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Preface
Now the Bereans were more noble-minded than the Thessalonians,
for they received the message with great eagerness
and examined the Scriptures every day
to see if these teachings were true. – Acts 17:11
The Berean Study Bible (BSB) is a completely new translation of the Holy Bible, effective for public reading, study, memorization, and evangelism. Based on the best available manuscripts and sources, each word is connected back to the Greek or Hebrew text to produce a transparent text that can be studied for its root meanings.
The Berean Bible Translation Committee has employed an open process where translation tables are freely available and all comments are welcomed and considered. These sources may also be downloaded and shared freely. Please see the Berean Bible website for a full description of the translation committee and process.
We pray that this text will enable readers to connect with God’s Word to study it, memorize it, share it, and proclaim it. We are inspired by the model of the early Christian church:
After this letter has been read among you,
make sure that it is also read in the church of the Laodiceans,
and that you in turn read the letter from Laodicea. – Colossians 4:16
The Scriptures belonged to the churches and were meant to be examined, copied, and distributed. The committee hopes to follow this example by sharing all the resources with which we have been entrusted.
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Genesis
Genesis 1
The Creation
(John 1:1–5; Hebrews 11:1–3)
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
2 Now the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.
The First Day
3 And God said, “Let there be light,” a and there was light. 4 And God saw that the light was good, and He separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light “day,” and the darkness He called “night.”
And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day. b
The Second Day
6 And God said, “Let there be an expanse c between the waters, to separate the waters from the waters.” 7 So God made the expanse and separated the waters beneath it from the waters above. And it was so. 8 God called the expanse “sky.”
And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day.
The Third Day
9 And God said, “Let the waters under the sky be gathered into one place, so that the dry land may appear.” And it was so. 10 God called the dry land “earth,” and the gathering of waters He called “seas.” And God saw that it was good.
11 Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth vegetation: seed-bearing plants and fruit trees, each bearing fruit with seed according to its kind.” And it was so. 12 The earth produced vegetation: seed-bearing plants according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.
13 And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day.
The Fourth Day
14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to distinguish between the day and the night, and let them be signs to mark the seasons and days and years. 15 And let them serve as lights in the expanse of the sky to shine upon the earth.” And it was so.
16 God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night. And He made the stars as well.
17 God set these lights in the expanse of the sky to shine upon the earth, 18 to preside over the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.
19 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day.
The Fifth Day
20 And God said, “Let the waters teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the sky.” 21 So God created the great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters teemed according to their kinds, and every bird of flight after its kind. And God saw that it was good.
22 Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters of the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.”
23 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day.
The Sixth Day
24 And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, land crawlers, and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so. 25 God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that crawls upon the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness, to rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, and over all the earth itself d and every creature that crawls upon it.”
27 So God created man in His own image;
in the image of God He created him;
male and female He created them. e
28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and every creature that crawls upon the earth.”
29 Then God said, “Behold, I have given you every seed-bearing plant on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit contains seed. They will be yours for food. 30 And to every beast of the earth and every bird of the air and every creature that crawls upon the earth—everything that has the breath of life in it—I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so.
31 And God looked upon all that He had made, and indeed, it was very good.
And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.
Footnotes:
3 a Cited in 2 Corinthians 4:6
5 b Literally day one
6 c Or a canopy or a firmament or a vault ; also in verses 7, 8, 14, 15, 17, and 20
26 d MT; Syriac and over all the beasts of the earth
27 e Cited in Matthew 19:4 and Mark 10:6
Genesis 2
The Seventh Day
(Exodus 16:22–30; Hebrews 4:1–11)
1 Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. 2 And by the seventh day God had finished the work He had been doing; so on that day He rested from all His work. a
3 Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because on that day He rested from all the work of creation that He had accomplished.
Man and Woman in the Garden
4 This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD b God made them.
5 Now no shrub of the field had yet appeared on the earth, nor had any plant of the field sprouted; for the LORD God had not yet sent rain upon the earth, and there was no man to cultivate the ground. 6 But springs c welled up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground.
7 Then the LORD God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, and the man became a living being. d
8 And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, where He placed the man He had formed. 9 Out of the ground the LORD God gave growth to every tree that is pleasing to the eye and good for food. And in the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
10 Now a river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it branched into four headwaters:
11 The name of the first river is Pishon;it winds through the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 And the gold of that land is pure, and bdellium and onyx are found there.
13 The name of the second river is Gihon;it winds through the whole land of Cush.
14 The name of the third river is Hiddekel; it runs along the east side of Assyria.
And the fourth river is the Euphrates.
15 Then the LORD God took the man and placed him in the Garden of Eden to cultivate and keep it.
16 And the LORD God commanded him, “You may eat freely from every tree of the garden, 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; for in the day that you eat of it, you will surely die.”
18 The LORD God also said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make for him a suitable helper.”
19 And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and He brought them to the man to see what he would name each one. And whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. 20 The man gave names to all the livestock, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam e no suitable helper was found.
21 So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep, and while he slept, He took one of the man’s ribs f and closed up the area with flesh. 22 And from the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man, He made a woman and brought her to him. 23 And the man said:
“This is now bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called ‘woman,’
for out of man she was taken.”
24 For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh. g
25 And the man and his wife were both naked, and they were not ashamed.
Footnotes:
2 a Cited in Hebrews 4:4
4 b LORD or GOD , with capital letters, represents the proper name of the God of Israel and the one true God, transliterated from the Hebrew as YHWH ; here and throughout the Scriptures.
6 c Or mist
7 d Or a living soul ; cited in 1 Corinthians 15:45
20 e Or the man , as in verses 19 and 21
21 f Or took part of the man’s side ; similarly in verse 22
24 g LXX and the two will become one flesh ; cited in Matthew 19:5, Mark 10:7–8, 1 Corinthians 6:16, and Ephesians 5:31
Genesis 3
The Serpent’s Deception
(Romans 5:12–21)
1 Now the serpent a was more crafty than any beast of the field that the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden?’ ”
2 The woman answered the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden, 3 but about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You must not eat of it or touch it, or you will die.’ ”
4 “You will not surely die,” the serpent told her. 5 “For God knows that in the day you eat of it, your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
6 When the woman saw that the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eyes, and that it was desirable for obtaining wisdom, she took the fruit and ate it. She also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate it.
7 And the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; so they sewed together fig leaves and made coverings for themselves.
God Arraigns Adam and Eve
8 Then the man and his wife heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the breeze b of the day, and they hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.
9 But the LORD God called out to the man, “Where are you?”
10 “I heard Your voice in the garden,” he replied, “and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.”
11 “Who told you that you were naked?” asked the LORD God. “Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?”
12 And the man answered, “The woman whom You gave me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”
13 Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?”
“The serpent deceived me,” she replied, “and I ate.”
The Fate of the Serpent
14 So the LORD God said to the serpent:
“Because you have done this,
cursed are you above all livestock
and every beast of the field!
On your belly will you go,
and dust you will eat,
all the days of your life.
15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your seed and her seed.
He will crush your head,
and you will strike his heel. c”
The Punishment of Mankind
16 To the woman He said:
“I will sharply increase your pain in childbirth;
in pain you will bring forth children.
Your desire will be for your husband, d
and he will rule over you.”
17 And to Adam He said:
“Because you have listened to the voice of your wife
and have eaten from the tree
of which I commanded you not to eat,
cursed is the ground because of you;
through toil you will eat of it
all the days of your life.
18 Both thorns and thistles it will yield for you,
and you will eat the plants of the field.
19 By the sweat of your brow
you will eat your bread,
until you return to the ground—
because out of it were you taken.
For dust you are,
and to dust you shall return.”
20 And Adam named his wife Eve, e because she would be the mother of all the living.
The Expulsion from Paradise
21 And the LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and He clothed them.
22 Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil. And now, lest he reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever...”
23 Therefore the LORD God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. 24 So He drove out the man and stationed cherubim on the east side of the Garden of Eden, along with a whirling sword of flame to guard the way to the tree of life.
Footnotes:
1 a Hebrew nachash , translated in this chapter as serpent , is translated in most cases as snake .
8 b Or at the breezy (time) ; Hebrew unto the Ruach
15 c Or He will bruise your head, and you will bruise his heel . The same Hebrew root for crush , bruise , or strike appears twice in this verse.
16 d Or You will desire to control your husband
20 e Eve sounds like the Hebrew for giving life or living .
Genesis 4
Cain and Abel
(Hebrews 11:4)
1 And Adam had relations with his wife Eve, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain. a
“With the help of the LORD I have brought forth a man,” she said.
2 Later she gave birth to Cain’s brother Abel.
Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, while Cain was a tiller of the soil. 3 So in the course of time, Cain brought some of the fruit of the soil as an offering to the LORD, 4 while Abel brought the best portions of the firstborn of his flock.
And the LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering, 5 but He had no regard for Cain and his offering. So Cain became very angry, and his countenance fell.
6 “Why are you angry,” said the LORD to Cain, “and why has your countenance fallen? 7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you refuse to do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires you, b but you must master it.”
8 Then Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let us go out to the field.” c And while they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him.
9 And the LORD said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?”
“I do not know!” he answered. “Am I my brother’s keeper?”
10 “What have you done?” replied the LORD. “The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground. 11 Now you are cursed and banished from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. 12 When you till the ground, it will no longer yield its produce to you. You will be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.”
13 But Cain said to the LORD, “My punishment d is greater than I can bear. 14 Behold, this day You have driven me from the face of the earth, and from Your face I will be hidden; I will be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.”
15 “Not so!” e replied the LORD. “If anyone slays Cain, then Cain will be avenged sevenfold.” And the LORD placed a mark on Cain, so that no one who found him would kill him.
16 So Cain went out from the presence of the LORD and settled in the land of Nod, f east of Eden.
The Descendants of Cain
17 And Cain had relations with his wife, and she conceived and gave birth to Enoch. Then Cain built a city and named it after his son Enoch.
18 Now to Enoch was born Irad, and Irad was the father of Mehujael, and Mehujael was the father of Methusael, and Methusael was the father of Lamech. 19 And Lamech married two women, one named Adah and the other Zillah.
20 Adah gave birth to Jabal; he was the father of those who dwell in tents and raise livestock. 21 And his brother’s name was Jubal; he was the father of all who play the harp and flute.
22 And Zillah gave birth to Tubal-cain, a forger of every implement of bronze and iron. And the sister of Tubal-cain was Naamah.
23 Then Lamech said to his wives:
“Adah and Zillah, hear my voice;
wives of Lamech, listen to my speech.
For I have slain a man for wounding me,
24 If Cain is avenged sevenfold,
then Lamech seventy-sevenfold.” g
Seth and Enosh
25 And Adam again had relations with his wife, and she gave birth to a son and named him Seth, h saying, “God has granted me another seed in place of Abel, since Cain killed him.”
26 And to Seth also a son was born, and he called him Enosh.
At that time men began to call upon i the name of the LORD.
Footnotes:
1 a Cain sounds like the Hebrew for acquired or brought forth .
7 b Or it desires to control you
8 c SP, LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate; Hebrew Then Cain spoke to his brother Abel.
13 d Or guilt or sin
15 e LXX, Vulgate, and Syriac; Hebrew “Very well!” or “Therefore:”
16 f Nod means wandering .
24 g Hebrew; LXX can be translated as either seventy times seven or seventy-sevenfold ; see also Matthew 18:22.
25 h Seth probably means granted or appointed .
26 i Or to proclaim ; some translators to invoke or to call themselves by or to profane
Genesis 5
The Descendants of Adam
(1 Chronicles 1:1–3)
1 This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, He made him in His own likeness. 2 Male and female He created them, a and He blessed them. And in the day they were created, He called them “man.” b
3 When Adam was 130 years old, he had a son in his own likeness, after his own image;and he named him Seth. 4 And after he had become the father of Seth, Adam lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters. 5 So Adam lived a total of 930 years, and then he died.
6 When Seth was 105 years old, he became the father of Enosh. 7 And after he had become the father of Enosh, Seth lived 807 years and had other sons and daughters. 8 So Seth lived a total of 912 years, and then he died.
9 When Enosh was 90 years old, he became the father of Kenan. 10 And after he had become the father of Kenan, Enosh lived 815 years and had other sons and daughters. 11 So Enosh lived a total of 905 years, and then he died.
12 When Kenan was 70 years old, he became the father of Mahalalel. 13 And after he had become the father of Mahalalel, Kenan lived 840 years and had other sons and daughters. 14 So Kenan lived a total of 910 years, and then he died.
15 When Mahalalel was 65 years old, he became the father of Jared. 16 And after he had become the father of Jared, Mahalalel lived 830 years and had other sons and daughters. 17 So Mahalalel lived a total of 895 years, and then he died.
God Takes Up Enoch
(Hebrews 11:5)
18 When Jared was 162 years old, he became the father of Enoch. 19 And after he had become the father of Enoch, Jared lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters. 20 So Jared lived a total of 962 years, and then he died.
21 When Enoch was 65 years old, he became the father of Methuselah. 22 And after he had become the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God c 300 years and had other sons and daughters. 23 So Enoch lived a total of 365 years.
24 Enoch walked with God, and then he was no more, because God had taken him away. d
From Methuselah to Noah
25 When Methuselah was 187 years old, he became the father of Lamech. 26 And after he had become the father of Lamech, Methuselah lived 782 years and had other sons and daughters. 27 So Methuselah lived a total of 969 years, and then he died.
28 When Lamech was 182 years old, he had a son. 29 And he named him Noah, e saying, “May this one comfort us in the labor and toil of our hands caused by the ground that the LORD has cursed.” 30 And after he had become the father of Noah, Lamech lived 595 years and had other sons and daughters. 31 So Lamech lived a total of 777 years, and then he died.
32 After Noah was 500 years old, he became the father of Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
Footnotes:
2 a Cited in Matthew 19:4 and Mark 10:6
2 b Hebrew Adam
22 c LXX pleased God ; also in verse 24
24 d LXX and he was not found, because God had taken him away ; cited in Hebrews 11:5
29 e Noah sounds like the Hebrew for rest or comfort .
Genesis 6
Corruption on the Earth
(Matthew 24:36–51)
1 Now when men began to multiply on the face of the earth and daughters were born to them, 2 the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and they took as wives whomever they chose.
3 So the LORD said, “My Spirit will not contend with man forever, a for he is mortal; his days shall be 120 years.”
4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and afterward as well—when the sons of God had relations with the daughters of men. And they bore them children who became the mighty men of old, men of renown.
5 Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great upon the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was altogether evil all the time. 6 And the LORD regretted that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. 7 So the LORD said, “I will blot out man, whom I have created, from the face of the earth—every man and beast and crawling creature and bird of the air—for I am grieved that I have made them.”
Noah’s Favor with God
8 Noah, however, found favor in the eyes of the LORD.
9 This is the account of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation;Noah walked with God. 10 And Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
11 Now the earth was corrupt in the sight of God, and full of violence. 12 And God looked upon the earth and saw that it was corrupt; for all living creatures b on the earth had corrupted their ways.
Preparing the Ark
(Hebrews 11:7)
13 Then God said to Noah, “The end of all living creatures has come before Me, because through them the earth is full of violence. Now behold, I will destroy both them and the earth.
14 Make for yourself an ark of gopher wood; c make rooms in the ark and coat it with pitch inside and out. 15 And this is how you are to build it: The ark is to be 300 cubits long, 50 cubits wide, and 30 cubits high. d 16 You are to make a roof e for the ark, finish its walls a cubit from the top, f place a door in the side of the ark, and build lower, middle, and upper decks.
17 And behold, I will bring floodwaters upon the earth to destroy every creature under the heavens that has the breath of life. Everything on the earth will perish. 18 But I will establish My covenant with you, and you will enter the ark—you and your sons and your wife and your sons’ wives with you.
19 And you are to bring two of every living creature into the ark—male and female—to keep them alive with you. 20 Two of every kind of bird and animal and crawling creature will come to you to be kept alive. 21 You are also to take for yourself every kind of food that is eaten and gather it as food for yourselves and for the animals.”
22 So Noah did everything precisely as God had commanded him.
Footnotes:
3 a LXX and Syriac My Spirit will not remain in man forever
12 b Literally all flesh ; similarly in verses 13, 17, and 19
14 c Gopher is an unknown kind of tree; possibly cypress or cedar .
15 d The ark was approximately 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high (137.2 meters long, 22.9 meters wide, and 13.7 meters high).
16 e Or skylight or window
16 f A cubit is approximately 18 inches or 45.7 centimeters.
Genesis 7
The Great Flood
(2 Peter 3:1–7)
1 Then the LORD said to Noah, “Go into the ark, you and all your family, because I have found you righteous in this generation. 2 You are to take with you seven pairs of a every kind of clean animal, a male and its mate;a pair of every kind of unclean animal, a male and its mate; 3 and seven pairs of every kind of bird of the air, male and female, to preserve their offspring on the face of all the earth. 4 For seven days from now I will send rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights, and I will wipe from the face of the earth every living thing I have made.”
5 And Noah did all that the LORD had commanded him.
6 Now Noah was 600 years old when the floodwaters came upon the earth. 7 And Noah and his wife, with his sons and their wives, entered the ark to escape the waters of the flood. 8 The clean and unclean animals, the birds, and everything that crawls along the ground 9 came to Noah to enter the ark, two by two, male and female, as God had commanded Noah.
10 And after seven days the floodwaters came upon the earth. 11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, on the seventeenth day of the second month, all the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened. 12 And the rain fell upon the earth for forty days and forty nights.
13 On that very day Noah entered the ark, along with his sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and his wife, and the three wives of his sons— 14 they and every kind of wild animal, livestock, crawling creature, bird, and winged creature. 15 They came to Noah to enter the ark, two by two of every creature b with the breath of life. 16 And they entered, the male and female of every living thing, as God had commanded Noah. Then the LORD shut him in.
17 For forty days the flood kept coming on the earth, and the waters rose and lifted the ark high above the earth. 18 So the waters continued to surge and rise greatly on the earth, and the ark floated on the surface of the waters. 19 Finally, the waters completely inundated the earth, so that all the high mountains under all the heavens were covered.
20 The waters rose and covered the mountaintops to a depth of fifteen cubits. c 21 And every living thing that moved upon the earth perished—birds, livestock, animals, every creature that swarms upon the earth, and all mankind. 22 Of all that was on dry land, everything that had the breath of life in its nostrils died. 23 And every living thing on the face of the earth was destroyed—man and livestock, crawling creatures and birds of the air; they were blotted out from the earth, and only Noah and those with him in the ark remained.
24 And the waters prevailed upon the earth for 150 days.
Footnotes:
2 a Or by sevens ; also in verse 3
15 b Literally of all flesh ; similarly in verses 16 and 21
20 c 15 cubits is approximately 22.5 feet or 6.9 meters.
Genesis 8
The Ark Rests on Ararat
1 But God remembered Noah and all the animals and livestock that were with him in the ark. And God sent a wind over the earth, and the waters began to subside. 2 The springs of the deep and the floodgates of the heavens were closed, and the rain from the sky was restrained. 3 The waters receded steadily from the earth, and after 150 days the waters had gone down.
4 On the seventeenth day of the seventh month, the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat. 5 And the waters continued to recede until the tenth month, and on the first day of the tenth month the tops of the mountains became visible.
Noah Sends a Raven and a Dove
6 After forty days Noah opened the window he had made in the ark 7 and sent out a raven. It kept flying back and forth until the waters had dried up from the earth.
8 Then Noah sent out a a dove to see if the waters had receded from the surface of the ground. 9 But the dove found no place to rest her foot, and she returned to him in the ark, because the waters were still covering the surface of all the earth. So he reached out his hand and brought her back inside the ark.
10 Noah waited seven more days and again sent out the dove from the ark. 11 And behold, the dove returned to him in the evening with a freshly plucked olive leaf in her beak. So Noah knew that the waters had receded from the earth.
12 And Noah waited seven more days and sent out the dove again, but this time she did not return to him.
Exiting the Ark
13 In Noah’s six hundred and first year, on the first day of the first month, the waters had dried up from the earth. So Noah removed the covering from the ark and saw that the surface of the ground was dry. 14 By the twenty-seventh day of the second month, the earth was fully dry.
15 Then God said to Noah, 16 “Come out of the ark, you and your wife, along with your sons and their wives. 17 Bring out all the living creatures that are with you—birds, livestock, and everything that crawls upon the ground—so that they can spread out over the earth and be fruitful and multiply upon it.”
18 So Noah came out, along with his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives. 19 Every living creature, every creeping thing, and every bird—everything that moves upon the earth—came out of the ark, kind by kind.
Noah Builds an Altar
20 Then Noah built an altar to the LORD. And taking from every kind of clean animal and clean bird, he offered burnt offerings on the altar. 21 When the LORD smelled the pleasing aroma, He said in His heart, “Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even though every inclination of his heart is evil from his youth. And never again will I destroy all living creatures as I have done.
22 As long as the earth endures,
seedtime and harvest,
cold and heat,
summer and winter,
day and night
shall never cease.”
Footnotes:
8 a Literally sent out from him or sent out from it
Genesis 9
The Covenant of the Rainbow
1 And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. 2 The fear and dread of you will fall on every living creature on the earth, every bird of the air, every creature that crawls on the ground, and all the fish of the sea. They are delivered into your hand. 3 Everything that lives and moves will be food for you; just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you all things. 4 But you must not eat meat with its lifeblood still in it. 5 And surely I will require the life of any man or beast by whose hand your lifeblood is shed. I will demand an accounting from anyone who takes the life of his fellow man:
6 Whoever sheds the blood of man,
by man his blood will be shed;
for in His own image
God has made mankind.
7 But as for you,
be fruitful and multiply;
spread out across the earth
and multiply upon it.”
8 Then God said to Noah and his sons with him, 9 “Behold, I now establish My covenant with you and your descendants after you, 10 and with every living creature that was with you—the birds, the livestock, and every beast of the earth—every living thing that came out of the ark. 11 And I establish My covenant with you: Never again will all life be cut off by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.”
12 And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between Me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: 13 I have set My rainbow in the clouds, and it will be a sign of the covenant between Me and the earth.
14 Whenever I form clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, 15 I will remember My covenant between Me and you and every living creature of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. 16 And whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of every kind that is on the earth.”
17 So God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between Me and every creature on the earth.”
Noah’s Shame and Canaan’s Curse
18 The sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. And Ham was the father of Canaan. 19 These three were the sons of Noah, and from them the whole earth was populated.
20 Now Noah, a man of the soil, proceeded a to plant a vineyard. 21 But when he drank some of its wine, he became drunk and uncovered himself inside his tent. 22 And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father’s nakedness and told his two brothers outside.
23 Then Shem and Japheth took a garment and placed it across their shoulders, and walking backward, they covered their father’s nakedness. Their faces were turned away so that they did not see their father’s nakedness.
24 When Noah awoke from his drunkenness and learned what his youngest son had done to him, 25 he said,
“Cursed be Canaan!
A servant of servants
shall he be to his brothers.”
Shem’s Blessing and Noah’s Death
26 He also declared:
“Blessed be the LORD, the God of Shem!
May Canaan be the servant of Shem.
27 May God expand the territory of Japheth; b
may he dwell in the tents of Shem,
and may Canaan be his servant.”
28 After the flood, Noah lived 350 years. 29 So Noah lived a total of 950 years, and then he died.
Footnotes:
20 a Or was the first
27 b Japheth sounds like the Hebrew for expand .
Genesis 10
The Table of Nations
(1 Chronicles 1:4–27)
1 This is the account of Noah’s sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth, who also had sons after the flood.
The Japhethites
2 The sons of Japheth:
Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras.
3 The sons of Gomer:
Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah.
4 And the sons of Javan:
Elishah, Tarshish, the Kittites, and the Rodanites. a 5 From these, the maritime peoples separated into their territories, according to their languages, by clans within their nations.
The Hamites
6 The sons of Ham:
Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan.
7 The sons of Cush:
Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, b Raamah, and Sabteca.
And the sons of Raamah:
Sheba and Dedan.
8 Cush was the father of Nimrod, who began to be a mighty one c on the earth. 9 He was a mighty hunter before d the LORD; so it is said, “Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the LORD.” 10 His kingdom began in Babylon, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. e 11 From that land he went forth into Assyria, where he built Nineveh, Rehoboth-Ir, Calah, 12 and Resen, which is between Nineveh and the great city of Calah.
13 Mizraim was the father of the Ludites, the Anamites, the Lehabites, the Naphtuhites, 14 the Pathrusites, the Casluhites (from whom the Philistines came), and the Caphtorites. f
15 And Canaan was the father of Sidon his firstborn, g and of the Hittites, 16 the Jebusites, the Amorites, the Girgashites, 17 the Hivites, the Arkites, the Sinites, 18 the Arvadites, the Zemarites, and the Hamathites.
Later the Canaanite clans were scattered, 19 and the borders of Canaan extended from Sidon toward Gerar as far as Gaza, and then toward Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha.
20 These are the sons of Ham according to their clans, languages, lands, and nations.
The Semites
21 And sons were also born to Shem, the older brother of Japheth; h Shem was the forefather of all the sons of Eber.
22 The sons of Shem:
Elam, Asshur, Arphaxad, Lud, and Aram.
23 The sons of Aram:
Uz, Hul, Gether, and Mash. i
24 Arphaxad was the father of Shelah, j and Shelah was the father of Eber.
25 Two sons were born to Eber: One was named Peleg, k because in his days the earth was divided, and his brother was named Joktan.
26 And Joktan was the father of Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, 27 Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, 28 Obal, Abimael, Sheba, 29 Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab. All these were sons of Joktan. 30 Their territory extended from Mesha to Sephar, in the eastern hill country.
31 These are the sons of Shem, according to their clans, languages, lands, and nations.
32 All these are the clans of Noah’s sons, according to their generations and nations. From these the nations of the earth spread out after the flood.
Footnotes:
4 a SP and some MT manuscripts (see also LXX and 1 Chronicles 1:7);most MT manuscripts Dodanites
7 b Sabtah is a variant of Sabta ; see 1 Chronicles 1:9.
8 c Or who established himself as a mighty warrior or who became the first fearless leader
9 d Or in defiance of ; twice in this verse
10 e That is, Babylonia
14 f Some translators adjust the Hebrew word order to the Casluhites, and the Caphtorites (from whom the Philistines came) ; see also Jeremiah 47:4 and Amos 9:7.
15 g Or of the Sidonians, the foremost
21 h Or Shem, whose older brother was Japheth
23 i Hebrew; LXX and 1 Chronicles 1:17 Meshech
24 j Hebrew; LXX (see also Luke 3:35–36) And Arphaxad was the father of Cainan, and Cainan was the father of Shelah,
25 k Peleg means division .
Genesis 11
The Tower of Babel
(Deuteronomy 32:8; Acts 2:1–13)
1 Now the whole world had one language and a common form of speech. 2 And as people journeyed eastward, a they found a plain in the land of Shinar b and settled there.
3 And they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” So they used brick instead of stone, and tar instead of mortar.
4 “Come,” they said, “let us build for ourselves a city with a tower that reaches to the heavens, that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of all the earth.”
5 Then the LORD came down to see the city and the tower that the sons of men were building. 6 And the LORD said, “If they have begun to do this as one people speaking the same language, then nothing they devise will be beyond them. 7 Come, let Us go down and confuse their language, so that they will not understand one another’s speech.”
8 So the LORD scattered them from there over the face of all the earth, and they stopped building the city. 9 That is why it is called Babel, c for there the LORD confused the language of the whole world, and from that place the LORD scattered them over the face of all the earth.
Genealogy from Shem to Abram
(1 Chronicles 1:17–27)
10 This is the account of Shem. Two years after the flood, when Shem was 100 years old, he became the father of Arphaxad. 11 And after he had become the father of Arphaxad, Shem lived 500 years and had other sons and daughters.
12 When Arphaxad was 35 years old, he became the father of Shelah. 13 And after he had become the father of Shelah, Arphaxad lived 403 years and had other sons and daughters. d
14 When Shelah was 30 years old, he became the father of Eber. 15 And after he had become the father of Eber, Shelah lived 403 years and had other sons and daughters.
16 When Eber was 34 years old, he became the father of Peleg. 17 And after he had become the father of Peleg, Eber lived 430 years and had other sons and daughters.
18 When Peleg was 30 years old, he became the father of Reu. 19 And after he had become the father of Reu, Peleg lived 209 years and had other sons and daughters.
20 When Reu was 32 years old, he became the father of Serug. 21 And after he had become the father of Serug, Reu lived 207 years and had other sons and daughters.
22 When Serug was 30 years old, he became the father of Nahor. 23 And after he had become the father of Nahor, Serug lived 200 years and had other sons and daughters.
24 When Nahor was 29 years old, he became the father of Terah. 25 And after he had become the father of Terah, Nahor lived 119 years and had other sons and daughters.
26 When Terah was 70 years old, he became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran.
Terah’s Descendants
27 This is the account of Terah. Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran. And Haran became the father of Lot. 28 During his father Terah’s lifetime, Haran died in his native land, in Ur of the Chaldeans.
29 And Abram and Nahor took wives for themselves. Abram’s wife was named Sarai, and Nahor’s wife was named Milcah; she was the daughter of Haran, who was the father of both Milcah and Iscah. 30 But Sarai was barren; she had no children.
31 And Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai the wife of Abram, and they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans for the land of Canaan. But when they arrived in Haran, they settled there. 32 Terah lived 205 years, and he died in Haran.
Footnotes:
2 a Or from the east or in the east
2 b That is, Babylonia
9 c Or Babylon ; the Hebrew word for Babel sounds like the Hebrew for confused .
13 d Hebrew; LXX (see also Luke 3:35–36) 12When Arphaxad was 135 years old, he became the father of Cainan. 13And after he had become the father of Cainan, Arphaxad lived 430 years and had other sons and daughters, and then he died. When Cainan had lived 130 years, he became the father of Shelah. And after he had become the father of Shelah, Cainan lived 330 years and had other sons and daughters. Note that LXX also adds 100 years to the ages of Shelah, Eber, Peleg, Reu, Serug, and Nahor in this genealogy.
Genesis 12
The Call of Abram
(Genesis 26:1–5; Acts 7:1–8)
1 Then the LORD said to Abram, “Leave your country, your kindred, and your father’s household, and go to the land I will show you. a
2 I will make you into a great nation,
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
so that you will be a blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you
and curse those who curse you;
and all the families of the earth
will be blessed through you. b”
4 So Abram departed, as the LORD had directed him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran. 5 And Abram took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, and all the possessions and people they had acquired in Haran, and set out for the land of Canaan.
When they came to the land of Canaan, 6 Abram traveled through the land as far as the site of the Oak c of Moreh at Shechem. And at that time the Canaanites were in the land.
7 Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, “I will give this land to your offspring. d” So Abram built an altar there to the LORD, who had appeared to him.
8 From there Abram moved on to the hill country east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel to the west and Ai to the east. There he built an altar to the LORD, and he called on the name of the LORD.
9 And Abram journeyed on toward the Negev.
Abram and Sarai in Egypt
10 Now there was a famine in the land. So Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while because the famine was severe. 11 As he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, “Look, I know that you are a beautiful woman, 12 and when the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me but will let you live. 13 Please say you are my sister, so that I will be treated well for your sake, and on account of you my life will be spared.”
14 So when Abram entered Egypt, the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful. 15 When Pharaoh’s officials saw Sarai, they commended her to him, and she was taken into the palace of Pharaoh. 16 He treated Abram well on her account, and Abram acquired sheep and cattle, male and female donkeys, menservants and maidservants, and camels.
17 The LORD, however, afflicted Pharaoh and his household with severe plagues because of Abram’s wife Sarai. 18 So Pharaoh summoned Abram and asked, “What have you done to me? Why didn’t you tell me she was your wife? 19 Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her as my wife? Now then, here is your wife. Take her and go!”
20 Then Pharaoh gave his men orders concerning Abram, and they sent him away with his wife and all his possessions.
Footnotes:
1 a Cited in Acts 7:3
3 b See Galatians 3:8
6 c Or Terebinth or Great Tree
7 d Cited in Galatians 3:16
Genesis 13
Abram and Lot Part Ways
1 So Abram went up out of Egypt into the Negev—he and his wife and all his possessions—and Lot was with him. 2 And Abram had become extremely wealthy in livestock and silver and gold.
3 From the Negev he journeyed from place to place toward Bethel, until he came to the place between Bethel and Ai where his tent had formerly been pitched, 4 to the site where he had built the altar. And there Abram called on the name of the LORD.
5 Now Lot, who was traveling with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents. 6 But the land was unable to support both of them while they stayed together, for they had so many possessions that they were unable to coexist. 7 And there was discord between the herdsmen of Abram and the herdsmen of Lot. At that time the Canaanites and the Perizzites were also living in the land.
8 So Abram said to Lot, “Please let there be no contention between you and me, or between your herdsmen and my herdsmen. After all, we are brothers. 9 Is not the whole land before you? Now separate yourself from me. If you go to the left, I will go to the right; if you go to the right, I will go to the left.”
Lot Proceeds toward Sodom
10 And Lot looked out and saw that the whole plain of the Jordan, all the way to Zoar, was well watered like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt. (This was before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) 11 So Lot chose the whole plain of the Jordan for himself and set out toward the east. And Abram and Lot parted company.
12 Abram lived in the land of Canaan, but Lot settled in the cities of the plain and pitched his tent toward Sodom. 13 But the men of Sodom were wicked, sinning greatly against the LORD.
God Renews the Promise to Abram
14 After Lot had departed, the LORD said to Abram, “Now lift up your eyes from the place where you are, and look to the north and south and east and west, 15 for all the land that you see, I will give to you and your offspring forever. a
16 I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if one could count the dust of the earth, then your offspring could be counted. 17 Get up and walk around the land, through its length and breadth, for I will give it to you.”
18 So Abram moved his tent and went to live near the Oaks b of Mamre at Hebron, where he built an altar to the LORD.
Footnotes:
15 a Cited in Galatians 3:16
18 b Or Terebinths or Great Trees
Genesis 14
The War of the Kings
1 In those days Amraphel king of Shinar, a Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of Goiim 2 went to war against Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar).
3 The latter five came as allies to the Valley of Siddim (that is, the Salt Sea b). 4 For twelve years they had been subject to Chedorlaomer, but in the thirteenth year they rebelled.
5 In the fourteenth year, Chedorlaomer and the kings allied with him went out and defeated the Rephaites in Ashteroth-karnaim, the Zuzites in Ham, the Emites in Shaveh-kiriathaim, 6 and the Horites in the area of Mount Seir, as far as El-paran, which is near the desert. 7 Then they turned back to invade En-mishpat (that is, Kadesh), and they conquered the whole territory of the Amalekites, as well as the Amorites who lived in Hazazon-tamar.
8 Then the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar) marched out and arrayed themselves for battle in the Valley of Siddim c 9 against Chedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of Goiim, Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar—four kings against five.
Abram Rescues Lot
10 Now the Valley of Siddim was full of tar pits, and as the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, some men fell into the pits, but the survivors fled to the hill country.
11 The four kings seized all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their food, and they went on their way. 12 They also carried off Abram’s nephew Lot and his possessions, since Lot was living in Sodom.
13 Then an escapee came and reported this to Abram the Hebrew. Now Abram was living near the Oaks d of Mamre the Amorite, a brother of Eshcol and Aner, all of whom were bound by treaty e to Abram. 14 And when Abram heard that his relative had been captured, he mobilized the 318 trained men born in his household, and they set out in pursuit as far as Dan.
15 During the night, Abram divided his forces and routed Chedorlaomer’s army, pursuing them as far as Hobah, north of Damascus. 16 He retrieved all the goods, as well as his relative Lot and his possessions, together with the women and the rest of the people.
Melchizedek Blesses Abram
(Psalm 110:1–7; Hebrews 7:1–10)
17 After Abram returned from defeating Chedorlaomer and the kings allied with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him in the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley).
18 Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine—since he was priest of God Most High f — 19 and he blessed Abram and said:
“Blessed be Abram by God Most High,
Creator of heaven and earth,
20 and blessed be God Most High,
who has delivered your enemies into your hand.”
Then Abram gave Melchizedek a tenth of everything.
21 The king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the people, but take the goods for yourself.”
22 But Abram replied to the king of Sodom, “I have raised my hand to the LORD God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, 23 that I will not accept even a thread, or a strap of a sandal, or anything that belongs to you, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich.’ 24 I will accept nothing but what my men have eaten and the share for the men who went with me—Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre. They may take their portion.”
Footnotes:
1 a That is, Babylonia; also in verse 9
3 b That is, the Dead Sea
8 c That is, the Valley of the Dead Sea
13 d Or Terebinths or Great Trees
13 e Forms of the Hebrew berit are translated in most passages as covenant .
18 f Hebrew El-Elyon ; also in verses 19, 20, and 22; cited in Hebrews 7:1
Genesis 15
God’s Covenant with Abram
(Romans 4:1–12; Hebrews 11:8–19)
1 After these events, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision:
“Do not be afraid, Abram.
I am your shield,
your very great reward.”
2 But Abram replied, “O Lord GOD, what can You give me, since I remain childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 Abram continued, “Behold, You have given me no offspring, so a servant in my household will be my heir.”
4 Then the word of the LORD came to Abram, saying, “This one will not be your heir, but one who comes from your own body will be your heir.” 5 And the LORD took him outside and said, “Now look to the heavens and count the stars, if you are able.” Then He told him, “So shall your offspring be.” a
6 Abram believed the LORD, and it was credited to him as righteousness. b
7 The LORD also told him, “I am the LORD, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.”
God Confirms His Promise
(Numbers 34:1–15; Romans 4:13–25)
8 But Abram replied, “Lord GOD, how can I know that I will possess it?”
9 And the LORD said to him, “Bring Me a heifer, a goat, and a ram, each three years old, along with a turtledove and a young pigeon.”
10 So Abram brought all these to Him, split each of them down the middle, and laid the halves opposite each other. The birds, however, he did not cut in half. 11 And the birds of prey descended on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away. 12 As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and suddenly great terror and darkness overwhelmed him.
13 Then the LORD said to Abram, “Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years. 14 But I will judge the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will depart with many possessions. c 15 You, however, will go to your fathers in peace and be buried at a ripe old age. 16 In the fourth generation your descendants will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.”
17 When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, behold, a smoking firepot and a flaming torch appeared and passed between the halves of the carcasses. 18 On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your descendants I have given this land—from the river of Egypt to the great River Euphrates— 19 the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, 20 Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, 21 Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites, and Jebusites.”
Footnotes:
5 a Cited in Romans 4:18
6 b Cited in Romans 4:3, Romans 4:22, Galatians 3:6, and James 2:23
14 c Cited in Acts 7:6–7
Genesis 16
Hagar and Ishmael
1 Now Abram’s wife Sarai had borne him no children, but she had an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar. 2 So Sarai said to Abram, “Look now, the LORD has prevented me from bearing children. Please go to my maidservant;perhaps I can build a family by her.”
And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai. 3 So after he had lived in Canaan for ten years, his wife Sarai took her Egyptian maidservant Hagar and gave her to Abram to be his wife. 4 And he slept with Hagar, and she conceived. But when Hagar realized that she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress. a
5 Then Sarai said to Abram, “May the wrong done to me be upon you! I delivered my servant into your arms, and ever since she saw that she was pregnant, she has treated me with contempt. May the LORD judge between you and me.”
6 “Here,” said Abram, “your servant is in your hands. Do whatever you want with her.” Then Sarai treated Hagar so harshly that she fled from her.
7 Now the angel b of the LORD found Hagar by a spring of water in the desert—the spring along the road to Shur. 8 “Hagar, servant of Sarai,” he said, “where have you come from, and where are you going?”
“I am running away from my mistress Sarai,” she replied.
9 So the angel of the LORD told her, “Return to your mistress and submit to her authority.” 10 Then the angel added, “I will greatly multiply your offspring so that they will be too numerous to count.”
11 The angel of the LORD proceeded:
“Behold, you have conceived and will bear a son.
And you shall name him Ishmael, c
for the LORD has heard your cry of affliction.
12 He will be a wild donkey of a man,
and his hand will be against everyone,
and everyone’s hand against him;
he will live in hostility
toward all his brothers.”
13 So Hagar gave this name to the LORD who had spoken to her: “You are the God who sees me, d” for she said, “Here I have seen the One who sees me!” 14 Therefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi. e It is located between Kadesh and Bered.
15 And Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram gave the name Ishmael to the son she had borne. 16 Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to him.
Footnotes:
4 a Or her mistress became despised in her sight
7 b Or Angel ; also in verses 9, 10, and 11; corresponding pronouns may also be capitalized.
11 c Ishmael means God hears .
13 d Hebrew El-Roi
14 e Beer-lahai-roi means well of the Living One who sees me .
Genesis 17
Abraham to Father Many Nations
1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty. a Walk before Me and be blameless. 2 I will establish My covenant between Me and you, and I will multiply you exceedingly.”
3 Then Abram fell facedown, and God said to him, 4 “As for Me, this is My covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. 5 No longer will you be called Abram, b but your name will be Abraham, c for I have made you a father of many nations. d
6 I will make you exceedingly fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will descend from you.
7 I will establish My covenant as an everlasting covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.
8 And to you and your descendants I will give the land where you are residing—all the land of Canaan—as an eternal possession; and I will be their God.”
The Covenant of Circumcision
9 God also said to Abraham, “You must keep My covenant—you and your descendants in the generations after you. 10 This is My covenant with you and your descendants after you, which you are to keep: Every male among you must be circumcised. 11 You are to circumcise the flesh of your foreskin, and this will be a sign of the covenant between Me and you.
12 Generation after generation, every male must be circumcised when he is eight days old, including those born in your household and those purchased from a foreigner—even those who are not your offspring. 13 Whether they are born in your household or purchased, they must be circumcised. My covenant in your flesh will be an everlasting covenant.
14 But if any male is not circumcised, he will be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.”
15 Then God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, do not call her Sarai, for her name is to be Sarah. e 16 And I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will descend from her.”
17 Abraham fell facedown. Then he laughed and said to himself, “Can a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Can Sarah give birth at the age of ninety?” 18 And Abraham said to God, “O that Ishmael might live under Your blessing!”
19 But God replied, “Your wife Sarah will indeed bear you a son, and you are to name him Isaac. f I will establish My covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him. 20 As for Ishmael, I have heard you, and I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and multiply him greatly. He will become the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation. 21 But I will establish My covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this time next year.”
22 When He had finished speaking with Abraham, God went up from him.
23 On that very day Abraham took his son Ishmael and all those born in his household or purchased with his money—every male among the members of Abraham’s household—and he circumcised them, just as God had told him.
