Old/New Testament
Chapter 22
1 Thus David said, “This is the house of the Lord God, and this is the altar for burnt offerings for Israel.”(A) 2 [a]David then ordered that the resident aliens in the land of Israel should be brought together, and he appointed them stonecutters to hew out stone blocks for building the house of God.(B) 3 David also laid up large stores of iron to make nails for the doors of the gates, and clamps, together with so much bronze that it could not be weighed,(C) 4 and cedar trees without number. The Sidonians and Tyrians brought great stores of cedar logs to David.(D) 5 David said: “My son Solomon is young and inexperienced; but the house that is to be built for the Lord must be made so magnificent that it will be renowned and glorious in all lands. Therefore I will make preparations for it.” Thus before his death David laid up materials in abundance.(E)
Charge to Solomon. 6 Then he summoned his son Solomon and commanded him to build a house for the Lord, the God of Israel. 7 (F)David said to Solomon: “My son, it was my purpose to build a house myself for the name of the Lord, my God. 8 But this word of the Lord came to me: You have shed much blood, and you have waged great wars. You may not build a house for my name, because you have shed too much blood upon the earth in my sight. 9 However, a son will be born to you. He will be a peaceful man, and I will give him rest from all his enemies on every side. For Solomon shall be his name, and in his time I will bestow peace[b] and tranquility on Israel.(G) 10 It is he who shall build a house for my name; he shall be a son to me, and I will be a father to him,(H) and I will establish the throne of his kingship over Israel forever.
11 “Now, my son, the Lord be with you, and may you succeed in building the house of the Lord your God, as he has said you shall. 12 But may the Lord give you prudence and discernment when he gives you command over Israel, so that you keep the law of the Lord, your God. 13 Only then shall you succeed, if you are careful to observe the statutes and ordinances which the Lord commanded Moses for Israel. Be strong and steadfast; do not fear or be dismayed.(I) 14 See, with great effort I have laid up for the house of the Lord a hundred thousand talents of gold,[c] a million talents of silver, and bronze and iron in such great quantities that they cannot be weighed. I have also laid up wood and stones, to which you must add.(J) 15 Moreover, you have available workers, stonecutters, masons, carpenters, and experts in every craft, 16 without number, skilled with gold, silver, bronze, and iron. Set to work, therefore, and the Lord be with you!”
Charge to the Officials. 17 David also commanded all of the officials of Israel to help his son Solomon: 18 “Is not the Lord your God with you? Has he not given you rest on every side? Indeed, he has delivered the inhabitants of the land into my power, and the land is subdued before the Lord and his people.(K) 19 Therefore, devote your hearts and souls to seeking the Lord your God. Proceed to build the sanctuary of the Lord God, that the ark of the covenant of the Lord and God’s sacred vessels may be brought into the house built for the name of the Lord.”(L)
Chapter 23
The Levitical Divisions. 1 When David had grown old and was near the end of his days, he made his son Solomon king over Israel.(M) 2 He then gathered together all the officials of Israel, along with the priests and the Levites.
3 The Levites thirty years old and above were counted, and their total number was found to be thirty-eight thousand.(N) 4 Of these, twenty-four thousand were to direct the service of the house of the Lord, six thousand were to be officials and judges, 5 four thousand were to be gatekeepers,(O) and four thousand were to praise the Lord with the instruments which [David] had devised for praise. 6 David apportioned them into divisions according to the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.(P)
7 To the Gershonites belonged Ladan and Shimei. 8 The sons of Ladan: Jehiel the chief, then Zetham and Joel; three in all.(Q) 9 The sons of Shimei were Shelomoth, Haziel, and Haran; three. These were the heads of the families of Ladan. 10 The sons of Shimei were Jahath, Zizah, Jeush, and Beriah; these were the sons of Shimei, four in all. 11 Jahath was the chief and Zizah was second to him; but Jeush and Beriah had few sons, and therefore they were classed as a single family, exercising a single office.
