] the entrance to the Tent; 39 the bronze altar [27:1–8] and its ·screen [L bronze grating], its poles and all its ·tools [utensils], the bowl and its stand [30:17–21]; 40 the curtains for the courtyard with their ·posts [pillars] and bases, the ·curtain that covered the entry to [L screen for the gate of] the courtyard, the cords, pegs, and all the ·things [L utensils for service] in the Meeting Tent. 41 They brought the clothes for the priests to wear when they ·served [ministered] in the Holy ·Tent [Place]—the ·holy [sacred] clothes for Aaron the priest and the clothes for his sons, which they wore when they served as priests.

42 The ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] had done all this work just as the Lord had commanded Moses. 43 Moses looked closely at all the work and saw they had done it just as the Lord had commanded. So Moses blessed them.

Setting Up the Holy Tent

40 Then the Lord said to Moses: “On the first day of the first month, set up the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle], which is the Meeting Tent. Put the Ark of the ·Agreement [Covenant; Treaty; L Testimony; 25:10] in it and ·hang the curtain in front of the Ark [L screen the Ark with a curtain]. Bring in the table [25:23–30] and arrange ·everything on the table that should be there [L its setting]. Then bring in the ·lampstand [L Menorah; 25:31–40] and set up its lamps. Put the gold altar for ·burning incense [L offering smoke; 30:1–6] in front of the Ark of the ·Agreement [Covenant; Treaty; L Testimony], and put the ·curtain [screen] at the entrance to the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle].

“Put the altar of burnt offerings [27:1–8] in front of the entrance of the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle], the Meeting Tent. Put the bowl [30:17–21] between the Meeting Tent and the altar, and put water in it. Set up the courtyard ·around the Holy Tent [L all around], and put the ·curtain [screen] at the ·entry [L gate] to the courtyard.

“Use the ·special [anointing] olive oil and ·pour it on [L anoint] the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle] and everything in it, in order to ·give the Tent and all that is in it for service to the Lord [sanctify/consecrate it and all its utensils/tools]. They will be holy. 10 ·Pour the special oil on [L Anoint] the altar for burnt offerings and on all its ·tools [utensils]. ·Give the altar for service to God [Consecrate/Sanctify the altar], and it will be ·very holy [T a holy of holies]. 11 Then ·pour the special olive oil on [L anoint] the bowl and the base under it so that they will be ·given for service to God [consecrated; sanctified].

12 “Bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the Meeting Tent, and wash them with water. 13 Then put the ·holy [sacred] clothes on Aaron. ·Pour the special oil on [L Anoint] him [Ps. 133], and ·give him for service to God [L consecrate/sanctify him] so that he may serve me as a priest. 14 Bring his sons and put the inner robes [28:39–41] on them. 15 ·Pour the special oil on [L Anoint] them in the same way that you ·appointed [L anointed] their father as priest so that they may also serve me as priests. ·Pouring oil on [L Anointing] them will make them a family of priests, they and their descendants ·from now on [L throughout their generations].” 16 Moses did everything that the Lord commanded him.

17 So the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle] was set up on the first day of the first month during the second ·year after they left Egypt [L year]. 18 When Moses set up the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle], he put the bases in place, and he put the frames on the bases. Next he put ·the crossbars through the rings of the frames [L in the poles] and set up the ·posts [pillars]. 19 After that, Moses spread ·the cloth over the Holy Tent [L the tent over the Tabernacle] and put the covering over it, just as the Lord commanded.

20 Moses put the ·stone tablets that had the Agreement written on them [Covenant; Testimony; Treaty] into the Ark. He put the poles ·through the rings of [L on] the Ark and put the ·lid [mercy seat; atonement cover] on it. 21 Next he brought the Ark into the ·Tent [Tabernacle] and hung the curtain to ·cover [screen] the Ark [L of the Testimony], just as the Lord commanded him.

22 Moses put the table in the Meeting Tent on the north side of the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle] in front of the curtain. 23 Then he ·put [arranged] the bread ·on the table [L in rows] before the Lord, just as the Lord commanded him. 24 Moses put the lampstand [L Menorah] in the Meeting Tent on the south side of the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle] across from the table. 25 Then he put the lamps on the lampstand before the Lord, just as the Lord commanded him.

26 Moses put the gold altar for burning incense in the Meeting Tent in front of the curtain. 27 Then he ·burned [L turned into smoke] sweet-smelling incense on it, just as the Lord commanded him. 28 Then he hung the ·curtain [screen] at the entrance to the ·Holy Tent [L Tabernacle].