24 So Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised, 25 and his son Ishmael was thirteen; 26 Abraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised on the same day. 27 And all the men of Abraham’s household—both servants born in his household and those purchased from foreigners—were circumcised with him.
Footnotes:
1 a Hebrew El-Shaddai
5 b Abram means exalted father .
5 c Abraham means father of many .
5 d Cited in Romans 4:17
15 e Both Sarai and Sarah mean princess ; the change in spelling may reflect the difference in dialect between Ur and Canaan.
19 f Isaac means he laughs .
Genesis 18
The Three Visitors
1 Then the LORD appeared to Abraham by the Oaks a of Mamre in the heat of the day, while he was sitting at the entrance of his tent. 2 And Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he ran from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground.
3 “My lord,” said Abraham, “if I have found favor in your sight, please do not pass your servant by. 4 Let a little water be brought, that you may wash your feet and rest yourselves under the tree. 5 And I will bring a bit of bread so that you may refresh yourselves. This is why you have passed your servant’s way. After that, you may continue on your way.”
“Yes,” they replied, “you may do as you have said.”
6 So Abraham hurried into the tent and said to Sarah, “Quick! Prepare three seahs of fine flour, b knead it, and bake some bread.”
7 Meanwhile, Abraham ran to the herd, selected a tender and choice calf, and gave it to a servant, who hurried to prepare it. 8 Then Abraham brought curds and milk and the calf that had been prepared, and he set them before the men and stood by them under the tree as they ate.
Sarah Laughs at the Promise
9 “Where is your wife Sarah?” they asked.
“There, in the tent,” he replied.
10 Then the LORD said, “I will surely return to you at this time next year, and your wife Sarah will have a son!”
Now Sarah was behind him, listening at the entrance to the tent. 11 And Abraham and Sarah were already old and well along in years; Sarah had passed the age of childbearing. 12 So she laughed to herself, saying, “After I am worn out and my master is old, will I now have this pleasure?”
13 And the LORD asked Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Can I really bear a child when I am old?’ 14 Is anything too difficult for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you—in about a year—and Sarah will have a son.” c
15 But Sarah was afraid, so she denied it and said, “I did not laugh.”
“No,” replied the LORD, “but you did laugh.”
Abraham Intercedes for Sodom
16 When the men got up to leave, they looked out over Sodom, and Abraham walked along with them to see them off.
17 And the LORD said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? 18 Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and through him all the nations of the earth will be blessed. 19 For I have chosen him, so that he will command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just, in order that the LORD may bring upon Abraham what He has promised.”
20 Then the LORD said, “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great. Because their sin is so grievous, 21 I will go down to see if their actions fully justify the outcry that has reached Me. If not, I will find out.”
22 And the two men turned away and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the LORD.
23 Abraham stepped forward and said, “Will You really sweep away the righteous with the wicked? 24 What if there are fifty righteous ones in the city? Will You really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous ones who are there? 25 Far be it from You to do such a thing—to kill the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike. Far be it from You! Will not the Judge of all the earth do what is right?”
26 So the LORD replied, “If I find fifty righteous ones within the city of Sodom, on their account I will spare the whole place.”
27 Then Abraham answered, “Now that I have ventured to speak to the Lord—though I am but dust and ashes— 28 suppose the fifty righteous ones lack five. Will You destroy the whole city for the lack of five?”
He replied, “If I find forty-five there, I will not destroy it.”
29 Once again Abraham spoke to the LORD, “Suppose forty are found there?”
He answered, “On account of the forty, I will not do it.”
30 Then Abraham said, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak further. Suppose thirty are found there?”
He replied, “If I find thirty there, I will not do it.”
31 And Abraham said, “Now that I have ventured to speak to the Lord, suppose twenty are found there?”
He answered, “On account of the twenty, I will not destroy it.”
32 Finally, Abraham said, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak once more. Suppose ten are found there?”
And He answered, “On account of the ten, I will not destroy it.”
33 When the LORD had finished speaking with Abraham, He departed, and Abraham returned home.
Footnotes:
1 a Or Terebinths or Great Trees
6 b 3 seahs is approximately 19.8 dry quarts or 21.9 liters (probably about 24.5 pounds or 11.1 kilograms of flour).
14 c Cited in Romans 9:9
Genesis 19
Lot Welcomes the Angels
(Judges 19:1–30)
1 Now the two angels arrived at Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gateway of the city. When Lot saw them, he got up to meet them, bowed facedown, 2 and said, “My lords, please turn aside into the house of your servant; wash your feet and spend the night. Then you can rise early and go on your way.”
“No,” they answered, “we will spend the night in the square.”
3 But Lot insisted so strongly that they followed him into his house. He prepared a feast for them and baked unleavened bread, and they ate.
4 Before they had gone to bed, all the men of the city of Sodom, both young and old, surrounded the house. 5 They called out to Lot, saying, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Send them out to us so we can have relations with them!”
6 Lot went outside to meet them, shutting the door behind him. 7 “Please, my brothers,” he pleaded, “don’t do such a wicked thing! 8 Look, I have two daughters who have never slept with a man. Let me bring them to you, and you can do to them as you please. But do not do anything to these men, for they have come under the protection of my roof.”
9 “Get out of the way!” they replied. And they declared, “This one came here as a foreigner, and he is already acting like a judge! Now we will treat you worse than them.” And they pressed in on Lot and moved in to break down the door.
10 But the men inside reached out, pulled Lot into the house with them, and shut the door. 11 And they struck the men at the entrance, young and old, with blindness, so that they wearied themselves trying to find the door.
Lot Flees to Zoar
12 Then the two men said to Lot, “Do you have anyone else here—a son-in-law, your sons or daughters, or anyone else in the city who belongs to you? Get them out of here, 13 because we are about to destroy this place. For the outcry to the LORD against its people is so great that He has sent us to destroy it.”
14 So Lot went out and spoke to the sons-in-law who were pledged in marriage to his daughters. “Get up,” he said. “Get out of this place, for the LORD is about to destroy the city!” But his sons-in-law thought he was joking.
15 At daybreak the angels hurried Lot along, saying, “Get up! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away in the punishment of the city.” 16 But when Lot hesitated, the men grabbed his hand and the hands of his wife and his two daughters. And they led them safely out of the city, because of the LORD’s compassion for them.
17 As soon as the men had brought them out, one of them said, “Run for your lives! Do not look back, and do not stop anywhere on the plain! Flee to the mountains, or you will be swept away!”
18 But Lot replied, “No, my lords, please! 19 Your servant has indeed found favor in your sight, and you have shown me great kindness by sparing my life. But I cannot run to the mountains; the disaster will overtake me, and I will die. 20 Look, there is a town nearby where I can flee, and it is a small place. Please let me flee there—is it not a small place? Then my life will be saved.”
21 “Very well,” he answered, “I will grant this request as well, and will not demolish the town you indicate. 22 Hurry! Run there quickly, for I cannot do anything until you reach it.” That is why the town was called Zoar. a
23 And by the time the sun had risen over the land, Lot had reached Zoar.
The Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah
(Luke 17:20–37)
24 Then the LORD rained down sulfur and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah—from the LORD out of the heavens. 25 Thus He destroyed these cities and the entire plain, including all the inhabitants of the cities and everything that grew on the ground.
26 But Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.
27 Early the next morning, Abraham got up and returned to the place where he had stood before the LORD. 28 He looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah and all the land of the plain, and he saw the smoke rising from the land like smoke from a furnace.
29 So when God destroyed the cities of the plain, He remembered Abraham, and He brought Lot out of the catastrophe that destroyed the cities where he had lived.
Lot and His Daughters
30 Lot and his two daughters left Zoar and settled in the mountains—for he was afraid to stay in Zoar—where they lived in a cave.
31 One day the older daughter said to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is no man in the land to sleep with us, as is the custom over all the earth. 32 Come, let us get our father drunk with wine so we can sleep with him and preserve his line.”
33 So that night they got their father drunk with wine, and the firstborn went in and slept with her father; he was not aware when she lay down or when she got up.
34 The next day the older daughter said to the younger, “Look, I slept with my father last night. Let us get him drunk with wine again tonight so you can go in and sleep with him and we can preserve our father’s line.”
35 So again that night they got their father drunk with wine, and the younger daughter went in and slept with him; he was not aware when she lay down or when she got up.
36 Thus both of Lot’s daughters became pregnant by their father. 37 The older daughter gave birth to a son and named him Moab. b He is the father of the Moabites of today. 38 The younger daughter also gave birth to a son, and she named him Ben-ammi. c He is the father of the Ammonites of today.
Footnotes:
22 a Zoar means small .
37 b Moab sounds like the Hebrew for from my father .
38 c Ben-ammi means son of my people .
Genesis 20
Abraham, Sarah, and Abimelech
1 Now Abraham journeyed from there to the region of the Negev and settled between Kadesh and Shur. While he was staying in Gerar, 2 Abraham said of his wife Sarah, “She is my sister.” So Abimelech king of Gerar had Sarah brought to him.
3 One night, however, God came to Abimelech in a dream and told him, “You are as good as dead because of the woman you have taken, for she is a married woman.”
4 Now Abimelech had not gone near her, so he replied, “Lord, would You destroy a nation even though it is innocent? 5 Didn’t Abraham tell me, ‘She is my sister’? And she herself said, ‘He is my brother.’ I have done this in the integrity of my heart and the innocence of my hands.”
6 Then God said to Abimelech in the dream, “Yes, I know that you did this with a clear conscience, and so I have kept you from sinning against Me. That is why I did not let you touch her. 7 Now return the man’s wife, for he is a prophet; he will pray for you and you will live. But if you do not restore her, be aware that you will surely die—you and all who belong to you.”
8 Early the next morning Abimelech got up and summoned all his servants; and when he described to them all that had happened, the men were terrified.
9 Then Abimelech called Abraham and asked, “What have you done to us? How have I sinned against you, that you have brought such tremendous guilt upon me and my kingdom? You have done things to me that should not be done.” 10 Abimelech also asked Abraham, “What prompted you to do such a thing?”
11 Abraham replied, “I thought to myself, ‘Surely there is no fear of God in this place. They will kill me on account of my wife.’ 12 Besides, she really is my sister, the daughter of my father—though not the daughter of my mother—and she became my wife. 13 So when God had me journey from my father’s house, I said to Sarah, ‘This is how you can show your loyalty to me:Wherever we go, say of me, “He is my brother.” ’ ”
14 So Abimelech brought sheep and cattle, menservants and maidservants, and he gave them to Abraham and restored his wife Sarah to him. 15 And Abimelech said, “Look, my land is before you. Settle wherever you please.” 16 And he said to Sarah, “See, I am giving your brother a thousand pieces of silver. a It is your vindication before all who are with you; you are completely cleared.”
17 Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech and his wife and his maidservants, so that they could again bear children— 18 for on account of Abraham’s wife Sarah, the LORD had completely closed all the wombs in Abimelech’s household.
Footnotes:
16 a Or a thousand shekels of silver ; that is, approximately 25.1 pounds or 11.4 kilograms of silver
Genesis 21
The Birth of Isaac
1 Now the LORD attended to Sarah as He had said, and the LORD did for Sarah what He had promised. 2 So Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the very time God had promised.
3 And Abraham gave the name Isaac a to the son Sarah bore to him. 4 When his son Isaac was eight days old, Abraham circumcised him, as God had commanded him. 5 Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.
6 Then Sarah said, “God has made me laugh, and everyone who hears of this will laugh with me.” 7 She added, “Who would have told Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.”
8 So the child grew and was weaned, and Abraham held a great feast on the day Isaac was weaned.
Sarah Turns against Hagar
(Galatians 4:21–30)
9 But Sarah saw that the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham was mocking her son, b 10 and she said to Abraham, “Expel the slave woman and her son, for the slave woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac!” c
11 Now this matter distressed Abraham greatly because it concerned his son Ishmael. 12 But God said to Abraham, “Do not be distressed about the boy and your maidservant. Listen to everything that Sarah tells you, for through Isaac your offspring will be reckoned. d 13 But I will also make a nation of the slave woman’s son, because he is your offspring.”
14 Early in the morning, Abraham got up, took bread and a skin of water, put them on Hagar’s shoulders, and sent her away with the boy. She left and wandered in the Wilderness of Beersheba. 15 When the water in the skin was gone, she left the boy under one of the bushes. 16 Then she went off and sat down nearby, about a bowshot away, for she said, “I cannot bear to watch the boy die!” And as she sat nearby, she lifted up her voice and wept. e
17 Then God heard the voice of the boy, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven, “What is wrong, Hagar? Do not be afraid, for God has heard the voice of the boy where he lies. 18 Get up, lift up the boy, and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation.” 19 Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. So she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink.
20 And God was with the boy, and he grew up and settled in the wilderness and became a great archer. 21 And while he was dwelling in the Wilderness of Paran, his mother got a wife for him from the land of Egypt.
The Covenant at Beersheba
22 At that time Abimelech and Phicol the commander of his army said to Abraham, “God is with you in all that you do. 23 Now, therefore, swear to me here before God that you will not deal falsely with me or my children or descendants. Show to me and to the country in which you reside the same kindness that I have shown to you.”
24 And Abraham replied, “I swear it.”
25 But when Abraham complained to Abimelech about a well that Abimelech’s servants had seized, 26 Abimelech replied, “I do not know who has done this. You did not tell me, so I have not heard about it until today.”
27 So Abraham brought sheep and cattle and gave them to Abimelech, and the two men made a covenant. 28 Abraham separated seven ewe lambs from the flock, 29 and Abimelech asked him, “Why have you set apart these seven ewe lambs?”
30 He replied, “You are to accept the seven ewe lambs from my hand as my witness that I dug this well.” 31 So that place was called Beersheba, f because it was there that the two of them swore an oath. 32 After they had made the covenant at Beersheba, Abimelech and Phicol the commander of his army got up and returned to the land of the Philistines.
33 And Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there he called upon the name of the LORD, the Eternal God. g 34 And Abraham resided in the land of the Philistines for a long time.
Footnotes:
3 a Isaac means he laughs .
9 b LXX and Vulgate; Hebrew lacks her son
10 c Cited in Galatians 4:30
12 d Cited in Romans 9:7 and Hebrews 11:18
16 e Hebrew; LXX the child lifted up his voice and wept
31 f Beersheba means well of seven or well of the oath .
33 g Hebrew El-Olam
Genesis 22
The Offering of Isaac
(John 3:1–21)
1 Some time later God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!”
“Here I am,” he answered.
2 “Take your son,” God said, “your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah. Offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you.”
3 So Abraham got up early the next morning, saddled his donkey, and took along two of his servants and his son Isaac. He split the wood for a burnt offering and set out for the place God had designated.
4 On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. 5 “Stay here with the donkey,” Abraham told his servants. “The boy and I will go over there to worship, and then we will return to you.”
6 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac. He himself carried the fire and the sacrificial knife, and the two of them walked on together.
7 Then Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father!”
“Here I am, my son,” he replied.
“The fire and the wood are here,” said Isaac, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”
8 Abraham answered, “God Himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two walked on together.
9 When they arrived at the place God had designated, Abraham built the altar there and arranged the wood. He bound his son Isaac and placed him on the altar, atop the wood. 10 Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son.
The LORD Provides the Sacrifice
11 Just then the angel a of the LORD called out to him from heaven, “Abraham, Abraham!”
“Here I am,” he replied.
12 “Do not lay a hand on the boy or do anything to him,” said the angel, “for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your only son from me. b”
13 Then Abraham looked up and saw behind him a ram c in a thicket, caught by its horns. So he went and took the ram and offered it as a burnt offering in place of his son. 14 And Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. d So to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided.”
15 And the angel of the LORD called to Abraham from heaven a second time, 16 saying, “By Myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, that because you have done this and have not withheld your only son, 17 I will surely bless you, and I will multiply your descendants e like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will possess the gates of their enemies. 18 And through your offspring all nations of the earth will be blessed, f because you have obeyed My voice.”
19 Abraham went back to his servants, and they got up and set out together for Beersheba. And Abraham settled in Beersheba.
The Sons of Nahor
20 Some time later, Abraham was told, “Milcah has also borne sons to your brother Nahor: 21 Uz the firstborn, his brother Buz, Kemuel (the father of Aram), 22 Chesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel.”
23 And Bethuel became the father of Rebekah. Milcah bore these eight sons to Abraham’s brother Nahor. 24 Moreover, Nahor’s concubine, whose name was Reumah, bore Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, and Maacah.
Footnotes:
11 a Or Angel ; also in verses 12 and 15
12 b Or from Me
13 c Most MT manuscripts; other Hebrew manuscripts, SP, LXX, and Syriac saw one ram
14 d Hebrew YHWH Yireh
17 e Cited in Hebrews 6:14
18 f Cited in Acts 3:25
Genesis 23
The Death and Burial of Sarah
1 Now Sarah lived to be 127 years old. 2 She died in Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham went out to mourn and to weep for her.
3 Then Abraham got up from beside his dead wife and said to the Hittites, a 4 “I am a foreigner and an outsider among you. Give me a burial site among you so that I can bury my dead.”
5 The Hittites replied to Abraham, 6 “Listen to us, sir. You are God’s chosen one among us. Bury your dead in the finest of our tombs. None of us will withhold his tomb for burying your dead.”
7 Then Abraham rose and bowed down before the people of the land, the Hittites. 8 “If you are willing for me to bury my dead,” he said to them, “listen to me, and approach Ephron son of Zohar on my behalf 9 to sell me the cave of Machpelah that belongs to him; it is at the end of his field. Let him sell it to me in your presence for full price, so that I may have a burial site.”
10 Now Ephron was sitting among the sons of Heth. So in the presence of all the Hittites who had come to the gate of his city, Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham, 11 “No, my lord. Listen to me. I give you the field, and I give you the cave that is in it. I give it to you in the presence of my people. Bury your dead.”
12 Again Abraham bowed down before the people of the land 13 and said to Ephron in their presence, “If you will please listen to me, I will pay you the price of the field. Accept it from me, so that I may bury my dead there.”
14 Ephron answered Abraham, 15 “Listen to me, my lord. The land is worth four hundred shekels of silver, b but what is that between you and me? Bury your dead.”
16 Abraham agreed to Ephron’s terms and weighed out for him the price he had named in the hearing of the Hittites: four hundred shekels of silver, according to the standard of the merchants.
17 So Ephron’s field at Machpelah near Mamre, the cave that was in it, and all the trees within the boundaries of the field were deeded over 18 to Abraham’s possession in the presence of all the Hittites who had come to the gate of his city. 19 After this, Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave of the field at Machpelah near Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan. 20 So the field and its cave were deeded by the Hittites to Abraham as a burial site.
Footnotes:
3 a Or sons of Heth ; also in verses 5, 7, 10, 16, 18, and 20
15 b 400 shekels is approximately 10.1 pounds or 4.6 kilograms of silver; also in verse 16.
Genesis 24
A Wife for Isaac
1 By now Abraham was old and well along in years, and the LORD had blessed him in every way. 2 So Abraham instructed the chief servant of his household, who managed all he owned, “Place your hand under my thigh, 3 and I will have you swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites among whom I am dwelling, 4 but will go to my country and my kindred to take a wife for my son Isaac.”
5 The servant asked him, “What if the woman is unwilling to follow me to this land? Shall I then take your son back to the land from which you came?”
6 Abraham replied, “Make sure that you do not take my son back there. 7 The LORD, the God of heaven, who brought me from my father’s house and my native land, who spoke to me and promised me on oath, saying, ‘To your offspring I will give this land’—He will send His angel before you so that you can take a wife for my son from there. 8 And if the woman is unwilling to follow you, then you are released from this oath of mine. Only do not take my son back there.”
9 So the servant placed his hand under the thigh of his master Abraham and swore an oath to him concerning this matter.
10 Then the servant took ten of his master’s camels and departed with all manner of good things from his master in hand. And he set out for Nahor’s hometown in Aram-naharaim. a 11 As evening approached, he made the camels kneel down near the well outside the town at the time when the women went out to draw water.
12 “O LORD, God of my master Abraham,” he prayed, “please grant me success today, and show kindness to my master Abraham. 13 Here I am, standing beside the spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water. 14 Now may it happen that the girl to whom I say, ‘Please let down your jar that I may drink,’ and who responds, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels as well’—let her be the one You have appointed for Your servant Isaac. By this I will know that You have shown kindness to my master.”
Rebekah Is Chosen
15 Before the servant had finished praying, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel son of Milcah, the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor. 16 Now the girl was very beautiful, a virgin who had not had relations with any man. She went down to the spring, filled her jar, and came up again.
17 So the servant ran to meet her and said, “Please let me have a little water from your jar.”
18 “Drink, my lord,” she replied, and she quickly lowered her jar to her hands and gave him a drink.
19 After she had given him a drink, she said, “I will also draw water for your camels, until they have had enough to drink.” 20 And she quickly emptied her jar into the trough and ran back to the well to draw water, until she had drawn water for all his camels.
21 Meanwhile, the man watched her silently to see whether or not the LORD had made his journey a success.
22 And after the camels had finished drinking, he took out a gold ring weighing a beka, b and two gold bracelets for her wrists weighing ten shekels. c 23 “Whose daughter are you?” he asked. “Please tell me, is there room in your father’s house for us to spend the night?”
24 She replied, “I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son that Milcah bore to Nahor.” 25 Then she added, “We have plenty of straw and feed, as well as a place for you to spend the night.”
26 Then the man bowed down and worshiped the LORD, 27 saying, “Blessed be the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who has not withheld His kindness and faithfulness from my master. As for me, the LORD has led me on the journey to the house of my master’s relatives.”
28 The girl ran and told her mother’s household about these things. 29 Now Rebekah had a brother named Laban, and he rushed out to the man at the spring. 30 As soon as he saw the ring, and the bracelets on his sister’s wrists, and heard Rebekah’s words, “The man said this to me,” he went and found the man standing by the camels near the spring.
31 “Come, you who are blessed by the LORD,” said Laban. “Why are you standing out here? I have prepared the house and a place for the camels.” 32 So the man came to the house, and the camels were unloaded. Straw and feed were brought to the camels, and water to wash his feet and the feet of his companions.
33 Then a meal was set before the man, but he said, “I will not eat until I have told you what I came to say.”
So Laban said, “Please speak.”
34 “I am Abraham’s servant,” he replied. 35 “The LORD has greatly blessed my master, and he has become rich. He has given him sheep and cattle, silver and gold, menservants and maidservants, camels and donkeys. 36 My master’s wife Sarah has borne him a son in her old age, and my master has given him everything he owns.
37 My master made me swear an oath and said, ‘You shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites in whose land I dwell, 38 but you shall go to my father’s house and to my kindred to take a wife for my son.’
39 Then I asked my master, ‘What if the woman will not come back with me?’
40 And he told me, ‘The LORD, before whom I have walked, will send His angel with you and make your journey a success, so that you may take a wife for my son from my kindred and from my father’s house. 41 And when you go to my kindred, if they refuse to give her to you, then you will be released from my oath.’
42 So when I came to the spring today, I prayed: O LORD, God of my master Abraham, if only You would make my journey a success! 43 Here I am, standing beside this spring. Now if a maiden comes out to draw water and I say to her, ‘Please let me drink a little water from your jar,’ 44 and she replies, ‘Drink, and I will draw water for your camels as well,’ may she be the woman the LORD has appointed for my master’s son.
45 And before I had finished praying in my heart, there was Rebekah coming out with her jar on her shoulder, and she went down to the spring and drew water. So I said to her, ‘Please give me a drink.’
46 She quickly lowered her jar from her shoulder and said, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels as well.’ So I drank, and she also watered the camels.
47 Then I asked her, ‘Whose daughter are you?’
She replied, ‘The daughter of Bethuel son of Nahor, whom Milcah bore to him.’ So I put the ring on her nose and the bracelets on her wrists. 48 Then I bowed down and worshiped the LORD; and I blessed the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who led me on the right road to take the granddaughter of my master’s brother for his son.
49 Now if you will show kindness and faithfulness to my master, tell me; but if not, let me know, so that I may go elsewhere.”
50 Laban and Bethuel answered, “This is from the LORD; we have no choice in the matter. 51 Rebekah is here before you. Take her and go, and let her become the wife of your master’s son, just as the LORD has decreed.”
52 When Abraham’s servant heard their words, he bowed down to the ground before the LORD. 53 Then he brought out jewels of silver and gold, and articles of clothing, and he gave them to Rebekah. He also gave precious gifts to her brother and her mother. 54 Then he and the men with him ate and drank and spent the night there.
When they got up the next morning, he said, “Send me on my way to my master.”
55 But her brother and mother said, “Let the girl remain with us ten days or so. After that, she may go.”
56 But he replied, “Do not delay me, since the LORD has made my journey a success. Send me on my way so that I may go to my master.”
57 So they said, “We will call the girl and ask her opinion.”
58 They called Rebekah and asked her, “Will you go with this man?”
“I will go,” she replied.
59 So they sent their sister Rebekah on her way, along with her nurse and Abraham’s servant and his men. 60 And they blessed Rebekah and said to her,
“Our sister, may you become the mother
of thousands upon thousands.
May your offspring possess
the gates of their enemies.”
61 Then Rebekah and her servant girls got ready, mounted the camels, and followed the man. So the servant took Rebekah and left.
Isaac Marries Rebekah
62 Now Isaac had just returned from Beer-lahai-roi, for he was living in the Negev. 63 Early in the evening, Isaac went out to the field to meditate, and looking up, he saw the camels approaching.
64 And when Rebekah looked up and saw Isaac, she got down from her camel 65 and asked the servant, “Who is that man in the field coming to meet us?”
“It is my master,” the servant answered. So she took her veil and covered herself. 66 Then the servant told Isaac all that he had done.
67 And Isaac brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah and took Rebekah as his wife. And Isaac loved her and was comforted after his mother’s death.
Footnotes:
10 a That is, Mesopotamia; Aram-naharaim means Aram of the two rivers , likely the region between the Euphrates and Balih Rivers in northwestern Mesopotamia.
22 b A beka is half a shekel, or approximately 0.2 ounces or 5.7 grams.
22 c 10 shekels is approximately 4 ounces or 114 grams.
Genesis 25
Abraham and Keturah
(1 Chronicles 1:32–33)
1 Now Abraham had taken another wife, named Keturah, 2 and she bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah.
3 Jokshan was the father of Sheba and Dedan. And the sons of Dedan were the Asshurites, the Letushites, and the Leummites.
4 The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah.
All these were descendants of Keturah.
5 Abraham left everything he owned to Isaac. 6 But while he was still alive, Abraham gave gifts to the sons of his concubines and sent them away from his son Isaac to the land of the east.
The Death of Abraham
7 Abraham lived a total of 175 years. 8 And at a ripe old age he breathed his last and died, old and contented, and was gathered to his people.
9 His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah near Mamre, in the field of Ephron son of Zohar the Hittite. 10 This was the field that Abraham had bought from the Hittites. Abraham was buried there with his wife Sarah.
11 After Abraham’s death, God blessed his son Isaac, who lived near Beer-lahai-roi.
The Descendants of Ishmael
(1 Chronicles 1:28–31)
12 This is the account of Abraham’s son Ishmael, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s maidservant, bore to Abraham. 13 These are the names of the sons of Ishmael in the order of their birth: Nebaioth the firstborn of Ishmael, then Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, 14 Mishma, Dumah, Massa, 15 Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah.
16 These were the sons of Ishmael, and these were their names by their villages and encampments—twelve princes of their tribes. 17 Ishmael lived a total of 137 years. Then he breathed his last and died, and was gathered to his people.
18 Ishmael’s descendants settled from Havilah to Shur, which is near the border of Egypt as you go toward Asshur. a And they lived in hostility toward all their brothers.
Jacob and Esau
(Malachi 1:1–5; Romans 9:6–29)
19 This is the account of Abraham’s son Isaac. Abraham became the father of Isaac, 20 and Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan-aram b and the sister of Laban the Aramean.
21 Later, Isaac prayed to the LORD on behalf of his wife, because she was barren. And the LORD heard his prayer, and his wife Rebekah conceived.
22 But the children inside her struggled with each other, and she said, “Why is this happening to me?” So Rebekah went to inquire of the LORD, 23 and He declared to her:
“Two nations are in your womb,
and two peoples from within you will be separated;
one people will be stronger than the other,
and the older will serve the younger.” c
24 When her time came to give birth, there were indeed twins in her womb. 25 The first one came out red, covered with hair like a fur coat; so they named him Esau. d 26 After this, his brother came out grasping Esau’s heel; so he was named Jacob. e And Isaac was sixty years old when the twins were born.
27 When the boys grew up, Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the field, while Jacob was a quiet man who stayed at home. 28 Because Isaac had a taste for wild game, he loved Esau; but Rebekah loved Jacob.
Esau Sells His Birthright
29 One day, while Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the field and was famished. 30 He said to Jacob, “Let me eat some of that red stew, for I am famished.” (That is why he was also called Edom. f)
31 “First sell me your birthright,” Jacob replied.
32 “Look,” said Esau, “I am about to die, so what good is a birthright to me?”
33 “Swear to me first,” Jacob said.
So Esau swore to Jacob and sold him the birthright. 34 Then Jacob gave some bread and lentil stew to Esau, who ate and drank and then got up and went away. Thus Esau despised his birthright.
Footnotes:
18 a Or Assyria
20 b That is, northwest Mesopotamia
23 c Cited in Romans 9:12
25 d Esau sounds like a Hebrew term that means hairy .
26 e Jacob means he grasps the heel or he deceives .
30 f Edom means red .
Genesis 26
God’s Promise to Isaac
(Genesis 12:1–9)
1 Now there was another famine in the land, subsequent to the one that had occurred in Abraham’s time. And Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines at Gerar.
2 The LORD appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt. Settle in the land where I tell you. 3 Stay in this land as a foreigner, and I will be with you and bless you. For I will give all these lands to you and your offspring, and I will confirm the oath that I swore to your father Abraham. 4 I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky, and I will give them all these lands, and through your offspring all nations of the earth will be blessed, 5 because Abraham listened to My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.”
Isaac Deceives Abimelech
6 So Isaac settled in Gerar. 7 But when the men of that place asked about his wife, he said, “She is my sister.” For he was afraid to say, “She is my wife,” since he thought to himself, “The men of this place will kill me on account of Rebekah, because she is so beautiful.”
8 When Isaac had been there a long time, Abimelech king of the Philistines looked down from the window and was surprised to see Isaac caressing his wife Rebekah. 9 Abimelech sent for Isaac and said, “So she is really your wife! How could you say, ‘She is my sister’?”
Isaac replied, “Because I thought I might die on account of her.”
10 “What is this you have done to us?” asked Abimelech. “One of the people could easily have slept with your wife, and you would have brought guilt upon us.” 11 So Abimelech warned all the people, saying, “Whoever harms this man or his wife will surely be put to death.”
Isaac’s Prosperity
12 Now Isaac sowed seed in the land, and that very year he reaped a hundredfold. And the LORD blessed him, 13 and he became richer and richer, until he was exceedingly wealthy. 14 He owned so many flocks and herds and servants that the Philistines envied him. 15 So the Philistines took dirt and stopped up all the wells that his father’s servants had dug in the days of his father Abraham.
16 Then Abimelech said to Isaac, “Depart from us, for you are much too powerful for us.”
17 So Isaac left that place and encamped in the Valley of Gerar and settled there. 18 Isaac reopened the wells that had been dug in the days of his father Abraham, which the Philistines had stopped up after Abraham died. And he gave these wells the same names his father had given them.
19 Then Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and found a well of fresh water a there. 20 But the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with Isaac’s herdsmen and said, “The water is ours!” So he named the well Esek, b because they contended with him.
21 Then they dug another well and quarreled over that one also; so he named it Sitnah. c
22 He moved on from there and dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it. He named it Rehoboth d and said, “At last the LORD has made room for us, and we will be fruitful in the land.”
23 From there Isaac went up to Beersheba, 24 and that night the LORD appeared to him and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you. I will bless you and multiply your descendants for the sake of My servant Abraham.”
25 So Isaac built an altar there and called on the name of the LORD, and he pitched his tent there. His servants also dug a well there.
Isaac’s Covenant with Abimelech
26 Later, Abimelech came to Isaac from Gerar, with Ahuzzath his adviser and Phicol the commander of his army.
27 “Why have you come to me?” Isaac asked them. “You hated me and sent me away.”
28 “We can plainly see that the LORD has been with you,” they replied. “We recommend that there should now be an oath between us and you. Let us make a covenant with you 29 that you will not harm us, just as we have not harmed you but have done only good to you, sending you on your way in peace. And now you are blessed by the LORD.”
30 So Isaac prepared a feast for them, and they ate and drank. 31 And they got up early the next morning and swore an oath to each other. Then Isaac sent them on their way, and they left him in peace.
32 On that same day, Isaac’s servants came and told him about the well they had dug. “We have found water!” they told him. 33 So he called it Shibah, e and to this day the name of the city is Beersheba. f
Esau’s Wives
34 When Esau was forty years old, he took as his wives Judith daughter of Beeri the Hittite and Basemath daughter of Elon the Hittite. 35 And they brought grief to Isaac and Rebekah.
Footnotes:
19 a Or flowing water or living water
20 b Esek means contention .
21 c Sitnah means enmity or hostility .
22 d Rehoboth means broad places or open spaces .
33 e Shibah can mean oath or seven .
33 f Beersheba means well of seven or well of the oath .
Genesis 27
Isaac Blesses Jacob
(Hebrews 11:20)
1 When Isaac was old and his eyes were so weak that he could no longer see, he called his older son Esau and said to him, “My son.”
“Here I am,” Esau replied.
2 “Look,” said Isaac, “I am now old, and I do not know the day of my death. 3 Take your weapons—your quiver and bow—and go out into the field to hunt some game for me. 4 Then prepare a tasty dish that I love and bring it to me to eat, so that I may bless you before I die.”
5 Now Rebekah was listening to what Isaac told his son Esau. So when Esau went into the field to hunt game and bring it back, 6 Rebekah said to her son Jacob, “Behold, I overheard your father saying to your brother Esau, 7 ‘Bring me some game and prepare me a tasty dish to eat, so that I may bless you in the presence of the LORD before I die.’
8 Now, my son, listen to my voice and do exactly as I tell you. 9 Go out to the flock and bring me two choice young goats, so that I can make them into a tasty dish for your father—the kind he loves. 10 Then take it to your father to eat, so that he may bless you before he dies.”
11 Jacob answered his mother Rebekah, “Look, my brother Esau is a hairy man, but I am smooth-skinned. 12 What if my father touches me? Then I would be revealed to him as a deceiver, and I would bring upon myself a curse rather than a blessing.”
13 His mother replied, “Your curse be on me, my son. Just obey my voice and go get them for me.”
14 So Jacob went and got two goats and brought them to his mother, who made the tasty food his father loved. 15 And Rebekah took the finest clothes in the house that belonged to her older son Esau, and she put them on her younger son Jacob. 16 She also put the skins of the young goats on his hands and on the smooth part of his neck. 17 Then she handed her son Jacob the tasty food and bread she had made.
18 So Jacob went to his father and said, “My father.”
“Here I am!” he answered. “Which one are you, my son?”
19 Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau, your firstborn. I have done as you told me. Please sit up and eat some of my game, so that you may bless me.”
20 But Isaac asked his son, “How did you ever find it so quickly, my son?”
“Because the LORD your God brought it to me,” he replied.
21 Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Please come closer so I can touch you, my son. Are you really my son Esau, or not?”
22 So Jacob came close to his father Isaac, who touched him and said, “The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau.” 23 Isaac did not recognize him, because his hands were hairy like those of his brother Esau; so he blessed him.
24 Again he asked, “Are you really my son Esau?”
And he replied, “I am.”
25 “Serve me,” said Isaac, “and let me eat some of my son’s game, so that I may bless you.”
Jacob brought it to him, and he ate; then he brought him wine, and he drank.
26 Then his father Isaac said to him, “Please come near and kiss me, my son.”
27 So he came near and kissed him. When Isaac smelled his clothing, he blessed him and said:
“Ah, the smell of my son
is like the smell of a field
that the LORD has blessed.
28 May God give to you the dew of heaven
and the richness of the earth—
an abundance of grain and new wine.
29 May peoples serve you
and nations bow down to you.
May you be the master of your brothers,
and may the sons of your mother bow down to you.
May those who curse you be cursed,
and those who bless you be blessed.”
Esau’s Lost Hope
30 As soon as Isaac had finished blessing him and Jacob had left his father’s presence, his brother Esau returned from the hunt. 31 He too made some tasty food, brought it to his father, and said to him, “My father, sit up and eat of your son’s game, so that you may bless me.”
32 But his father Isaac replied, “Who are you?”
“I am Esau, your firstborn son,” he answered.
33 Isaac began to tremble violently and said, “Who was it, then, who hunted the game and brought it to me? Before you came in, I ate it all and blessed him—and indeed, he will be blessed!”
34 When Esau heard his father’s words, he let out a loud and bitter cry and said to his father, “Bless me too, O my father!”
35 But Isaac replied, “Your brother came deceitfully and took your blessing.”
36 So Esau declared, “Is he not rightly named Jacob? a For he has cheated me twice. He took my birthright, and now he has taken my blessing.” Then he asked, “Haven’t you saved a blessing for me?”
37 But Isaac answered Esau: “Look, I have made him your master and given him all his relatives as servants; I have sustained him with grain and new wine. What is left that I can do for you, my son?”
38 Esau said to his father, “Do you have only one blessing, my father? Bless me too, O my father!” Then Esau wept aloud.
39 His father Isaac answered him:
“Behold, your dwelling place shall be
away from the richness of the land,
away from the dew of heaven above.
40 You shall live by the sword
and serve your brother.
But when you rebel,
you will tear his yoke from your neck.”
41 Esau held a grudge against Jacob because of the blessing his father had given him. And Esau said in his heart, “The days of mourning for my father are at hand;then I will kill my brother Jacob.”
42 When the words of her older son Esau were relayed to Rebekah, she sent for her younger son Jacob and told him, “Look, your brother Esau is consoling himself by plotting to kill you. 43 So now, my son, obey my voice and flee at once to my brother Laban in Haran. 44 Stay with him for a while, until your brother’s fury subsides— 45 until your brother’s rage against you wanes and he forgets what you have done to him. Then I will send for you and bring you back from there. Why should I lose both of you in one day?”
46 Then Rebekah said to Isaac, “I am weary of my life because of these Hittite women. b If Jacob takes a Hittite wife from among them, what good is my life?”
Footnotes:
36 a Jacob means he grasps the heel or he deceives .
46 b Or daughters of Heth
Genesis 28
Jacob’s Departure
1 So Isaac called for Jacob and blessed him. “Do not take a wife from the Canaanite women,” he commanded. 2 “Go at once to Paddan-aram, a to the house of your mother’s father Bethuel, and take a wife from among the daughters of Laban, your mother’s brother. 3 May God Almighty b bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you, so that you may become a company of peoples. 4 And may He give the blessing of Abraham to you and your descendants, so that you may possess the land where you dwell as a foreigner, the land God gave to Abraham.”
5 So Isaac sent Jacob to Paddan-aram, to Laban son of Bethuel the Aramean, the brother of Rebekah, who was the mother of Jacob and Esau.
Esau Marries Mahalath
6 Now Esau learned that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him to Paddan-aram to take a wife there, commanding him, “Do not marry a Canaanite woman,” 7 and that Jacob had obeyed his father and mother and gone to Paddan-aram.
8 And seeing that his father Isaac disapproved of the Canaanite women, 9 Esau went to Ishmael and married Mahalath, the sister of Nebaioth and daughter of Abraham’s son Ishmael, in addition to the wives he already had.
Jacob’s Ladder
10 Meanwhile Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Haran. 11 On reaching a certain place, he spent the night there because the sun had set. And taking one of the stones from that place, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep.
12 And Jacob had a dream about a ladder that rested on the earth with its top reaching up to heaven, and God’s angels were going up and down the ladder. 13 And there at the top c the LORD was standing and saying, “I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you now lie. 14 Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and east and north and south. All the families of the earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. 15 Look, I am with you, and I will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”
16 When Jacob woke up, he thought, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was unaware of it.” 17 And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven!”
The Stone of Bethel
18 Early the next morning, Jacob took the stone that he had placed under his head, and he set it up as a pillar. He poured oil on top of it, 19 and he called that place Bethel, d though previously the city had been named Luz.
20 Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and watch over me on this journey, and if He will provide me with food to eat and clothes to wear, 21 so that I may return safely to my father’s house, then the LORD will be my God. 22 And this stone I have set up as a pillar will be God’s house, and of all that You give me I will surely give You a tenth.”
Footnotes:
2 a That is, northwest Mesopotamia; also in verses 5, 6, and 7
3 b Hebrew El-Shaddai
13 c Or there beside him
19 d Bethel means house of God .
Genesis 29
Jacob Meets Rachel
1 Jacob resumed his journey and came to the land of the people of the east. 2 He looked and saw a well in the field, and near it lay three flocks of sheep, because the sheep were watered from this well. And a large stone covered the mouth of the well. 3 When all the flocks had been gathered there, the shepherds would roll away the stone from the mouth of the well and water the sheep. Then they would return the stone to its place over the mouth of the well.
4 “My brothers,” Jacob asked the shepherds, “where are you from?”
“We are from Haran,” they answered.
5 “Do you know Laban the grandson of Nahor?” Jacob asked.
“We know him,” they replied.
6 “Is he well?” Jacob inquired.
“Yes,” they answered, “and here comes his daughter Rachel with his sheep.”
7 “Look,” said Jacob, “it is still broad daylight; it is not yet time to gather the livestock. Water the sheep and take them back to pasture.”
8 But they replied, “We cannot, until all the flocks have been gathered and the stone has been rolled away from the mouth of the well. Then we will water the sheep.”
9 While he was still speaking with them, Rachel arrived with her father’s sheep, for she was a shepherdess. 10 As soon as Jacob saw Rachel, the daughter of his mother’s brother Laban, with Laban’s sheep, he went up and rolled the stone away from the mouth of the well and watered his uncle’s sheep. 11 Then Jacob kissed Rachel and wept aloud. 12 He told Rachel that he was Rebekah’s son, a relative of her father, and she ran and told her father.
13 When Laban heard the news about his sister’s son Jacob, he ran out to meet him. He embraced him and kissed him and brought him to his home, where Jacob told him all that had happened.
Jacob Marries Leah and Rachel
14 Then Laban declared, “You are indeed my own flesh and blood.”
After Jacob had stayed with him a month, 15 Laban said to him, “Just because you are my relative, should you work for nothing? Tell me what your wages should be.”