12 The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel; four in all.(R) 13 The sons of Amram were Aaron and Moses. Aaron was set apart to be consecrated as most holy, he and his sons forever, to offer sacrifice before the Lord, to minister to him, and to bless in his name forever.(S) 14 As for Moses, however, the man of God, his sons were counted as part of the tribe of Levi. 15 The sons of Moses were Gershom and Eliezer.(T) 16 The sons of Gershom: Shubael the chief.(U) 17 The sons of Eliezer were Rehabiah the chief—Eliezer had no other sons, but the sons of Rehabiah were very numerous. 18 The sons of Izhar: Shelomith the chief. 19 The sons of Hebron: Jeriah, the chief, Amariah, the second, Jahaziel, the third, and Jekameam, the fourth.(V) 20 The sons of Uzziel: Micah, the chief, and Isshiah, the second.(W)
21 The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. The sons of Mahli: Eleazar and Kish.(X) 22 Eleazar died leaving no sons, only daughters; the sons of Kish, their kinsmen, married them.(Y) 23 The sons of Mushi: Mahli, Eder, and Jeremoth; three in all.(Z)
24 These were the sons of Levi according to their ancestral houses, the family heads as they were enrolled one by one according to their names. They performed the work of the service of the house of the Lord beginning at twenty years of age.(AA)
25 David said: “The Lord, the God of Israel, has given rest to his people, and has taken up his dwelling in Jerusalem forever.(AB) 26 Henceforth the Levites need not carry the tabernacle or any of the equipment for its service.”(AC) 27 For by David’s last words the Levites were enlisted from the time they were twenty years old. 28 Their duty is to assist the sons of Aaron in the service of the house of the Lord, having charge of the courts, the chambers, and the preservation of everything holy: they take part in the service of the house of God. 29 They also have charge of the showbread, of the fine flour for the grain offering, of the wafers of unleavened bread, and of the baking and mixing, and of all measures of quantity and size.(AD) 30 They are to be present every morning to offer thanks and to praise the Lord, and likewise in the evening;(AE) 31 and at every sacrifice of burnt offerings to the Lord on sabbaths, new moons, and feast days, in such numbers as are prescribed, they must always be present before the Lord(AF) 32 and observe what is prescribed for them concerning the tent of meeting, the sanctuary, and the sons of Aaron, their kinsmen, in the service of the house of the Lord.(AG)
Chapter 24
The Priestly Divisions. 1 There were also divisions for the sons of Aaron. The sons of Aaron were Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.(AH) 2 Nadab and Abihu died before their father, leaving no sons; therefore only Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests.(AI) 3 David, with Zadok, a descendant of Eleazar, and Ahimelech, a descendant of Ithamar, apportioned them their offices in the priestly service.(AJ) 4 But since the sons of Eleazar were found to be more numerous by male heads than those of Ithamar, the former were divided into sixteen groups, and the latter into eight groups, each under its family heads. 5 Their functions were assigned impartially by lot, for there were officers of the holy place, and officers of God, descended both from Eleazar and from Ithamar. 6 The scribe Shemaiah, son of Nethanel, a Levite, recorded them in the presence of the king, and of the officials, of Zadok the priest, and of Ahimelech, son of Abiathar,[d] and of the heads of the ancestral houses of the priests and of the Levites, listing two successive family groups from Eleazar before each one from Ithamar.(AK)
7 (AL)The first lot fell to Jehoiarib, the second to Jedaiah, 8 the third to Harim, the fourth to Seorim, 9 the fifth to Malchijah, the sixth to Mijamin, 10 the seventh to Hakkoz, the eighth to Abijah,(AM) 11 the ninth to Jeshua, the tenth to Shecaniah, 12 the eleventh to Eliashib, the twelfth to Jakim, 13 the thirteenth to Huppah, the fourteenth to Ishbaal, 14 the fifteenth to Bilgah, the sixteenth to Immer, 15 the seventeenth to Hezir, the eighteenth to Happizzez, 16 the nineteenth to Pethahiah, the twentieth to Jehezkel, 17 the twenty-first to Jachin, the twenty-second to Gamul, 18 the twenty-third to Delaiah, the twenty-fourth to Maaziah. 19 This was the appointed order of their service when they functioned in the house of the Lord according to the precepts given them by Aaron, their father, as the Lord, the God of Israel, had commanded him.(AN)
Other Levites. 20 (AO)Of the remaining Levites, there were Shubael, of the sons of Amram, and Jehdeiah, of the sons of Shubael; 21 Isshiah, the chief, of the sons of Rehabiah; 22 Shelomith of the Izharites, and Jahath of the sons of Shelomith. 23 The sons of Hebron were Jeriah, the chief, Amariah, the second, Jahaziel, the third, Jekameam, the fourth. 24 The sons of Uzziel were Micah; Shamir, of the sons of Micah; 25 Isshiah, the brother of Micah; and Zechariah, a descendant of Isshiah. 26 The sons of Merari were Mahli, Mushi, and the sons of his son Uzziah. 27 The sons of Merari through his son Uzziah: Shoham, Zaccur, and Ibri. 28 The sons of Mahli were Eleazar, who had no sons, 29 and Jerahmeel, of the sons of Kish. 30 The sons of Mushi were Mahli, Eder, and Jerimoth.