29 He put the altar for burnt offerings [Lev. 1] at the entrance to the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle], the Meeting Tent, and offered a whole burnt offering and ·grain [L gift; tribute; Lev. 3] offerings on it, just as the Lord commanded him. 30 Moses put the bowl [30:17–21] between the Meeting Tent and the altar for burnt offerings, and he put water in it for washing. 31 Moses, Aaron, and Aaron’s sons used this water to wash their hands and feet [C cleansing rituals]. 32 They washed themselves every time they entered the Meeting Tent and every time they went near the altar for burnt offerings, just as the Lord commanded Moses.

33 Then Moses set up the courtyard around the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle] and the altar, and he put up the ·curtain [screen] at the entry to the courtyard. So Moses finished the work.

The Cloud over the Holy Tent

34 Then the cloud covered the Meeting Tent [C representing God’s presence], and the glory of the Lord filled the Holy Tent [C representing his manifest presence]. 35 Moses could not enter the Meeting Tent, because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle].

36 When the cloud rose from the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle], the Israelites would begin to travel, 37 but as long as the cloud ·stayed on the Holy Tent [L did not rise], they did not travel. They stayed in that place until the cloud rose. 38 So the cloud of the Lord was over the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle] during the day, and there was a fire in the cloud at night. So all the ·Israelites [L house of Israel] could see the cloud while they traveled.

Matthew 23:23-39

23 “·How terrible for [L Woe to] you, ·teachers of the law [scribes] and Pharisees! You are hypocrites! You ·give to God one-tenth of [pay tithe on] everything you have—even your mint, dill, and cumin. But you ·don’t obey [ignore; neglect] the ·really important teachings [L weightier matters] of the law—justice, mercy, and ·being loyal [faith; faithfulness]. These are the things you should do, ·as well as [without neglecting] those other things. 24 ·You guide the people, but you are blind! [L Blind guides!] You ·are like a person who picks a fly out of a drink and then swallows a camel [L strain out a gnat, but swallow a camel; C worrying about the smallest mistakes while committing the biggest sins]!

25 “·How terrible for [L Woe to] you, ·teachers of the law [scribes] and Pharisees! You are hypocrites! You ·wash [clean] the outside of your cups and dishes [C for ceremonial purity], but inside they are full of ·things you got by cheating others and by pleasing only yourselves [L greed/robbery and self-indulgence]. 26 Pharisees, you are blind! First make the inside of the cup[a] clean, and then the outside ·can be truly [or will also be] clean.

27 “·How terrible for [L Woe to] you, ·teachers of the law [scribes] and Pharisees! You are hypocrites! You are like ·tombs that are painted white [whitewashed tombs]. Outside, those tombs ·look fine [appear beautiful], but inside, they are full of the bones of dead people and all kinds of ·unclean things [filth; corruption; impurity]. 28 It is the same with you. ·People look at you and think you are good [or On the outside you look like righteous people], but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and ·evil [lawlessness].

29 “·How terrible for [L Woe to] you, ·teachers of the law [scribes] and Pharisees! You are hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets, and you ·show honor to [decorate; adorn] the graves of ·those who lived good lives [L the righteous]. 30 You say, ‘If we had lived during the time of our ancestors, we would not have ·helped them kill [L been partners in the blood of] the prophets.’ 31 But you ·give proof [L testify against yourselves] that you are ·descendants [sons; children] of those who murdered the prophets. 32 ·And you will complete the sin that your ancestors started [or Go ahead and finish what your fathers started!; L Fill up the measure of your fathers].

33 “You ·are snakes [serpents]! A ·family of poisonous snakes [T brood/offspring of vipers]! How are you going to escape ·God’s judgment [the sentence/judgment/damnation of hell/Gehenna; 5:22]? 34 ·So I tell you this [For this reason]: I am sending to you prophets and wise men and ·teachers [scribes; experts in the law]. Some of them you will kill and crucify. Some of them you will ·beat [scourge; flog] in your synagogues and ·chase [hunt; persecute] from town to town. 35 So ·you will be guilty for [L upon you will come] ·the death of all the good people who have been killed on earth [L all the righteous blood shed on the earth]—from the ·murder [L blood] of that ·good [righteous] man Abel to the murder of Zechariah son of Berakiah, whom you murdered between the ·Temple [sanctuary] and the altar [C in the book order of the Hebrew Old Testament, Abel (Gen. 4:8) and Zechariah (2 Chr. 24:21) were the first and last men to be murdered]. 36 I tell you the truth, all of these things will happen to ·you people who are living now [L this generation].

Jesus Grieves for Jerusalem(A)

37 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem! You kill the prophets and stone to death those who are sent to you. ·Many times [How often] I wanted to gather your ·people [L children] as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you ·did not let me [refused]. 38 ·Now [L Look; T Behold] your house ·will be [L is] left ·completely empty [abandoned; deserted; desolate; Jer. 22:5]. 39 [L For] I tell you, you will not see me again until that time when you will say, ‘·God bless [L Blessed is] the One who comes in the name of the Lord [Ps. 118:26].’”

Expanded Bible (EXB)

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