16 Now Laban had two daughters; the older was named Leah, and the younger was named Rachel. 17 Leah had weak eyes, a but Rachel was shapely and beautiful. 18 Since Jacob loved Rachel, he answered, “I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel.”
19 Laban replied, “Better that I give her to you than to another. Stay here with me.” 20 So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, yet it seemed but a few days because of his love for her.
21 Finally Jacob said to Laban, “Grant me my wife, for my time is complete, and I want to sleep with her.”
22 So Laban invited all the men of that place and prepared a feast. 23 But when evening came, Laban took his daughter Leah and gave her to Jacob, and he slept with her. 24 And Laban gave his servant girl Zilpah to his daughter Leah as her maidservant.
25 When morning came, there was Leah! “What have you done to me?” Jacob said to Laban. “Wasn’t it for Rachel that I served you? Why have you deceived me?”
26 Laban replied, “It is not our custom here to give the younger daughter in marriage before the older. 27 Finish this week’s celebration, and we will give you the younger one in return for another seven years of work.”
28 And Jacob did just that. He finished the week’s celebration, and Laban gave him his daughter Rachel as his wife. 29 Laban also gave his servant girl Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as her maidservant.
30 Jacob slept with Rachel as well, and indeed, he loved Rachel more than Leah. So he worked for Laban another seven years.
Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah
31 When the LORD saw that Leah was unloved, He opened her womb; but Rachel was barren. 32 And Leah conceived and gave birth to a son, and she named him Reuben, b for she said, “The LORD has seen my affliction. Surely my husband will love me now.”
33 Again she conceived and gave birth to a son, and she said, “Because the LORD has heard that I am unloved, He has given me this son as well.” So she named him Simeon. c
34 Once again Leah conceived and gave birth to a son, and she said, “Now at last my husband will become attached to me, because I have borne him three sons.” So he was named Levi. d
35 And once more she conceived and gave birth to a son and said, “This time I will praise the LORD.” So she named him Judah. e Then Leah stopped having children.
Footnotes:
17 a Or had delicate eyes
32 b Reuben means Look, a son and also sounds like the Hebrew for He has seen my misery .
33 c Simeon probably means one who hears .
34 d Levi sounds like the Hebrew for being attached to or feeling affection for .
35 e Judah sounds like the Hebrew for praise .
Genesis 30
Dan and Naphtali
1 When Rachel saw that she was not bearing any children for Jacob, she envied her sister. “Give me children, or I will die!” she said to Jacob.
2 Jacob became angry with Rachel and said, “Am I in the place of God, who has withheld children from you?”
3 Then she said, “Here is my maidservant Bilhah. Sleep with her, that she may bear children for me, a so that through her I too can build a family.”
4 So Rachel gave Jacob her servant Bilhah as a wife, and he slept with her, 5 and Bilhah conceived and bore him a son. 6 Then Rachel said, “God has vindicated me; He has heard my plea and given me a son.” So she named him Dan. b
7 And Rachel’s servant Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son. 8 Then Rachel said, “In my great struggles, I have wrestled with my sister and won.” So she named him Naphtali. c
Gad and Asher
9 When Leah saw that she had stopped having children, she gave her servant Zilpah to Jacob as a wife. 10 And Leah’s servant Zilpah bore Jacob a son. 11 Then Leah said, “How fortunate!” d So she named him Gad. e
12 When Leah’s servant Zilpah bore Jacob a second son, 13 Leah said, “How happy I am! For the women call me happy.” So she named him Asher. f
14 Now during the wheat harvest, Reuben went out and found some mandrakes in the field. When he brought them to his mother, Rachel begged Leah, “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.”
15 But Leah replied, “Is it not enough that you have taken away my husband? Now you want to take my son’s mandrakes as well?”
“Very well,” said Rachel, “he may sleep with you tonight in exchange for your son’s mandrakes.”
16 When Jacob came in from the field that evening, Leah went out to meet him and said, “You must come with me, for I have hired you with my son’s mandrakes.” So he slept with her that night.
Issachar, Zebulun, and Dinah
17 And God listened to Leah, and she conceived and bore a fifth son to Jacob. 18 Then Leah said, “God has rewarded me for giving my maidservant to my husband.” So she named him Issachar. g
19 Again Leah conceived and bore a sixth son to Jacob. 20 “God has given me a good gift,” she said. “This time my husband will honor me, because I have borne him six sons.” And she named him Zebulun. h
21 After that, Leah gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah.
Joseph
22 Then God remembered Rachel. He listened to her and opened her womb, 23 and she conceived and gave birth to a son. “God has taken away my shame,” she said. 24 She named him Joseph, i and said, “May the LORD add to me another son.”
Jacob Prospers
25 Now after Rachel had given birth to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Send me on my way so I can return to my homeland. 26 Give me my wives and children for whom I have served you, that I may go on my way. You know how hard I have worked for you.”
27 But Laban replied, “If I have found favor in your eyes, please stay. I have learned by divination that the LORD has blessed me because of you.” 28 And he added, “Name your wages, and I will pay them.”
29 Then Jacob answered, “You know how I have served you and how your livestock have thrived under my care. 30 Indeed, you had very little before my arrival, but now your wealth has increased many times over. The LORD has blessed you wherever I set foot. But now, when may I also provide for my own household?”
31 “What can I give you?” Laban asked.
“You do not need to give me anything,” Jacob replied. “If you do this one thing for me, I will keep on shepherding and keeping your flocks. 32 Let me go through all your flocks today and remove from them every speckled or spotted sheep, every dark-colored lamb, and every spotted or speckled goat. These will be my wages. 33 So my honesty will testify for me when you come to check on my wages in the future. If I have any goats that are not speckled or spotted, or any lambs that are not dark-colored, they will be considered stolen.”
34 “Agreed,” said Laban. “Let it be as you have said.”
35 That very day Laban removed all the streaked or spotted male goats and every speckled or spotted female goat—every one that had any white on it—and every dark-colored lamb, and he placed them under the care of his sons. 36 Then he put a three-day journey between himself and Jacob, while Jacob was shepherding the rest of Laban’s flocks.
37 Jacob, however, took fresh branches of poplar, almond, and plane trees, and peeled the bark, exposing the white inner wood of the branches. 38 Then he set the peeled branches in the watering troughs in front of the flocks coming in to drink. So when the flocks were in heat and came to drink, 39 they mated in front of the branches. And they bore young that were streaked or speckled or spotted. 40 Jacob set apart the young, but made the rest face the streaked dark-colored sheep in Laban’s flocks. Then he set his own stock apart and did not put them with Laban’s animals.
41 Whenever the stronger females of the flock were in heat, Jacob would place the branches in the troughs, in full view of the animals, so that they would breed in front of the branches. 42 But if the animals were weak, he did not set out the branches. So the weaker animals went to Laban and the stronger ones to Jacob.
43 Thus Jacob became exceedingly prosperous. He owned large flocks, maidservants and menservants, and camels and donkeys.
Footnotes:
3 a Literally bear children on my knees
6 b Dan means He has judged or He has vindicated .
8 c Naphtali sounds like the Hebrew for wrestling .
11 d Alternate MT reading (see also LXX);the other alternate reads “A troop is coming!”
11 e Gad sounds like the Hebrew for good fortune , or alternately for band of raiders .
13 f Asher means happy .
18 g Issachar sounds like the Hebrew for wages or reward .
20 h Zebulun sounds like the Hebrew for honor .
24 i Joseph means may He add .
Genesis 31
Jacob Flees from Laban
1 Now Jacob heard that Laban’s sons were saying, “Jacob has taken away all that belonged to our father and built all this wealth at our father’s expense.” 2 And Jacob saw from the countenance of Laban that his attitude toward him had changed.
3 Then the LORD said to Jacob, “Go back to the land of your fathers and to your kindred, and I will be with you.”
4 So Jacob sent word and called Rachel and Leah to the field where his flocks were, 5 and he told them, “I can see from your father’s countenance that his attitude toward me has changed;but the God of my father has been with me. 6 You know that I have served your father with all my strength. 7 And although he has cheated me and changed my wages ten times, God has not allowed him to harm me. 8 If he said, ‘The speckled will be your wages,’ then the whole flock bore speckled offspring. If he said, ‘The streaked will be your wages,’ then the whole flock bore streaked offspring. 9 Thus God has taken away your father’s livestock and given them to me.
10 When the flocks were breeding, I saw in a dream that the streaked, spotted, and speckled males were mating with the females. 11 In that dream the angel a of God said to me, ‘Jacob!’
And I replied, ‘Here I am.’
12 ‘Look up,’ he said, ‘and see that all the males that are mating with the flock are streaked, spotted, or speckled; for I have seen all that Laban has done to you. 13 I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed the pillar and made a solemn vow to Me. Now get up and leave this land at once, and return to your native land.’ ”
14 And Rachel and Leah replied, “Do we have any portion or inheritance left in our father’s house? 15 Are we not regarded by him as outsiders? Not only has he sold us, but he has certainly squandered what was paid for us. 16 Surely all the wealth that God has taken away from our father belongs to us and to our children. So do whatever God has told you.”
17 Then Jacob got up and put his children and his wives on camels, 18 and he drove all his livestock before him, along with all the possessions he had acquired in Paddan-aram, b to go to his father Isaac in the land in Canaan.
19 Now while Laban was out shearing his sheep, Rachel stole her father’s household idols. 20 Moreover, Jacob deceived c Laban the Aramean by not telling him that he was running away. 21 So he fled with all his possessions, crossed the Euphrates, d and headed for the hill country of Gilead.
Laban Pursues Jacob
22 On the third day Laban was informed that Jacob had fled. 23 So he took his relatives with him, pursued Jacob for seven days, and overtook him in the hill country of Gilead. 24 But that night God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream and warned him, “Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.”
25 Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the hill country of Gilead when Laban overtook him, and Laban and his relatives camped there as well. 26 Then Laban said to Jacob, “What have you done? You have deceived me and carried off my daughters like captives of war! 27 Why did you run away secretly and deceive me, without even telling me? I would have sent you away with joy and singing, with tambourines and harps. 28 But you did not even let me kiss my grandchildren and my daughters goodbye. Now you have done a foolish thing.
29 I have power to do you great harm, but last night the God of your father said to me, ‘Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.’ 30 Now you have gone off because you long for your father’s house. But why have you stolen my gods?”
31 “I was afraid,” Jacob answered, “for I thought you would take your daughters from me by force. 32 If you find your gods with anyone here, he shall not live! In the presence of our relatives, see for yourself if anything is yours, and take it back.” For Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen the idols.
33 So Laban went into Jacob’s tent, then Leah’s tent, and then the tents of the two maidservants, but he found nothing. Then he left Leah’s tent and entered Rachel’s tent. 34 Now Rachel had taken Laban’s household idols, put them in the saddlebag of her camel, and was sitting on them. And Laban searched everything in the tent but found nothing.
35 Rachel said to her father, “Sir, do not be angry that I cannot stand up before you;for I am having my period.” So Laban searched, but could not find the household idols.
36 Then Jacob became incensed and challenged Laban. “What is my crime?” he said. “For what sin of mine have you so hotly pursued me? 37 You have searched all my goods! Have you found anything that belongs to you? Put it here before my brothers and yours, that they may judge between the two of us.
38 I have been with you for twenty years now. Your sheep and goats have not miscarried, nor have I eaten the rams of your flock. 39 I did not bring you anything torn by wild beasts; I bore the loss myself. And you demanded payment from me for what was stolen by day or night. 40 As it was, the heat consumed me by day and the frost by night, and sleep fled from my eyes.
41 Thus for twenty years I have served in your household—fourteen years for your two daughters and six years for your flocks—and you have changed my wages ten times! 42 If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had not been with me, surely by now you would have sent me away empty-handed. But God has seen my affliction and the toil of my hands, and last night He rendered judgment.”
Jacob’s Covenant with Laban
43 But Laban answered Jacob, “These daughters are my daughters, these sons are my sons, and these flocks are my flocks! Everything you see is mine! Yet what can I do today about these daughters of mine or the children they have borne? 44 Come now, let us make a covenant, you and I, and let it serve as a witness between you and me.”
45 So Jacob picked out a stone and set it up as a pillar, 46 and he said to his relatives, “Gather some stones.” So they took stones and made a mound, and there by the mound they ate. 47 Laban called it Jegar-sahadutha, and Jacob called it Galeed. e
48 Then Laban declared, “This mound is a witness between you and me this day.”
Therefore the place was called Galeed. 49 It was also called Mizpah, f because Laban said, “May the LORD keep watch between you and me when we are absent from each other. 50 If you mistreat my daughters or take other wives, although no one is with us, remember that God is a witness between you and me.”
51 Laban also said to Jacob, “Here is the mound, and here is the pillar I have set up between you and me. 52 This mound is a witness, and this pillar is a witness, that I will not go past this mound to harm you, and you will not go past this mound and pillar to harm me. 53 May the God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us.”
So Jacob swore by the Fear of his father Isaac.
54 Then Jacob offered a sacrifice on the mountain and invited his relatives to eat a meal. And after they had eaten, they spent the night on the mountain. 55 Early the next morning, Laban got up and kissed his grandchildren and daughters and blessed them. Then he left to return home.
Footnotes:
11 a Or Angel
18 b That is, northwest Mesopotamia
20 c Or stole the heart of ; also in verses 26 and 27
21 d Hebrew the River
47 e The Aramaic Jegar-sahadutha and the Hebrew Galeed both mean heap of witnesses .
49 f Mizpah means watchtower .
Genesis 32
Jacob Prepares to Meet Esau
1 Jacob also went on his way, and the angels of God met him. 2 When Jacob saw them, he said, “This is the camp of God.” So he named that place Mahanaim. a
3 Jacob sent messengers ahead of him to his brother Esau in the land of Seir, the country of Edom. 4 He instructed them, “You are to say to my master Esau, ‘Your servant Jacob says: I have been staying with Laban and have remained there until now. 5 I have oxen, donkeys, flocks, menservants, and maidservants. I have sent this message to inform my master, so that I may find favor in your sight.’ ”
6 When the messengers returned to Jacob, they said, “We went to your brother Esau, and now he is coming to meet you—he and four hundred men with him.”
7 In great fear and distress, Jacob divided his people into two camps, as well as the flocks and herds and camels. 8 He thought, “If Esau comes and attacks one camp, then the other camp can escape.”
9 Then Jacob declared, “O God of my father Abraham, God of my father Isaac, the LORD who told me, ‘Go back to your country and to your kindred, and I will make you prosper,’ 10 I am unworthy of all the kindness and faithfulness You have shown Your servant. Indeed, with only my staff I came across the Jordan, but now I have become two camps. 11 Please deliver me from the hand of my brother Esau, for I am afraid that he may come and attack me and the mothers and children with me. 12 But You have said, ‘I will surely make you prosper, and I will make your offspring like the sand of the sea, too numerous to count.’ ”
13 Jacob spent the night there, and from what he had brought with him, he selected a gift for his brother Esau: 14 200 female goats, 20 male goats, 200 ewes, 20 rams, 15 30 milk camels with their young, 40 cows, 10 bulls, 20 female donkeys, and 10 male donkeys. 16 He entrusted them to his servants in separate herds and told them, “Go on ahead of me, and keep some distance between the herds.”
17 He instructed the one in the lead, “When my brother Esau meets you and asks, ‘To whom do you belong, where are you going, and whose animals are these before you?’ 18 then you are to say, ‘They belong to your servant Jacob. They are a gift, sent to my lord Esau. And behold, Jacob is behind us.’ ”
19 He also instructed the second, the third, and all those following behind the herds: “When you meet Esau, you are to say the same thing to him. 20 You are also to say, ‘Look, your servant Jacob is right behind us.’ ” For he thought, “I will appease Esau b with the gift that is going before me. After that I can face him, and perhaps he will accept me. c”
21 So Jacob’s gifts went on before him, while he spent the night in the camp.
Jacob Wrestles with God
22 During the night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two maidservants, and his eleven sons, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. 23 He took them and sent them across the stream, along with all his possessions.
24 So Jacob was left all alone, and there a man d wrestled with him until daybreak. 25 When the man saw that he could not overpower Jacob, he struck the socket of Jacob’s hip and dislocated it as they wrestled. 26 Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.”
But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”
27 “What is your name?” the man asked.
“Jacob,” he replied.
28 Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, e but Israel, f because you have struggled with God and with men, and you have prevailed.”
29 And Jacob requested, “Please tell me your name.”
But he replied, “Why do you ask my name?” Then he blessed Jacob there.
30 So Jacob named the place Peniel, g saying, “Indeed, I have seen God face to face, and yet my life was spared.”
31 The sun rose above him as he passed by Penuel, h and he was limping because of his hip. 32 Therefore to this day the Israelites do not eat the tendon which is at the socket of the hip, because the socket of Jacob’s hip was struck near that tendon.
Footnotes:
2 a Mahanaim means two camps .
20 b Or I will appease his face
20 c Literally perhaps he will lift up my face
24 d Or Man ; here and in verses 25–28; corresponding pronouns may also be capitalized
28 e Jacob means he grasps the heel or he deceives .
28 f Israel means he struggles with God .
30 g Peniel means the face of God .
31 h Penuel is a variant of Peniel ; see verse 30.
Genesis 33
Jacob Meets Esau
1 Now Jacob looked up and saw Esau coming toward him with four hundred men. So he divided the children among Leah, Rachel, and the two maidservants. 2 He put the maidservants and their children in front, Leah and her children next, and Rachel and Joseph at the rear. 3 But Jacob himself went on ahead and bowed to the ground seven times as he approached his brother.
4 Esau, however, ran to him and embraced him, threw his arms around his neck, and kissed him. And they both wept.
5 When Esau looked up and saw the women and children, he asked, “Who are these with you?”
Jacob answered, “These are the children God has graciously given your servant.” 6 Then the maidservants and their children approached and bowed down. 7 Leah and her children also approached and bowed down, and then Joseph and Rachel approached and bowed down.
8 “What do you mean by sending this whole company to meet me?” asked Esau.
“To find favor in your sight, my lord,” Jacob answered.
9 “I already have plenty, my brother,” Esau replied. “Keep what belongs to you.”
10 But Jacob insisted, “No, please! If I have found favor in your sight, then receive this gift from my hand. For indeed, I have seen your face, and it is like seeing the face of God, since you have received me favorably. 11 Please accept my gift a that was brought to you, because God has been gracious to me and I have all I need.” So Jacob pressed him until he accepted.
12 Then Esau said, “Let us be on our way, and I will go ahead of you.”
13 But Jacob replied, “My lord knows that the children are frail, and I must care for sheep and cattle that are nursing their young. If they are driven hard for even a day, all the animals will die. 14 Please let my lord go ahead of his servant. I will continue on slowly, at a comfortable pace for the livestock and children, until I come to my lord at Seir.”
15 “Let me leave some of my people with you,” Esau said.
But Jacob replied, “Why do that? Let me find favor in the sight of my lord.”
16 So that day Esau started on his way back to Seir, 17 but Jacob went on to Succoth, b where he built a house for himself and shelters for his livestock; that is why the place was called Succoth.
Jacob Settles in Shechem
18 After Jacob had come from Paddan-aram, c he arrived safely at the city of Shechem in the land of Canaan, and he camped just outside the city. 19 And the plot of ground where he pitched his tent, he purchased from the sons of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for a hundred pieces of silver. d 20 There he set up an altar and called it El-Elohe-Israel. e
Footnotes:
11 a Or blessing or treaty of peace
17 b Succoth means booths or shelters or tabernacles ; twice in this verse.
18 c That is, northwest Mesopotamia
19 d Hebrew a hundred kesitahs ; the value or weight of the kesitah is no longer known
20 e El-Elohe-Israel means God is the God of Israel or mighty is the God of Israel .
Genesis 34
The Defiling of Dinah
1 Now Dinah, the daughter Leah had borne to Jacob, went out to visit the daughters of the land. 2 When Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, the prince of the region, saw her, he took her and lay with her by force. 3 And his soul was drawn to Dinah, the daughter of Jacob. He loved the young girl and spoke to her tenderly. 4 So Shechem told his father Hamor, “Get me this girl as a wife.”
5 Jacob heard that Shechem had defiled his daughter Dinah, but since his sons were with his livestock in the field, he remained silent about it until they returned. 6 Meanwhile, Shechem’s father Hamor came to speak with Jacob. 7 When Jacob’s sons heard what had happened, they returned from the field. They were filled with grief and fury, because Shechem had committed an outrage in Israel a by lying with Jacob’s daughter—a thing that should not be done.
8 But Hamor said to them, “My son Shechem longs for your daughter. Please give her to him as his wife. 9 Intermarry with us; give us your daughters, and take our daughters for yourselves. 10 You may settle among us, and the land will be open to you. Live here, move about freely, and acquire your own property.”
11 Then Shechem said to Dinah’s father and brothers, “Grant me this favor, and I will give you whatever you ask. 12 Demand a high dowry and an expensive gift, and I will give you whatever you ask. Only give me the girl as my wife!”
The Revenge of Dinah’s Brothers
13 But because Shechem had defiled their sister Dinah, Jacob’s sons answered him and his father Hamor deceitfully. 14 “We cannot do such a thing,” they said. “To give our sister to an uncircumcised man would be a disgrace to us. 15 We will consent to this on one condition, that you become circumcised like us—every one of your males. 16 Then we will give you our daughters and take your daughters for ourselves. We will dwell among you and become one people. 17 But if you will not agree to be circumcised, then we will take our sister and go.”
18 Their offer seemed good to Hamor and his son Shechem. 19 The young man, who was the most respected of all his father’s household, did not hesitate to fulfill this request, because he was delighted with Jacob’s daughter.
20 So Hamor and his son Shechem went to the gate of their city and addressed the men of their city: 21 “These men are at peace with us. Let them live and trade in our land; indeed, it is large enough for them. Let us take their daughters in marriage and give our daughters to them. 22 But only on this condition will the men agree to dwell with us and be one people: if all our men are circumcised as they are. 23 Will not their livestock, their possessions, and all their animals become ours? Only let us consent to them, and they will dwell among us.”
24 All the men who went out of the city gate listened to Hamor and his son Shechem, and every male of the city was circumcised.
25 Three days later, while they were still in pain, two of Jacob’s sons (Dinah’s brothers Simeon and Levi) took their swords, went into the unsuspecting city, and slaughtered every male. 26 They killed Hamor and his son Shechem with their swords, took Dinah out of Shechem’s house, and went away.
27 Jacob’s other sons came upon the slaughter and looted the city, because their sister had been defiled. 28 They took their flocks and herds and donkeys, and everything else in the city or in the field. 29 They carried off all their possessions and women and children, and they plundered everything in their houses.
30 Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have brought trouble upon me by making me a stench to the Canaanites and Perizzites, the people of this land. We are few in number; if they unite against me and attack me, I and my household will be destroyed.”
31 But they replied, “Should he have treated our sister like a prostitute?”
Footnotes:
7 a Or against Israel
Genesis 35
Jacob Returns to Bethel
1 Then God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel, and settle there. Build an altar there to the God who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.”
2 So Jacob told his household and all who were with him, “Get rid of the foreign gods that are among you. Purify yourselves and change your garments. 3 Then let us arise and go to Bethel. I will build an altar there to God, who answered me in my day of distress. He has been with me wherever I have gone.”
4 So they gave Jacob all their foreign gods and all their earrings, and Jacob buried them under the oak a near Shechem.
5 As they set out, a terror from God fell over the surrounding cities, so that they did not pursue Jacob’s sons. 6 So Jacob and everyone with him arrived in Luz (that is, Bethel) in the land of Canaan. 7 There Jacob built an altar, and he called that place El-bethel, b because it was there that God had revealed Himself to Jacob as he fled from his brother.
8 Now Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died and was buried under the oak c below Bethel. So Jacob named it Allon-bachuth. d
9 After Jacob had returned from Paddan-aram, e God appeared to him again and blessed him. 10 And God said to him, “Though your name is Jacob, f you will no longer be called Jacob. Instead, your name will be Israel. g” So God named him Israel.
11 And God told him, “I am God Almighty. h Be fruitful and multiply. A nation—even a company of nations—shall come from you, and kings shall descend from you. 12 The land that I gave to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you, and I will give this land to your descendants after you.”
13 Then God went up from the place where He had spoken with him.
14 So Jacob set up a pillar in the place where God had spoken with him—a stone marker—and he poured out a drink offering on it and anointed it with oil. 15 Jacob called the place where God had spoken with him Bethel. i
Benjamin Born, Rachel Dies
16 Later, they set out from Bethel, and while they were still some distance from Ephrath, Rachel began to give birth, and her labor was difficult. 17 During her severe labor, the midwife said to her, “Do not be afraid, for you are having another son.”
18 And with her last breath—for she was dying—she named him Ben-oni. j But his father called him Benjamin. k
19 So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). 20 Jacob set up a pillar on her grave; it marks Rachel’s tomb to this day.
The Sons of Jacob
(1 Chronicles 2:1–2)
21 Israel again set out and pitched his tent beyond the Tower of Eder. 22 While Israel was living in that region, Reuben went in and slept with his father’s concubine Bilhah, and Israel heard about it.
Jacob had twelve sons:
23 The sons of Leah were Reuben the firstborn of Jacob, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun.
24 The sons of Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin.
25 The sons of Rachel’s maidservant Bilhah were Dan and Naphtali.
26 And the sons of Leah’s maidservant Zilpah were Gad and Asher.
These are the sons of Jacob, who were born to him in Paddan-aram.
The Death of Isaac
27 Jacob returned to his father Isaac at Mamre, near Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had stayed.
28 And Isaac lived 180 years. 29 Then he breathed his last and died and was gathered to his people, old and full of years. And his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.
Footnotes:
4 a Or terebinth or great tree
7 b El-bethel means God of Bethel .
8 c Or great tree
8 d Allon-bacuth means oak of weeping .
9 e That is, northwest Mesopotamia; also in verse 26
10 f Jacob means he grasps the heel or he deceives .
10 g Israel means he struggles with God .
11 h Hebrew El-Shaddai
15 i Bethel means house of God .
18 j Ben-oni could mean son of my sorrow or son of my strength .
18 k Benjamin means son of my right hand .
Genesis 36
The Descendants of Esau
(1 Chronicles 1:35–37)
1 This is the account of Esau (that is, Edom). 2 Esau took his wives from the daughters of Canaan: Adah daughter of Elon the Hittite, Oholibamah daughter of Anah and granddaughter of Zibeon the Hivite, 3 and Basemath daughter of Ishmael and sister of Nebaioth. 4 And Adah bore Eliphaz to Esau, Basemath gave birth to Reuel, 5 and Oholibamah gave birth to Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. These were the sons of Esau, who were born to him in the land of Canaan.
6 Later, Esau took his wives and sons and daughters and all the people of his household, along with his livestock, all his other animals, and all the property he had acquired in Canaan, and he moved to a land far away from his brother Jacob. 7 For their possessions were too great for them to dwell together; the land where they stayed could not support them because of their livestock. 8 So Esau (that is, Edom) settled in the area of Mount Seir.
9 This is the account of Esau, the father of the Edomites, in the area of Mount Seir.
10 These are the names of Esau’s sons: Eliphaz son of Esau’s wife Adah, and Reuel son of Esau’s wife Basemath.
11 The sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, and Kenaz. 12 Additionally, Timna, a concubine of Esau’s son Eliphaz, gave birth to Amalek. These are the grandsons of Esau’s wife Adah.
13 These are the sons of Reuel: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. They are the grandsons of Esau’s wife Basemath.
14 These are the sons of Esau’s wife Oholibamah (daughter of Anah and granddaughter of Zibeon) whom she bore to Esau: Jeush, Jalam, and Korah.
15 These are the chiefs among the sons of Esau. The sons of Eliphaz the firstborn of Esau: Chiefs Teman, Omar, Zepho, Kenaz, 16 Korah, a Gatam, and Amalek. They are the chiefs of Eliphaz in the land of Edom, and they are the grandsons of Adah.
17 These are the sons of Esau’s son Reuel: Chiefs Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. They are the chiefs descended from Reuel in the land of Edom, and they are the grandsons of Esau’s wife Basemath.
18 These are the sons of Esau’s wife Oholibamah: Chiefs Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. They are the chiefs descended from Esau’s wife Oholibamah, the daughter of Anah.
19 All these are the sons of Esau (that is, Edom), and they were their chiefs.
The Descendants of Seir
(1 Chronicles 1:38–42)
20 These are the sons of Seir the Horite, who were living in the land: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, 21 Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. They are the chiefs of the Horites, the descendants of Seir in the land of Edom.
22 The sons of Lotan were Hori and Hemam. b Timna was Lotan’s sister.
23 These are the sons of Shobal: Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho, and Onam.
24 These are the sons of Zibeon: Aiah and Anah. (This is the Anah who found the hot springs in the wilderness as he was pasturing the donkeys of his father Zibeon.)
25 These are the children of Anah: Dishon and Oholibamah daughter of Anah.
26 These are the sons of Dishon: c Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran, and Cheran.
27 These are the sons of Ezer: Bilhan, Zaavan, and Akan.
28 These are the sons of Dishan: Uz and Aran.
29 These are the chiefs of the Horites: Chiefs Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, 30 Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. They are the chiefs of the Horites, according to their divisions in the land of Seir.
The Kings of Edom
(1 Chronicles 1:43–54)
31 These are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before any king reigned over the Israelites: d
32 Bela son of Beor reigned in Edom; the name of his city was Dinhabah.
33 When Bela died, Jobab son of Zerah from Bozrah reigned in his place.
34 When Jobab died, Husham from the land of the Temanites reigned in his place.
35 When Husham died, Hadad son of Bedad, who defeated Midian in the country of Moab, reigned in his place. And the name of his city was Avith.
36 When Hadad died, Samlah from Masrekah reigned in his place.
37 When Samlah died, Shaul from Rehoboth on the Euphrates e reigned in his place.
38 When Shaul died, Baal-hanan son of Achbor reigned in his place.
39 When Baal-hanan son of Achbor died, Hadad f reigned in his place. His city was named Pau, and his wife’s name was Mehetabel daughter of Matred, the daughter of Me-zahab.
40 These are the names of Esau’s chiefs, according to their families and regions, by their names: Chiefs Timna, Alvah, Jetheth, 41 Oholibamah, Elah, Pinon, 42 Kenaz, Teman, Mibzar, 43 Magdiel, and Iram. These were the chiefs of Edom, according to their settlements in the land they possessed. Esau was the father of the Edomites.
Footnotes:
16 a Hebrew; SP (also in verse 11 and 1 Chronicles 1:36) does not include Korah .
22 b Hemam is a variant of Homam ; see 1 Chronicles 1:39.
26 c Hebrew Dishan , a variant of Dishon
31 d Or before an Israelite king reigned over them:
37 e Hebrew the River
39 f Some MT manuscripts, SP, and Syriac (see also 1 Chronicles 1:50); other MT manuscripts Hadar
Genesis 37
Joseph’s Dreams
1 Now Jacob lived in the land where his father had resided, the land of Canaan.
2 This is the account of Jacob. When Joseph was seventeen years old, he was tending the flock with his brothers, the sons of his father’s wives Bilhah and Zilpah, and he brought their father a bad report about them.
3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than his other sons, because Joseph had been born to him in his old age; so he made him a robe of many colors. a 4 When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him.
5 Then Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him even more. 6 He said to them, “Listen to this dream I had: 7 We were binding sheaves of grain in the field, and suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around and bowed down to mine.”
8 “Do you intend to reign over us?” his brothers asked. “Will you actually rule us?” So they hated him even more because of his dream and his statements.
9 Then Joseph had another dream and told it to his brothers. “Look,” he said, “I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.”
10 He told his father and brothers, but his father rebuked him and said, “What is this dream that you have had? Will your mother and brothers and I actually come and bow down to the ground before you?” 11 And his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept in mind what he had said.
Joseph Sold into Egypt
(Acts 7:9–14)
12 Some time later, Joseph’s brothers had gone to pasture their father’s flocks near Shechem. 13 Israel said to him, “Are not your brothers pasturing the flocks at Shechem? Get ready;I am sending you to them.”
“I am ready,” Joseph replied.
14 Then Israel told him, “Go now and see how your brothers and the flocks are faring, and bring word back to me.”
So he sent him off from the Valley of Hebron. And when Joseph arrived in Shechem, 15 a man found him wandering in the field and asked, “What are you looking for?”
16 “I am looking for my brothers,” Joseph replied. “Can you please tell me where they are pasturing their flocks?”
17 “They have moved on from here,” the man answered. “I heard them say, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’ ” So Joseph set out after his brothers and found them at Dothan.
18 Now Joseph’s brothers saw him in the distance, and before he arrived, they plotted to kill him. 19 “Here comes that dreamer!” they said to one another. 20 “Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits. We can say that a vicious animal has devoured him. Then we shall see what becomes of his dreams!”
21 When Reuben heard this, he tried to rescue Joseph from their hands. “Let us not take his life,” he said. 22 “Do not shed his blood. Throw him into this pit in the wilderness, but do not lay a hand on him.” Reuben said this so that he could rescue Joseph from their hands and return him to his father.
23 So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe—the robe of many colors he was wearing— 24 and they took him and threw him into the pit. Now the pit was empty, with no water in it.
25 And as they sat down to eat a meal, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were carrying spices, balm, and myrrh on their way down to Egypt.
26 Then Judah said to his brothers, “What profit will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood? 27 Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay a hand on him; for he is our brother, our own flesh.” And they agreed. 28 So when the Midianite traders passed by, his brothers pulled Joseph out of the pit and sold him for twenty shekels of silver b to the Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt.
29 When Reuben returned to the pit and saw that Joseph was not there, he tore his clothes, 30 returned to his brothers, and said, “The boy is gone! What am I going to do?”
Jacob Mourns Joseph
31 Then they took Joseph’s robe, slaughtered a young goat, and dipped the robe in its blood. 32 They sent the robe of many colors to their father and said, “We found this. Examine it to see whether it is your son’s robe or not.”
33 His father recognized it and said, “It is my son’s robe! A vicious animal has devoured him. Joseph has surely been torn to pieces!” 34 Then Jacob tore his clothes, put sackcloth around his waist, and mourned for his son many days. 35 All his sons and daughters tried to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. “No,” he said. “I will go down to Sheol mourning for my son.” So his father wept for him.
36 Meanwhile, the Midianites c sold Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and captain of the guard.
Footnotes:
3 a Possibly a robe with long sleeves ; also in verses 23 and 32
28 b 20 shekels is approximately 8 ounces or 228 grams of silver.
36 c Hebrew the Medanites
Genesis 38
Judah and Tamar
(1 Chronicles 2:3–4)
1 About that time, Judah left his brothers and settled near a man named Hirah, an Adullamite. 2 There Judah saw the daughter of a Canaanite man named Shua, and he took her as a wife and slept with her. 3 So she conceived and gave birth to a son, and Judah named him Er. 4 Again she conceived and gave birth to a son, and she named him Onan. 5 Then she gave birth to another son and named him Shelah; it was at Chezib that she gave birth to him.
6 Now Judah acquired a wife for Er, his firstborn, and her name was Tamar. 7 But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the LORD; so the LORD put him to death. 8 Then Judah said to Onan, “Sleep with your brother’s wife. Perform your duty as her brother-in-law and raise up offspring for your brother.”
9 But Onan knew that the offspring would not belong to him; so whenever he would sleep with his brother’s wife, he would spill his seed on the ground so that he would not produce offspring for his brother. 10 What he did was wicked in the sight of the LORD, so He put Onan to death as well.
11 Then Judah said to his daughter-in-law Tamar, “Live as a widow in your father’s house until my son Shelah grows up.” For he thought, “He may die too, like his brothers.” So Tamar went to live in her father’s house.
12 After a long time Judah’s wife, the daughter of Shua, died. When Judah had finished mourning, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite went up to his sheepshearers at Timnah. 13 When Tamar was told, “Your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep,” 14 she removed her widow’s garments, covered her face with a veil to disguise herself, and sat at the entrance to Enaim, which is on the way to Timnah. For she saw that although Shelah had grown up, she had not been given to him as a wife.
15 When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute because she had covered her face. 16 Not realizing that she was his daughter-in-law, he went over to her and said, “Come now, let me sleep with you.”
“What will you give me for sleeping with you?” she inquired.
17 “I will send you a young goat from my flock,” Judah answered.
But she replied, “Only if you leave me something as a pledge until you send it.”
18 “What pledge should I give you?” he asked.
She answered, “Your seal and your cord, and the staff in your hand.” So he gave them to her and slept with her, and she became pregnant by him. 19 Then Tamar got up and departed. And she removed her veil and put on her widow’s garments again.
20 Now when Judah sent his friend Hirah the Adullamite with the young goat to collect the items he had left with the woman, he could not find her. 21 He asked the men of that place, “Where is the shrine prostitute who was beside the road at Enaim?”
“No shrine prostitute has been here,” they answered.
22 So Hirah returned to Judah and said, “I could not find her, and furthermore, the men of that place said, ‘No shrine prostitute has been here.’ ”
23 “Let her keep the items,” Judah replied. “Otherwise we will become a laughingstock. a After all, I did send her this young goat, but you could not find her.”
24 About three months later, Judah was told, “Your daughter-in-law Tamar has prostituted herself, and now she is pregnant.”
“Bring her out!” Judah replied. “Let her be burned to death!”
25 As she was being brought out, Tamar sent a message to her father-in-law: “I am pregnant by the man to whom these items belong.” And she added, “Please examine them. Whose seal and cord and staff are these?”
26 Judah recognized the items and said, “She is more righteous than I, since I did not give her to my son Shelah.” And he did not have relations with her again.
The Birth of Perez and Zerah
27 When the time came for Tamar to give birth, there were twins in her womb. 28 And as she was giving birth, one of them put out his hand; so the midwife took a scarlet thread and tied it around his wrist. “This one came out first,” she announced. 29 But when he pulled his hand back and his brother came out, she said, “You have broken out first!” So he was named Perez. b 30 Then his brother came out with the scarlet thread around his wrist, and he was named Zerah. c
Footnotes:
23 a Or we will become despised
29 b Perez means breaking out .
30 c Zerah can mean scarlet or brightness .
Genesis 39
Joseph and Potiphar’s Wife
1 Meanwhile, Joseph had been taken down to Egypt, where an Egyptian named Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and captain of the guard, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him there. 2 And the LORD was with Joseph, and he became a successful man, serving in the household of his Egyptian master.
3 When his master saw that the LORD was with him and made him prosper in all he did, 4 Joseph found favor in his sight and became his personal attendant.
Potiphar put him in charge of his household and entrusted him with everything he owned. 5 From the time that he put Joseph in charge of his household and all he owned, the LORD blessed the Egyptian’s household on account of him. The LORD’s blessing was on everything he owned, both in his house and in his field. 6 So Potiphar left all that he owned in Joseph’s care; he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate.
Now Joseph was well-built and handsome, 7 and after some time his master’s wife cast her eyes upon Joseph and said, “Sleep with me.”
8 But he refused. “Look,” he said to his master’s wife, “with me here, my master does not concern himself with anything in his house, and he has entrusted everything he owns to my care. 9 No one in this house is greater than I am. He has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. So how could I do such a great evil and sin against God?”
10 Although Potiphar’s wife spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be near her. 11 One day, however, Joseph went into the house to attend to his work, and not a single household servant was inside. 12 She grabbed Joseph by his cloak and said, “Sleep with me!” But leaving his cloak in her hand, he escaped and ran outside.
Joseph Falsely Imprisoned
13 When she saw that he had left his cloak in her hand and had run out of the house, 14 she called her household servants. “Look,” she said, “this Hebrew has been brought to us to make sport of us. He came to me so he could sleep with me, but I screamed as loud as I could. 15 When he heard me scream for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house.”
16 So Potiphar’s wife kept Joseph’s cloak beside her until his master came home. 17 Then she told him the same story: “The Hebrew slave you brought us came to me to make sport of me, 18 but when I screamed for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house.”
19 When his master heard the story his wife told him, saying, “This is what your slave did to me,” he burned with anger. 20 So Joseph’s master took him and had him thrown into the prison where the king’s prisoners were confined.
While Joseph was there in the prison, 21 the LORD was with him and extended kindness to him, granting him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. 22 And the warden put all the prisoners under Joseph’s care, so that he was responsible for all that was done in the prison. 23 The warden did not concern himself with anything under Joseph’s care, because the LORD was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.
Genesis 40
The Cupbearer and the Baker
1 Some time later, the king’s cupbearer and baker offended their master, the king of Egypt. 2 Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker, 3 and imprisoned them in the house of the captain of the guard, the same prison where Joseph was confined. 4 The captain of the guard assigned them to Joseph, and he became their personal attendant.
After they had been in custody for some time, 5 both of these men—the Egyptian king’s cupbearer and baker, who were being held in the prison—had a dream on the same night, and each dream had its own meaning.
6 When Joseph came to them in the morning, he saw that they were distraught. 7 So he asked the officials of Pharaoh who were in custody with him in his master’s house, “Why are your faces so downcast today?”
8 “We both had dreams,” they replied, “but there is no one to interpret them.”
Then Joseph said to them, “Don’t interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams.”
9 So the chief cupbearer told Joseph his dream: “In my dream there was a vine before me, 10 and on the vine were three branches. As it budded, its blossoms opened and its clusters ripened into grapes. 11 Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes, squeezed them into his cup, and placed the cup in his hand.”
12 Joseph replied, “This is the interpretation: The three branches are three days. 13 Within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore your position. You will put Pharaoh’s cup in his hand, just as you did when you were his cupbearer. 14 But when it goes well for you, please remember me and show me kindness by mentioning me to Pharaoh, that he might bring me out of this prison. 15 For I was kidnapped from the land of the Hebrews, and even here I have done nothing for which they should have put me in this dungeon.”
16 When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was favorable, he said to Joseph, “I too had a dream: There were three baskets of white bread on my head. 17 In the top basket were all sorts of baked goods for Pharaoh, but the birds were eating them out of the basket on my head.”
18 Joseph replied, “This is the interpretation: The three baskets are three days. 19 Within three days Pharaoh will lift off your head and hang you on a tree. a Then the birds will eat the flesh of your body.”