These were the sons of the Levites according to their ancestral houses. 31 They too, in the same manner as their kinsmen, the sons of Aaron, cast lots in the presence of King David, Zadok, Ahimelech, and the heads of the priestly and levitical families; the more important family did so in the same way as the less important one.(AP)
28 So Jesus said [to them], “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will realize that I AM, and that I do nothing on my own, but I say only what the Father taught me.(A) 29 The one who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, because I always do what is pleasing to him.” 30 Because he spoke this way, many came to believe in him.
Jesus and Abraham.[a] 31 Jesus then said to those Jews who believed in him,[b] “If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”(B) 33 They answered him, “We are descendants of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone.[c] How can you say, ‘You will become free’?”(C) 34 Jesus answered them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin.(D) 35 A slave does not remain in a household forever, but a son[d] always remains.(E) 36 So if a son frees you, then you will truly be free. 37 I know that you are descendants of Abraham. But you are trying to kill me, because my word has no room among you. 38 [e]I tell you what I have seen in the Father’s presence; then do what you have heard from the Father.”
39 [f]They answered and said to him, “Our father is Abraham.” Jesus said to them,(F) “If you were Abraham’s children, you would be doing the works of Abraham. 40 But now you are trying to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God; Abraham did not do this. 41 You are doing the works of your father!” [So] they said to him, “We are not illegitimate. We have one Father, God.”(G) 42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and am here; I did not come on my own, but he sent me.(H) 43 Why do you not understand what I am saying? Because you cannot bear to hear my word. 44 You belong to your father the devil and you willingly carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in truth, because there is no truth in him. When he tells a lie, he speaks in character, because he is a liar and the father of lies.(I) 45 But because I speak the truth, you do not believe me. 46 Can any of you charge me with sin? If I am telling the truth, why do you not believe me?(J) 47 Whoever belongs to God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not listen, because you do not belong to God.”(K)
48 The Jews answered and said to him, “Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan[g] and are possessed?” 49 Jesus answered, “I am not possessed; I honor my Father, but you dishonor me. 50 I do not seek my own glory; there is one who seeks it and he is the one who judges.(L) 51 Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever keeps my word will never see death.”(M) 52 [So] the Jews said to him, “Now we are sure that you are possessed. Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say, ‘Whoever keeps my word will never taste death.’ 53 Are you greater than our father Abraham,[h] who died? Or the prophets, who died? Who do you make yourself out to be?”(N) 54 Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is worth nothing; but it is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’ 55 You do not know him, but I know him. And if I should say that I do not know him, I would be like you a liar. But I do know him and I keep his word.(O) 56 Abraham your father rejoiced to see my day; he saw it[i] and was glad.(P) 57 So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old and you have seen Abraham?”[j] 58 [k]Jesus said to them,(Q) “Amen, amen, I say to you, before Abraham came to be, I AM.” 59 So they picked up stones to throw at him; but Jesus hid and went out of the temple area.(R)
Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.