20 On the third day, which was Pharaoh’s birthday, he held a feast for all his officials, and in their presence he lifted up the heads of the chief cupbearer and the chief baker. 21 Pharaoh restored the chief cupbearer to his position, so that he once again placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand. 22 But Pharaoh hanged the chief baker, just as Joseph had described to them in his interpretation. b
23 The chief cupbearer, however, did not remember Joseph; he forgot all about him.
Footnotes:
19 a Or and impale you on a pole ; similarly in verse 22
22 b Literally had interpreted to them
Genesis 41
The Dreams of Pharaoh
1 After two full years had passed, Pharaoh had a dream: He was standing beside the Nile, 2 when seven cows, sleek and well-fed, came up from the river and began to graze among the reeds. 3 After them, seven other cows, sickly and thin, came up from the Nile and stood beside the well-fed cows on the bank of the river. 4 And the cows that were sickly and thin devoured the seven sleek, well-fed cows.
Then Pharaoh woke up, 5 but he fell back asleep and dreamed a second time: Seven heads of grain, plump and ripe, came up on one stalk. 6 After them, seven other heads of grain sprouted, thin and scorched by the east wind. 7 And the thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven plump, ripe ones. Then Pharaoh awoke and realized it was a dream.
8 In the morning his spirit was troubled, so he summoned all the magicians and wise men of Egypt. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but no one could interpret them for him.
9 Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, “Today I recall my failures. 10 Pharaoh was once angry with his servants, and he put me and the chief baker in the custody of the captain of the guard. 11 One night both the chief baker and I had dreams, and each dream had its own meaning. 12 Now a young Hebrew was there with us, a servant of the captain of the guard. We told him our dreams and he interpreted them for us individually. 13 And it happened to us just as he had interpreted: I was restored to my position, and the other man was hanged.”
Joseph Interprets Pharaoh’s Dreams
14 So Pharaoh sent for Joseph, who was quickly brought out of the dungeon. After he had shaved and changed his clothes, he went in before Pharaoh.
15 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.”
16 “I myself cannot do it,” Joseph replied, “but God will give Pharaoh a sound answer.”
17 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph: “In my dream I was standing on the bank of the Nile, 18 when seven cows, well-fed and sleek, came up from the river and began to graze among the reeds. 19 After them, seven other cows—sickly, ugly, and thin—came up. I have never seen such ugly cows in all the land of Egypt! 20 Then the thin, ugly cows devoured the seven well-fed cows that were there first. 21 When they had devoured them, however, no one could tell that they had done so; their appearance was as ugly as it had been before. Then I awoke.
22 In my dream I also saw seven heads of grain, plump and ripe, growing on a single stalk. 23 After them, seven other heads of grain sprouted—withered, thin, and scorched by the east wind. 24 And the thin heads of grain swallowed the seven plump ones.
I told this dream to the magicians, but no one could explain it to me.”
25 At this, Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dreams of Pharaoh are one and the same. God has revealed to Pharaoh what He is about to do. 26 The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven ripe heads of grain are seven years. The dreams have the same meaning. 27 Moreover, the seven thin, ugly cows that came up after them are seven years, and so are the seven worthless heads of grain scorched by the east wind—they are seven years of famine.
28 It is just as I said to Pharaoh: God has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do. 29 Behold, seven years of great abundance are coming throughout the land of Egypt, 30 but seven years of famine will follow them. Then all the abundance in the land of Egypt will be forgotten, and the famine will devastate the land. 31 The abundance in the land will not be remembered, since the famine that follows it will be so severe.
32 Moreover, because the dream was given to Pharaoh in two versions, the matter has been decreed by God, and He will carry it out shortly.
33 Now, therefore, Pharaoh should look for a discerning and wise man and set him over the land of Egypt. 34 Let Pharaoh take action and appoint commissioners over the land to take a fifth of the harvest a of Egypt during the seven years of abundance. 35 Under the authority of Pharaoh, let them collect all the excess food from these good years, that they may come and lay up the grain to be preserved as food in the cities. 36 This food will be a reserve for the land during the seven years of famine to come upon the land of Egypt. Then the country will not perish in the famine.”
Joseph Given Charge of Egypt
37 This proposal pleased Pharaoh and all his officials. 38 So Pharaoh asked them, “Can we find anyone like this man, in whom the Spirit of God b abides?”
39 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one as discerning and wise as you. 40 You shall be in charge of my house, and all my people are to obey your commands. Only with regard to the throne will I be greater than you.”
41 Pharaoh also told Joseph, “I hereby place you over all the land of Egypt.” 42 Then Pharaoh removed the signet ring from his finger, put it on Joseph’s finger, clothed him in garments of fine linen, and placed a gold chain around his neck. 43 He had Joseph ride in his second chariot, with men calling out before him, “Bow the knee!” c So he placed him over all the land of Egypt.
44 And Pharaoh declared to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, but without your permission, no one in all the land of Egypt shall lift his hand or foot.”
45 Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-paneah, d and he gave him Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, e to be his wife. And Joseph took charge of all the land of Egypt.
The Seven Years of Plenty
46 Now Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph left Pharaoh’s presence and traveled throughout the land of Egypt.
47 During the seven years of abundance, the land brought forth bountifully. 48 During those seven years, Joseph collected all the excess food in the land of Egypt and stored it in the cities. In every city he laid up the food from the fields around it. 49 So Joseph stored up grain in such abundance, like the sand of the sea, that he stopped keeping track of it; for it was beyond measure.
50 Before the years of famine arrived, two sons were born to Joseph by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On. 51 Joseph named the firstborn Manasseh, f saying, “God has made me forget all my hardship and all my father’s household.” 52 And the second son he named Ephraim, g saying, “God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.”
The Famine Begins
53 When the seven years of abundance in the land of Egypt came to an end, 54 the seven years of famine began, just as Joseph had said. And although there was famine in every country, there was food throughout the land of Egypt. 55 When extreme hunger came to all the land of Egypt and the people cried out to Pharaoh for food, he told all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph and do whatever he tells you.”
56 When the famine had spread over all the land, Joseph opened up all the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians; for the famine was severe in the land of Egypt. 57 And every nation came to Joseph in Egypt to buy grain, because the famine was severe over all the earth.
Footnotes:
34 a See LXX; MT a fifth from the land
38 b Or the spirit of the gods
43 c That is, “Abrek,” probably an Egyptian word that sounds similar to the Hebrew for kneel
45 d Zaphenath-paneah probably means Revealer of Mysteries or God speaks and lives .
45 e That is, Heliopolis, as in LXX; also in verse 50
51 f Manasseh sounds like the Hebrew for making to forget .
52 g Ephraim sounds like the Hebrew for making fruitful or twice fruitful .
Genesis 42
Joseph’s Brothers Sent to Egypt
1 When Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why are you staring at one another?”
2 “Look,” he added, “I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy some for us, so that we may live and not die.”
3 So ten of Joseph’s brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt. 4 But Jacob did not send Joseph’s brother Benjamin with his brothers, for he said, “I am afraid that harm might befall him.”
5 So the sons of Israel were among those who came to buy grain, since the famine had also spread to the land of Canaan.
6 Now Joseph was the ruler of the land; he was the one who sold grain to all its people. So when his brothers arrived, they bowed down before him with their faces to the ground. 7 And when Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he treated them as strangers and spoke harshly to them. “Where have you come from?” he asked.
“From the land of Canaan,” they replied. “We are here to buy food.”
8 Although Joseph recognized his brothers, they did not recognize him. 9 Joseph remembered his dreams about them and said, “You are spies! You have come to see if our land is vulnerable.”
10 “Not so, my lord,” they replied. “Your servants have come to buy food. 11 We are all sons of one man. Your servants are honest men, not spies.”
12 “No,” he told them. “You have come to see if our land is vulnerable.”
13 But they answered, “Your servants are twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan. The youngest is now with our father, and one is no more.”
14 Then Joseph declared, “Just as I said, you are spies! 15 And this is how you will be tested: As surely as Pharaoh lives, you shall not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here. 16 Send one of your number to get your brother; the rest of you will be confined so that the truth of your words may be tested. If they are untrue, then as surely as Pharaoh lives, you are spies!”
17 So Joseph imprisoned them for three days, 18 and on the third day he said to them, “I fear God. So do this and you will live: 19 If you are honest, leave one of your brothers in custody while the rest of you go and take back grain to relieve the hunger of your households. 20 Then bring your youngest brother to me so that your words can be verified, that you may not die.”
And to this they consented.
21 Then they said to one another, “Surely we are being punished because of our brother. We saw his anguish when he pleaded with us, but we would not listen. That is why this distress has come upon us.”
22 And Reuben responded, “Didn’t I tell you not to sin against the boy? But you would not listen. Now we must account for his blood!”
23 They did not realize that Joseph understood them, since there was an interpreter between them. 24 And he turned away from them and wept. When he turned back and spoke to them, he took Simeon from them and had him bound before their eyes.
Joseph’s Brothers Return to Canaan
25 Then Joseph gave orders to fill their bags with grain, to return each man’s silver a to his sack, and to give them provisions for their journey. This order was carried out, 26 and they loaded the grain on their donkeys and departed.
27 At the place where they lodged for the night, one of them opened his sack to get feed for his donkey, and he saw his silver in the mouth of the sack. 28 “My silver has been returned!” he said to his brothers. “It is here in my sack.”
Their hearts sank, and trembling, they turned to one another and said, “What is this that God has done to us?”
29 When they reached their father Jacob in the land of Canaan, they described to him all that had happened to them: 30 “The man who is lord of the land spoke harshly to us and accused us of spying on the country.
31 But we told him, ‘We are honest men, not spies. 32 We are twelve brothers, sons of one father. One is no more, and the youngest is now with our father in the land of Canaan.’
33 Then the man who is lord of the land said to us, ‘This is how I will know whether you are honest: Leave one brother with me, take food to relieve the hunger of your households, and go. 34 But bring your youngest brother back to me so I will know that you are not spies but honest men. Then I will give your brother back to you, and you can trade in the land.’ ”
35 As they began emptying their sacks, there in each man’s sack was his bag of silver! And when they and their father saw the bags of silver, they were dismayed.
36 Their father Jacob said to them, “You have deprived me of my sons. Joseph is gone and Simeon is no more. Now you want to take Benjamin. Everything is going against me!”
37 Then Reuben said to his father, “You may kill my two sons if I fail to bring him back to you. Put him in my care, and I will return him.”
38 But Jacob replied, “My son will not go down there with you, for his brother is dead, and he alone is left. If any harm comes to him on your journey, you will bring my gray hair down to Sheol in sorrow.”
Footnotes:
25 a Or money ; here and throughout chapters 42–44
Genesis 43
The Return to Egypt with Benjamin
1 Now the famine was still severe in the land. 2 So when Jacob’s sons had eaten all the grain they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, “Go back and buy us a little more food.”
3 But Judah replied, “The man solemnly warned us, ‘You will not see my face again unless your brother is with you.’ 4 If you will send our brother with us, we will go down and buy food for you. 5 But if you will not send him, we will not go; for the man told us, ‘You will not see my face again unless your brother is with you.’ ”
6 “Why did you bring this trouble upon me?” Israel asked. “Why did you tell the man you had another brother?”
7 They replied, “The man questioned us in detail about ourselves and our family: ‘Is your father still alive? Do you have another brother?’ And we answered him accordingly. How could we possibly know that he would say, ‘Bring your brother here’?”
8 And Judah said to his father Israel, “Send the boy with me, and we will go at once, so that we may live and not die—neither we, nor you, nor our children. 9 I will guarantee his safety. You may hold me personally responsible. If I do not bring him back and set him before you, then may I bear the guilt before you all my life. 10 If we had not delayed, we could have come and gone twice by now.”
11 Then their father Israel said to them, “If it must be so, then do this: Put some of the best products of the land in your packs and carry them down as a gift for the man—a little balm and a little honey, spices and myrrh, pistachios and almonds. 12 Take double the silver with you so that you may return the silver that was put back into the mouths of your sacks. Perhaps it was a mistake. 13 Take your brother as well, and return to the man at once. 14 May God Almighty a grant you mercy before the man, that he may release your other brother along with Benjamin. As for me, if I am bereaved, I am bereaved.”
15 So the men took these gifts, along with double the amount of silver, and Benjamin as well. Then they hurried down to Egypt and stood before Joseph.
Joseph’s Hospitality to His Brothers
16 When Joseph saw Benjamin with his brothers, he said to the steward of his house, “Take these men to my house. Slaughter an animal and prepare it, for they shall dine with me at noon.” 17 The man did as Joseph had commanded and took the brothers to Joseph’s house.
18 But the brothers were frightened that they had been taken to Joseph’s house. “We have been brought here because of the silver that was returned in our bags the first time,” they said. “They intend to overpower us and take us as slaves, along with our donkeys.”
19 So they approached Joseph’s steward and spoke to him at the entrance to the house. 20 “Please, sir,” they said, “we really did come down here the first time to buy food. 21 But when we came to the place we lodged for the night, we opened our sacks and, behold, each of us found his silver in the mouth of his sack! It was the full amount of our silver, and we have brought it back with us. 22 We have brought additional silver with us to buy food. We do not know who put our silver in our sacks.”
23 “It is fine,” said the steward. “Do not be afraid. Your God, the God of your father, gave you the treasure that was in your sacks. I received your silver.” Then he brought Simeon out to them. 24 And the steward took the men into Joseph’s house, gave them water to wash their feet, and provided food for their donkeys.
25 Since the brothers had been told that they were going to eat a meal there, they prepared their gift for Joseph’s arrival at noon. 26 When Joseph came home, they presented him with the gifts they had brought, and they bowed to the ground before him.
27 He asked if they were well, and then he asked, “How is your elderly father you told me about? Is he still alive?”
28 “Your servant our father is well,” they answered. “He is still alive.” And they bowed down to honor him.
29 When Joseph looked up and saw his brother Benjamin, his own mother’s son, he asked, “Is this your youngest brother, the one you told me about?” Then he declared, “May God be gracious to you, my son.”
30 Joseph hurried out because he was moved to tears for his brother, and he went to a private room to weep. 31 Then he washed his face and came back out. Regaining his composure, he said, “Serve the meal.”
32 They separately served Joseph, his brothers, and the Egyptians. They ate separately because the Egyptians would not eat with the Hebrews, since that was detestable to them. 33 They were seated before Joseph in order by age, from the firstborn to the youngest, and the men looked at one another in astonishment. 34 When the portions were served to them from Joseph’s table, Benjamin’s portion was five times larger than any of the others. So they feasted and drank freely with Joseph.
Footnotes:
14 a Hebrew El-Shaddai
Genesis 44
Benjamin and the Silver Cup
1 Then Joseph instructed his steward: “Fill the men’s sacks with as much food as they can carry, and put each one’s silver in the mouth of his sack. 2 Put my cup, the silver one, in the mouth of the youngest one’s sack, along with the silver for his grain.”
So the steward did as Joseph had instructed.
3 At daybreak, the men were sent on their way with their donkeys. 4 They had not gone far from the city when Joseph told his steward, “Pursue the men at once, and when you overtake them, ask, ‘Why have you repaid good with evil? a 5 Is this not the cup b my master drinks from and uses for divination? What you have done is wicked!’ ”
6 When the steward overtook them, he relayed these words to them.
7 “Why does my lord say these things?” they asked. “Your servants could not possibly do such a thing. 8 We even brought back to you from the land of Canaan the silver we found in the mouths of our sacks. Why would we steal silver or gold from your master’s house? 9 If any of your servants is found to have it, he must die, and the rest will become slaves of my lord.”
10 “As you say,” replied the steward. “But only the one who is found with the cup will be my slave, and the rest of you shall be free of blame.”
11 So each one quickly lowered his sack to the ground and opened it. 12 The steward searched, beginning with the oldest and ending with the youngest—and the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack. 13 Then they all tore their clothes, loaded their donkeys, and returned to the city.
14 When Judah and his brothers arrived at Joseph’s house, he was still there, and they fell to the ground before him.
15 “What is this deed you have done?” Joseph declared. “Do you not know that a man like me can surely divine the truth?”
16 “What can we say to my lord?” Judah replied. “How can we plead? How can we justify ourselves? God has exposed the iniquity of your servants. We are now my lord’s slaves—both we and the one who was found with the cup.”
17 But Joseph replied, “Far be it from me to do this. The man who was found with the cup will be my slave. The rest of you may return to your father in peace.”
Judah Pleads for Benjamin
18 Then Judah approached Joseph and said, “Sir, please let your servant speak personally to my lord. Do not be angry with your servant, for you are equal to Pharaoh himself. 19 My lord asked his servants, ‘Do you have a father or a brother?’
20 And we answered, ‘We have an elderly father and a younger brother, the child of his old age. The boy’s brother is dead. He is the only one of his mother’s sons left, and his father loves him.’
21 Then you told your servants, ‘Bring him down to me so that I can see him for myself.’
22 So we said to my lord, ‘The boy cannot leave his father. If he were to leave, his father would die.’
23 But you said to your servants, ‘Unless your younger brother comes down with you, you will not see my face again.’
24 Now when we returned to your servant my father, we relayed your words to him.
25 Then our father said, ‘Go back and buy us some food.’
26 But we answered, ‘We cannot go down there unless our younger brother goes with us. So if our younger brother is not with us, we cannot see the man.’
27 And your servant my father said to us, ‘You know that my wife bore me two sons. 28 When one of them was gone, I said: “Surely he has been torn to pieces.” And I have not seen him since. 29 Now if you also take this one from me and harm comes to him, you will bring my gray hair down to Sheol in sorrow.’
30 So if the boy is not with us when I return to your servant, and if my father, whose life is wrapped up in the boy’s life, 31 sees that the boy is not with us, he will die. Then your servants will have brought the gray hair of your servant our father down to Sheol in sorrow. 32 Indeed, your servant guaranteed the boy’s safety to my father, saying, ‘If I do not return him to you, I will bear the guilt before you, my father, all my life.’
33 Now please let your servant stay here as my lord’s slave in place of the boy. Let him return with his brothers. 34 For how can I go back to my father without the boy? I could not bear to see the misery that would overwhelm him.”
Footnotes:
4 a LXX includes Why have you stolen my silver cup?
5 b Hebrew Is it not this which
Genesis 45
Joseph Reveals His Identity
1 Then Joseph could no longer control himself before all his attendants, and he cried out, “Send everyone away from me!”
So none of them were with Joseph when he made himself known to his brothers. 2 But he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard him, and Pharaoh’s household soon heard of it.
3 Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?”
But they were unable to answer him, because they were terrified in his presence.
4 Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Please come near me.” And they did so.
“I am Joseph, your brother,” he said, “the one you sold into Egypt! 5 And now, do not be distressed or angry with yourselves that you sold me into this place, because it was to save lives that God sent me before you. 6 For the famine has covered the land these two years, and there will be five more years without plowing or harvesting. 7 God sent me before you to preserve you as a remnant on the earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance. a 8 Therefore it was not you who sent me here, but God, who has made me a father to Pharaoh—lord of all his household and ruler over all the land of Egypt.
Joseph Sends for His Father
9 Now return quickly to my father and tell him, ‘This is what your son Joseph says:God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me without delay. 10 You shall settle in the land of Goshen and be near me—you and your children and grandchildren, your flocks and herds, and everything you own. 11 And there I will provide for you, because there will be five more years of famine. Otherwise, you and your household and everything you own will come to destitution.’
12 Behold! You and my brother Benjamin can see that I, Joseph, am the one speaking with you. 13 Tell my father about all my splendor in Egypt and everything you have seen. And bring my father down here quickly.”
14 Then Joseph threw his arms around his brother Benjamin and wept, and Benjamin wept as they embraced. 15 Joseph kissed each of his brothers as he wept over them. And afterward his brothers talked with him.
Pharaoh Invites Jacob to Egypt
16 When the news reached Pharaoh’s house that Joseph’s brothers had come, Pharaoh and his servants were pleased.
17 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Tell your brothers, ‘Do as follows: Load your animals and return to the land of Canaan. 18 Then bring your father and your families and return to me. I will give you the best of the land of Egypt, and you shall eat from the fat of the land.’ 19 You are also directed to tell them:‘Take wagons from the land of Egypt for your young children and your wives, and bring your father and come back. 20 But pay no regard to your belongings, for the best of all the land of Egypt is yours.’ ”
21 So the sons of Israel did as they were told. Joseph gave them wagons as Pharaoh had instructed, and he also gave them provisions for their journey. 22 He gave new garments to each of them, but to Benjamin he gave three hundred shekels of silver b and five sets of clothes. 23 And he sent to his father the following:ten donkeys loaded with the best of Egypt, and ten female donkeys loaded with grain and bread and provisions for his father’s journey.
24 Then Joseph sent his brothers on their way, and as they were leaving, he said to them, “Do not quarrel on the way!”
The Revival of Jacob
25 So the brothers went up out of Egypt and came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan. 26 “Joseph is still alive,” they said, “and he is ruler over all the land of Egypt!”
But Jacob was stunned, for he did not believe them. 27 However, when they relayed all that Joseph had told them, and when he saw the wagons that Joseph had sent to carry him back, the spirit of their father Jacob was revived.
28 “Enough!” declared Israel. “My son Joseph is still alive! I will go to see him before I die.”
Footnotes:
7 a Or and to keep you alive as a great band of survivors
22 b 300 shekels is approximately 7.5 pounds or 3.4 kilograms of silver.
Genesis 46
Jacob’s Journey to Egypt
1 So Israel set out with all that he had, and when he came to Beersheba, he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. 2 And that night God spoke to Israel in a vision: “Jacob, Jacob!” He said.
“Here I am,” replied Jacob.
3 “I am God,” He said, “the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there. 4 I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will surely bring you back. And Joseph’s own hands will close your eyes.”
5 Then Jacob departed from Beersheba, and the sons of Israel took their father Jacob in the wagons Pharaoh had sent to carry him, along with their children and wives. 6 They also took the livestock and possessions they had acquired in the land of Canaan, and Jacob and all his offspring went to Egypt.
Those Who Went to Egypt
(Exodus 1:1–7)
7 Jacob took with him to Egypt his sons and grandsons, and his daughters and granddaughters—all his offspring.
The Children of Leah
8 Now these are the names of the sons of Israel (Jacob and his descendants) who went to Egypt: Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn.
9 The sons of Reuben: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.
10 The sons of Simeon: Jemuel, a Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, b and Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman.
11 The sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
12 The sons of Judah: Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah; but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan.
The sons of Perez: Hezron and Hamul.
13 The sons of Issachar: Tola, Puvah, c Job, d and Shimron.
14 The sons of Zebulun: Sered, Elon, and Jahleel.
15 These are the sons of Leah born to Jacob in Paddan-aram, e in addition to his daughter Dinah. The total number of sons and daughters was thirty-three.
The Children of Zilpah
16 The sons of Gad: Ziphion, f Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, g and Areli.
17 The children of Asher: Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, Beriah, and their sister Serah.
The sons of Beriah: Heber and Malchiel.
18 These are the sons of Jacob born to Zilpah—whom Laban gave to his daughter Leah—sixteen in all.
The Children of Rachel
19 The sons of Jacob’s wife Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin.
20 Manasseh and Ephraim were born to Joseph in the land of Egypt by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On. h
21 The sons of Benjamin: Bela, Becher, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim, and Ard.
22 These are the sons of Rachel born to Jacob—fourteen in all.
The Children of Bilhah
23 The son of Dan: Hushim.
24 The sons of Naphtali: Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem.
25 These are the sons of Jacob born to Bilhah, whom Laban gave to his daughter Rachel—seven in all.
26 All those belonging to Jacob who came to Egypt—his direct descendants, besides the wives of Jacob’s sons—numbered sixty-six persons. 27 And with the two sons i who had been born to Joseph in Egypt, the members of Jacob’s family who went to Egypt were seventy j in all.
Jacob Arrives in Egypt
28 Now Jacob had sent Judah ahead of him to Joseph to get directions to Goshen. When Jacob’s family arrived in the land of Goshen, 29 Joseph prepared his chariot and went there to meet his father Israel. Joseph presented himself to him, embraced him, and wept profusely.
30 Then Israel said to Joseph, “Finally I can die, now that I have seen your face and know that you are still alive!”
31 Joseph said to his brothers and to his father’s household, “I will go up and inform Pharaoh: ‘My brothers and my father’s household from the land of Canaan have come to me. 32 The men are shepherds; they raise livestock, and they have brought their flocks and herds and all that they own.’
33 When Pharaoh summons you and asks, ‘What is your occupation?’ 34 you are to say, ‘Your servants have raised livestock ever since our youth—both we and our fathers.’ Then you will be allowed to settle in the land of Goshen, since all shepherds are detestable to the Egyptians.”
Footnotes:
10 a Jemuel is another name for Nemuel ; see Numbers 26:12.
10 b Zohar is a variant of Zerah ; see Numbers 26:13 and 1 Chronicles 4:24.
13 c Hebrew; SP and Syriac Puah ; see 1 Chronicles 7:1.
13 d Hebrew; SP and some LXX manuscripts Jashub ; see Numbers 26:24 and 1 Chronicles 7:1.
15 e That is, northwest Mesopotamia
16 f SP and LXX Zephon ; see also Numbers 26:15.
16 g Arodi is a variant of Arod ; see Numbers 26:17.
20 h That is, Heliopolis, as in LXX
27 i Hebrew; LXX the nine sons , probably including Joseph’s grandsons through Ephraim and Manasseh; see 1 Chronicles 7:14–29.
27 j Hebrew (see also Exodus 1:5); LXX (see also Acts 7:14) seventy-five
Genesis 47
Jacob Settles in Goshen
1 So Joseph went and told Pharaoh: “My father and my brothers, with their flocks and herds and all they own, have come from the land of Canaan and are now in Goshen.”
2 And he chose five of his brothers and presented them before Pharaoh.
3 “What is your occupation?” Pharaoh asked Joseph’s brothers.
“Your servants are shepherds,” they replied, “both we and our fathers.”
4 Then they said to Pharaoh, “We have come to live in the land for a time, because there is no pasture for the flocks of your servants, since the famine in the land of Canaan has been severe. So now, please allow your servants to settle in the land of Goshen.”
5 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Now that your father and brothers have come to you, 6 the land of Egypt is before you; settle your father and brothers in the best part of the land. They may dwell in the land of Goshen. And if you know of any talented men among them, put them in charge of my own livestock.”
7 Then Joseph brought in his father Jacob and presented him before Pharaoh, and Jacob blessed Pharaoh.
8 “How many years have you lived?” Pharaoh asked.
9 “My travels a have lasted 130 years,” Jacob replied. “My years have been few and hard, and they have not matched the years of the travels of my fathers.”
10 Then Jacob blessed Pharaoh and departed from his presence.
11 So Joseph settled his father and brothers in the land of Egypt and gave them property in the best part of the land, the district of Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded. 12 Joseph also provided his father and brothers and all his father’s household with food for their families.
The Famine Continues
13 There was no food, however, in all that region, because the famine was so severe; the lands of Egypt and Canaan had been exhausted by the famine. 14 Joseph collected all the money to be found in the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan in exchange for the grain they were buying, and he brought it into Pharaoh’s palace. 15 When the money from the lands of Egypt and Canaan was gone, all the Egyptians came to Joseph and said, “Give us food. Why should we die before your eyes? For our funds have run out!”
16 “Then bring me your livestock,” said Joseph. “Since the money is gone, I will sell you food in exchange for your livestock.” 17 So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and he gave them food in exchange for their horses, their flocks and herds, and their donkeys. Throughout that year he provided them with food in exchange for all their livestock.
18 When that year was over, they came to him the second year and said, “We cannot hide from our lord that our money is gone and all our livestock belongs to you. There is nothing left for our lord except our bodies and our land. 19 Why should we perish before your eyes—we and our land as well? Purchase us and our land in exchange for food. Then we, along with our land, will be slaves to Pharaoh. Give us seed that we may live and not die, and that the land may not become desolate.”
20 So Joseph acquired for Pharaoh all the land in Egypt; the Egyptians, one and all, sold their fields because the famine was so severe upon them. The land became Pharaoh’s, 21 and Joseph reduced the people to servitude b from one end of Egypt to the other. 22 However, he did not acquire the priests’ portion of the land, for it had been given to them by Pharaoh. They ate the rations that Pharaoh supplied; so they did not sell their land.
23 Then Joseph said to the people, “Now that I have acquired you and your land for Pharaoh this day, here is seed for you to sow in the land. 24 At harvest time, you are to give a fifth of it to Pharaoh, and four-fifths will be yours as seed for the field and food for yourselves and your households and children.”
25 “You have saved our lives,” they said. “We have found favor in our lord’s eyes, and we will be Pharaoh’s servants.” 26 So Joseph established a law that a fifth of the produce belongs to Pharaoh, and it is in effect in the land of Egypt to this day. Only the priests’ land does not belong to Pharaoh.
The Israelites Prosper in Goshen
27 Now the Israelites settled in the land of Egypt, in the region of Goshen. They acquired property there and became fruitful and increased greatly in number. 28 And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years, and the length of his life was 147 years.
29 When the time drew near for Israel to die, he called his son Joseph and said to him, “If I have found favor in your eyes, put your hand under my thigh and promise to show me kindness and faithfulness. Do not bury me in Egypt, 30 but when I lie down with my fathers, carry me out of Egypt and bury me with them.”
Joseph answered, “I will do as you have requested.”
31 “Swear to me,” Jacob said.
So Joseph swore to him, and Israel bowed in worship at the head of his bed. c
Footnotes:
9 a Hebrew sojourns ; twice in this verse
21 b SP, LXX, Vulgate; Hebrew removed the people to the cities
31 c Hebrew; LXX Israel worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff ; see Hebrews 11:21.
Genesis 48
Jacob Blesses Ephraim and Manasseh
1 Some time later Joseph was told, “Your father is ill.” So he set out with his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. 2 When Jacob was told, “Your son Joseph has come to you,” Israel rallied his strength and sat up in bed.
3 Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty a appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and there He blessed me 4 and told me, ‘Behold, I will make you fruitful and multiply you; I will make you a multitude of peoples, and will give this land to your descendants after you as an everlasting possession.’
5 And now your two sons born to you in Egypt before I came to you here shall be reckoned as mine; Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine, just as Reuben and Simeon are mine. 6 Any children born to you after them shall be yours, and they shall be called by the names of their brothers in the territory they inherit.
7 Now as for me, when I was returning from Paddan, b to my sorrow Rachel died along the way in the land of Canaan, some distance from Ephrath. So I buried her there beside the road to Ephrath” (that is, Bethlehem).
8 When Israel saw the sons of Joseph, he asked, “Who are these?”
9 Joseph said to his father, “They are the sons God has given me in this place.”
So Jacob said, “Please bring them to me, that I may bless them.”
10 Now Israel’s eyesight was poor because of old age; he could hardly see. Joseph brought his sons to him, and his father kissed them and embraced them.
11 “I never expected to see your face again,” Israel said to Joseph, “but now God has let me see your children as well.”
12 Then Joseph removed his sons from his father’s knees and bowed facedown.
13 And Joseph took both of them—with Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel’s left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel’s right hand—and brought them close to him. 14 But Israel stretched out his right hand and put it on the head of Ephraim, the younger; and crossing his hands, he put his left on Manasseh’s head, although Manasseh was the firstborn. 15 Then he blessed Joseph and said:
“May the God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked,
the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day,
16 the angel c who has redeemed me from all harm—
may He bless these boys.
And may they be called by my name
and the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac,
and may they grow into a multitude upon the earth.”
17 When Joseph saw that his father had placed his right hand on Ephraim’s head, he was displeased and took his father’s hand to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s. 18 “Not so, my father!” Joseph said. “This one is the firstborn; put your right hand on his head.”
19 But his father refused. “I know, my son, I know!” he said. “He too shall become a people, and he too shall be great; nevertheless, his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his offspring shall become a multitude of nations.”
20 So that day Jacob blessed them and said:
“By you shall Israel pronounce this blessing:
‘May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.’ ”
So he put Ephraim before Manasseh.
21 Then Israel said to Joseph, “Look, I am about to die, but God will be with you and bring you back to the land of your fathers. 22 And to you, as one who is above your brothers, I give the ridge of land d that I took from the Amorites with my sword and bow.”
Footnotes:
3 a Hebrew El-Shaddai
7 b That is, northwest Mesopotamia
16 c Or Angel
22 d Or one portion of the land ; Hebrew shekem , which sounds like the town and district called Shechem
Genesis 49
Jacob Blesses His Sons
1 Then Jacob called for his sons and said, “Gather around so that I can tell you what will happen to you in the days to come:
2 Come together and listen, O sons of Jacob;
listen to your father Israel.
3 Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might,
and the beginning of my strength,
excelling in honor,
excelling in power.
4 Uncontrolled as the waters,
you will no longer excel,
because you went up to your father’s bed,
onto my couch, and defiled it.
5 Simeon and Levi are brothers;
their swords a are weapons of violence.
6 May I never enter their council;
may I never join their assembly.
For they kill men in their anger,
and hamstring oxen on a whim.
7 Cursed be their anger, for it is strong,
and their wrath, for it is cruel!
I will disperse them in Jacob
and scatter them in Israel.
8 Judah, b your brothers shall praise you.
Your hand shall be on the necks of your enemies;
your father’s sons shall bow down to you.
9 Judah is a young lion—
my son, you return from the prey.
Like a lion he crouches and lies down;
like a lioness, who dares to rouse him?
10 The scepter will not depart from Judah,
nor the staff from between his feet, c
until Shiloh d comes
and the allegiance of the nations is his.
11 He ties his donkey to the vine,
his colt to the choicest branch.
He washes his garments in wine,
his robes in the blood of grapes.
12 His eyes are darker than wine,
and his teeth are whiter than milk.
13 Zebulun shall dwell by the seashore
and become a harbor for ships;
his border shall extend to Sidon.
14 Issachar is a strong donkey,
lying down between the sheepfolds. e
15 He saw that his resting place was good
and that his land was pleasant,
so he bent his shoulder to the burden
and submitted to labor as a servant.
16 Dan shall provide justice for his people f
as one of the tribes of Israel.
17 He will be a snake by the road,
a viper in the path
that bites the horse’s heels
so that its rider tumbles backward.
18 I await Your salvation, O LORD.
19 Gad g will be attacked by raiders,
but he will attack their heels.
20 Asher’s food will be rich;
he shall provide royal delicacies.
21 Naphtali is a doe set free
that bears beautiful fawns. h
22 Joseph is a fruitful vine—
a fruitful vine by a spring,
whose branches scale the wall. i
23 The archers attacked him with bitterness;
they aimed at him in hostility.
24 Yet he steadied his bow,
and his strong arms were tempered
by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob,
in the name of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel,
25 by the God of your father who helps you,
and by the Almighty j who blesses you,
with blessings of the heavens above,
with blessings of the depths below,
with blessings of the breasts and womb.
26 The blessings of your father have surpassed
the blessings of the ancient mountains k
and the bounty of the everlasting hills.
May they rest on the head of Joseph,
on the brow of the prince of his brothers.
27 Benjamin is a ravenous wolf;
in the morning he devours the prey,
in the evening he divides the plunder.”
28 These are the tribes of Israel, twelve in all, and this was what their father said to them. He blessed them, and he blessed each one with a suitable blessing.
The Death of Jacob
29 Then Jacob instructed them, “I am about to be gathered to my people. Bury me with my fathers in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite. 30 The cave is in the field of Machpelah near Mamre, in the land of Canaan. This is the field Abraham purchased from Ephron the Hittite as a burial site. 31 There Abraham and his wife Sarah are buried, there Isaac and his wife Rebekah are buried, and there I buried Leah. 32 The field and the cave that is in it were purchased from the Hittites.”
33 When Jacob had finished instructing his sons, he pulled his feet into the bed and breathed his last, and he was gathered to his people.
Footnotes:
5 a Or dwelling places
8 b Judah sounds like the Hebrew for praise .
10 c Or from his descendants
10 d Or until the one to whom tribute belongs
14 e Or saddlebags or hearths
16 f Or Dan shall judge his people ; Dan means He has judged or He has vindicated .
19 g Gad sounds like the Hebrew for raid and also for band of raiders .
21 h Or gives beautiful words or bears fawns of the fold
22 i Or Joseph is a wild donkey, a wild donkey by a spring, with his wild colts beside the wall
25 j Hebrew Shaddai
26 k Or of my ancestors
Genesis 50
Mourning and Burial for Jacob
1 Then Joseph fell upon his father’s face, wept over him, and kissed him.
2 And Joseph directed the physicians in his service to embalm his father Israel. So they embalmed him, 3 taking the forty days required to complete the embalming. And the Egyptians mourned for him seventy days.
4 When the days of mourning had passed, Joseph said to Pharaoh’s court, “If I have found favor in your eyes, please tell Pharaoh that 5 my father made me swear an oath when he said, ‘I am about to die. You must bury me in the tomb that I dug for myself in the land of Canaan.’ Now let me go and bury my father, and then return.”
6 Pharaoh replied, “Go up and bury your father, as he made you swear to do.”
7 Then Joseph went to bury his father, and all the servants of Pharaoh accompanied him—the elders of Pharaoh’s household and all the elders of the land of Egypt— 8 along with all of Joseph’s household, and his brothers, and his father’s household. Only their children and flocks and herds were left in Goshen.
9 Chariots and horsemen alike went up with him, and it was an exceedingly large procession. 10 When they reached the threshing floor of Atad, which is across the Jordan, they lamented and wailed loudly, and Joseph mourned for his father seven days.
11 When the Canaanites of the land saw the mourning at the threshing floor of Atad, they said, “This is a solemn ceremony of mourning by the Egyptians.” Thus the place across the Jordan is called Abel-mizraim. a
12 So Jacob’s sons did as he had charged them. 13 They carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave at Machpelah in the field near Mamre, which Abraham had purchased from Ephron the Hittite as a burial site.
14 After Joseph had buried his father, he returned to Egypt with his brothers and all who had gone with him to bury his father.
Joseph Comforts His Brothers
15 When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “What if Joseph bears a grudge? Then he will surely repay us for all the evil that we did to him.”
16 So they sent word to Joseph, saying, “Before he died, your father commanded, 17 ‘This is what you are to say to Joseph: I beg you, please forgive the transgression and sin of your brothers, for they did you wrong.’ So now, Joseph, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.”
When their message came to him, Joseph wept. 18 His brothers also came to him, bowed down before him, and said, “We are your slaves!”
19 But Joseph replied, “Do not be afraid. Am I in the place of God? 20 As for you, what you intended against me for evil, God intended for good, in order to accomplish a day like this—to preserve the lives of many people. 21 Therefore do not be afraid. I will provide for you and your little ones.” So Joseph reassured his brothers and spoke kindly to them.
The Death of Joseph
22 Now Joseph and his father’s household remained in Egypt, and Joseph lived to the age of 110. 23 He saw Ephraim’s sons to the third generation, and indeed the sons of Machir son of Manasseh were brought up b on Joseph’s knees.
24 Then Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die, but God will surely visit you and bring you up from this land to the land He promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” 25 And Joseph made the sons of Israel take an oath and said, “God will surely attend to you, and then you must carry my bones up from this place.”
26 So Joseph died at the age of 110. And they embalmed his body and placed it in a coffin in Egypt.
Footnotes:
11 a Abel-mizraim means mourning of the Egyptians .
23 b Or born or placed at birth
Exodus
Exodus 1
The Israelites Multiply in Egypt
(Genesis 46:7–27)
1 These are the names of the sons of Israel who went to Egypt with Jacob, each with his family:
2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah;
3 Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin;
4 Dan and Naphtali;
5 The descendants of Jacob numbered seventy a in all, including Joseph, who was already in Egypt.
6 Now Joseph and all his brothers and all that generation died, 7 but the Israelites were fruitful and increased rapidly; they multiplied and became exceedingly numerous, so that the land was filled with them.
Oppression by a New King
(Acts 7:15–19)
8 Then a new king, who did not know Joseph, came to power in Egypt. 9 “Look,” he said to his people, “the Israelites have become too numerous and too powerful for us. 10 Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, or they will increase even more; and if a war breaks out, they may join our enemies, fight against us, and leave the country. b”
11 So the Egyptians appointed taskmasters over the Israelites to oppress them with forced labor. As a result, they built Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh. 12 But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and flourished; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites.
13 They worked the Israelites ruthlessly 14 and made their lives bitter with hard labor in brick and mortar, and with all kinds of work in the fields. Every service they imposed was harsh.
15 Then the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shiphrah and Puah, 16 “When you help the Hebrew women give birth, observe them on the birthstools. If the child is a son, kill him; but if it is a daughter, let her live.”
17 The midwives, however, feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt had instructed; they let the boys live. 18 So the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and asked them, “Why have you done this? Why have you let the boys live?”
19 The midwives answered Pharaoh, “The Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women, for they are vigorous and give birth before a midwife arrives.”
20 So God was good to the midwives, and the people multiplied and became even more numerous. 21 And because the midwives feared God, He gave them families of their own.
22 Then Pharaoh commanded all his people: “Every son born to the Hebrews c you must throw into the Nile, but every daughter you may allow to live.”
Footnotes:
5 a MT (see also Genesis 46:27); DSS and LXX (see also Acts 7:14) seventy-five
10 b Or and take the country
22 c SP, LXX, and Targum Yonaton; Hebrew does not include to the Hebrews .
Exodus 2
The Birth and Adoption of Moses
(Acts 7:20–22; Hebrews 11:23)
1 Now a man of the house of Levi married a daughter of Levi, 2 and she conceived and gave birth to a son. When she saw that he was a beautiful child, she hid him for three months.
3 But when she could no longer hide him, she got him a papyrus basket a and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child in the basket and set it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile. 4 And his sister stood at a distance to see what would happen to him.
5 Soon the daughter of Pharaoh went down to bathe in the Nile, and her attendants were walking along the riverbank. And when she saw the basket among the reeds, she sent her maidservant to retrieve it. 6 When she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the little boy was crying. So she had compassion on him and said, “This is one of the Hebrew children.”
7 Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and call one of the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?”
8 “Go ahead,” Pharaoh’s daughter told her. And the girl went and called the boy’s mother.
9 Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child and nurse him for me, and I will pay your wages.” So the woman took the boy and nursed him.
10 When the child had grown older, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. She named him Moses b and explained, “I drew him out of the water.”
The Rejection and Flight of Moses
(Acts 7:23–29)
11 One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to his own people c and observed their hard labor. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people. 12 After looking this way and that and seeing no one, he struck down the Egyptian and hid his body in the sand.
13 The next day Moses went out and saw two Hebrews fighting. He asked the one in the wrong, “Why are you attacking your companion?”
14 But the man replied, “Who made you ruler and judge over us? d Are you planning to kill me as you killed the Egyptian? e”
Then Moses was afraid and thought, “This thing I have done has surely become known.”
15 When Pharaoh heard about this matter, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh and settled in the land of Midian, where he sat down beside a well.
16 Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters, and they came to draw water and fill the troughs to water their father’s flock. 17 And when some shepherds came along and drove them away, Moses rose up to help them and watered their flock.
18 When the daughters returned to their father Reuel, f he asked them, “Why have you returned so early today?”
19 “An Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds,” they replied. “He even drew water for us and watered the flock.”
20 “So where is he?” their father asked. “Why did you leave the man behind? Invite him to have something to eat.”
21 Moses agreed to stay with the man, and he gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses in marriage. 22 And she gave birth to a son, and Moses named him Gershom, g saying, “I have become a foreigner in a foreign land.”
God Hears the Cry of the Israelites
23 After a long time, the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned and cried out under their burden of slavery, and their cry for deliverance from bondage ascended to God.
24 So God heard their groaning, and He remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 25 God saw the Israelites and took notice.
Footnotes:
3 a The Hebrew can also mean ark ; also in verse 5; see Genesis 6:14.
10 b Moses sounds like a Hebrew term that means to lift out .
11 c Or his brothers
14 d Cited in Acts 7:27 and Acts 7:35
14 e LXX Are you planning to kill me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday? Cited in Acts 7:28
18 f Reuel was also called Jethro ; see Exodus 3:1.
22 g Gershom sounds like the Hebrew for foreigner .
Exodus 3
Moses at the Burning Bush
(Acts 7:30–38)
1 Meanwhile, Moses was shepherding the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, a the priest of Midian. He led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, b the mountain of God. 2 There the angel c of the LORD appeared to him in a blazing fire from within a bush. Moses saw the bush ablaze with fire, but it was not consumed. 3 So Moses thought, “I must go over and see this marvelous sight. Why is the bush not burning up?”
4 When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called out to him from within the bush, “Moses, Moses!”
5 “Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” d 6 Then He said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” e
At this, Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.
7 The LORD said, “I have indeed seen the affliction of My people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their oppressors, and I am aware of their sufferings. 8 I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.
9 And now the cry of the Israelites has reached Me, and I have seen how severely the Egyptians are oppressing them. 10 Therefore, go! I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring My people the Israelites out of Egypt.” f
11 But Moses asked God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”
12 “I will surely be with you,” God said, “and this will be the sign to you that I have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, all of you will worship God on this mountain.” g
13 Then Moses asked God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is His name?’ What should I tell them?”
14 God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. h This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ”
15 God also told Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’ This is My name forever, and this is how I am to be remembered in every generation.
16 Go, assemble the elders of Israel and say to them, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—has appeared to me and said: I have surely attended to you and have seen what has been done to you in Egypt. 17 And I have promised to bring you up out of your affliction in Egypt, into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites—a land flowing with milk and honey.’
18 The elders of Israel will listen to what you say, and you must go with them to the king of Egypt and tell him, ‘The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. Now please let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness, so that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God.’
19 But I know that the king of Egypt will not allow you to go unless a mighty hand compels him. i 20 So I will stretch out My hand and strike the Egyptians with all the wonders I will perform among them. And after that, he will release you.
21 And I will grant this people such favor in the sight of the Egyptians that when you leave, you will not go away empty-handed. 22 Every woman shall ask her neighbor and any woman staying in her house for silver and gold jewelry and clothing, and you will put them on your sons and daughters. So you will plunder the Egyptians.”
Footnotes:
1 a Moses’ father-in-law Jethro was also called Reuel ; see Exodus 2:18.
1 b That is, Mount Sinai, or possibly a mountain in the range containing Mount Sinai
2 c Or Angel
5 d Cited in Acts 7:33
6 e Cited in Matthew 22:32, Mark 12:26, Luke 20:37, and Acts 7:32
10 f Cited in Acts 7:34
12 g Cited in Acts 7:7
14 h Or I WILL BE WHAT I WILL BE
19 i Literally except by a mighty hand
Exodus 4
Moses’ Staff
1 Then Moses answered, “What if they do not believe me or listen to my voice? For they may say, ‘The LORD has not appeared to you.’ ”
2 And the LORD asked him, “What is that in your hand?”
3 “Throw it on the ground,” said the LORD. So Moses threw it on the ground, and it became a snake, a and he ran from it.
4 “Stretch out your hand and grab it by the tail,” the LORD said to Moses, who reached out his hand and caught the snake, and it turned back into a staff in his hand. 5 “This is so that they may believe that the LORD, the God of their fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—has appeared to you.”
Moses’ Hand
6 Furthermore, the LORD said to Moses, “Put your hand inside your cloak. b” So he put his hand inside his cloak, and when he took it out, his hand was leprous, c white as snow.
7 “Put your hand back inside your cloak,” said the LORD.
So Moses put his hand back inside his cloak, and when he took it out, it was restored, like the rest of his skin.
8 And the LORD said, “If they refuse to believe you or heed the witness of the first sign, they may believe that of the second. 9 But if they do not believe even these two signs or listen to your voice, take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground. Then the water you take from the Nile will become blood on the ground.”
The Appointment of Aaron
10 “Please, Lord,” Moses replied, “I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since You have spoken to Your servant, for I am slow of speech and tongue.”
11 And the LORD said to him, “Who gave man his mouth? Or who makes the mute or the deaf, the sighted or the blind? Is it not I, the LORD? 12 Now go! I will help you as you speak, and I will teach you what to say.”
13 But Moses replied, “Please, Lord, send someone else.”
14 Then the anger of the LORD burned against Moses, and He said, “Is not Aaron the Levite your brother? I know that he can speak well, and he is now on his way to meet you. When he sees you, he will be glad in his heart. 15 You are to speak to him and put the words in his mouth. I will help both of you to speak, and I will teach you what to do. 16 He will speak to the people for you. He will be your spokesman, and it will be as if you were God to him. 17 But take this staff in your hand so you can perform signs with it.”
Moses Leaves for Egypt
18 Then Moses went back to his father-in-law Jethro d and said to him, “Please let me return to my brothers in Egypt to see if they are still alive.”
“Go in peace,” Jethro replied.
19 Now the LORD had said to Moses in Midian, “Go back to Egypt, for all the men who sought to kill you are dead.” 20 So Moses took his wife and sons, put them on a donkey, and headed back to Egypt. And he took the staff of God in his hand.
21 The LORD instructed Moses, “When you go back to Egypt, see that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders that I have put within your power. But I will harden e his heart so that he will not let the people go.
22 Then tell Pharaoh that this is what the LORD says: ‘Israel is My firstborn son, 23 and I told you to let My son go so that he may worship Me. But since you have refused to let him go, behold, I will kill your firstborn son!’ ”
24 Now at a lodging place along the way, the LORD met Moses f and was about to kill him. 25 But Zipporah took a flint knife, cut off her son’s foreskin, and touched it to Moses’ feet. g “Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me,” she said.
26 So the LORD let him alone. (When she said, “bridegroom of blood,” she was referring to the circumcision.)
The People Believe Moses and Aaron
27 Meanwhile, the LORD had said to Aaron, “Go and meet Moses in the wilderness.” So he went and met Moses at the mountain of God and kissed him. 28 And Moses told Aaron everything the LORD had sent him to say, and all the signs He had commanded him to perform.
29 Then Moses and Aaron went and assembled all the elders of the Israelites, 30 and Aaron relayed everything the LORD had said to Moses.
And Moses performed the signs before the people, 31 and they believed. And when they heard that the LORD had attended to the Israelites and had seen their affliction, they bowed down and worshiped.
Footnotes:
3 a Hebrew nachash , in contrast to Aaron’s staff, which became a tannin in Exodus 7:10
6 b Hebrew into your bosom ; twice in this verse and twice in verse 7
6 c The Hebrew word traditionally translated as leprous was used for various skin diseases; see Leviticus 13.
18 d Moses’ father-in-law Jethro was also called Reuel ; see Exodus 2:18.
21 e Or stiffen or strengthen
24 f Hebrew him
25 g Hebrew his feet
Exodus 5
Pharaoh’s First Refusal
1 After that, Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Let My people go, so that they may hold a feast to Me in the wilderness.’ ”
2 But Pharaoh replied, “Who is the LORD that I should obey His voice and let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, and I will not let Israel go.”
3 “The God of the Hebrews has met with us,” they answered. “Please let us go on a three-day journey into the wilderness to sacrifice to the LORD our God, or He may strike us with plagues or with the sword.”
4 But the king of Egypt said to them, “Moses and Aaron, why do you draw the people away from their work? Get back to your labor!” 5 Pharaoh also said, “Look, the people of the land are now numerous, and you would be stopping them from their labor.”
Bricks and Straw
6 That same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of the people and their foremen: 7 “You shall no longer supply the people with straw for making bricks. They must go and gather their own straw. 8 But require of them the same quota of bricks as before; do not reduce it. For they are lazy; that is why they are crying out, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’ 9 Make the work harder on the men so they will be occupied and pay no attention to these lies.”
10 So the taskmasters and foremen of the people went out and said to them, “This is what Pharaoh says: ‘I am no longer giving you straw. 11 Go and get your own straw wherever you can find it; but your workload will in no way be reduced.’ ”
12 So the people scattered all over the land of Egypt to gather stubble for straw. 13 The taskmasters kept pressing them, saying, “Fulfill your quota each day, just as you did when straw was provided.”
14 Then the Israelite foremen, whom Pharaoh’s taskmasters had set over the people, were beaten and asked, “Why have you not fulfilled your quota of bricks yesterday or today, as you did before?”
The Cry of the Israelites
15 So the Israelite foremen went and appealed to Pharaoh: “Why are you treating your servants this way? 16 No straw has been given to your servants, yet we are told, ‘Make bricks!’ Look, your servants are being beaten, but the fault is with your own people.”
17 “You are slackers!” Pharaoh replied. “Slackers! That is why you keep saying, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to the LORD.’ 18 Now get to work. You will be given no straw, yet you must deliver the full quota of bricks.”
19 The Israelite foremen realized they were in trouble when they were told, “You must not reduce your daily quota of bricks.” 20 When they left Pharaoh, they confronted Moses and Aaron, who stood waiting to meet them.
21 “May the LORD look upon you and judge you,” the foremen said, “for you have made us a stench before Pharaoh and his officials; you have placed in their hand a sword to kill us!”
22 So Moses returned to the LORD and asked, “Lord, why have You brought trouble upon this people? Is this why You sent me? 23 Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has brought trouble on this people, and You have not delivered Your people in any way.”
Exodus 6
God Promises Deliverance
1 But the LORD said to Moses, “Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh, for because of My mighty hand he will let the people go; because of My strong hand he will drive them out of his land.”
2 God also told Moses, “I am the LORD. 3 I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as God Almighty, a but by My name the LORD I did not make Myself known to them. 4 I also established My covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, the land where they lived as foreigners. 5 Furthermore, I have heard the groaning of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are enslaving, and I have remembered My covenant.
6 Therefore tell the Israelites: ‘I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians and deliver you from their bondage. I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. 7 I will take you as My own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. 8 And I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I will give it to you as a possession. I am the LORD!’ ”
9 Moses relayed this message to the Israelites, but on account of their broken spirit and cruel bondage, they did not listen to him.
10 So the LORD said to Moses, 11 “Go and tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the Israelites go out of his land.”
12 But in the LORD’s presence Moses replied, “If the Israelites will not listen to me, then why would Pharaoh listen to me, since I am unskilled in speech? b”
13 Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron and gave them a charge concerning both the Israelites and Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring the Israelites out of the land of Egypt.
Genealogies of Moses and Aaron
14 These were the heads of their fathers’ houses:
The sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel, were Hanoch and Pallu, Hezron and Carmi. These were the clans of Reuben.
15 The sons of Simeon were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, c and Shaul, the son of a Canaanite woman. These were the clans of Simeon.
16 These were the names of the sons of Levi according to their records: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. Levi lived 137 years.
17 The sons of Gershon were Libni and Shimei, by their clans.
18 The sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. Kohath lived 133 years.
19 The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi.
These were the clans of the Levites according to their records.
20 And Amram married his father’s sister Jochebed, and she bore him Aaron and Moses. Amram lived 137 years.
21 The sons of Izhar were Korah, Nepheg, and Zichri.
22 The sons of Uzziel were Mishael, Elzaphan, d and Sithri.
23 And Aaron married Elisheba, the daughter of Amminadab and sister of Nahshon, and she bore him Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.
24 The sons of Korah were Assir, Elkanah, and Abiasaph. e These were the clans of the Korahites.
25 Aaron’s son Eleazar married one of the daughters of Putiel, and she bore him Phinehas.
These were the heads of the Levite families by their clans.
26 It was this Aaron and Moses to whom the LORD said, “Bring the Israelites out of the land of Egypt by their divisions.” 27 Moses and Aaron were the ones who spoke to Pharaoh king of Egypt in order to bring the Israelites out of Egypt.
28 Now on the day that the LORD spoke to Moses in Egypt, 29 He said to him, “I am the LORD; tell Pharaoh king of Egypt everything I say to you.”
30 But in the LORD’s presence Moses replied, “Since I am unskilled in speech, why would Pharaoh listen to me?”
Footnotes:
3 a Hebrew El-Shaddai
12 b Hebrew I have uncircumcised lips ; also in verse 30
15 c Zohar is a variant of Zerah ; see Numbers 26:13 and 1 Chronicles 4:24.
22 d Elzaphan is a variant of Elizaphan ; see Numbers 3:30.
24 e Abiasaph is a variant of Ebiasaph ; see 1 Chronicles 6:23 and 1 Chronicles 9:19.
Exodus 7
God Commands Moses and Aaron
1 The LORD answered Moses, “See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron will be your prophet. 2 You are to speak all that I command you, and your brother Aaron is to tell Pharaoh to let the Israelites go out of his land.
3 But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and though I will multiply My signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, 4 Pharaoh will not listen to you.
Then I will lay My hand on Egypt, and by mighty acts of judgment I will bring the divisions of My people the Israelites out of the land of Egypt. 5 And the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD, when I stretch out My hand against Egypt and bring the Israelites out from among them.”
6 So Moses and Aaron did just as the LORD had commanded them. 7 Moses was eighty years old and Aaron was eighty-three when they spoke to Pharaoh.
Aaron’s Staff
8 The LORD said to Moses and Aaron, 9 “When Pharaoh tells you, ‘Perform a miracle,’ you are to say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh,’ and it will become a serpent. a”
10 So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the LORD had commanded. Aaron threw his staff down before Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a serpent.
11 But Pharaoh called the wise men and sorcerers and magicians of Egypt, and they also did the same things by their magic arts. 12 Each one threw down his staff, and it became a serpent. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up the other staffs.
13 Still, Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, b and he would not listen to them, just as the LORD had said.
The First Plague: Blood
14 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Pharaoh’s heart is unyielding; c he refuses to let the people go. 15 Go to Pharaoh in the morning as you see him walking out to the water. Wait on the bank of the Nile to meet him, and take in your hand the staff that was changed into a snake. 16 Then say to him, ‘The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to tell you: Let My people go, so that they may worship Me in the wilderness. But you have not listened until now. 17 This is what the LORD says: By this you will know that I am the LORD. Behold, with the staff in my hand I will strike the water of the Nile, and it will turn to blood. 18 The fish in the Nile will die, the river will stink, and the Egyptians will be unable to drink its water.’ ”
19 And the LORD said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Take your staff and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt—over their rivers and canals and ponds and reservoirs—that they may become blood.’ There will be blood throughout the land of Egypt, even in the vessels of wood and stone.”
20 Moses and Aaron did just as the LORD had commanded; in the presence of Pharaoh and his officials, Aaron raised the staff d and struck the water of the Nile, and all the water was turned to blood. 21 The fish in the Nile died, and the river smelled so bad that the Egyptians could not drink its water. And there was blood throughout the land of Egypt.
22 But the magicians of Egypt did the same things by their magic arts. So Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the LORD had said. 23 Instead, Pharaoh turned around, went into his palace, and did not take any of this to heart. 24 So all the Egyptians dug around the Nile for water to drink, because they could not drink the water from the river.
25 And seven full days passed after the LORD had struck the Nile.
Footnotes:
9 a Hebrew tannin ; here and in verse 10, in contrast to Moses’ staff, which became a nachash in Exodus 4:3 and was noted again in Exodus 7:15
13 b Or stiffened or strengthened ; also in verse 22
14 c Or heavy or stubborn
20 d Hebrew he raised the staff ; see verse 19; some translators Moses raised the staff .
Exodus 8
The Second Plague: Frogs
1 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and tell him that this is what the LORD says: ‘Let My people go, so that they may worship Me. 2 But if you refuse to let them go, I will plague your whole country with frogs. 3 The Nile will teem with frogs, and they will come into your palace and up to your bedroom and onto your bed, into the houses of your officials and your people, and into your ovens and kneading bowls. 4 The frogs will come up on you and your people and all your officials.’ ”
5 And the LORD said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Stretch out your hand with your staff over the rivers and canals and ponds, and cause the frogs to come up onto the land of Egypt.’ ”
6 So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt.
7 But the magicians did the same thing by their magic arts, and they also brought frogs up onto the land of Egypt.
8 Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Pray to the LORD to take the frogs away from me and my people. Then I will let your people go, that they may sacrifice to the LORD.”
9 Moses said to Pharaoh, “You may have the honor over me. When shall I pray for you and your officials and your people that the frogs (except for those in the Nile) may be taken away from you and your houses?”
10 “Tomorrow,” Pharaoh answered.
“May it be as you say,” Moses replied, “so that you may know that there is no one like the LORD our God. 11 The frogs will depart from you and your houses and your officials and your people; they will remain only in the Nile.”
12 After Moses and Aaron had left Pharaoh, Moses cried out to the LORD for help with the frogs that He had brought against Pharaoh. 13 And the LORD did as Moses requested, and the frogs in the houses, the courtyards, and the fields died. 14 They were piled into countless heaps, and there was a terrible stench in the land.
15 When Pharaoh saw that there was relief, however, he hardened a his heart and would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the LORD had said.
The Third Plague: Gnats
16 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Stretch out your staff and strike the dust of the earth, that it may turn into swarms of gnats throughout the land of Egypt.’ ”
17 This they did, and when Aaron stretched out his hand with his staff and struck the dust of the earth, gnats came upon man and beast. All the dust of the earth turned into gnats throughout the land of Egypt.
18 The magicians tried to produce gnats using their magic arts, but they could not. And the gnats remained on man and beast.
19 “This is the finger of God,” the magicians said to Pharaoh. But Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, b and he would not listen to them, just as the LORD had said.
The Fourth Plague: Flies
20 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Get up early in the morning, and when Pharaoh goes out to the water, stand before him and tell him that this is what the LORD says:‘Let My people go, so that they may worship Me. 21 But if you will not let My people go, I will send swarms of flies c upon you and your officials and your people and your houses. The houses of the Egyptians and even the ground where they stand will be full of flies.
22 But on that day I will give special treatment to the land of Goshen, where My people live; no swarms of flies will be found there. In this way you will know that I, the LORD, am in the land. 23 I will make a distinction d between My people and your people. This sign will take place tomorrow.’ ”
24 And the LORD did so. Thick swarms of flies poured into Pharaoh’s palace and into the houses of his officials. Throughout Egypt the land was ruined by swarms of flies.
25 Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Go, sacrifice to your God within this land.”
26 But Moses replied, “It would not be right to do that, because the sacrifices we offer to the LORD our God would be detestable to the Egyptians. If we offer sacrifices that are detestable before the Egyptians, will they not stone us? 27 We must make a three-day journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the LORD our God as He commands us.”
28 Pharaoh answered, “I will let you go and sacrifice to the LORD your God in the wilderness, but you must not go very far. Now pray for me.”
29 “As soon as I leave you,” Moses said, “I will pray to the LORD, so that tomorrow the swarms of flies will depart from Pharaoh and his officials and his people. But Pharaoh must not act deceitfully again by refusing to let the people go and sacrifice to the LORD.”
30 Then Moses left Pharaoh and prayed to the LORD, 31 and the LORD did as Moses requested. He removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh and his officials and his people; not one fly remained. 32 But Pharaoh hardened his heart this time as well, and he would not let the people go.
Footnotes:
15 a Or made heavy ; also in verse 32
19 b Or stiffened or strengthened
21 c Literally a noxious mixture ; also in verses 22, 24, 29, and 31
23 d LXX and Vulgate; Hebrew I will set redemption
Exodus 9
The Fifth Plague: Livestock
1 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and tell him that this is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: ‘Let My people go, so that they may worship Me. 2 But if you continue to restrain them and refuse to let them go, 3 then the hand of the LORD will bring a severe plague on your livestock in the field—on your horses, donkeys, camels, herds, and flocks. 4 But the LORD will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt, so that no animal belonging to the Israelites will die.’ ”
5 The LORD set a time, saying, “Tomorrow the LORD will do this in the land.” 6 And the next day the LORD did just that. All the livestock of the Egyptians died, but not one animal belonging to the Israelites died. 7 Pharaoh sent officials and found that none of the livestock of the Israelites had died. But Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, a and he would not let the people go.
The Sixth Plague: Boils
8 Then the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Take handfuls of soot from the furnace; in the sight of Pharaoh, Moses is to toss it into the air. 9 It will become fine dust over all the land of Egypt, and festering boils will break out on man and beast throughout the land.”
10 So they took soot from the furnace and stood before Pharaoh. Moses tossed it into the air, and festering boils broke out on man and beast. 11 The magicians could not stand before Moses, because the boils had broken out on them and on all the Egyptians.
12 But the LORD hardened b Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not listen to them, just as the LORD had said to Moses.
The Seventh Plague: Hail
13 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Get up early in the morning, stand before Pharaoh, and tell him that this is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: ‘Let My people go, so that they may worship Me. 14 Otherwise, I will send all My plagues against you c and your officials and your people, so you may know that there is no one like Me in all the earth.
15 For by this time I could have stretched out My hand and struck you and your people with a plague to wipe you off the earth. 16 But I have raised you up d for this very purpose, that I might display My power to you, e and that My name might be proclaimed in all the earth. f 17 Still, you lord it over My people and do not allow them to go.
18 Behold, at this time tomorrow I will rain down the worst hail that has ever fallen on Egypt, from the day it was founded until now. 19 So give orders now to shelter your livestock and everything you have in the field. Every man or beast that remains in the field and is not brought inside will die when the hail comes down upon them.’ ”
20 Those among Pharaoh’s officials who feared the word of the LORD hurried to bring their servants and livestock to shelter, 21 but those who disregarded the word of the LORD left their servants and livestock in the field.
22 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, so that hail may fall on all the land of Egypt—on man and beast and every plant of the field throughout the land of Egypt.”
23 So Moses stretched out his staff toward heaven, and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and lightning struck the earth. So the LORD rained down hail upon the land of Egypt. 24 The hail fell and the lightning continued flashing through it. The hail was so severe that nothing like it had ever been seen in all the land of Egypt from the time it became a nation.
25 Throughout the land of Egypt, the hail struck down everything in the field, both man and beast; it beat down every plant of the field and stripped every tree. 26 The only place where it did not hail was in the land of Goshen, where the Israelites lived.
27 Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron. “This time I have sinned,” he said. “The LORD is righteous, and I and my people are wicked. 28 Pray to the LORD, for there has been enough of God’s thunder and hail. I will let you go; you do not need to stay any longer.”
29 Moses said to him, “When I have left the city, I will spread out my hands to the LORD. The thunder will cease, and there will be no more hail, so that you may know that the earth is the LORD’s. 30 But as for you and your officials, I know that you still do not fear the LORD our God.”
31 (Now the flax and barley were destroyed, since the barley was ripe and the flax was in bloom; 32 but the wheat and spelt were not destroyed, because they are late crops.)
33 Then Moses departed from Pharaoh, went out of the city, and spread out his hands to the LORD. The thunder and hail ceased, and the rain no longer poured down on the land.
34 When Pharaoh saw that the rain and hail and thunder had ceased, he sinned again and hardened his heart—he and his officials. 35 So Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not let the Israelites go, just as the LORD had said through Moses.
Footnotes:
7 a Or made heavy ; also in verse 34
12 b Or stiffened or strengthened ; also in verse 35
14 c Hebrew against your heart or against your inner man
16 d Or have spared you
16 e LXX in you
16 f Cited in Romans 9:17
Exodus 10
The Eighth Plague: Locusts
1 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh, for I have hardened a his heart and the hearts of his officials, that I may perform these miraculous signs of Mine among them, 2 and that you may tell your children and grandchildren how severely I dealt with the Egyptians when I performed miraculous signs among them, so that all of you may know that I am the LORD.”
3 So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and told him, “This is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: ‘How long will you refuse to humble yourself before Me? Let My people go, so that they may worship Me. 4 But if you refuse to let My people go, I will bring locusts into your territory tomorrow. 5 They will cover the face of the land so that no one can see it. They will devour whatever is left after the hail and eat every tree that grows in your fields. 6 They will fill your houses and the houses of all your officials and every Egyptian—something neither your fathers nor your grandfathers have seen since the day they came into this land.’ ”
Then Moses turned and left Pharaoh’s presence.
7 Pharaoh’s officials asked him, “How long will this man be a snare to us? Let the people go, so that they may worship the LORD their God. Do you not yet realize that Egypt is in ruins?”
8 So Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh. “Go, worship the LORD your God,” he said. “But who exactly will be going?”
9 “We will go with our young and old,” Moses replied. “We will go with our sons and daughters, and with our flocks and herds, for we must hold a feast to the LORD.”
10 Then Pharaoh told them, “May the LORD be with you if I ever let you go with your little ones. Clearly you are bent on evil. 11 No, only the men may go and worship the LORD, since that is what you have been requesting.” And Moses and Aaron were driven from Pharaoh’s presence.
12 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt, so that the locusts may swarm over it and devour every plant in the land—everything that the hail has left behind.”
13 So Moses stretched out his staff over the land of Egypt, and throughout that day and night the LORD sent an east wind across the land. By morning the east wind had brought the locusts.
14 The locusts swarmed across the land and settled over the entire territory of Egypt. Never before had there been so many locusts, and never again will there be. 15 They covered the face of all the land until it was black, and they consumed all the plants on the ground and all the fruit on the trees that the hail had left behind. Nothing green was left on any tree or plant in all the land of Egypt.
16 Pharaoh quickly summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “I have sinned against the LORD your God and against you. 17 Now please forgive my sin once more and appeal to the LORD your God, that He may remove this death from me.”
18 So Moses left Pharaoh’s presence and appealed to the LORD. 19 And the LORD changed the wind to a very strong west wind that carried off the locusts and blew them into the Red Sea. b Not a single locust remained anywhere in Egypt.
20 But the LORD hardened c Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let the Israelites go.
The Ninth Plague: Darkness
21 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, so that darkness may spread over the land of Egypt—a palpable darkness.”
22 So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and total darkness covered all the land of Egypt for three days. 23 No one could see anyone else, and for three days no one left his place. Yet all the Israelites had light in their dwellings.
24 Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and said, “Go, worship the LORD. Even your little ones may go with you; only your flocks and herds must stay behind.”
25 But Moses replied, “You must also provide us with sacrifices and burnt offerings to present to the LORD our God. 26 Even our livestock must go with us; not a hoof will be left behind, for we will need some of them to worship the LORD our God, and we will not know how we are to worship the LORD until we arrive.”
27 But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he was unwilling to let them go. 28 “Depart from me!” Pharaoh said to Moses. “Make sure you never see my face again, for on the day you see my face, you will die.”
29 “As you say,” Moses replied, “I will never see your face again.”
Footnotes:
1 a Or made heavy
19 b Or the Sea of Reeds
20 c Or stiffened or strengthened ; also in verse 27
Exodus 11
The Plague on the Firstborn Foretold
1 Then the LORD said to Moses, “I will bring upon Pharaoh and Egypt one more plague. After that, he will allow you to leave this place. And when he lets you go, he will drive you out completely. 2 Now announce to the people that men and women alike should ask their neighbors for articles of silver and gold.”
3 And the LORD gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover, Moses himself was highly regarded in Egypt by Pharaoh’s officials and by the people.
4 So Moses declared, “This is what the LORD says: ‘About midnight I will go throughout Egypt, 5 and every firstborn son in the land of Egypt will die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, to the firstborn of the servant girl behind the hand mill, as well as the firstborn of all the cattle. 6 Then a great cry will go out over all the land of Egypt. Such an outcry has never been heard before and will never be heard again. 7 But among all the Israelites, not even a dog will snarl at man or beast.’ a
Then you will know that the LORD makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel. 8 And all these officials of yours will come and bow before me, saying, ‘Go, you and all the people who follow you!’ After that, I will depart.”
And hot with anger, Moses left Pharaoh’s presence.
9 The LORD said to Moses, “Pharaoh will not listen to you, so that My wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt.”
10 Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh, but the LORD hardened b Pharaoh’s heart so that he would not let the Israelites go out of his land.
Footnotes:
7 a Some translators close this quotation at the end of the verse.
10 b Or stiffened or strengthened
Exodus 12
The First Passover
(Numbers 9:1–14)
1 Now the LORD said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, 2 “This month is the beginning of months for you; it shall be the first month of your year.
3 Tell the whole congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man must select a lamb a for his family, one per household. 4 If the household is too small for a whole lamb, they are to share with the nearest neighbor based on the number of people, and apportion the lamb accordingly.
5 Your lamb must be an unblemished year-old male, and you may take it from the sheep or the goats. 6 You must keep it until the fourteenth day of the month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel will slaughter the animals at twilight. b 7 They are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes c of the houses where they eat the lambs.
8 They are to eat the meat that night, roasted over the fire, along with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.
9 Do not eat any of the meat raw or cooked in boiling water, but only roasted over the fire—its head and legs and inner parts. 10 Do not leave any of it until morning; before the morning you must burn up any part that is left over.
11 This is how you are to eat it: You must be fully dressed for travel, d with your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. You are to eat in haste;it is the LORD’s Passover.
12 On that night I will pass through the land of Egypt and strike down every firstborn male, both man and beast, and I will execute judgment against all the gods of Egypt. I am the LORD. 13 The blood on the houses where you are staying will distinguish them; when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No plague will fall on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.
The Feast of Unleavened Bread
(Leviticus 23:4–8; Numbers 28:16–25; Deuteronomy 16:1–8)
14 And this day will be a memorial for you, and you are to celebrate it as a feast to the LORD, as a permanent statute for the generations to come. 15 For seven days you must eat unleavened bread. On the first day you are to remove the leaven from your houses. Whoever eats anything leavened from the first day through the seventh must be cut off from Israel.
16 On the first day you are to hold a sacred assembly, and another on the seventh day. You must not do any work on those days, except to prepare the meals—that is all you may do.
17 So you are to keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread, e for on this very day I brought your divisions out of the land of Egypt. You must keep this day as a permanent statute for the generations to come. 18 In the first month you are to eat unleavened bread, from the evening of the fourteenth day until the evening of the twenty-first day. 19 For seven days there must be no leaven found in your houses. If anyone eats something leavened, that person, whether a foreigner or native of the land, must be cut off from the congregation of Israel. 20 You are not to eat anything leavened;eat unleavened bread in all your homes.”
21 Then Moses summoned all the elders of Israel and told them, “Go at once and select for yourselves a lamb for each family, and slaughter the Passover lamb. 22 Take a cluster of hyssop, dip it into the blood in the basin, and brush the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe. None of you shall go out the door of his house until morning.
23 When the LORD passes through to strike down the Egyptians, He will see the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe and will pass over that doorway; so He will not allow the destroyer to enter your houses and strike you down.
24 And you are to keep this command as a permanent statute for you and your descendants. 25 When you enter the land that the LORD will give you as He promised, you are to keep this service.
26 When your children ask you, ‘What does this service mean to you?’ 27 you are to reply, ‘It is the Passover sacrifice to the LORD, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt when He struck down the Egyptians and spared our homes.’ ”
Then the people bowed down and worshiped. 28 And the Israelites went and did just what the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron.
The Tenth Plague: Death of the Firstborn
29 Now at midnight the LORD struck down every firstborn male in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh, who sat on his throne, to the firstborn of the prisoner in the dungeon, as well as all the firstborn among the livestock.
30 During the night Pharaoh got up—he and all his officials and all the Egyptians—and there was loud wailing in Egypt; for there was no house without someone dead.
The Exodus Begins
31 Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron by night and said, “Get up, leave my people, both you and the Israelites! Go, worship the LORD as you have requested. 32 Take your flocks and herds as well, just as you have said, and depart! And bless me also.”
33 And in order to send them out of the land quickly, the Egyptians urged the people on. “For otherwise,” they said, “we are all going to die!” 34 So the people took their dough before it was leavened, carrying it on their shoulders in kneading bowls wrapped in clothing.
35 Furthermore, the Israelites acted on Moses’ word and asked the Egyptians for articles of silver and gold, and for clothing. 36 And the LORD gave the people such favor in the sight of the Egyptians that they granted their request. In this way they plundered the Egyptians.
37 The Israelites journeyed from Rameses to Succoth f with about 600,000 men on foot, besides women and children. 38 And a mixed multitude also went up with them, along with great droves of livestock, both flocks and herds.
39 Since their dough had no leaven, the people baked what they had brought out of Egypt into unleavened loaves. For when they had been driven out of Egypt, they could not delay and had not prepared any provisions for themselves.
40 Now the duration of the Israelites’ stay in Egypt g was 430 years. 41 At the end of the 430 years, to the very day, all the LORD’s divisions went out of the land of Egypt. 42 Because the LORD kept a vigil that night to bring them out of the land of Egypt, this same night is to be a vigil to the LORD, to be observed by all the Israelites for the generations to come.
Instructions for the Passover
43 And the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “This is the statute of the Passover: No foreigner is to eat of it. 44 But any slave who has been purchased may eat of it, after you have circumcised him. 45 A temporary resident or hired hand shall not eat the Passover.
46 It must be eaten inside one house. You are not to take any of the meat outside the house, and you may not break any of the bones.
47 The whole congregation of Israel must celebrate it. 48 If a foreigner resides with you and wants to celebrate the LORD’s Passover, all the males in the household must be circumcised; then he may come near to celebrate it, and he shall be like a native of the land. But no uncircumcised man may eat of it. 49 The same law shall apply to both the native and the foreigner who resides among you.”
50 Then all the Israelites did this—they did just as the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron. 51 And on that very day the LORD brought the Israelites out of the land of Egypt by their divisions.
Footnotes:
3 a The Hebrew word can mean lamb or kid ; also in verses 4 and 5.
6 b Hebrew between the two evenings
7 c Literally on the two doorposts and on the lintel ; similarly in verses 22 and 23
11 d Literally Gird up your loins
17 e That is, the seven-day period after the Passover during which no leaven may be eaten
37 f Succoth means booths or shelters or tabernacles .
40 g MT; SP in Canaan and Egypt ; LXX in Egypt and Canaan
Exodus 13
The Dedication of the Firstborn
(Deuteronomy 15:19–23)
1 Then the LORD said to Moses, 2 “Consecrate to Me every firstborn male. a The firstborn from every womb among the Israelites belongs to Me, both of man and beast.”
3 So Moses told the people, “Remember this day, the day you came out of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; for the LORD brought you out of it by the strength of His hand. And nothing leavened shall be eaten.
4 Today, in the month of Abib, b you are leaving. 5 And when the LORD brings you into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Hivites, and Jebusites—the land He swore to your fathers that He would give you, a land flowing with milk and honey—you shall keep this service in this month.
6 For seven days you are to eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there shall be a feast to the LORD. 7 Unleavened bread shall be eaten during those seven days. Nothing leavened may be found among you, nor shall leaven be found anywhere within your borders.
8 And on that day you are to explain to your son, ‘This is because of what the LORD did for me when I came out of Egypt.’ 9 It shall be a sign for you on your hand and a reminder on your forehead that the Law of the LORD is to be on your lips. For with a mighty hand the LORD brought you out of Egypt. 10 Therefore you shall keep this statute at the appointed time year after year.
11 And after the LORD brings you into the land of the Canaanites and gives it to you, as He swore to you and your fathers, 12 you are to present to the LORD the firstborn male of every womb. All the firstborn males of your livestock belong to the LORD. 13 You must redeem every firstborn donkey with a lamb, and if you do not redeem it, you are to break its neck. And every firstborn of your sons you must redeem.
14 In the future, when your son asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ you are to tell him, ‘With a mighty hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 15 And when Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the LORD killed every firstborn in the land of Egypt, both of man and beast. This is why I sacrifice to the LORD the firstborn male of every womb, but I redeem all the firstborn of my sons.’ 16 So it shall serve as a sign on your hand and a symbol on your forehead, for with a mighty hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt.”
The Pillars of Cloud and Fire
17 When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them along the road through the land of the Philistines, though it was shorter. For God said, “If the people face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.” 18 So God led the people around by the way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea. c And the Israelites left the land of Egypt arrayed for battle. d
19 Moses took the bones of Joseph with him because Joseph had made the sons of Israel swear a solemn oath when he said, “God will surely attend to you, and then you must carry my bones with you from this place.” e
20 They set out from Succoth and camped at Etham on the edge of the wilderness. 21 And the LORD went before them in a pillar of cloud to guide their way by day, and in a pillar of fire to give them light by night, so that they could travel by day or night. 22 Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place before the people.
Footnotes:
2 a Cited in Luke 2:23
4 b Abib was the first month of the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar, usually occurring within the months of March and April.
18 c Or the Sea of Reeds
18 d LXX left the land of Egypt in the fifth generation
19 e Genesis 50:25
Exodus 14
Pharaoh Pursues the Israelites
1 Then the LORD said to Moses, 2 “Tell the Israelites to turn back and encamp before Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea. You are to encamp by the sea, directly opposite Baal-zephon.
3 For Pharaoh will say of the Israelites, ‘They are wandering the land in confusion;the wilderness has boxed them in.’ 4 And I will harden a Pharaoh’s heart so that he will pursue them. But I will gain honor by means of Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD.”
So this is what the Israelites did.
5 When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds about them and said, “What have we done? We have released Israel from serving us.”
6 So Pharaoh prepared his chariot and took his army with him. 7 He took 600 of the best chariots, and all the other chariots of Egypt, with officers over all of them.
8 And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt so that he pursued the Israelites, who were marching out defiantly. b 9 The Egyptians—all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots, horsemen and troops—pursued the Israelites and overtook them as they camped by the sea near Pi-hahiroth, opposite Baal-zephon.
10 As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up and saw the Egyptians marching after them, and they were terrified and cried out to the LORD. 11 They said to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us into the wilderness to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? 12 Did we not say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone so that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.”
13 But Moses told the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the LORD’s salvation, which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians you see today, you will never see again. 14 The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.”
Parting the Red Sea
15 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to Me? Tell the Israelites to go forward. 16 And as for you, lift up your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground. 17 And I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them. Then I will gain honor by means of Pharaoh and all his army and chariots and horsemen. 18 The Egyptians will know that I am the LORD when I am honored through Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.”
19 And the angel c of God, who had gone before the camp of Israel, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from before them and stood behind them, 20 so that it came between the camps of Egypt and Israel. The cloud was there in the darkness, but it lit up the night. d So all night long neither camp went near the other.
21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the LORD drove back the sea with a strong east wind that turned it into dry land. So the waters were divided, 22 and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with walls of water on their right and on their left.
23 And the Egyptians chased after them—all Pharaoh’s horses, chariots, and horsemen—and followed them into the sea. 24 At morning watch, however, the LORD looked down on the army of the Egyptians from the pillar of fire and cloud, and He threw their camp into confusion. 25 He caused their chariot wheels to wobble, e so that they had difficulty driving. “Let us flee from the Israelites,” said the Egyptians, “for the LORD is fighting for them against Egypt!”
26 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea, so that the waters may flow back over the Egyptians and their chariots and horsemen.” 27 So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at daybreak the sea returned to its normal state. As the Egyptians were retreating, the LORD swept them into the sea. 28 The waters flowed back and covered the chariots and horsemen—the entire army of Pharaoh that had chased the Israelites into the sea. Not one of them survived.
29 But the Israelites had walked through the sea on dry ground, with walls of water on their right and on their left. 30 That day the LORD saved Israel from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the shore. 31 When Israel saw the great power that the LORD had exercised over the Egyptians, the people feared the LORD and believed in Him and in His servant Moses.
Footnotes:
4 a Or stiffen or strengthen ; similarly in verses 8 and 17
8 b Or marching out boldly ; literally marching out with an upraised hand
19 c Or Angel
20 d LXX and the night passed
25 e Or to swerve or to come off or to bind ; see also SP, LXX, and Syriac.
Exodus 15
The Song at the Sea
(Judges 5:1–31)
1 Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the LORD:
“I will sing to the LORD,
for He is highly exalted.
The horse and rider
He has thrown into the sea.
2 The LORD is my strength and my song,
and He has become my salvation.
He is my God, and I will praise Him,
my father’s God, and I will exalt Him.
3 The LORD is a warrior,
the LORD is His name.
4 Pharaoh’s chariots and army
He has cast into the sea;
the finest of his officers
are drowned in the Red Sea. a
5 The depths have covered them;
they sank there like a stone.
6 Your right hand, O LORD,
is majestic in power;
Your right hand, O LORD,
has shattered the enemy.
7 You overthrew Your adversaries
by Your great majesty.
You unleashed Your burning wrath;
it consumed them like stubble.
8 At the blast of Your nostrils
the waters piled up;
like a wall the currents stood firm;
the depths congealed in the heart of the sea.
9 The enemy declared,
‘I will pursue, I will overtake.
I will divide the spoils;
I will gorge myself on them.
I will draw my sword;
my hand will destroy them.’
10 But You blew with Your breath,
and the sea covered them.
They sank like lead
in the mighty waters.
11 Who among the gods is like You, O LORD?
Who is like You—majestic in holiness,
revered with praises,
performing wonders?
12 You stretched out Your right hand,
and the earth swallowed them up.
13 With loving devotion b You will lead
the people You have redeemed;
with Your strength You will guide them
to Your holy dwelling.
14 The nations will hear and tremble;
anguish will grip the dwellers of Philistia.
15 Then the chiefs of Edom will be dismayed;
trembling will seize the leaders of Moab;
those who dwell in Canaan will melt away,
16 and terror and dread will fall on them.
By the power of Your arm
they will be as still as a stone
until Your people pass by, O LORD,
until the people You have bought pass by.
17 You will bring them in and plant them
on the mountain of Your inheritance—
the place, O LORD, You have prepared for Your dwelling,
the sanctuary, O Lord, Your hands have established.
18 The LORD will reign forever and ever!”
19 For when Pharaoh’s horses, chariots, and horsemen went into the sea, the LORD brought the waters of the sea back over them. But the Israelites walked through the sea on dry ground.
20 Then Miriam the prophetess, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women followed her with tambourines and dancing. 21 And Miriam sang back to them:
“Sing to the LORD,
for He is highly exalted;
the horse and rider
He has thrown into the sea.”
The Waters of Marah
22 Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea, and they went out into the Desert of Shur. For three days they walked in the desert without finding water. 23 And when they came to Marah, c they could not drink the water there because it was bitter. (That is why it was named Marah.)
24 So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What are we to drink?” 25 And Moses cried out to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a log. And when he cast it into the waters, they were sweetened.
There the LORD made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there He tested them, 26 saying, “If you will listen carefully to the voice of the LORD your God, and do what is right in His eyes, and pay attention to His commands, and keep all His statutes, then I will not bring on you any of the diseases I inflicted on the Egyptians. For I am the LORD who heals you.”
27 Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees, and they camped there by the waters.
Footnotes:
4 a Or the Sea of Reeds ; also in verse 22
13 b Forms of the Hebrew chesed are translated here and in most cases throughout the Scriptures as loving devotion ; the range of meaning includes love , goodness , kindness , faithfulness , and mercy , as well as loyalty to a covenant .
23 c Marah means bitter .
Exodus 16
Manna and Quail from Heaven
1 On the fifteenth day of the second month after they had left the land of Egypt, the whole congregation of Israel set out from Elim and came to the Desert of Sin, a which is between Elim and Sinai. 2 And there in the desert they all grumbled against Moses and Aaron. 3 “If only we had died by the LORD’s hand in the land of Egypt!” they said. “There we sat by pots of meat and ate our fill of bread, but you have brought us into this desert to starve this whole assembly to death!”
4 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain down bread from heaven for you. Each day the people are to go out and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test whether or not they will follow My instructions. 5 Then on the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather on the other days.”
6 So Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, “This evening you will know that it was the LORD who brought you out of the land of Egypt, 7 and in the morning you will see the LORD’s glory, because He has heard your grumbling against Him. For who are we that you should grumble against us?”
8 And Moses added, “The LORD will give you meat to eat this evening and bread to fill you in the morning, for He has heard your grumbling against Him. Who are we? Your grumblings are not against us but against the LORD.”
9 Then Moses said to Aaron, “Tell the whole congregation of Israel, ‘Come before the LORD, for He has heard your grumbling.’ ”
10 And as Aaron was speaking to the whole congregation of Israel, they looked toward the desert, and there in a cloud the glory of the LORD appeared.
11 Then the LORD said to Moses, 12 “I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites. Tell them, ‘At twilight b you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God.’ ”
13 That evening quail came and covered the camp, and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. 14 When the layer of dew had evaporated, there were thin flakes on the desert floor, as fine as frost on the ground. 15 When the Israelites saw it, they asked one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was.
So Moses told them, “It is the bread that the LORD has given you to eat. 16 This is what the LORD has commanded: ‘Each one is to gather as much as he needs. You may take an omer c for each person in your tent.’ ”
17 So the Israelites did this. Some gathered more, and some less. 18 When they measured it by the omer, he who gathered much had no excess, and he who gathered little had no shortfall. d Each one gathered as much as he needed to eat.
19 Then Moses said to them, “No one may keep any of it until morning.” 20 But they did not listen to Moses; some people left part of it until morning, and it became infested with maggots and began to smell. So Moses was angry with them.
21 Every morning each one gathered as much as was needed, and when the sun grew hot, it melted away.
The Sabbath Observed
(Genesis 2:1–3; Hebrews 4:1–11)
22 On the sixth day, they gathered twice as much food—two omers per person e —and all the leaders of the congregation came and reported this to Moses. 23 He told them, “This is what the LORD has said: ‘Tomorrow is to be a day of complete rest, a holy Sabbath to the LORD. So bake what you want to bake, and boil what you want to boil. Then set aside whatever remains and keep it until morning.’ ”
24 So they set it aside until morning as Moses had commanded, and it did not smell or contain any maggots. 25 “Eat it today,” Moses said, “because today is a Sabbath to the LORD. Today you will not find anything in the field. 26 For six days you may gather, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, it will not be there.”
27 Yet on the seventh day some of the people went out to gather, but they did not find anything. 28 Then the LORD said to Moses, “How long will you refuse to keep My commandments and instructions? 29 Understand that the LORD has given you the Sabbath; that is why on the sixth day He will give you bread for two days. On the seventh day, everyone must stay where he is; no one may leave his place.”
30 So the people rested on the seventh day.
The Jar of Manna
31 Now the house of Israel called the bread manna. f It was white like coriander seed and tasted like wafers made with honey. 32 Moses said, “This is what the LORD has commanded: ‘Keep an omer of manna for the generations to come, so that they may see the bread I fed you in the wilderness when I brought you out of the land of Egypt.’ ”
33 So Moses told Aaron, “Take a jar and fill it with an omer of manna. Then place it before the LORD to be preserved for the generations to come.” 34 And Aaron placed it in front of the Testimony, g to be preserved just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
35 The Israelites ate manna forty years, until they came to a land where they could settle; they ate manna until they reached the border of Canaan. 36 (Now an omer is a tenth of an ephah.) h
Footnotes:
1 a The geographical name Sin is related to Sinai and should not be mistaken for the English word sin .
12 b Hebrew Between the two evenings
16 c An omer is approximately 2 dry quarts or 2.2 liters; also in verses 18, 32, 33, and 36.
18 d Cited in 2 Corinthians 8:15
22 e 2 omers is approximately 4 dry quarts or 4.4 liters per person.
31 f Manna sounds like the Hebrew for What is it? (see verse 15).
34 g The Testimony refers to the stone tablets in the ark of the covenant inscribed with the Ten Commandments.
36 h An ephah was a dry measure having the capacity of about 20 dry quarts or 22 liters.
Exodus 17
Water from the Rock
(Numbers 20:1–13)
1 Then the whole congregation of Israel left the Desert of Sin, a moving from place to place as the LORD commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. 2 So the people contended with Moses, “Give us water to drink.”
“Why do you contend with me?” Moses replied. “Why do you test the LORD?”
3 But the people thirsted for water there, and they grumbled against Moses: “Why have you brought us out of Egypt—to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?”
4 Then Moses cried out to the LORD, “What should I do with these people? A little more and they will stone me!”
5 And the LORD said to Moses, “Walk on ahead of the people and take some of the elders of Israel with you. Take along in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. 6 Behold, I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb. b And when you strike the rock, water will come out of it for the people to drink.”
So Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7 He named the place Massah c and Meribah d because the Israelites quarreled, and because they tested the LORD, saying, “Is the LORD among us or not?”
The Defeat of the Amalekites
8 After this, the Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim. 9 So Moses said to Joshua, “Choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on the hilltop with the staff of God in my hand.”
10 Joshua did as Moses had instructed him and fought against the Amalekites, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill.
11 As long as Moses held up his hands, Israel prevailed; but when he lowered them, Amalek prevailed. 12 When Moses’ hands grew heavy, they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. Then Aaron and Hur held his hands up, one on each side, so that his hands remained steady until the sun went down.
13 So Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his army with the sword.
14 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Write this on a scroll as a reminder and recite it to Joshua, because I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.”
15 And Moses built an altar and named it The LORD Is My Banner. e 16 “Indeed,” he said, “a hand was lifted up toward the throne of the LORD. The LORD will war against Amalek from generation to generation.”
Footnotes:
1 a The geographical name Sin is related to Sinai and should not be mistaken for the English word sin .
6 b Horeb is another name for Sinai.
7 c Massah means testing .
7 d Meribah means quarreling .
15 e Hebrew YHWH Nissi
Exodus 18
The Visit of Jethro
1 Now Moses’ father-in-law Jethro, a the priest of Midian, heard about all that God had done for Moses and His people Israel, and how the LORD had brought Israel out of Egypt.
2 After Moses had sent back his wife Zipporah, his father-in-law Jethro had received her, 3 along with her two sons. One son was named Gershom, b for Moses had said, “I have been a foreigner in a foreign land.” 4 The other son was named Eliezer, c for Moses had said, “The God of my father was my helper and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh.”
5 Moses’ father-in-law Jethro, along with Moses’ wife and sons, came to him in the desert, where he was encamped at the mountain of God. 6 He sent word to Moses, “I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons.”
7 So Moses went out to meet his father-in-law and bowed down and kissed him. They greeted each other and went into the tent. 8 Then Moses recounted to his father-in-law all that the LORD had done to Pharaoh and the Egyptians for Israel’s sake, all the hardships they had encountered along the way, and how the LORD had delivered them.
9 And Jethro rejoiced over all the good things the LORD had done for Israel, whom He had rescued from the hand of the Egyptians. 10 Jethro declared, “Blessed be the LORD, who has delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and of Pharaoh, and who has delivered the people from the hand of the Egyptians. 11 Now I know that the LORD is greater than all other gods, for He did this when they treated Israel with arrogance.”
12 Then Moses’ father-in-law Jethro brought a burnt offering and sacrifices to God, and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat bread with Moses’ father-in-law in the presence of God.
Jethro Advises Moses
(Deuteronomy 1:9–18)
13 The next day Moses took his seat to judge the people, and they stood around him from morning until evening. 14 When his father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he asked, “What is this that you are doing for the people? Why do you sit alone as judge, with all the people standing around you from morning till evening?”
15 “Because the people come to me to inquire of God,” Moses replied. 16 “Whenever they have a dispute, it is brought to me to judge between one man and another, and I make known to them the statutes and laws of God.”
17 But Moses’ father-in-law said to him, “What you are doing is not good. 18 Surely you and these people with you will wear yourselves out, because the task is too heavy for you. You cannot handle it alone.
19 Now listen to me; I will give you some advice, and may God be with you. You must be the people’s representative before God and bring their causes to Him. 20 Teach them the statutes and laws, and show them the way to live and the work they must do.
21 Furthermore, select capable men from among the people—God-fearing, trustworthy men who are averse to dishonest gain. Appoint them over the people as leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens.
22 Have these men judge the people at all times. Then they can bring you any major issue, but all minor cases they can judge on their own, so that your load may be lightened as they share it with you.
23 If you follow this advice and God so directs you, then you will be able to endure, and all these people can go home in peace.”
24 Moses listened to his father-in-law and did everything he said. 25 So Moses chose capable men from all Israel and made them heads over the people as leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. 26 And they judged the people at all times; they would bring the difficult cases to Moses, but any minor issue they would judge themselves.
27 Then Moses sent his father-in-law on his way, and Jethro returned to his own land.
Footnotes:
1 a Moses’ father-in-law Jethro was also called Reuel ; see Exodus 2:18.
3 b Gershom sounds like the Hebrew for sojourner .
4 c Eliezer means God is my helper .
Exodus 19
Israel at Mount Sinai
1 In the third month, on the same day of the month a that the Israelites had left the land of Egypt, they came to the Wilderness of Sinai. 2 After they had set out from Rephidim, they entered the Wilderness of Sinai, and Israel camped there in front of the mountain.
3 Then Moses went up to God, and the LORD called to him from the mountain, “This is what you are to tell the house of Jacob and explain to the sons of Israel: 4 ‘You have seen for yourselves what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself. 5 Now if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, you will be My treasured possession out of all the nations—for the whole earth is Mine. 6 And unto Me you shall be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you are to speak to the Israelites.”
7 So Moses went back and summoned the elders of the people and set before them all these words that the LORD had commanded him. 8 And all the people answered together, “We will do everything that the LORD has spoken.”
So Moses brought their words back to the LORD.
9 The LORD said to Moses, “Behold, I will come to you in a dense cloud, so that the people will hear when I speak with you, and they will always put their trust in you.”
And Moses relayed to the LORD what the people had said.
10 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow. They must wash their clothes 11 and be prepared by the third day, for on the third day the LORD will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people.
12 And you are to set up a boundary for the people around the mountain and tell them, ‘Be careful not to go up on the mountain or touch its base. Whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death. 13 No hand shall touch him, but he shall surely be stoned or shot with arrows—whether man or beast, he must not live.’ b
Only when the ram’s horn sounds a long blast may they approach the mountain. c”
14 When Moses came down from the mountain to the people, he consecrated them, and they washed their clothes. 15 “Be prepared for the third day,” he said to the people. “Do not draw near to a woman.”
The LORD Visits Sinai
16 On the third day, when morning came, there was thunder and lightning. A thick cloud was upon the mountain, and a very loud blast of the ram’s horn went out, so that all the people in the camp trembled. 17 Then Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain.
18 Mount Sinai was completely enveloped in smoke, because the LORD had descended on it in fire. And the smoke rose like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked violently. 19 And as the sound of the ram’s horn grew louder and louder, Moses spoke and God answered him in the thunder.
20 The LORD descended to the top of Mount Sinai and called Moses to the summit. So Moses went up, 21 and the LORD said to him, “Go down and warn the people not to break through to see the LORD, lest many of them perish. 22 Even the priests who approach the LORD must consecrate themselves, or the LORD will break out against them.”
23 But Moses said to the LORD, “The people cannot come up Mount Sinai, for You solemnly warned us, ‘Put a boundary around the mountain and set it apart as holy.’ ”
24 And the LORD replied, “Go down and bring Aaron with you. But the priests and the people must not break through to come up to the LORD, or He will break out against them.”
25 So Moses went down to the people and spoke to them.
Footnotes:
1 a Hebrew In the third month, on the same day ; that is, two months after leaving Egypt; see Numbers 33:3.
13 b Cited in Hebrews 12:20
13 c Or may they go up on the mountain
Exodus 20
The Ten Commandments
(Deuteronomy 5:6–21)
1 And God spoke all these words:
2 “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
3 You shall have no other gods before Me. a
4 You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in the heavens above, on the earth below, or in the waters beneath. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on their children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, 6 but showing loving devotion to a thousand generations b of those who love Me and keep My commandments.
7 You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave anyone unpunished who takes His name in vain.
8 Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God, on which you must not do any work—neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant or livestock, nor the foreigner within your gates. 11 For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth and the sea and all that is in them, but on the seventh day He rested. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.
12 Honor your father and mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you. c
14 You shall not commit adultery. e
16 You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. g
17 You shall not covet h your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, or his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
Moses Comforts the People
(Deuteronomy 5:22–33; Hebrews 12:18–29)
18 When all the people witnessed the thunder and lightning, the sounding of the ram’s horn, and the mountain enveloped in smoke, they trembled and stood at a distance. 19 “Speak to us yourself and we will listen,” they said to Moses. “But do not let God speak to us, or we will die.”
20 “Do not be afraid,” Moses replied. “For God has come to test you, so that the fear of Him may be before you, to keep you from sinning.” 21 And the people stood at a distance as Moses approached the thick darkness where God was.
Idolatry Forbidden
(1 Corinthians 10:14–22)
22 Then the LORD said to Moses, “This is what you are to tell the Israelites: ‘You have seen for yourselves that I have spoken to you from heaven. 23 You are not to make any gods alongside Me; you are not to make for yourselves gods of silver or gold.
24 You are to make for Me an altar of earth, and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and peace offerings, your sheep and goats and cattle. In every place where I cause My name to be remembered, I will come to you and bless you.
25 Now if you make an altar of stones for Me, you must not build it with stones shaped by tools; for if you use a chisel on it, you will defile it. 26 And you must not go up to My altar on steps, lest your nakedness be exposed on it.’
Footnotes:
3 a Or besides Me
6 b Or to thousands
12 c Cited in Matthew 15:4, Matthew 19:19, Mark 7:10, Luke 18:20, and Ephesians 6:2–3
13 d Cited in Matthew 5:21, Matthew 19:18, Mark 10:19, Luke 18:20, Romans 13:9, and James 2:11
14 e Cited in Matthew 5:27, Matthew 19:18, Mark 10:19, Luke 18:20, Romans 13:9, and James 2:11
15 f Cited in Matthew 19:18, Mark 10:19, Luke 18:20, and Romans 13:9
16 g Cited in Matthew 19:18, Mark 10:19, and Luke 18:20
17 h Cited in Romans 7:7 and Romans 13:9
Exodus 21
Hebrew Servants
(Deuteronomy 15:12–18)
1 “These are the ordinances that you are to set before them:
2 If you buy a Hebrew servant, he is to serve you for six years. But in the seventh year, he shall go free without paying anything. 3 If he arrived alone, he is to leave alone; if he arrived with a wife, she is to leave with him. 4 If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the woman and her children shall belong to her master, and only the man shall go free.
5 But if the servant declares, ‘I love my master and my wife and children; I do not want to go free,’ 6 then his master is to bring him before the judges. a And he shall take him to the door or doorpost and pierce his ear with an awl. Then he shall serve his master for life.
7 And if a man sells his daughter as a servant, she is not to go free as the menservants do. 8 If she is displeasing in the eyes of her master who had designated her for himself, b he must allow her to be redeemed. He has no right to sell her to foreigners, since he has broken faith with her. 9 And if he chooses her for his son, he must deal with her as with a daughter. 10 If he takes another wife, he must not reduce the food, clothing, or marital rights of his first wife. 11 If, however, he does not provide her with these three things, she is free to go without monetary payment.
Personal Injury Laws
12 Whoever strikes and kills a man must surely be put to death. 13 If, however, he did not lie in wait, but God allowed it to happen, then I will appoint for you a place where he may flee.
14 But if a man schemes and acts willfully against his neighbor to kill him, you must take him away from My altar to be put to death.
15 Whoever strikes his father or mother must surely be put to death.
16 Whoever kidnaps another man must be put to death, whether he sells him or the man is found in his possession.
17 Anyone who curses c his father or mother must surely be put to death. d
18 If men are quarreling and one strikes the other with a stone or a fist, and he does not die but is confined to bed, 19 then the one who struck him shall go unpunished, as long as the other can get up and walk around outside with his staff. Nevertheless, he must compensate the man for his lost work and see that he is completely healed.
20 If a man strikes his manservant or maidservant with a rod, and the servant dies by his hand, he shall surely be punished. 21 However, if the servant gets up after a day or two, the owner shall not be punished, since the servant is his property.
22 If men who are fighting strike a pregnant woman and her child is born prematurely, e but there is no further injury, he shall surely be fined as the woman’s husband demands and as the court allows. 23 But if a serious injury results, then you must require a life for a life— 24 eye for eye, tooth for tooth, f hand for hand, foot for foot, 25 burn for burn, wound for wound, and stripe for stripe.
26 If a man strikes and blinds the eye of his manservant or maidservant, he must let the servant go free as compensation for the eye. 27 And if he knocks out the tooth of his manservant or maidservant, he must let the servant go free as compensation for the tooth.
28 If an ox g gores a man or woman to death, the ox must surely be stoned, and its meat must not be eaten. But the owner of the ox shall not be held responsible.
29 But if the ox has a habit of goring, and its owner has been warned yet does not restrain it, and it kills a man or woman, then the ox must be stoned and its owner must also be put to death. 30 If payment is demanded of him instead, he may redeem his life by paying the full amount demanded of him.
31 If the ox gores a son or a daughter, it shall be done to him according to the same rule.
32 If the ox gores a manservant or maidservant, the owner must pay thirty shekels of silver h to the master of that servant, and the ox must be stoned.
33 If a man opens or digs a pit and fails to cover it, and an ox or a donkey falls into it, 34 the owner of the pit shall make restitution; he must pay its owner, and the dead animal will be his.
35 If a man’s ox injures his neighbor’s ox and it dies, they must sell the live one and divide the proceeds; they also must divide the dead animal. 36 But if it was known that the ox had a habit of goring, yet its owner failed to restrain it, he shall pay full compensation, ox for ox, and the dead animal will be his.
Footnotes:
6 a Or before God
8 b Or so that he does not designate her for himself
17 c Or dishonors or reviles
17 d Cited in Matthew 15:4 and Mark 7:10
22 e Or she has a miscarriage
24 f Cited in Matthew 5:38
28 g Or a bull ; also in verses 29–36
32 h 30 shekels is approximately 12 ounces or 342 grams of silver.
Exodus 22
Property Laws
1 “If a man steals an ox a or a sheep and slaughters or sells it, he must repay five oxen for an ox and four sheep for a sheep.
2 If a thief is caught breaking in and is beaten to death, no one shall be guilty of bloodshed. 3 But if it happens after sunrise, there is guilt for his bloodshed.
A thief must make full restitution; if he has nothing, he himself shall be sold for his theft. 4 If what was stolen is actually found alive in his possession—whether ox or donkey or sheep—he must pay back double.
5 If a man grazes his livestock in a field or vineyard and allows them to stray so that they graze in someone else’s field, he must make restitution from the best of his own field or vineyard.
6 If a fire breaks out and spreads to thornbushes so that it consumes stacked or standing grain, or the whole field, the one who started the fire must make full restitution.
7 If a man gives his neighbor money or goods for safekeeping and they are stolen from the neighbor’s house, the thief, if caught, must pay back double. 8 If the thief is not found, the owner of the house must appear before the judges b to determine whether he has taken his neighbor’s property.
9 In all cases of illegal possession of an ox, a donkey, a sheep, a garment, or any lost item that someone claims, ‘This is mine,’ both parties shall bring their cases before the judges. The one whom the judges find guilty c must pay back double to his neighbor.
10 If a man gives a donkey, an ox, a sheep, or any other animal to be cared for by his neighbor, but it dies or is injured or stolen while no one is watching, 11 an oath before the LORD shall be made between the parties to determine whether or not the man has taken his neighbor’s property. The owner must accept the oath and require no restitution.
12 But if the animal was actually stolen from the neighbor, he must make restitution to the owner.
13 If the animal was torn to pieces, he shall bring it as evidence; he need not make restitution for the torn carcass.
14 If a man borrows an animal from his neighbor and it is injured or dies while its owner is not present, he must make full restitution. 15 If the owner was present, no restitution is required. If the animal was rented, the fee covers the loss.
Laws of Social Responsibility
16 If a man seduces a virgin who is not pledged in marriage and sleeps with her, he must pay the full dowry for her to be his wife. 17 If her father absolutely refuses to give her to him, the man still must pay an amount comparable to the bridal price of a virgin.
18 You must not allow a sorceress to live.
19 Whoever lies with an animal must surely be put to death.
20 If anyone sacrifices to any god other than the LORD alone, he must be set apart for destruction. d
21 You must not exploit or oppress a foreign resident, for you yourselves were foreigners in the land of Egypt.
22 You must not mistreat any widow or orphan. 23 If you do mistreat them, and they cry out to Me in distress, I will surely hear their cry. 24 My anger will be kindled, and I will kill you with the sword; then your wives will become widows and your children will be fatherless.
25 If you lend money to one of My people among you who is poor, you must not act as a creditor to him; you are not to charge him interest.
26 If you take your neighbor’s cloak as collateral, return it to him by sunset, 27 because his cloak is the only covering he has for his body. What else will he sleep in? And if he cries out to Me, I will hear, for I am compassionate.
28 You must not blaspheme God or curse the ruler of your people. e
29 You must not hold back offerings from your granaries or vats. You are to give Me the firstborn of your sons. 30 You shall do likewise with your cattle and your sheep. Let them stay with their mothers for seven days, but on the eighth day you are to give them to Me.
31 You are to be My holy people. You must not eat the meat of a mauled animal found in the field; you are to throw it to the dogs.
Footnotes:
1 a Or a bull or a cow ; also in verses 4, 9, and 10
8 b Or before God ; also in verse 9
9 c Or whom God condemns
20 d Forms of the Hebrew cherem refer to the giving over of things or persons to the LORD, either by destroying them or by giving them as an offering.
28 e LXX or speak evil about the ruler of your people ; cited in Acts 23:5
Exodus 23
Justice and Mercy
1 “You shall not spread a false report. Do not join the wicked by being a malicious witness.
2 You shall not follow the crowd in wrongdoing. When you testify in a lawsuit, do not pervert justice by siding with the crowd. 3 And do not show favoritism to a poor man in his lawsuit.
4 If you encounter your enemy’s stray ox or donkey, you must return it to him.
5 If you see the donkey of one who hates you fallen under its load, do not leave it there; you must help him with it.
6 You shall not deny justice to the poor in their lawsuits. 7 Stay far away from a false accusation. Do not kill the innocent or the just, for I will not acquit the guilty.
8 Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds those who see and twists the words of the righteous.
9 Do not oppress a foreign resident, since you yourselves know how it feels to be foreigners; for you were foreigners in the land of Egypt.
Sabbath Laws
(Leviticus 25:1–7; Deuteronomy 15:1–6)
10 For six years you are to sow your land and gather its produce, 11 but in the seventh year you must let it rest and lie fallow, so that the poor among your people may eat from the field and the wild animals may consume what they leave. Do the same with your vineyard and olive grove.
12 For six days you are to do your work, but on the seventh day you must cease, so that your ox and your donkey may rest and the son of your maidservant may be refreshed, as well as the foreign resident.
13 Pay close attention to everything I have said to you. You must not invoke the names of other gods; they must not be heard on your lips.
The Three Feasts of Pilgrimage
(Leviticus 23:1–3)
14 Three times a year you are to celebrate a feast to Me.
15 You are to keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread a as I commanded you: At the appointed time in the month of Abib b you are to eat unleavened bread for seven days, because that was the month you came out of Egypt. No one may appear before Me empty-handed.
16 You are also to keep the Feast of Harvest c with the firstfruits of the produce from what you sow in the field.
And keep the Feast of Ingathering d at the end of the year, when you gather your produce from the field.
17 Three times a year all your males are to appear before the Lord GOD.
18 You must not offer the blood of My sacrifices with anything leavened, nor may the fat of My feast remain until morning.
19 Bring the best of the firstfruits of your soil to the house of the LORD your God.
You must not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.
God’s Angel to Lead
(Deuteronomy 7:12–26)
20 Behold, I am sending an angel before you to protect you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared. 21 Pay attention to him and listen to his voice; do not defy him, for he will not forgive rebellion, since My Name is in him.
22 But if you will listen carefully to his voice and do everything I say, I will be an enemy to your enemies and a foe to your foes. 23 For My angel will go before you and bring you into the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites, and Jebusites, and I will annihilate them.
24 You must not bow down to their gods or serve them or follow their practices. Instead, you are to demolish them and smash their sacred stones to pieces.
25 So you shall serve the LORD your God, and He will bless e your bread and your water. And I will take away sickness from among you. 26 No woman in your land will miscarry or be barren; I will fulfill the number of your days.
27 I will send My terror ahead of you and throw into confusion every nation you encounter. I will make all your enemies turn and run. 28 I will send the hornet before you to drive the Hivites and Canaanites and Hittites out of your way.
29 I will not drive them out before you in a single year; otherwise the land would become desolate and wild animals would multiply against you. 30 Little by little I will drive them out ahead of you, until you become fruitful and possess the land.
31 And I will establish your borders from the Red Sea f to the Sea of the Philistines, and from the desert to the Euphrates. g For I will deliver the inhabitants into your hand, and you will drive them out before you. 32 You shall make no covenant with them or with their gods. 33 They must not remain in your land, lest they cause you to sin against Me. For if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you.”
Footnotes:
15 a That is, the seven-day period after the Passover during which no leaven may be eaten; see Exodus 12:14–20.
15 b Abib was the first month of the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar, usually occurring within the months of March and April.
16 c That is, Shavuot, the late spring feast of pilgrimage to Jerusalem; it is also known as the Feast of Weeks (see Exodus 34:22) or the Feast of Pentecost (see Acts 2:1).
16 d That is, Sukkot, the autumn feast of pilgrimage to Jerusalem; it is later called the Feast of Tabernacles (or Booths or Shelters ).
25 e LXX and Vulgate I will bless
31 f Or the Sea of Reeds
31 g Hebrew the River
Exodus 24
The Covenant Sealed
1 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Come up to the LORD—you and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of Israel’s elders—and you are to worship at a distance. 2 Moses alone shall approach the LORD, but the others must not come near. And the people may not go up with him.”
3 When Moses came and told the people all the words and ordinances of the LORD, they all responded with one voice: “All the words that the LORD has spoken, we will do.”
4 And Moses wrote down all the words of the LORD.
Early the next morning he got up and built an altar at the base of the mountain, along with twelve pillars for the twelve tribes of Israel. 5 Then he sent out some young men of Israel, and they offered burnt offerings and sacrificed young bulls as peace offerings to the LORD.
6 Moses took half of the blood and put it in bowls, and the other half he sprinkled on the altar. 7 Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it to the people, who replied, “All that the LORD has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient.”
8 So Moses took the blood, sprinkled it on the people, and said, “This is the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words.” a
9 Then Moses went up with Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, 10 and they saw the God of Israel. Under His feet was a work like a pavement made of sapphire, as clear as the sky itself. 11 But God did not lay His hand on the nobles of Israel; they saw Him, and they ate and drank.
Moses on the Mountain
12 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Come up to Me on the mountain and stay here, so that I may give you the tablets of stone, with the law and commandments I have written for their instruction.”
13 So Moses set out with Joshua his attendant and went up on the mountain of God. 14 And he said to the elders, “Wait here for us until we return to you. Aaron and Hur are here with you. Whoever has a dispute can go to them.”
15 When Moses went up on the mountain, the cloud covered it, 16 and the glory of the LORD settled on Mount Sinai. For six days the cloud covered it, and on the seventh day the LORD called to Moses from within the cloud. 17 And the sight of the glory of the LORD was like a consuming fire on the mountaintop in the eyes of the Israelites.
18 Moses entered the cloud as he went up on the mountain, and he remained on the mountain forty days and forty nights.
Footnotes:
8 a Cited in Hebrews 9:20
Exodus 25
Offerings for the Tabernacle
(Exodus 35:4–9)
1 Then the LORD said to Moses, 2 “Tell the Israelites to bring Me an offering. You are to receive My offering from every man whose heart compels him. 3 This is the offering you are to accept from them:
gold, silver, and bronze;
4 blue, purple, and scarlet yarn;
5 ram skins dyed red and fine leather; a
acacia wood;
6 olive oil for the light;
spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense;
7 and onyx stones and gemstones to be mounted on the ephod and breastpiece.
8 And they are to make a sanctuary for Me, so that I may dwell among them. 9 You must make the tabernacle and design all its furnishings according to the pattern I show you.
The Ark of the Covenant
(Exodus 37:1–5)
10 And they are to construct an ark of acacia wood, two and a half cubits long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit and a half high. b 11 Overlay it with pure gold both inside and out, and make a gold molding around it.
12 Cast four gold rings for it and fasten them to its four feet, two rings on one side and two on the other. 13 And make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. 14 Insert the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark, in order to carry it. 15 The poles are to remain in the rings of the ark; they must not be removed. 16 And place inside the ark the Testimony, c which I will give you.
The Mercy Seat
(Exodus 37:6–9)
17 And you are to construct a mercy seat d of pure gold, two and a half cubits long and a cubit and a half wide. e 18 Make two cherubim of hammered gold at the ends of the mercy seat, 19 one cherub on one end and one on the other, all made from one piece of gold. 20 And the cherubim are to have wings that spread upward, overshadowing the mercy seat. The cherubim are to face each other, looking toward the mercy seat.
21 Set the mercy seat atop the ark, and put the Testimony that I will give you into the ark.
22 And I will meet with you there above the mercy seat, between the two cherubim that are over the ark of the Testimony; f I will speak with you about all that I command you regarding the Israelites.
The Table of Showbread
(Exodus 37:10–16; Leviticus 24:5–9)
23 You are also to make a table of acacia wood two cubits long, a cubit wide, and a cubit and a half high. g 24 Overlay it with pure gold and make a gold molding around it. 25 And make a rim around it a handbreadth wide h and put a gold molding on the rim.
26 Make four gold rings for the table and fasten them to the four corners at its four legs. 27 The rings are to be close to the rim, to serve as holders for the poles used to carry the table. 28 Make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold, so that the table may be carried with them.
29 You are also to make the plates and dishes, as well as the pitchers and bowls for pouring drink offerings. Make them out of pure gold.
30 And place the Bread of the Presence on the table before Me at all times.
The Lampstand
(Exodus 37:17–24; Numbers 8:1–4)
31 Then you are to make a lampstand of pure, hammered gold. It shall be made of one piece, including its base and shaft, its cups, and its buds and petals.
32 Six branches are to extend from the sides of the lampstand—three on one side and three on the other. 33 There are to be three cups shaped like almond blossoms on the first branch, each with buds and petals, three on the next branch, and the same for all six branches that extend from the lampstand.
34 And on the lampstand there shall be four cups shaped like almond blossoms with buds and petals. 35 For the six branches that extend from the lampstand, a bud must be under the first pair of branches, a bud under the second pair, and a bud under the third pair. 36 The buds and branches are to be all of one piece with the lampstand, hammered out of pure gold.
37 Make seven lamps and set them up on the lampstand so that they illuminate the area in front of it. 38 The wick trimmers and their trays must be of pure gold. 39 The lampstand and all these utensils shall be made from a talent of pure gold. i
40 See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain. j
Footnotes:
5 a Possibly the hides of large aquatic mammals
10 b The ark was approximately 3.75 feet long, 2.25 feet wide, and 2.25 feet high (114.3 centimeters long, 68.6 centimeters wide, and 68.6 centimeters high).
16 c The Testimony refers to the stone tablets in the ark of the covenant inscribed with the Ten Commandments; also in verses 21 and 22.
17 d Or an atonement cover ; here and throughout Exodus
17 e The mercy seat was approximately 3.75 feet long and 2.25 feet wide (114.3 centimeters long and 68.6 centimeters wide).
22 f That is, the ark of the covenant
23 g The table was approximately 3 feet long, 1.5 feet wide, and 2.25 feet high (91.4 centimeters long, 45.7 centimeters wide, and 68.6 centimeters high).
25 h A handbreadth is approximately 2.9 inches or 7.4 centimeters.
39 i A talent is approximately 75.4 pounds or 34.2 kilograms of gold.
40 j Cited in Hebrews 8:5
Exodus 26
The Ten Curtains for the Tabernacle
(Exodus 36:8–13)
1 “You are to construct the tabernacle itself with ten curtains of finely spun linen, each with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and cherubim skillfully worked into them. 2 Each curtain shall be twenty-eight cubits long and four cubits wide a —all curtains the same size.
3 Five of the curtains are to be joined together, and the other five joined as well. 4 Make loops of blue material on the edge of the end curtain in the first set, and do the same for the end curtain in the second set.
5 Make fifty loops on one curtain and fifty loops on the end curtain of the second set, so that the loops line up opposite one another. 6 Make fifty gold clasps as well, and join the curtains together with the clasps, so that the tabernacle will be a unit.
The Eleven Curtains of Goat Hair
(Exodus 36:14–19)
7 You are to make curtains of goat hair for the tent over the tabernacle—eleven curtains in all. 8 Each of the eleven curtains is to be the same size—thirty cubits long and four cubits wide. b
9 Join five of the curtains into one set and the other six into another. Then fold the sixth curtain over double at the front of the tent.
10 Make fifty loops along the edge of the end curtain in the first set, and fifty loops along the edge of the corresponding curtain in the second set. 11 Make fifty bronze clasps and put them through the loops to join the tent together as a unit.
12 As for the overlap that remains of the tent curtains, the half curtain that is left over shall hang down over the back of the tabernacle. 13 And the tent curtains will be a cubit c longer on either side, and the excess will hang over the sides of the tabernacle to cover it.
14 Also make a covering for the tent out of ram skins dyed red, and over that a covering of fine leather. d
The Frames and Bases
(Exodus 36:20–34)
15 You are to construct upright frames of acacia wood for the tabernacle. 16 Each frame is to be ten cubits long and a cubit and a half wide. e 17 Two tenons f must be connected to each other for each frame. Make all the frames of the tabernacle in this way.
18 Construct twenty frames for the south side of the tabernacle, 19 with forty silver bases under the twenty frames—two bases for each frame, one under each tenon.
20 For the second side of the tabernacle, the north side, make twenty frames 21 and forty silver bases—two bases under each frame.
22 Make six frames for the rear of the tabernacle, the west side, 23 and two frames for the two back corners of the tabernacle, 24 coupled together from bottom to top and fitted into a single ring. These will serve as the two corners. 25 So there are to be eight frames and sixteen silver bases—two under each frame.
26 You are also to make five crossbars of acacia wood for the frames on one side of the tabernacle, 27 five for those on the other side, and five for those on the rear side of the tabernacle, to the west.
28 The central crossbar in the middle of the frames shall extend from one end to the other. 29 Overlay the frames with gold and make gold rings to hold the crossbars. Also overlay the crossbars with gold.
30 So you are to set up the tabernacle according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.
The Veil
(Exodus 36:35–36)
31 Make a veil of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and finely spun linen, with cherubim skillfully worked into it. 32 Hang it with gold hooks on four posts of acacia wood, overlaid with gold and standing on four silver bases. 33 And hang the veil from the clasps and place the ark of the Testimony g behind the veil. So the veil will separate the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place. h
34 Put the mercy seat on the ark of the Testimony in the Most Holy Place. 35 And place the table outside the veil on the north side of the tabernacle, and put the lampstand opposite the table, on the south side.
The Curtain for the Entrance
(Exodus 36:37–38)
36 For the entrance to the tent, you are to make a curtain embroidered with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and finely spun linen. 37 Make five posts of acacia wood for the curtain, overlay them with gold hooks, and cast five bronze bases for them.
Footnotes:
2 a Each of the ten curtains was approximately 42 feet long and 6 feet wide (12.8 meters long and 1.8 meters wide).
8 b Each of the eleven curtains was approximately 45 feet long and 6 feet wide (13.7 meters long and 1.8 meters wide).
13 c A cubit is approximately 18 inches or 45.7 centimeters.
14 d Possibly the hides of large aquatic mammals
16 e Each frame was approximately 15 feet long and 2.25 feet wide (4.6 meters long and 68.6 centimeters wide).
17 f That is, projecting pieces of wood made for insertion into another piece; similarly in verse 19.
33 g That is, the ark of the covenant ; also in verse 34
33 h Or the Holy of Holies ; also in verse 34
Exodus 27
The Bronze Altar
(Exodus 38:1–7)
1 “You are to build an altar of acacia wood. The altar must be square, five cubits long, five cubits wide, and three cubits high. a 2 Make a horn on each of its four corners, so that the horns are of one piece, and overlay it with bronze.
3 Make all its utensils of bronze—its pots for removing ashes, its shovels, its sprinkling bowls, its meat forks, and its firepans. 4 Construct for it a grate of bronze mesh, and make a bronze ring at each of the four corners of the mesh. 5 Set the grate beneath the ledge of the altar, so that the mesh comes halfway up the altar.
6 Additionally, make poles of acacia wood for the altar and overlay them with bronze. 7 The poles are to be inserted into the rings so that the poles are on two sides of the altar when it is carried.
8 Construct the altar with boards so that it is hollow. It is to be made just as you were shown on the mountain.
The Courtyard
(Exodus 38:9–20)
9 You are also to make a courtyard for the tabernacle. On the south side of the courtyard make curtains of finely spun linen, a hundred cubits long b on one side, 10 with twenty posts and twenty bronze bases, and silver hooks and bands on the posts.
11 Likewise there are to be curtains on the north side, a hundred cubits long, with twenty posts and twenty bronze bases, and with silver hooks and bands on the posts. 12 The curtains on the west side of the courtyard shall be fifty cubits wide, c with ten posts and ten bases.
13 The east side of the courtyard, toward the sunrise, is to be fifty cubits wide. 14 Make the curtains on one side fifteen cubits long, d with three posts and three bases, 15 and the curtains on the other side fifteen cubits long, with three posts and three bases.
16 The gate of the courtyard shall be twenty cubits long, e with a curtain embroidered with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and finely spun linen. It shall have four posts and four bases.
17 All the posts around the courtyard shall have silver bands, silver hooks, and bronze bases. 18 The entire courtyard shall be a hundred cubits long and fifty cubits wide, f with curtains of finely spun linen five cubits high, g and with bronze bases. 19 All the utensils of the tabernacle for every use, including all its tent pegs and the tent pegs of the courtyard, shall be made of bronze.
The Oil for the Lamps
(Leviticus 24:1–4)
20 And you are to command the Israelites to bring you pure oil of pressed olives for the light, to keep the lamps burning continually.
21 In the Tent of Meeting, outside the veil that is in front of the Testimony, h Aaron and his sons are to tend the lamps before the LORD from evening until morning. This is to be a permanent statute for the Israelites for the generations to come.
Footnotes:
1 a The altar was approximately 7.5 feet in length and width, and 4.5 feet high (2.3 meters in length and width, and 1.4 meters high).
9 b 100 cubits is approximately 150 feet or 45.7 meters; also in verse 11.
12 c 50 cubits is approximately 75 feet or 22.9 meters; also in verse 13.
14 d 15 cubits is approximately 22.5 feet or 6.9 meters; also in verse 15.
16 e 20 cubits is approximately 30 feet or 9.1 meters.
18 f The courtyard was approximately 150 feet long and 75 feet wide (45.7 meters long and 22.9 meters wide).
18 g 5 cubits is approximately 7.5 feet or 2.3 meters.
21 h The Testimony refers to the stone tablets in the ark of the covenant inscribed with the Ten Commandments.
Exodus 28
Garments for the Priests
1 “Next, have your brother Aaron brought to you from among the Israelites, along with his sons Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar, to serve Me as priests. 2 Make holy garments for your brother Aaron, to give him glory and splendor.
3 You are to instruct all the skilled craftsmen, whom I have filled with a spirit of wisdom, to make garments for Aaron’s consecration, so that he may serve Me as priest. 4 These are the garments that they shall make: a breastpiece, an ephod, a robe, a woven tunic, a turban, and a sash. They are to make these holy garments for your brother Aaron and his sons, so that they may serve Me as priests. 5 They shall use gold, along with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and fine linen.
The Ephod
(Exodus 39:1–7)
6 They are to make the ephod of finely spun linen embroidered with gold, and with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn. 7 It shall have two shoulder pieces attached at two of its corners, so it can be fastened. 8 And the skillfully woven waistband of the ephod must be of one piece, of the same workmanship—with gold, with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and with finely spun linen.
9 Take two onyx stones and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel: 10 six of their names on one stone and the remaining six on the other, in the order of their birth. 11 Engrave the names of the sons of Israel on the two stones the way a gem cutter engraves a seal. Then mount the stones in gold filigree settings. 12 Fasten both stones on the shoulder pieces of the ephod as memorial stones for the sons of Israel. Aaron is to bear their names on his two shoulders as a memorial before the LORD.
13 Fashion gold filigree settings 14 and two chains of pure gold, made of braided cord work; and attach these chains to the settings.
The Breastpiece
(Exodus 39:8–21)
15 You are also to make a breastpiece of judgment with the same workmanship as the ephod. Construct it with gold, with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and with finely spun linen. 16 It must be square when folded over double, a span long and a span wide. a
17 And mount on it a setting of gemstones, four rows of stones: b
In the first row there shall be a ruby, a topaz, and an emerald;
18 in the second row a turquoise, a sapphire, and a diamond;
19 in the third row a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst;
20 and in the fourth row a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper.
Mount these stones in gold filigree settings. 21 The twelve stones are to correspond to the names of the sons of Israel, each engraved like a seal with the name of one of the twelve tribes.
22 For the breastpiece, make braided chains like cords of pure gold. 23 You are also to make two gold rings and fasten them to the two corners of the breastpiece. 24 Then fasten the two gold chains to the two gold rings at the corners of the breastpiece, 25 and fasten the other ends of the two chains to the two filigree settings, attaching them to the shoulder pieces of the ephod at the front.
26 Make two more gold rings and attach them to the other two corners of the breastpiece, on the inside edge next to the ephod.
27 Make two additional gold rings and attach them to the bottom of the two shoulder pieces of the ephod, on its front, near its seam just above its woven waistband. 28 The rings of the breastpiece shall be tied to the rings of the ephod with a cord of blue yarn, so that the breastpiece is above the waistband of the ephod and does not swing out from the ephod.
29 Whenever Aaron enters the Holy Place, he shall bear the names of the sons of Israel over his heart on the breastpiece of judgment, as a continual reminder before the LORD.
30 And place the Urim and Thummim c in the breastpiece of judgment, so that they will also be over Aaron’s heart whenever he comes before the LORD. Aaron will continually carry the judgment of the sons of Israel over his heart before the LORD.
Additional Priestly Garments
(Exodus 39:22–31)
31 You are to make the robe of the ephod entirely of blue cloth, 32 with an opening at its top in the center. Around the opening shall be a woven collar with an opening like that of a garment, d so that it will not tear.
33 Make pomegranates of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn all the way around the lower hem, with gold bells between them, 34 alternating the gold bells and pomegranates around the lower hem of the robe.
35 Aaron must wear the robe whenever he ministers, and its sound will be heard when he enters or exits the sanctuary before the LORD, so that he will not die.
36 You are to make a plate of pure gold and engrave on it as on a seal:
HOLY TO THE LORD. e
37 Fasten to it a blue cord to mount it on the turban; it shall be on the front of the turban. 38 And it will be worn on Aaron’s forehead, so that he may bear the iniquity of the holy things that the sons of Israel consecrate with regard to all their holy gifts. It shall always be on his forehead, so that they may be acceptable before the LORD.
39 You are to weave the tunic with fine linen, make the turban of fine linen, and fashion an embroidered sash. 40 Make tunics, sashes, and headbands for Aaron’s sons, to give them glory and splendor.
41 After you put these garments on your brother Aaron and his sons, anoint them, ordain them, and consecrate them so that they may serve Me as priests.
42 Make linen undergarments to cover their bare flesh, extending from waist to thigh. 43 Aaron and his sons must wear them whenever they enter the Tent of Meeting or approach the altar to minister in the Holy Place, so that they will not incur guilt and die. This is to be a permanent statute for Aaron and his descendants.
Footnotes:
16 a The breastpiece, when folded over, was approximately 9 inches or 22.9 centimeters in both length and width.
17 b The precise identification of some of these gemstones is uncertain.
30 c Literally Lights and Perfections
32 d The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain; possibly a coat of mail .
36 e That is, the LORD
Exodus 29
Consecration of the Priests
(Leviticus 8:1–13)
1 “Now this is what you are to do to consecrate Aaron and his sons to serve Me as priests: Take a young bull and two rams without blemish, 2 along with unleavened bread, unleavened cakes mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil. Make them out of fine wheat flour, 3 put them in a basket, and present them in the basket, along with the bull and the two rams.
4 Then present Aaron and his sons at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and wash them with water. 5 Take the garments and clothe Aaron with the tunic, the robe of the ephod, the ephod itself, and the breastplate. Fasten the ephod on him with its woven waistband. 6 Put the turban on his head and attach the holy diadem to the turban. 7 Then take the anointing oil and anoint him by pouring it on his head.
8 Present his sons as well and clothe them with tunics. 9 Wrap the sashes around Aaron and his sons and tie headbands on them. The priesthood shall be theirs by a permanent statute. In this way you are to ordain Aaron and his sons.
The Order of the Sacrifices
(Leviticus 8:22–36)
10 You are to present the bull at the front of the Tent of Meeting, and Aaron and his sons are to lay their hands on its head. 11 And you shall slaughter the bull before the LORD at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. 12 Take some of the blood of the bull and put it on the horns of the altar with your finger; then pour out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar. 13 Take all the fat that covers the entrails and the lobe of the liver, and both kidneys with the fat on them, and burn them on the altar. 14 But burn the flesh of the bull and its hide and dung outside the camp; it is a sin offering. a
15 Take one of the rams, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on its head. 16 You are to slaughter the ram, take its blood, and sprinkle it on all sides of the altar. 17 Cut the ram into pieces, wash the entrails and legs, and place them with its head and other pieces. 18 Then burn the entire ram on the altar; it is a burnt offering to the LORD, a pleasing aroma, an offering made by fire to the LORD.
19 Take the second ram, and Aaron and his sons are to lay their hands on its head. 20 Slaughter the ram, take some of its blood, and put it on the right earlobes of Aaron and his sons, on the thumbs of their right hands, and on the big toes of their right feet. Sprinkle the remaining blood on all sides of the altar. 21 And take some of the blood on the altar and some of the anointing oil and sprinkle it on Aaron and his garments, as well as on his sons and their garments. Then he and his garments will be consecrated, as well as his sons and their garments.
22 Take the fat from the ram, the fat tail, the fat covering the entrails, the lobe of the liver, both kidneys with the fat on them, and the right thigh (since this is a ram for ordination), 23 along with one loaf of bread, one cake of bread made with oil, and one wafer from the basket of unleavened bread that is before the LORD. 24 Put all these in the hands of Aaron and his sons and wave them before the LORD as a wave offering. 25 Then take them from their hands and burn them on the altar atop the burnt offering as a pleasing aroma before the LORD; it is an offering made by fire to the LORD.
26 Take the breast of the ram of Aaron’s ordination and wave it before the LORD as a wave offering, and it will be your portion. 27 Consecrate for Aaron and his sons the breast of the wave offering that is waved and the thigh of the heave offering that is lifted up from the ram of ordination. 28 This will belong to Aaron and his sons as a regular portion from the Israelites, for it is the heave offering the Israelites will make to the LORD from their peace offerings.
29 The holy garments that belong to Aaron will belong to his sons after him, so they can be anointed and ordained in them. 30 The son who succeeds him as priest and enters the Tent of Meeting to minister in the Holy Place must wear them for seven days.
Food for the Priests
31 You are to take the ram of ordination and boil its flesh in a holy place. 32 At the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, Aaron and his sons are to eat the meat of the ram and the bread that is in the basket. 33 They must eat those things by which atonement was made for their ordination and consecration. But no outsider may eat them, because these things are sacred. 34 And if any of the meat of ordination or any bread is left until the morning, you are to burn up the remainder. It must not be eaten, because it is sacred.
35 This is what you are to do for Aaron and his sons based on all that I have commanded you, taking seven days to ordain them. 36 Sacrifice a bull as a sin offering each day for atonement. Purify the altar by making atonement for it, and anoint it to consecrate it. 37 For seven days you shall make atonement for the altar and consecrate it. Then the altar will become most holy; whatever touches the altar will be holy.
The Daily Offerings
(Numbers 28:1–8)
38 This is what you are to offer regularly on the altar, each day: two lambs that are a year old. 39 Offer one lamb in the morning and the other at twilight. b 40 With the first lamb offer a tenth of an ephah of fine flour, c mixed with a quarter hin of oil from pressed olives, d and a drink offering of a quarter hin of wine. 41 And offer the second lamb at twilight with the same grain offering and drink offering as in the morning, as a pleasing aroma, an offering made by fire to the LORD.
42 For the generations to come, this burnt offering shall be made regularly at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting before the LORD, where I will meet you to speak with you. 43 I will also meet with the Israelites there, and that place will be consecrated by My glory. 44 So I will consecrate the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and I will consecrate Aaron and his sons to serve Me as priests.
God Will Dwell among the People
45 Then I will dwell among the Israelites and be their God. 46 And they will know that I am the LORD their God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt so that I might dwell among them.
I am the LORD their God.
Footnotes:
14 a Or purification offering ; also in verse 36
39 b Hebrew between the two evenings ; also in verse 41
40 c A tenth of an ephah is approximately 2 dry quarts or 2.2 liters (probably about 2.6 pounds or 1.2 kilograms of flour).
40 d Hebrew a quarter hin of pressed oil ; that is, approximately 0.97 quarts or 0.92 liters
Exodus 30
The Altar of Incense
(Exodus 37:25–29)
1 “You are also to make an altar of acacia wood for the burning of incense. 2 It is to be square, a cubit long, a cubit wide, and two cubits high. a Its horns must be of one piece. 3 Overlay with pure gold the top and all the sides and horns, and make a molding of gold around it. 4 And make two gold rings below the molding on opposite sides to hold the poles used to carry it. 5 Make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold.
6 Place the altar in front of the veil that is before the ark of the Testimony b—before the mercy seat that is over the Testimony—where I will meet with you. 7 And Aaron is to burn fragrant incense on it every morning when he tends the lamps. 8 When Aaron sets up the lamps at twilight, c he must burn the incense perpetually before the LORD for the generations to come. 9 On this altar you must not offer unauthorized d incense or a burnt offering or grain offering; nor are you to pour a drink offering on it.
10 Once a year Aaron shall make atonement on the horns of the altar. Throughout your generations he shall make atonement on it annually with the blood of the sin offering e of atonement. The altar is most holy to the LORD.”
The Census Offering
(2 Samuel 24:1–9; 1 Chronicles 21:1–6)
11 Then the LORD said to Moses, 12 “When you take a census of the Israelites to number them, each man must pay the LORD a ransom for his life when he is counted. Then no plague will come upon them when they are numbered. 13 Everyone who crosses over to those counted must pay a half shekel, f according to the sanctuary shekel, which weighs twenty gerahs. g This half shekel is an offering to the LORD.
14 Everyone twenty years of age or older who crosses over must give this offering to the LORD. 15 In making the offering to the LORD to atone for your lives, the rich shall not give more than a half shekel, nor shall the poor give less. 16 Take the atonement money from the Israelites and use it for the service of the Tent of Meeting. It will serve as a memorial for the Israelites before the LORD to make atonement for your lives.”
The Bronze Basin
(Exodus 38:8)
17 And the LORD said to Moses, 18 “You are to make a bronze basin with a bronze stand for washing. Set it between the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and put water in it, 19 with which Aaron and his sons are to wash their hands and feet. 20 Whenever they enter the Tent of Meeting or approach the altar to minister by presenting an offering made by fire to the LORD, they must wash with water so that they will not die. 21 Thus they are to wash their hands and feet so that they will not die; this shall be a permanent statute for Aaron and his descendants for the generations to come.”
The Anointing Oil
22 Then the LORD said to Moses, 23 “Take the finest spices: 500 shekels of liquid myrrh, h half that amount (250 shekels) of fragrant cinnamon, i 250 shekels of fragrant cane, j 24 500 shekels of cassia k —all according to the sanctuary shekel—and a hin of olive oil. l 25 Prepare from these a sacred anointing oil, a fragrant blend, the work of a perfumer; it will be a sacred anointing oil.
26 Use this oil to anoint the Tent of Meeting, the ark of the Testimony, 27 the table and all its utensils, the lampstand and its utensils, the altar of incense, 28 the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and the basin with its stand. 29 You are to consecrate them so that they will be most holy. Whatever touches them shall be holy. 30 Anoint Aaron and his sons and consecrate them to serve Me as priests.
31 And you are to tell the Israelites, ‘This will be My sacred anointing oil for the generations to come. 32 It must not be used to anoint an ordinary man, and you must not make anything like it with the same formula. It is holy, and it must be holy to you. 33 Anyone who mixes perfume like it or puts it on an outsider shall be cut off from his people.’ ”
The Incense
34 The LORD also said to Moses, “Take fragrant spices—gum resin, onycha, galbanum, and pure frankincense—in equal measures, 35 and make a fragrant blend of incense, the work of a perfumer, seasoned with salt, pure and holy. 36 Grind some of it into fine powder and place it in front of the Testimony m in the Tent of Meeting, where I will meet with you. It shall be most holy to you. 37 You are never to use this formula to make incense for yourselves; you shall regard it as holy to the LORD. 38 Anyone who makes something like it to enjoy its fragrance shall be cut off from his people.”
Footnotes:
2 a The altar was approximately 1.5 feet in length and width, and 3 feet high (45.7 centimeters in length and width, and 91.4 centimeters high).
6 b That is, the ark of the covenant ; also in verse 26
8 c Hebrew between the two evenings
9 d Or strange
10 e Or purification offering
13 f A half shekel is approximately 0.2 ounces or 5.7 grams; also in verse 15.
13 g 20 gerahs is equivalent to one shekel (approximately 0.4 ounces or 11.4 grams).
23 h 500 shekels is approximately 12.6 pounds or 5.7 kilograms of myrrh.
23 i 250 shekels is approximately 6.3 pounds or 2.9 kilograms of cinnamon.
23 j 250 shekels is approximately 6.3 pounds or 2.9 kilograms of cane.
24 k 500 shekels is approximately 12.6 pounds or 5.7 kilograms of cassia.
24 l A hin is approximately 0.97 gallons or 3.67 liters of olive oil.
36 m The Testimony refers to the stone tablets in the ark of the covenant inscribed with the Ten Commandments.
Exodus 31
Bezalel and Oholiab
(Exodus 35:30–35)
1 Then the LORD said to Moses, 2 “See, I have called by name Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. 3 And I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability, and knowledge in all kinds of craftsmanship, 4 to design artistic works in gold, silver, and bronze, 5 to cut gemstones for settings, and to carve wood, so that he may be a master of every craft.
6 Moreover, I have selected Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, as his assistant.
I have also given skill to all the craftsmen, that they may fashion all that I have commanded you: 7 the Tent of Meeting, the ark of the Testimony a and the mercy seat upon it, and all the other furnishings of the tent— 8 the table with its utensils, the pure gold lampstand with all its utensils, the altar of incense, 9 the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the basin with its stand— 10 as well as the woven garments, both the holy garments for Aaron the priest and the garments for his sons to serve as priests, 11 in addition to the anointing oil and fragrant incense for the Holy Place. They are to make them according to all that I have commanded you.”
The Sign of the Sabbath
(Numbers 15:32–36)
12 And the LORD said to Moses, 13 “Tell the Israelites, ‘Surely you must keep My Sabbaths, for this will be a sign between Me and you for the generations to come, so that you may know that I am the LORD who sanctifies you. 14 Keep the Sabbath, for it is holy to you. Anyone who profanes it must surely be put to death. Whoever does any work on that day must be cut off from among his people. 15 For six days work may be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of complete rest, holy to the LORD. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day must surely be put to death.
16 The Israelites must keep the Sabbath, celebrating it as a permanent covenant for the generations to come. 17 It is a sign between Me and the Israelites forever; for in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, but on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed.’ ”
Moses Receives the Tablets
18 When the LORD had finished speaking with Moses on Mount Sinai, He gave him the two tablets of the Testimony, tablets of stone inscribed by the finger of God.
Footnotes:
7 a That is, the ark of the covenant
Exodus 32
The Golden Calf
(Deuteronomy 9:7–29;Acts 7:39–43)
1 Now when the people saw that Moses was delayed in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, “Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this Moses who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him!” a
2 So Aaron told them, “Take off the gold earrings that are on your wives and sons and daughters, and bring them to me.”
3 Then all the people took off their gold earrings and brought them to Aaron. 4 He took the gold from their hands, and with an engraving tool he fashioned it into a molten calf. And they said, “These, O Israel, are your gods, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!”
5 When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before the calf and proclaimed: “Tomorrow shall be a feast to the LORD.”
6 So the next day they arose, offered burnt offerings, and presented peace offerings. And the people sat down to eat and drink, and got up to indulge in revelry. b
7 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go down at once, for your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves. 8 How quickly they have turned aside from the way that I commanded them! They have made for themselves a molten calf and have bowed down to it. They have sacrificed to it and said, ‘These, O Israel, are your gods, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.’ ”
9 The LORD also said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and they are indeed a stiff-necked people. 10 Now leave Me alone, so that My anger may burn against them and consume them. Then I will make you into a great nation.”
11 But Moses sought the favor of the LORD his God, saying, “O LORD, why does Your anger burn against Your people, whom You brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand? 12 Why should the Egyptians declare, ‘He brought them out with evil intent, to kill them in the mountains and wipe them from the face of the earth’? Turn from Your fierce anger and relent from doing harm to Your people. 13 Remember Your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, to whom You swore by Your very self when You declared, ‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky, and I will give your descendants all this land that I have promised, and it shall be their inheritance forever.’ ”
14 So the LORD relented from the calamity He had threatened to bring on His people.
15 Then Moses turned and went down the mountain with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands. They were inscribed on both sides, front and back. 16 The tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets.
17 When Joshua heard the sound of the people shouting, he said to Moses, “The sound of war is in the camp.”
18 But Moses replied:
“It is neither the cry of victory nor the cry of defeat;
I hear the sound of singing!”
19 As Moses approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, he burned with anger and threw the tablets out of his hands, shattering them at the base of the mountain. 20 Then he took the calf they had made, burned it in the fire, ground it to powder, and scattered the powder over the face of the water. Then he forced the Israelites to drink it.
21 “What did this people do to you,” Moses asked Aaron, “that you have led them into so great a sin?”
22 “Do not be enraged, my lord,” Aaron replied. “You yourself know that the people are intent on evil. 23 They told me, ‘Make us gods who will go before us. As for this Moses who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him!’
24 So I said to them, ‘Whoever has gold, let him take it off,’ and they gave it to me. And when I threw it into the fire, out came this calf!”
25 Moses saw that the people were out of control, for Aaron had let them run wild and become a laughingstock c to their enemies. 26 So Moses stood at the entrance to the camp and said, “Whoever is for the LORD, come to me.”
And all the Levites gathered around him.
27 He told them, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Each of you men is to fasten his sword to his side, go back and forth through the camp from gate to gate, and slay his brother, his friend, and his neighbor.’ ”
28 The Levites did as Moses commanded, and that day about three thousand of the people fell dead.
29 Afterward, Moses said, “Today you have been ordained d for service to the LORD, since each man went against his son and his brother; so the LORD has bestowed a blessing on you this day.”
30 The next day Moses said to the people, “You have committed a great sin. Now I will go up to the LORD; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.”
31 So Moses returned to the LORD and said, “Oh, what a great sin these people have committed! They have made gods of gold for themselves. 32 Yet now, if You would only forgive their sin.... But if not, please blot me out of the book that You have written.”
33 The LORD replied to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot out of My book. 34 Now go, lead the people to the place I described. Behold, My angel shall go before you. But on the day I settle accounts, I will punish them for their sin.”
35 And the LORD sent a plague on the people because of what they had done with the calf that Aaron had made.
Footnotes:
1 a Cited in Acts 7:40
6 b Or to play ; cited in 1 Corinthians 10:7
25 c Or and become an object of derision
29 d Or have ordained yourselves
Exodus 33
The Command to Leave Sinai
(Deuteronomy 1:1–8)
1 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Leave this place, you and the people you brought up out of the land of Egypt, and go to the land that I promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob when I said, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ 2 And I will send an angel before you, and I will drive out the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. 3 Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey. But I will not go with you, because you are a stiff-necked people; otherwise, I might destroy you on the way.”
4 When the people heard these bad tidings, they went into mourning, and no one put on any of his jewelry. 5 For the LORD had said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites, ‘You are a stiff-necked people. If I should go with you for a single moment, I would destroy you. Now take off your jewelry, and I will decide what to do with you.’ ”
6 So the Israelites stripped themselves of their jewelry from Mount Horeb onward. a
The Tent of Meeting
7 Now Moses used to take the tent and pitch it at a distance outside the camp. He called it the Tent of Meeting, and anyone inquiring of the LORD would go to the Tent of Meeting outside the camp. 8 Then, whenever Moses went out to the tent, all the people would stand at the entrances to their own tents and watch Moses until he entered the tent. 9 As Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down and remain at the entrance, and the LORD would speak with Moses. 10 When all the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance to the tent, they would stand up and worship, each one at the entrance to his own tent.
11 Thus the LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his young assistant Joshua son of Nun would not leave the tent.
The Promise of God’s Presence
12 Then Moses said to the LORD, “Look, You have been telling me, ‘Lead this people up,’ but You have not let me know whom You will send with me. Yet You have said, ‘I know you by name, and you have found favor in My sight.’ 13 Now if indeed I have found favor in Your sight, please let me know Your ways, that I may know You and find favor in Your sight. Remember that this nation is Your people.”
14 And the LORD answered, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”
15 “If Your Presence does not go with us,” Moses replied, “do not lead us up from here. 16 For how then can it be known that Your people and I have found favor in Your sight, unless You go with us? How else will we be distinguished from all the other people on the face of the earth?”
17 So the LORD said to Moses, “I will do this very thing you have asked, for you have found favor in My sight, and I know you by name.”
18 Then Moses said, “Please show me Your glory.”
19 “I will cause all My goodness to pass before you,” the LORD replied, “and I will proclaim My name—the LORD—in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” b
20 But He added, “You cannot see My face, for no one can see Me and live.”
21 The LORD continued, “There is a place near Me where you are to stand upon a rock, 22 and when My glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft of the rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed by. 23 Then I will take My hand away, and you will see My back; but My face must not be seen.”
Footnotes:
6 a That is, from Mount Sinai onward, or possibly a mountain in the range containing Mount Sinai
19 b Cited in Romans 9:15
Exodus 34
New Stone Tablets
(Deuteronomy 10:1–11)
1 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Chisel out two stone tablets like the originals, and I will write on them the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke. 2 Be ready in the morning, and come up on Mount Sinai to present yourself before Me on the mountaintop. 3 No one may go up with you; in fact, no one may be seen anywhere on the mountain—not even the flocks or herds may graze in front of the mountain.”
4 So Moses chiseled out two stone tablets like the originals. He rose early in the morning, and taking the two stone tablets in his hands, he went up Mount Sinai as the LORD had commanded him.
5 And the LORD descended in a cloud, stood with him there, and proclaimed His name, the LORD. 6 Then the LORD passed in front of Moses and called out:
“The LORD, the LORD God,
is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger,
abounding in loving devotion and faithfulness,
7 maintaining loving devotion to a thousand generations, a
forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin.
Yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished;
He will visit the iniquity of the fathers
on their children and grandchildren
to the third and fourth generations.”
8 Moses immediately bowed down to the ground and worshiped. 9 “O Lord,” he said, “if I have indeed found favor in Your sight, my Lord, please go with us. Although this is a stiff-necked people, forgive our iniquity and sin, and take us as Your inheritance.”
The LORD Renews the Covenant
(2 Corinthians 3:7–18)
10 And the LORD said, “Behold, I am making a covenant. Before all your people I will perform wonders that have never been done in any nation in all the world. All the people among whom you live will see the LORD’s work, for it is an awesome thing that I am doing with you.
11 Observe what I command you this day. I will drive out before you the Amorites, Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. 12 Be careful not to make a treaty b with the inhabitants of the land you are entering, lest they become a snare in your midst. 13 Rather, you must tear down their altars, smash their sacred stones, and chop down their Asherah poles. 14 For you must not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.
15 Do not make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, for when they prostitute themselves to their gods and sacrifice to them, they will invite you, and you will eat their sacrifices. 16 And when you take some of their daughters as brides for your sons, their daughters will prostitute themselves to their gods and cause your sons to do the same.
17 You shall make no molten gods for yourselves.
18 You are to keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread. c For seven days at the appointed time in the month of Abib, d you are to eat unleavened bread as I commanded you. For in the month of Abib you came out of Egypt.
19 The first offspring of every womb belongs to Me, including all the firstborn males among your livestock, whether cattle or sheep. 20 You must redeem the firstborn of a donkey with a lamb; but if you do not redeem it, you are to break its neck. You must redeem all the firstborn of your sons. No one shall appear before Me empty-handed.
21 Six days you shall labor, but on the seventh day you shall rest; even in the seasons of plowing and harvesting, you must rest.
22 And you are to celebrate the Feast of Weeks e with the firstfruits of the wheat harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering f at the turn of the year. 23 Three times a year all your males are to appear before the Lord GOD, the God of Israel. 24 For I will drive out the nations before you and enlarge your borders, and no one will covet your land when you go up three times a year to appear before the LORD your God.
25 Do not offer the blood of a sacrifice to Me along with anything leavened, and do not let any of the sacrifice from the Passover Feast remain until morning.
26 Bring the best of the firstfruits of your soil to the house of the LORD your God.
You must not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.”
27 The LORD also said to Moses, “Write down these words, for in accordance with these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel.”
28 So Moses was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights without eating bread or drinking water. He wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant—the Ten Commandments. g
29 And when Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands, he was unaware that his face had become radiant from speaking with the LORD. 30 Aaron and all the Israelites looked at Moses, and behold, his face was radiant. And they were afraid to approach him.
31 But Moses called out to them; so Aaron and all the leaders of the congregation returned to him, and Moses spoke to them. 32 And after this all the Israelites came near, and Moses commanded them to do everything that the LORD had told him on Mount Sinai.
33 When Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil over his face. 34 But whenever Moses went in before the LORD to speak with Him, he would remove the veil until he came out. And when he came out, he would tell the Israelites what he had been commanded, 35 and the Israelites would see that the face of Moses was radiant. So Moses would put the veil back over his face until he went in to speak with the LORD.
Footnotes:
7 a Hebrew to thousands
12 b Forms of the Hebrew berit are translated in most passages as covenant .
18 c That is, the seven-day period after the Passover during which no leaven may be eaten; see Exodus 12:14–20.
18 d Abib was the first month of the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar, usually occurring within the months of March and April; twice in this verse.
22 e That is, Shavuot, the late spring feast of pilgrimage to Jerusalem; it is also known as the Feast of Harvest (see Exodus 23:16) or the Feast of Pentecost (see Acts 2:1).
22 f That is, Sukkot, the autumn feast of pilgrimage to Jerusalem; it is later called the Feast of Tabernacles (or Booths or Shelters ).
28 g Hebrew the Ten Words
Exodus 35
The Sabbath
1 Then Moses assembled the whole congregation of Israel and said to them, “These are the things that the LORD has commanded you to do: 2 For six days work may be done, but the seventh day shall be your holy day, a Sabbath of complete rest to the LORD. Whoever does any work on that day must be put to death. 3 Do not light a fire in any of your dwellings on the Sabbath day.”
Offerings for the Tabernacle
(Exodus 25:1–9)
4 Moses also told the whole congregation of Israel, “This is what the LORD has commanded: 5 Take from among you an offering to the LORD. Let everyone whose heart is willing bring an offering to the LORD:
gold, silver, and bronze;
6 blue, purple, and scarlet yarn;
fine linen and goat hair;
7 ram skins dyed red and fine leather; a
acacia wood;
8 olive oil for the light;
spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense;
9 and onyx stones and gemstones to be mounted on the ephod and breastpiece.
The Skilled Craftsmen
10 Let every skilled craftsman among you come and make everything that the LORD has commanded:
11 the tabernacle with its tent and covering, its clasps and frames, its crossbars, posts, and bases;
12 the ark with its poles and mercy seat, and the veil to shield it;
13 the table with its poles, all its utensils, and the Bread of the Presence;
14 the lampstand for light with its accessories and lamps and oil for the light;
15 the altar of incense with its poles;
the anointing oil and fragrant incense;
the curtain for the doorway at the entrance to the tabernacle;
16 the altar of burnt offering with its bronze grate, its poles, and all its utensils;
the basin with its stand;
17 the curtains of the courtyard with its posts and bases, and the curtain for the gate of the courtyard;
18 the tent pegs for the tabernacle and for the courtyard, along with their ropes;
19 and the woven garments for ministering in the holy place—both the holy garments for Aaron the priest and the garments for his sons to serve as priests.”
The People Offer Gifts
20 Then the whole congregation of Israel withdrew from the presence of Moses. 21 And everyone whose heart stirred him and whose spirit prompted him came and brought an offering to the LORD for the work on the Tent of Meeting, for all its services, and for the holy garments.
22 So all who had willing hearts, both men and women, came and brought brooches and earrings, rings and necklaces, and all kinds of gold jewelry. And they all presented their gold as a wave offering to the LORD.
23 Everyone who had blue, purple, or scarlet yarn, or fine linen, goat hair, ram skins dyed red, or articles of fine leather, brought them. 24 And all who could present an offering of silver or bronze brought it as a contribution to the LORD. Also, everyone who had acacia wood for any part of the service brought it.
25 Every skilled woman spun with her hands and brought what she had spun: blue, purple, or scarlet yarn, or fine linen. 26 And all the skilled women whose hearts were stirred spun the goat hair.
27 The leaders brought onyx stones and gemstones to mount on the ephod and breastpiece, 28 as well as spices and olive oil for the light, for the anointing oil, and for the fragrant incense.
29 So all the men and women of the Israelites whose hearts prompted them brought a freewill offering to the LORD for all the work that the LORD through Moses had commanded them to do.
Bezalel and Oholiab
(Exodus 31:1–11)
30 Then Moses said to the Israelites, “See, the LORD has called by name Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. 31 And He has filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability, and knowledge in all kinds of craftsmanship, 32 to design artistic works in gold, silver, and bronze, 33 to cut gemstones for settings, and to carve wood, so that he may be a master of every artistic craft.
34 And the LORD has given both him and Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, the ability to teach others. 35 He has filled them with skill to do all kinds of work as engravers, designers, embroiderers in blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and fine linen, and as weavers—as artistic designers of every kind of craft.
Footnotes:
7 a Possibly the hides of large aquatic mammals; also in verse 23
Exodus 36
The People Bring More than Enough
1 “So Bezalel, Oholiab, and every skilled person are to carry out everything commanded by the LORD, who has given them skill and ability to know how to perform all the work of constructing the sanctuary.”
2 Then Moses summoned Bezalel, Oholiab, and every skilled person whom the LORD had gifted—everyone whose heart stirred him to come and do the work. 3 They received from Moses all the contributions that the Israelites had brought to carry out the service of constructing the sanctuary.
Meanwhile, the people continued to bring freewill offerings morning after morning, 4 so that all the skilled craftsmen who were doing all the work on the sanctuary left their work 5 and said to Moses, “The people are bringing more than enough for doing the work the LORD has commanded us to do.”
6 After Moses had given an order, they sent a proclamation throughout the camp: “No man or woman should make anything else as an offering for the sanctuary.” So the people were restrained from bringing more, 7 since what they already had was more than enough to perform all the work.
The Ten Curtains for the Tabernacle
(Exodus 26:1–6)
8 All the skilled craftsmen among the workmen made the ten curtains for the tabernacle. They were made of finely spun linen, as well as blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, with cherubim skillfully worked into them. 9 Each curtain was twenty-eight cubits long and four cubits wide; a all the curtains were the same size. 10 And he joined five of the curtains together, and the other five he joined as well.
11 He made loops of blue material on the edge of the end curtain in the first set, and also on the end curtain in the second set. 12 He made fifty loops on one curtain and fifty loops on the end curtain of the second set, so that the loops lined up opposite one another. 13 He also made fifty gold clasps to join the curtains together, so that the tabernacle was a unit.
The Eleven Curtains of Goat Hair
(Exodus 26:7–14)
14 He then made curtains of goat hair for the tent over the tabernacle—eleven curtains in all. 15 Each of the eleven curtains was the same size—thirty cubits long and four cubits wide. b 16 He joined five of the curtains into one set and the other six into another. 17 He made fifty loops along the edge of the end curtain in the first set, and fifty loops along the edge of the corresponding curtain in the second set. 18 He also made fifty bronze clasps to join the tent together as a unit.
19 Additionally, he made for the tent a covering of ram skins dyed red, and over that a covering of fine leather. c
The Frames and Bases
(Exodus 26:15–30)
20 Next, he constructed upright frames of acacia wood for the tabernacle. 21 Each frame was ten cubits long and a cubit and a half wide. d 22 Two tenons e were connected to each other for each frame. He made all the frames of the tabernacle in this way.
23 He constructed twenty frames for the south side of the tabernacle, 24 with forty silver bases to put under the twenty frames—two bases for each frame, one under each tenon.
25 For the second side of the tabernacle, the north side, he made twenty frames 26 and forty silver bases—two bases under each frame.
27 He made six frames for the rear of the tabernacle, the west side, 28 and two frames for the two back corners of the tabernacle, 29 coupled together from bottom to top and fitted into a single ring. He made both corners in this way. 30 So there were eight frames and sixteen silver bases—two under each frame.
31 He also made five crossbars of acacia wood for the frames on one side of the tabernacle, 32 five for those on the other side, and five for those on the rear side of the tabernacle, to the west.
33 He made the central crossbar to run through the center of the frames, from one end to the other. 34 And he overlaid the frames with gold and made gold rings to hold the crossbars. He also overlaid the crossbars with gold.
The Veil
(Exodus 26:31–35)
35 Next, he made the veil of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and finely spun linen, with cherubim skillfully worked into it.
36 He also made four posts of acacia wood for it and overlaid them with gold, along with gold hooks; and he cast four silver bases for the posts.
The Curtain for the Entrance
(Exodus 26:36–37)
37 For the entrance to the tent, he made a curtain embroidered with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and finely spun linen, 38 together with five posts and their hooks.
He overlaid the tops of the posts and their bands with gold, and their five bases were bronze.
Footnotes:
9 a Each of the ten curtains was approximately 42 feet long and 6 feet wide (12.8 meters long and 1.8 meters wide).
15 b Each of the eleven curtains was approximately 45 feet long and 6 feet wide (13.7 meters long and 1.8 meters wide).
19 c Possibly the hides of large aquatic mammals
21 d Each frame was approximately 15 feet long and 2.25 feet wide (4.6 meters long and 68.6 centimeters wide).
22 e That is, projecting pieces of wood made for insertion into another piece; similarly in verse 24.
Exodus 37
Constructing the Ark
(Exodus 25:10–16)
1 Bezalel went on to construct the ark of acacia wood, two and a half cubits long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit and a half high. a 2 He overlaid it with pure gold, both inside and out, and made a gold molding around it. 3 And he cast four gold rings for its four feet, two rings on one side and two on the other. 4 Then he made poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold. 5 He inserted the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark in order to carry it.
The Mercy Seat
(Exodus 25:17–22)
6 He constructed a mercy seat of pure gold, two and a half cubits long and a cubit and a half wide. b 7 He made two cherubim of hammered gold at the ends of the mercy seat, 8 one cherub on one end and one on the other, all made from one piece of gold. 9 And the cherubim had wings that spread upward, overshadowing the mercy seat. The cherubim faced each other, looking toward the mercy seat.
The Table of Showbread
(Exodus 25:23–30; Leviticus 24:5–9)
10 He also made the table of acacia wood two cubits long, a cubit wide, and a cubit and a half high. c 11 He overlaid it with pure gold and made a gold molding around it. 12 And he made a rim around it a handbreadth wide d and put a gold molding on the rim.
13 He cast four gold rings for the table and fastened them to the four corners at its four legs. 14 The rings were placed close to the rim, to serve as holders for the poles used to carry the table. 15 He made the poles of acacia wood for carrying the table and overlaid them with gold.
16 He also made the utensils for the table out of pure gold: its plates and dishes, as well as its bowls and pitchers for pouring drink offerings.
The Lampstand
(Exodus 25:31–40; Numbers 8:1–4)
17 Then he made the lampstand out of pure hammered gold, all of one piece: its base and shaft, its cups, and its buds and petals. 18 Six branches extended from the sides, three on one side and three on the other. 19 There were three cups shaped like almond blossoms on the first branch, each with buds and petals, three on the next branch, and the same for all six branches that extended from the lampstand.
20 And on the lampstand were four cups shaped like almond blossoms with buds and petals. 21 A bud was under the first pair of branches that extended from the lampstand, a bud under the second pair, and a bud under the third pair. 22 The buds and branches were all of one piece with the lampstand, hammered out of pure gold.
23 He also made its seven lamps, its wick trimmers, and trays of pure gold. 24 He made the lampstand and all its utensils from a talent of pure gold. e
The Altar of Incense
(Exodus 30:1–10)
25 He made the altar of incense out of acacia wood. It was square, a cubit long, a cubit wide, and two cubits high. f Its horns were of one piece. 26 And he overlaid with pure gold the top and all the sides and horns. Then he made a molding of gold around it.
27 He made two gold rings below the molding on opposite sides to hold the poles used to carry it. 28 And he made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold.
29 He also made the sacred anointing oil and the pure, fragrant incense, the work of a perfumer.
Footnotes:
1 a The ark was approximately 3.75 feet long, 2.25 feet wide, and 2.25 feet high (114.3 centimeters long, 68.6 centimeters wide, and 68.6 centimeters high).
6 b The mercy seat was approximately 3.75 feet long and 2.25 feet wide (114.3 centimeters long and 68.6 centimeters wide).
10 c The table was approximately 3 feet long, 1.5 feet wide, and 2.25 feet high (91.4 centimeters long, 45.7 centimeters wide, and 68.6 centimeters high).
12 d A handbreadth is approximately 2.9 inches or 7.4 centimeters.
24 e A talent is approximately 75.4 pounds or 34.2 kilograms of gold.
25 f The altar was approximately 1.5 feet in length and width, and 3 feet high (45.7 centimeters in length and width, and 91.4 centimeters high).
Exodus 38
The Bronze Altar
(Exodus 27:1–8)
1 Bezalel constructed a the altar of burnt offering from acacia wood. It was square, five cubits long, five cubits wide, and three cubits high. b 2 He made a horn at each of its four corners, so that the horns and altar were of one piece, and he overlaid the altar with bronze.
3 He made all the altar’s utensils of bronze—its pots, shovels, sprinkling bowls, meat forks, and firepans. 4 He made a grate of bronze mesh for the altar under its ledge, halfway up from the bottom.
5 At the four corners of the bronze grate he cast four rings as holders for the poles. 6 And he made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with bronze. 7 Then he inserted the poles into the rings on the sides of the altar for carrying it. He made the altar with boards so that it was hollow.
The Bronze Basin
(Exodus 30:17–21)
8 Next he made the bronze basin and its stand from the mirrors of the women who served at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.
The Courtyard
(Exodus 27:9–19)
9 Then he constructed the courtyard. The south side of the courtyard was a hundred cubits long c and had curtains of finely spun linen, 10 with twenty posts and twenty bronze bases, and with silver hooks and bands on the posts. 11 The north side was also a hundred cubits long, with twenty posts and twenty bronze bases. The hooks and bands of the posts were silver. 12 The west side was fifty cubits long d and had curtains, with ten posts and ten bases. The hooks and bands of the posts were silver. 13 And the east side, toward the sunrise, was also fifty cubits long.
14 The curtains on one side of the entrance were fifteen cubits long, e with three posts and three bases. 15 And the curtains on the other side were also fifteen cubits long, with three posts and three bases as well. 16 All the curtains around the courtyard were made of finely spun linen. 17 The bases for the posts were bronze, the hooks and bands were silver, and the plating for the tops of the posts was silver. So all the posts of the courtyard were banded with silver.
18 The curtain for the entrance to the courtyard was embroidered with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and finely spun linen. It was twenty cubits long f and, like the curtains of the courtyard, five cubits high, g 19 with four posts and four bronze bases. Their hooks were silver, as well as the bands and the plating of their tops. 20 All the tent pegs for the tabernacle and for the surrounding courtyard were bronze.
An Inventory of Materials
(Ezra 2:68–70;Nehemiah 7:70–73)
21 This is the inventory for the tabernacle, the tabernacle of the Testimony, as recorded at Moses’ command by the Levites under the direction of Ithamar son of Aaron the priest. 22 Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made everything that the LORD had commanded Moses. 23 With him was Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an engraver, designer, and embroiderer in blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and fine linen.
24 All the gold from the wave offering used for the work on the sanctuary totaled 29 talents and 730 shekels, h according to the sanctuary shekel.
25 The silver from those numbered among the congregation totaled 100 talents and 1,775 shekels, i according to the sanctuary shekel— 26 a beka per person, that is, half a shekel, j according to the sanctuary shekel, from everyone twenty years of age or older who had crossed over to be numbered, a total of 603,550 men.
27 The hundred talents of silver k were used to cast the bases of the sanctuary and the bases of the veil—100 bases from the 100 talents, one talent per base.
28 With the 1,775 shekels of silver l he made the hooks for the posts, overlaid their tops, and supplied bands for them.
29 The bronze from the wave offering totaled 70 talents and 2,400 shekels. m 30 He used it to make the bases for the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, the bronze altar and its bronze grating, all the utensils for the altar, 31 the bases for the surrounding courtyard and its gate, and all the tent pegs for the tabernacle and its surrounding courtyard.
Footnotes:
1 a Literally He constructed
1 b The altar was approximately 7.5 feet in length and width, and 4.5 feet high (2.3 meters in length and width, and 1.4 meters high).
9 c 100 cubits is approximately 150 feet or 45.7 meters.
12 d 50 cubits is approximately 75 feet or 22.9 meters.
14 e 15 cubits is approximately 22.5 feet or 6.9 meters.
18 f 20 cubits is approximately 30 feet or 9.1 meters.
18 g 5 cubits is approximately 7.5 feet or 2.3 meters.
24 h The total weight of the gold was approximately 1.1 tons or 1 metric ton.
25 i The total weight of the silver was approximately 3.79 tons or 3.44 metric tons.
26 j A beka is half a shekel, or approximately 0.2 ounces or 5.7 grams.
27 k 100 talents is approximately 3.77 tons or 3.42 metric tons of silver.
28 l 1,775 shekels is approximately 44.6 pounds or 20.2 kilograms of silver.
29 m The total weight of the bronze was approximately 2.67 tons or 2.42 metric tons.
Exodus 39
The Ephod
(Exodus 28:6–14)
1 From the blue, purple, and scarlet yarn they made specially woven garments for ministry in the sanctuary, as well as the holy garments for Aaron, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
2 Bezalel made a the ephod of finely spun linen embroidered with gold, and with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn. 3 They hammered out thin sheets of gold and cut threads from them to interweave with the blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and fine linen—the work of a skilled craftsman. 4 They made shoulder pieces for the ephod, which were attached at two of its corners, so it could be fastened. 5 And the skillfully woven waistband of the ephod was of one piece with the ephod, of the same workmanship—with gold, with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and with finely spun linen, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
6 They mounted the onyx stones in gold filigree settings, engraved like a seal with the names of the sons of Israel. 7 Then they fastened them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod as memorial stones for the sons of Israel, as the LORD had commanded Moses.
The Breastpiece
(Exodus 28:15–30)
8 He made the breastpiece with the same workmanship as the ephod, with gold, with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and with finely spun linen. 9 It was square when folded over double, a span long and a span wide. b
10 And they mounted on it four rows of gemstones: c
The first row had a ruby, a topaz, and an emerald;
11 the second row had a turquoise, a sapphire, and a diamond;
12 the third row had a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst;
13 and the fourth row had a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper.
These stones were mounted in gold filigree settings.
14 The twelve stones corresponded to the names of the sons of Israel. Each stone was engraved like a seal with the name of one of the twelve tribes.
15 For the breastpiece they made braided chains like cords of pure gold. 16 They also made two gold filigree settings and two gold rings, and fastened the two rings to the two corners of the breastpiece. 17 Then they fastened the two gold chains to the two gold rings at the corners of the breastpiece, 18 and they fastened the other ends of the two chains to the two filigree settings, attaching them to the shoulder pieces of the ephod at the front.
19 They made two more gold rings and attached them to the other two corners of the breastpiece, on the inside edge next to the ephod.
20 They made two additional gold rings and attached them to the bottom of the two shoulder pieces of the ephod, on its front, near the seam just above its woven waistband. 21 Then they tied the rings of the breastpiece to the rings of the ephod with a cord of blue yarn, so that the breastpiece was above the waistband of the ephod and would not swing out from the ephod, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
Additional Priestly Garments
(Exodus 28:31–43)
22 They made the robe of the ephod entirely of blue cloth, the work of a weaver, 23 with an opening in the center of the robe like that of a garment, d with a collar around the opening so that it would not tear.
24 They made pomegranates of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and finely spun linen on the lower hem of the robe. 25 They also made bells of pure gold and attached them around the hem between the pomegranates, 26 alternating the bells and pomegranates around the lower hem of the robe to be worn for ministry, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
27 For Aaron and his sons they made tunics of fine linen, the work of a weaver, 28 as well as the turban of fine linen, the ornate headbands and undergarments of finely spun linen, 29 and the sash of finely spun linen, embroidered with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
30 They also made the plate of the holy crown of pure gold, and they engraved on it, like an inscription on a seal:
HOLY TO THE LORD. e
31 Then they fastened to it a blue cord to mount it on the turban, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
Moses Approves the Work
32 So all the work for the tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting, was completed. The Israelites did everything just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
33 Then they brought the tabernacle to Moses:
the tent with all its furnishings, its clasps, its frames, its crossbars, and its posts and bases;
34 the covering of ram skins dyed red, the covering of fine leather, f and the veil of the covering;
35 the ark of the Testimony g with its poles and the mercy seat;
36 the table with all its utensils and the Bread of the Presence;
37 the pure gold lampstand with its row of lamps and all its utensils, as well as the oil for the light;
38 the gold altar, the anointing oil, the fragrant incense, and the curtain for the entrance to the tent;
39 the bronze altar with its bronze grating, its poles, and all its utensils;
the basin with its stand;
40 the curtains of the courtyard with its posts and bases;
the curtain for the gate of the courtyard, its ropes and tent pegs, and all the equipment for the service of the tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting;
41 and the woven garments for ministering in the sanctuary, both the holy garments for Aaron the priest and the garments for his sons to serve as priests.
42 The Israelites had done all the work just as the LORD had commanded Moses. 43 And Moses inspected all the work and saw that they had accomplished it just as the LORD had commanded. So Moses blessed them.
Footnotes:
2 a Literally He made
9 b The breastpiece, when folded over, was approximately 9 inches or 22.9 centimeters in both length and width.
10 c The precise identification of some of these gemstones is uncertain.
23 d The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain; possibly a coat of mail .
30 e That is, the LORD
34 f Possibly the hides of large aquatic mammals
35 g That is, the ark of the covenant
Exodus 40
Setting Up the Tabernacle
(Acts 7:44–47; Hebrews 9:1–10)
1 Then the LORD said to Moses, 2 “On the first day of the first month you are to set up the tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting. 3 Put the ark of the Testimony a in it and screen off the ark with the veil. 4 Then bring in the table and set out its arrangement; bring in the lampstand as well, and set up its lamps.
5 Place the gold altar of incense in front of the ark of the Testimony, and hang the curtain at the entrance to the tabernacle. 6 Place the altar of burnt offering in front of the entrance to the tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting. 7 And place the basin between the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and put water in it.
8 Set up the surrounding courtyard and hang the curtain for the entrance to the courtyard.
9 Take the anointing oil and anoint the tabernacle and everything in it; consecrate it along with all its furnishings, and it shall be holy. 10 Anoint the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils; consecrate the altar, and it shall be most holy. 11 Anoint the basin and its stand and consecrate them.
12 Then bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and wash them with water. 13 And you are to clothe Aaron with the holy garments, anoint him, and consecrate him, so that he may serve Me as a priest. 14 Bring his sons forward and clothe them with tunics. 15 Anoint them just as you anointed their father, so that they may also serve Me as priests. Their anointing will qualify them for a permanent priesthood throughout their generations.”
16 Moses did everything just as the LORD had commanded him. 17 So the tabernacle was set up on the first day of the first month of the second year.
18 When Moses set up the tabernacle, he laid its bases, positioned its frames, inserted its crossbars, and set up its posts. 19 Then he spread the tent over the tabernacle and put the covering over the tent, just as the LORD had commanded him.
20 Moses took the Testimony and placed it in the ark, attaching the poles to the ark;and he set the mercy seat atop the ark. 21 Then he brought the ark into the tabernacle, put up the veil for the screen, and shielded off the ark of the Testimony, just as the LORD had commanded him.
22 Moses placed the table in the Tent of Meeting on the north side of the tabernacle, outside the veil. 23 He arranged the bread on it before the LORD, just as the LORD had commanded him.
24 He also placed the lampstand in the Tent of Meeting opposite the table on the south side of the tabernacle 25 and set up the lamps before the LORD, just as the LORD had commanded him.
26 Moses placed the gold altar in the Tent of Meeting, in front of the veil, 27 and he burned fragrant incense on it, just as the LORD had commanded him. 28 Then he put up the curtain at the entrance to the tabernacle. 29 He placed the altar of burnt offering near the entrance to the tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting, and offered on it the burnt offering and the grain offering, just as the LORD had commanded him.
30 He placed the basin between the Tent of Meeting and the altar and put water in it for washing; 31 and from it Moses, Aaron, and his sons washed their hands and feet. 32 They washed whenever they entered the Tent of Meeting or approached the altar, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
33 And Moses set up the courtyard around the tabernacle and the altar, and he hung the curtain for the entrance to the courtyard. So Moses finished the work.
The Cloud and the Glory
(Numbers 9:15–23)
34 Then the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. 35 Moses was unable to enter the Tent of Meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.
36 Whenever the cloud was lifted from above the tabernacle, the Israelites would set out through all the stages of their journey. 37 If the cloud was not lifted, they would not set out until the day it was taken up. 38 For the cloud of the LORD was over the tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel through all their journeys.
Footnotes:
3 a That is, the ark of the covenant ; also in verses 5 and 21
Leviticus
Leviticus 1
Laws for Burnt Offerings
(Leviticus 6:8–13)
1 Then the LORD called to Moses and spoke to him from the Tent of Meeting, saying, 2 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them: When any of you brings an offering to the LORD, you may bring as your offering an animal from the herd or the flock.
3 If one’s offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he is to present an unblemished male. He must bring it to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting for its acceptance before the LORD. 4 He is to lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, so it can be accepted on his behalf to make atonement for him.
5 And he shall slaughter the young bull before the LORD, and Aaron’s sons the priests are to present the blood and sprinkle it on all sides of the altar at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. 6 Next, he is to skin the burnt offering and cut it into pieces.
7 The sons of Aaron the priest shall put a fire on the altar and arrange wood on the fire. 8 Then Aaron’s sons the priests are to arrange the pieces, including the head and the fat, atop the burning wood on the altar. 9 The entrails and legs must be washed with water, and the priest shall burn all of it on the altar as a burnt offering, an offering made by fire, a pleasing aroma to the LORD.
10 If, however, one’s offering is a burnt offering from the flock—from the sheep or goats—he is to present an unblemished male. 11 He shall slaughter it on the north side of the altar before the LORD, and Aaron’s sons the priests are to sprinkle its blood against the altar on all sides. 12 He is to cut the animal into pieces, and the priest shall arrange them, including the head and fat, atop the burning wood that is on the altar. 13 The entrails and legs must be washed with water, and the priest shall bring all of it and burn it on the altar; it is a burnt offering, an offering made by fire, a pleasing aroma to the LORD.
14 If, instead, one’s offering to the LORD is a burnt offering of birds, he is to present a turtledove or a young pigeon. 15 Then the priest shall bring it to the altar, twist off its head, and burn it on the altar; its blood should be drained out on the side of the altar. 16 And he is to remove the crop with its contents a and throw it to the east side of the altar, in the place for ashes. 17 He shall tear it open by its wings, without dividing the bird completely. And the priest is to burn it on the altar atop the burning wood. It is a burnt offering, an offering made by fire, a pleasing aroma to the LORD.
Footnotes:
16 a Or the crop and feathers
Leviticus 2
Laws for Grain Offerings
(Leviticus 6:14–23)
1 “When anyone brings a grain offering to the LORD, his offering must consist of fine flour. He is to pour olive oil on it, put frankincense on it, 2 and bring it to Aaron’s sons the priests. The priest shall take a handful of the flour and oil, together with all the frankincense, and burn this as a memorial portion on the altar, an offering made by fire, a pleasing aroma to the LORD. 3 The remainder of the grain offering shall belong to Aaron and his sons; it is a most holy part of the offerings made by fire to the LORD.
4 Now if you bring an offering of grain baked in an oven, it must consist of fine flour, either unleavened cakes mixed with oil or unleavened wafers coated with oil.
5 If your offering is a grain offering prepared on a griddle, a it must be unleavened bread made of fine flour mixed with oil. 6 Crumble it and pour oil on it; it is a grain offering.
7 If your offering is a grain offering cooked in a pan, b it must consist of fine flour with oil.
8 When you bring to the LORD the grain offering made in any of these ways, it is to be presented to the priest, and he shall take it to the altar. 9 The priest is to remove the memorial portion from the grain offering and burn it on the altar as an offering made by fire, a pleasing aroma to the LORD. 10 But the remainder of the grain offering shall belong to Aaron and his sons; it is a most holy part of the offerings made by fire to the LORD.
11 No grain offering that you present to the LORD may be made with leaven, for you are not to burn any leaven or honey as an offering made by fire to the LORD. 12 You may bring them to the LORD as an offering of firstfruits, but they are not to be offered on the altar as a pleasing aroma. 13 And you shall season each of your grain offerings with salt. You must not leave the salt of the covenant of your God out of your grain offering; you are to add salt to each of your offerings.
14 If you bring a grain offering of firstfruits to the LORD, you shall offer crushed heads of new grain roasted on the fire. 15 And you are to put oil and frankincense on it; it is a grain offering. 16 The priest shall then burn the memorial portion of the crushed grain and the oil, together with all its frankincense, as an offering made by fire to the LORD.
Footnotes:
5 a That is, a shallow pan for baking or frying
7 b That is, a deep pan or stew pan
Leviticus 3
Laws for Peace Offerings
(Leviticus 7:11–21)
1 “If one’s offering is a peace offering and he offers an animal from the herd, whether male or female, he must present it without blemish before the LORD. 2 He is to lay his hand on the head of the offering and slaughter it at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. Then Aaron’s sons the priests shall sprinkle the blood on all sides of the altar.
3 From the peace offering he is to bring an offering made by fire to the LORD: the fat that covers the entrails, all the fat that is on them, 4 both kidneys with the fat on them near the loins, and the lobe of the liver, which he is to remove with the kidneys. 5 Then Aaron’s sons are to burn it on the altar atop the burnt offering that is on the burning wood, as an offering made by fire, a pleasing aroma to the LORD.
6 If, however, one’s peace offering to the LORD is from the flock, he must present a male or female without blemish.
7 If he is presenting a lamb for his offering, he must present it before the LORD. 8 He is to lay his hand on the head of his offering and slaughter it in front of the Tent of Meeting. Then Aaron’s sons shall sprinkle its blood on all sides of the altar.
9 And from the peace offering he shall bring an offering made by fire to the LORD consisting of its fat: the entire fat tail cut off close to the backbone, the fat that covers the entrails, all the fat that is on them, 10 both kidneys with the fat on them near the loins, and the lobe of the liver, which he is to remove with the kidneys. 11 Then the priest is to burn them on the altar as food, an offering made by fire to the LORD.
12 If one’s offering is a goat, he is to present it before the LORD. 13 He must lay his hand on its head and slaughter it in front of the Tent of Meeting. Then Aaron’s sons shall sprinkle its blood on all sides of the altar.
14 And from his offering he shall present an offering made by fire to the LORD: the fat that covers the entrails, all the fat that is on them, 15 both kidneys with the fat on them near the loins, and the lobe of the liver, which he is to remove with the kidneys. 16 Then the priest is to burn the food on the altar as an offering made by fire, a pleasing aroma. All the fat is the LORD’s.
17 This is a permanent statute for the generations to come, wherever you live: You must not eat any fat or any blood.”
Leviticus 4
Laws for Sin Offerings
(Leviticus 5:1–13; Leviticus 6:24–30)
1 Then the LORD said to Moses, 2 “Tell the Israelites to do as follows with one who sins unintentionally against any of the LORD’s commandments and does what is forbidden by them:
3 If the anointed priest sins, bringing guilt on the people, he must bring to the LORD a young bull without blemish as a sin offering a for the sin he has committed. 4 He must bring the bull to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting before the LORD, lay his hand on the bull’s head, and slaughter it before the LORD. 5 Then the anointed priest shall take some of the bull’s blood and bring it into the Tent of Meeting. 6 The priest is to dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle some of it seven times before the LORD, in front of the veil of the sanctuary. 7 The priest must then put some of the blood on the horns of the altar of fragrant incense that is before the LORD in the Tent of Meeting. And he is to pour out the rest of the bull’s blood at the base of the altar of burnt offering at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. 8 Then he shall remove all the fat from the bull of the sin offering—the fat that covers the entrails, all the fat that is on them, 9 both kidneys with the fat on them near the loins, and the lobe of the liver, which he is to remove with the kidneys— 10 just as the fat is removed from the ox of the peace offering. Then the priest shall burn them on the altar of burnt offering. 11 But the hide of the bull and all its flesh, with its head and legs and its entrails and dung— 12 all the rest of the bull—he must take outside the camp to a ceremonially clean place where the ashes are poured out, and there he must burn it on a wood fire on the ash heap.
13 Now if the whole congregation of Israel strays unintentionally and the matter escapes the notice of the assembly so that they violate any of the LORD’s commandments and incur guilt by doing what is forbidden, 14 when they become aware of the sin they have committed, then the assembly must bring a young bull as a sin offering and present it before the Tent of Meeting. 15 The elders of the congregation are to lay their hands on the bull’s head before the LORD, and it shall be slaughtered before the LORD. 16 Then the anointed priest is to bring some of the bull’s blood into the Tent of Meeting, 17 and he is to dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle it seven times before the LORD in front of the veil. 18 He is also to put some of the blood on the horns of the altar that is before the LORD in the Tent of Meeting, and he must pour out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar of burnt offering at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. 19 And he is to remove all the fat from it and burn it on the altar. 20 He shall offer this bull just as he did the bull for the sin offering; in this way the priest will make atonement on their behalf, and they will be forgiven. 21 Then he is to take the bull outside the camp and burn it, just as he burned the first bull. It is the sin offering for the assembly.
22 When a leader sins unintentionally and does what is prohibited by any of the commandments of the LORD his God, he incurs guilt. 23 When he becomes aware of the sin he has committed, he must bring an unblemished male goat as his offering. 24 He is to lay his hand on the head of the goat and slaughter it at the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered before the LORD. It is a sin offering. 25 Then the priest is to take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger, put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and pour out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar. 26 He must burn all its fat on the altar, like the fat of the peace offerings; thus the priest will make atonement for that man’s sin, and he will be forgiven.
27 And if one of the common people sins unintentionally and does what is prohibited by any of the LORD’s commandments, he incurs guilt. 28 When he becomes aware of the sin he has committed, he must bring an unblemished female goat as his offering for that sin. 29 He is to lay his hand on the head of the sin offering and slaughter it at the place of the burnt offering. 30 Then the priest is to take some of its blood with his finger, put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and pour out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar. 31 Then he is to remove all the fat, just as it is removed from the peace offering, and the priest is to burn it on the altar as a pleasing aroma to the LORD. In this way the priest will make atonement for him, and he will be forgiven.
32 If, however, he brings a lamb as a sin offering, he must bring an unblemished female. 33 And he is to lay his hand on the head of the sin offering and slaughter it as a sin offering at the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered. 34 Then the priest is to take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger, put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and pour out the rest of its blood at the base of the altar. 35 And he shall remove all the fat, just as the fat of the lamb is removed from the peace offerings, and he shall burn it on the altar along with the offerings made by fire to the LORD. In this way the priest will make atonement for him for the sin he has committed, and he will be forgiven.
Footnotes:
3 a Or purification offering ; here and throughout Leviticus
Leviticus 5
Sins Requiring a Sin Offering
(Leviticus 4:1–35; Leviticus 6:24–30)
1 “If someone sins by failing to testify when he hears a public charge about something he has witnessed, whether he has seen it or learned of it, he shall bear the iniquity.
2 Or if a person touches anything unclean—whether the carcass of any unclean wild animal or livestock or crawling creature—even if he is unaware of it, he is unclean and guilty.
3 Or if he touches human uncleanness—anything by which one becomes unclean—even if he is unaware of it, when he realizes it, he is guilty.
4 Or if someone swears thoughtlessly with his lips to do anything good or evil—in whatever matter a man may rashly pronounce an oath—even if he is unaware of it, when he realizes it, he is guilty in the matter.
5 If someone incurs guilt in one of these ways, he must confess the sin he has committed, 6 and he must bring his guilt offering to the LORD for the sin he has committed: a female lamb or goat from the flock as a sin offering. And the priest will make atonement for him concerning his sin.
7 If, however, he cannot afford a lamb, he may bring to the LORD as restitution for his sin two turtledoves or two young pigeons—one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering. 8 He is to bring them to the priest, who shall first present the one for the sin offering. He is to twist its head at the front of its neck without severing it; 9 then he is to sprinkle some of the blood of the sin offering on the side of the altar, while the rest of the blood is drained out at the base of the altar. It is a sin offering. 10 And the priest must prepare the second bird as a burnt offering according to the ordinance. In this way the priest will make atonement for him for the sin he has committed, and he will be forgiven.
11 But if he cannot afford two turtledoves or two young pigeons, he may bring a tenth of an ephah of fine flour a as a sin offering. He must not put olive oil or frankincense on it, because it is a sin offering. 12 He is to bring it to the priest, who shall take a handful from it as a memorial portion and burn it on the altar atop the offerings made by fire to the LORD; it is a sin offering. 13 In this way the priest will make atonement for him for any of these sins he has committed, and he will be forgiven. The remainder will belong to the priest, like the grain offering.”
Laws for Guilt Offerings
(Leviticus 6:1–7; Leviticus 7:1–10)
14 Then the LORD said to Moses, 15 “If someone acts unfaithfully and sins unintentionally against any of the LORD’s holy things, he must bring his guilt offering to the LORD: an unblemished ram from the flock, of proper value b in silver shekels according to the sanctuary shekel; c it is a guilt offering. 16 Regarding any holy thing he has harmed, he must make restitution by adding a fifth of its value to it and giving it to the priest, who will make atonement on his behalf with the ram as a guilt offering, and he will be forgiven.
17 If someone sins and violates any of the LORD’s commandments even though he was unaware, he is guilty and shall bear his punishment. 18 He is to bring to the priest an unblemished ram of proper value from the flock as a guilt offering. Then the priest will make atonement on his behalf for the wrong he has committed in ignorance, and he will be forgiven. 19 It is a guilt offering; he was certainly guilty d before the LORD.”
Footnotes:
11 a A tenth of an ephah is approximately 2 dry quarts or 2.2 liters (probably about 2.6 pounds or 1.2 kilograms of flour).
15 b Or flock or its equivalence
15 c A shekel is approximately 0.4 ounces or 11.4 grams of silver.
19 d Or he has paid full compensation
Leviticus 6
Sins Requiring a Guilt Offering
(Leviticus 5:14–19; Leviticus 7:1–10)
1 And the LORD said to Moses, 2 “If someone sins and acts unfaithfully against the LORD by deceiving his neighbor in regard to a deposit or security entrusted to him or stolen, or if he extorts his neighbor 3 or finds lost property and lies about it and swears falsely, or if he commits any such sin that a man might commit— 4 once he has sinned and becomes guilty, he must return what he has stolen or taken by extortion, or the deposit entrusted to him, or the lost property he found, 5 or anything else about which he has sworn falsely.
He must make restitution in full, add a fifth of the value, and pay it to the owner on the day he acknowledges his guilt. 6 Then he must bring to the priest his guilt offering to the LORD: an unblemished ram of proper value from the flock. 7 In this way the priest will make atonement for him before the LORD, and he will be forgiven for anything he may have done to incur guilt.”
The Burnt Offering
(Leviticus 1:1–17)
8 Then the LORD said to Moses, 9 “Command Aaron and his sons that this is the law of the burnt offering: The burnt offering is to remain on the hearth of the altar all night, until morning, and the fire must be kept burning on the altar.
10 And the priest shall put on his linen robe and linen undergarments, and he shall remove from the altar the ashes of the burnt offering that the fire has consumed and place them beside it. 11 Then he must take off his garments, put on other clothes, and carry the ashes outside the camp to a ceremonially clean place.
12 The fire on the altar shall be kept burning; it must not be extinguished. Every morning the priest is to add wood to the fire, arrange the burnt offering on it, and burn the fat portions of the peace offerings on it. 13 The fire shall be kept burning on the altar continually; it must not be extinguished.
The Grain Offering
(Leviticus 2:1–16)
14 Now this is the law of the grain offering: Aaron’s sons shall present it before the LORD in front of the altar. 15 The priest is to remove a handful of fine flour and olive oil, together with all the frankincense from the grain offering, and burn the memorial portion on the altar as a pleasing aroma to the LORD.
16 Aaron and his sons are to eat the remainder. It must be eaten without leaven in a holy place; they are to eat it in the courtyard of the Tent of Meeting. 17 It must not be baked with leaven; I have assigned it as their portion of My offerings made by fire. It is most holy, like the sin offering and the guilt offering. 18 Any male among the sons of Aaron may eat it. This is a permanent portion from the offerings made by fire to the LORD for the generations to come. Anything that touches them will become holy.”
19 Then the LORD said to Moses, 20 “This is the offering that Aaron and his sons must present to the LORD on the day he is anointed: a tenth of an ephah of fine flour a as a regular grain offering, half of it in the morning and half in the evening. 21 It shall be prepared with oil on a griddle; b you are to bring it well-kneaded and present it as a grain offering broken c in pieces, a pleasing aroma to the LORD. 22 The priest, who is one of Aaron’s sons and will be anointed to take his place, is to prepare it. As a permanent portion for the LORD, it must be burned completely. 23 Every grain offering for a priest shall be burned completely; it is not to be eaten.”
The Sin Offering
(Leviticus 4:1–35; Leviticus 5:1–13)
24 And the LORD said to Moses, 25 “Tell Aaron and his sons that this is the law of the sin offering: In the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered, the sin offering shall be slaughtered before the LORD; it is most holy. 26 The priest who offers it shall eat it; it must be eaten in a holy place, in the courtyard of the Tent of Meeting. 27 Anything that touches its flesh will become holy, and if any of the blood is spattered on a garment, you must wash it in a holy place.
28 The clay pot in which the sin offering is boiled must be broken; if it is boiled in a bronze pot, the pot must be scoured and rinsed with water. 29 Any male among the priests may eat it; it is most holy. 30 But no sin offering may be eaten if its blood has been brought into the Tent of Meeting to make atonement in the Holy Place; it must be burned.
Footnotes:
20 a A tenth of an ephah is approximately 2 dry quarts or 2.2 liters (probably about 2.6 pounds or 1.2 kilograms of flour).
21 b That is, a shallow pan for baking or frying
21 c Or baked
Leviticus 7
The Guilt Offering
(Leviticus 5:14–19; Leviticus 6:1–7)
1 “Now this is the law of the guilt offering, which is most holy: 2 The guilt offering must be slaughtered in the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered, and the priest shall sprinkle its blood on all sides of the altar. 3 And all the fat from it shall be offered: the fat tail, the fat that covers the entrails, 4 both kidneys with the fat on them near the loins, and the lobe of the liver, which is to be removed with the kidneys. 5 The priest shall burn them on the altar as an offering made by fire to the LORD; it is a guilt offering. 6 Every male among the priests may eat of it. It must be eaten in a holy place; it is most holy.
7 The guilt offering is like the sin offering; the same law applies to both. It belongs to the priest who makes atonement with it. 8 As for the priest who presents a burnt offering for anyone, the hide of that offering belongs to him. 9 Likewise, every grain offering that is baked in an oven or cooked in a pan a or on a griddle b belongs to the priest who presents it, 10 and every grain offering, whether dry or mixed with oil, belongs equally to all the sons of Aaron.
The Peace Offering
(Leviticus 3:1–17)
11 Now this is the law of the peace offering that one may present to the LORD: 12 If he offers it in thanksgiving, then along with the sacrifice of thanksgiving he shall offer unleavened cakes mixed with olive oil, unleavened wafers coated with oil, and well-kneaded cakes of fine flour mixed with oil.
13 Along with his peace offering of thanksgiving he is to present an offering with cakes of leavened bread. 14 From the cakes he must present one portion of each offering as a contribution to the LORD. It belongs to the priest who sprinkles the blood of the peace offering. 15 The meat of the sacrifice of his peace offering of thanksgiving must be eaten on the day he offers it; none of it may be left until morning.
16 If, however, the sacrifice he offers is a vow or a freewill offering, it shall be eaten on the day he presents his sacrifice, but the remainder may be eaten on the next day. 17 But any meat of the sacrifice remaining until the third day must be burned up. 18 If any of the meat from his peace offering is eaten on the third day, it will not be accepted. It will not be credited to the one who presented it; it shall be an abomination, and the one who eats of it shall bear his iniquity.
19 Meat that touches anything unclean must not be eaten; it is to be burned up. As for any other meat, anyone who is ceremonially clean may eat it. 20 But if anyone who is unclean eats meat from the peace offering that belongs to the LORD, that person must be cut off from his people. 21 If one touches anything unclean, whether human uncleanness, an unclean animal, or any unclean, detestable thing, and then eats any of the meat of the peace offering that belongs to the LORD, that person must be cut off from his people.”
Fat and Blood Forbidden
22 Then the LORD said to Moses, 23 “Speak to the Israelites and say, ‘You are not to eat any of the fat of an ox, a sheep, or a goat. 24 The fat of an animal found dead or mauled by wild beasts may be used for any other purpose, but you must not eat it.
25 If anyone eats the fat of an animal from which an offering made by fire may be presented to the LORD, the one who eats it must be cut off from his people. 26 You must not eat the blood of any bird or animal in any of your dwellings. 27 If anyone eats blood, that person must be cut off from his people.’ ”
The Priests’ Portion
28 Then the LORD said to Moses, 29 “Speak to the Israelites and say, ‘Anyone who presents a peace offering to the LORD must bring it as his sacrifice to the LORD. 30 With his own hands he is to bring the offerings made by fire to the LORD; he shall bring the fat, together with the breast, and wave the breast as a wave offering before the LORD.
31 The priest is to burn the fat on the altar, but the breast belongs to Aaron and his sons. 32 And you are to give the right thigh to the priest as a contribution from your peace offering. 33 The son of Aaron who presents the blood and fat of the peace offering shall have the right thigh as a portion.
34 I have taken from the sons of Israel the breast of the wave offering and the thigh of the contribution of their peace offerings, and I have given them to Aaron the priest and his sons as a permanent portion from the sons of Israel.’ ”
35 This is the portion of the offerings made by fire to the LORD for Aaron and his sons since the day they were presented to serve the LORD as priests. 36 On the day they were anointed, the LORD commanded that this be given them by the sons of Israel. It is a permanent portion for the generations to come.
37 This is the law of the burnt offering, the grain offering, the sin offering, the guilt offering, the ordination offering, and the peace offering, 38 which the LORD gave Moses on Mount Sinai on the day He commanded the Israelites to present their offerings to the LORD in the Wilderness of Sinai.
Footnotes:
9 a That is, a deep pan or stew pan
9 b That is, a shallow pan for baking or frying
Leviticus 8
Moses Consecrates Aaron and His Sons
(Exodus 29:1–9)
1 Then the LORD said to Moses, 2 “Take Aaron and his sons, their garments, the anointing oil, the bull of the sin offering, the two rams, and the basket of unleavened bread, 3 and assemble the whole congregation at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.”
4 So Moses did as the LORD had commanded him, and the assembly gathered at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. 5 And Moses said to them, “This is what the LORD has commanded to be done.”
6 Then Moses presented Aaron and his sons and washed them with water. 7 He put the tunic on Aaron, tied the sash around him, clothed him with the robe, and put the ephod on him. He tied the woven band of the ephod around him and fastened it to him. 8 Then he put the breastpiece on him and placed the Urim and Thummim a in the breastpiece. 9 Moses also put the turban on Aaron’s head and set the gold plate, the holy diadem, on the front of the turban, as the LORD had commanded him.
10 Next, Moses took the anointing oil and anointed the tabernacle and everything in it;and so he consecrated them. 11 He sprinkled some of the oil on the altar seven times, anointing the altar and all its utensils, and the basin with its stand, to consecrate them.
12 He also poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron’s head and anointed him to consecrate him. 13 Then Moses presented Aaron’s sons, put tunics on them, wrapped sashes around them, and tied headbands on them, just as the LORD had commanded him.
The Priests’ Sin Offering
14 Moses then brought the bull near for the sin offering, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on its head. 15 Moses slaughtered the bull, took some of the blood, and applied it with his finger to all four horns of the altar, purifying the altar. He poured out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar and consecrated it so that atonement could be made on it.
16 Moses also took all the fat that was on the entrails, the lobe of the liver, and both kidneys and their fat, and burned it all on the altar. 17 But the bull with its hide, flesh, and dung he burned outside the camp, as the LORD had commanded him.
The Priests’ Burnt Offering
18 Then Moses presented the ram for the burnt offering, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on its head. 19 Moses slaughtered the ram and sprinkled the blood on all sides of the altar. 20 He cut the ram into pieces and burned the head, the pieces, and the fat. 21 He washed the entrails and legs with water and burned the entire ram on the altar as a burnt offering, a pleasing aroma, an offering made by fire to the LORD, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
The Ram of Ordination
(Exodus 29:10–30)
22 After that, Moses presented the other ram, the ram of ordination, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on its head. 23 Moses slaughtered the ram and took some of its blood and put it on Aaron’s right earlobe, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot. 24 Moses also presented Aaron’s sons and put some of the blood on their right earlobes, on the thumbs of their right hands, and on the big toes of their right feet. Then he sprinkled the blood on all sides of the altar.
25 And Moses took the fat—the fat tail, all the fat that was on the entrails, the lobe of the liver, and both kidneys with their fat—as well as the right thigh. 26 And from the basket of unleavened bread that was before the LORD, he took one cake of unleavened bread, one cake of bread made with oil, and one wafer, and he placed them on the fat portions and on the right thigh. 27 He put all these in the hands of Aaron and his sons and waved them before the LORD as a wave offering.
28 Then Moses took these from their hands and burned them on the altar with the burnt offering. This was an ordination offering, a pleasing aroma, an offering made by fire to the LORD. 29 He also took the breast—Moses’ portion of the ram of ordination—and waved it before the LORD as a wave offering, as the LORD had commanded him.
30 Next, Moses took some of the anointing oil and some of the blood that was on the altar and sprinkled them on Aaron and his garments, and on his sons and their garments. So he consecrated Aaron and his garments, as well as Aaron’s sons and their garments.
31 And Moses said to Aaron and his sons, “Boil the meat at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and eat it there with the bread that is in the basket of ordination offerings, as I commanded, saying, ‘Aaron and his sons are to eat it.’ 32 Then you must burn up the remainder of the meat and bread.
33 You must not go outside the entrance to the Tent of Meeting for seven days, until the days of your ordination are complete; for it will take seven days to ordain you. 34 What has been done today has been commanded by the LORD in order to make atonement on your behalf. 35 You must remain at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting day and night for seven days and keep the LORD’s charge so that you will not die, for this is what I have been commanded.”
36 So Aaron and his sons did everything the LORD had commanded through Moses.
Footnotes:
8 a Literally Lights and Perfections
Leviticus 9
Aaron’s First Offerings
1 On the eighth day Moses summoned Aaron and his sons and the elders of Israel. 2 He said to Aaron, “Take for yourself a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering, both without blemish, and present them before the LORD. 3 Then speak to the Israelites and say, ‘Take a male goat for a sin offering, a calf and a lamb—both a year old and without blemish—for a burnt offering, 4 an ox a and a ram for a peace offering to sacrifice before the LORD, and a grain offering mixed with oil. For today the LORD will appear to you.’ ”
5 So they took what Moses had commanded to the front of the Tent of Meeting, and the whole congregation drew near and stood before the LORD. 6 And Moses said, “This is what the LORD has commanded you to do, so that the glory of the LORD may appear to you.”
7 Then Moses said to Aaron, “Approach the altar and sacrifice your sin offering and your burnt offering to make atonement for yourself and for the people. And sacrifice the people’s offering to make atonement for them, as the LORD has commanded.”
8 So Aaron approached the altar and slaughtered the calf as a sin offering for himself. 9 The sons of Aaron brought the blood to him, and he dipped his finger in the blood and applied it to the horns of the altar. And he poured out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar. 10 On the altar he burned the fat, the kidneys, and the lobe of the liver from the sin offering, as the LORD had commanded Moses. 11 But he burned up the flesh and the hide outside the camp.
12 Then Aaron slaughtered the burnt offering. His sons brought him the blood, and he sprinkled it on all sides of the altar. 13 They brought him the burnt offering piece by piece, including the head, and he burned them on the altar. 14 He washed the entrails and the legs and burned them atop the burnt offering on the altar.
15 Aaron then presented the people’s offering. He took the male goat for the people’s sin offering, slaughtered it, and offered it for sin like the first one.
16 He presented the burnt offering and offered it according to the ordinance.
17 Next he presented the grain offering, took a handful of it, and burned it on the altar in addition to the morning’s burnt offering.
18 Then he slaughtered the ox and the ram as the people’s peace offering. His sons brought him the blood, and he sprinkled it on all sides of the altar.
19 They also brought the fat portions from the ox and the ram—the fat tail, the fat covering the entrails, the kidneys, and the lobe of the liver— 20 and placed these on the breasts. Aaron burned the fat portions on the altar, 21 but he waved the breasts and the right thigh as a wave offering before the LORD, as Moses had commanded.
22 Aaron lifted up his hands toward the people and blessed them. And having made the sin offering, the burnt offering, and the peace offering, he stepped down.
23 Moses and Aaron then entered the Tent of Meeting. When they came out, they blessed the people, and the glory of the LORD appeared to all the people. 24 Fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the fat portions on the altar. And when all the people saw it, they shouted for joy and fell facedown.
Footnotes:
4 a Or a bull or a cow ; also in verses 18 and 19
Leviticus 10
The Sin of Nadab and Abihu
(Numbers 3:1–4)
1 Now Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu took their censers, put fire in them and added incense, and offered unauthorized a fire before the LORD, contrary to His command. 2 So fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them, and they died in the presence of the LORD.
3 Then Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the LORD meant when He said:
‘To those who come near Me
I will show My holiness,
and in the sight of all the people
I will reveal My glory.’ ”
4 Moses summoned Mishael and Elzaphan, b sons of Aaron’s uncle Uzziel, and said to them, “Come here; carry the bodies of your cousins outside the camp, away from the front of the sanctuary.” 5 So they came forward and carried them, still in their tunics, outside the camp, as Moses had directed.
6 Then Moses said to Aaron and his sons Eleazar and Ithamar, “Do not let your hair become disheveled c and do not tear your garments, or else you will die, and the LORD will be angry with the whole congregation. But your brothers, the whole house of Israel, may mourn on account of the fire that the LORD has ignited. 7 You shall not go outside the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, or you will die, for the LORD’s anointing oil is on you.”
So they did as Moses instructed.
Restrictions for Priests
8 Then the LORD said to Aaron, 9 “You and your sons are not to drink wine or strong drink when you enter the Tent of Meeting, or else you will die; this is a permanent statute for the generations to come. 10 You must distinguish between the holy and the common, between the clean and the unclean, 11 so that you may teach the Israelites all the statutes that the LORD has given them through Moses.”
12 And Moses said to Aaron and his remaining sons, Eleazar and Ithamar, “Take the grain offering that remains from the offerings made by fire to the LORD and eat it without leaven beside the altar, because it is most holy. 13 You shall eat it in a holy place, because it is your share and your sons’ share of the offerings made by fire to the LORD; for this is what I have been commanded.
14 And you and your sons and daughters may eat the breast of the wave offering and the thigh of the contribution in a ceremonially clean place, because these portions have been assigned to you and your children from the peace offerings of the sons of Israel. 15 They are to bring the thigh of the contribution and the breast of the wave offering, together with the fat portions of the offerings made by fire, to wave as a wave offering before the LORD. It will belong permanently to you and your children, as the LORD has commanded.”
16 Later, Moses searched carefully for the goat of the sin offering, and behold, it had been burned up. He was angry with Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s remaining sons, and asked, 17 “Why didn’t you eat the sin offering in the holy place? For it is most holy; it was given to you to take away the guilt of the congregation by making atonement for them before the LORD. 18 Since its blood was not brought inside the holy place, you should have eaten it in the sanctuary area, as I commanded.”
19 But Aaron replied to Moses, “Behold, this very day they presented their sin offering and their burnt offering before the LORD. Since these things have happened to me, if I had eaten the sin offering today, would it have been acceptable in the sight of the LORD?”
20 And when Moses heard this explanation, he was satisfied.
Footnotes:
1 a Or strange
4 b Elzaphan is a variant of Elizaphan ; see Numbers 3:30.
6 c Or Do not uncover your heads
Leviticus 11
Clean and Unclean Animals
(Deuteronomy 14:1–21; Acts 10:9–16)
1 The LORD spoke again to Moses and Aaron, telling them, 2 “Say to the Israelites, ‘Of all the beasts of the earth, these ones you may eat: 3 You may eat any animal that has a split hoof completely divided and that chews the cud.
4 But of those that only chew the cud or only have a divided hoof, you are not to eat the following: a
The camel, though it chews the cud, does not have a divided hoof; it is unclean for you.
5 The rock badger, b though it chews the cud, does not have a divided hoof; it is unclean for you.
6 The rabbit, though it chews the cud, does not have a divided hoof; it is unclean for you.
7 And the pig, though it has a split hoof completely divided, does not chew the cud; it is unclean for you.
8 You must not eat their meat or touch their carcasses; they are unclean for you.
9 Of all the creatures that live in the water, whether in the seas or in the streams, you may eat anything with fins and scales.
10 But the following among all the teeming life and creatures in the water are detestable to you: everything in the seas or streams that does not have fins and scales. 11 They shall be an abomination to you; you must not eat their meat, and you must detest their carcasses. 12 Everything in the water that does not have fins and scales shall be detestable to you.
13 Additionally, you are to detest the following birds, and they must not be eaten because they are detestable:
the eagle, the bearded vulture, the black vulture,
14 the kite, any kind of falcon,
15 any kind of raven,
16 the ostrich, c the screech owl, the gull, any kind of hawk,
17 the little owl, the cormorant, the great owl,
18 the white owl, the desert owl, the osprey,
19 the stork, any kind of heron,
the hoopoe, and the bat.
20 All flying insects that walk on all fours are detestable to you. 21 However, you may eat the following kinds of flying insects that walk on all fours: those having jointed legs above their feet for hopping on the ground. 22 Of these you may eat any kind of locust, katydid, cricket, or grasshopper. 23 All other flying insects that have four legs are detestable to you.
24 These creatures will make you unclean. Whoever touches their carcasses will be unclean until evening, 25 and whoever picks up one of their carcasses must wash his clothes, and he will be unclean until evening.
26 Every animal with hooves not completely divided d or that does not chew the cud is unclean for you. Whoever touches any of them will be unclean.
27 All the four-footed animals that walk on their paws are unclean for you; whoever touches their carcasses will be unclean until evening, 28 and anyone who picks up a carcass must wash his clothes, and he will be unclean until evening. They are unclean for you.
29 The following creatures that move along the ground are unclean for you: the mole, the mouse, any kind of great lizard, 30 the gecko, the monitor lizard, the common lizard, the skink, and the chameleon.
31 These animals are unclean for you among all the crawling creatures. Whoever touches them when they are dead shall be unclean until evening. 32 When one of them dies and falls on something, that article becomes unclean; any article of wood, clothing, leather, sackcloth, or any implement used for work must be rinsed with water and will remain unclean until evening; then it will be clean. 33 If any of them falls into a clay pot, everything in it will be unclean; you must break the pot. 34 Any food coming into contact with water from that pot will be unclean, and any drink in such a container will be unclean.
35 Anything upon which one of their carcasses falls will be unclean. If it is an oven or cooking pot, it must be smashed; it is unclean and will remain unclean for you. 36 Nevertheless, a spring or cistern containing water will remain clean, but one who touches a carcass in it will be unclean. 37 If a carcass falls on any seed for sowing, the seed is clean; 38 but if water has been put on the seed and a carcass falls on it, it is unclean for you.
39 If an animal that you may eat dies, anyone who touches the carcass will be unclean until evening. 40 Whoever eats from the carcass must wash his clothes and will be unclean until evening, and anyone who picks up the carcass must wash his clothes and will be unclean until evening.
41 Every creature that moves along the ground is detestable; it must not be eaten. 42 Do not eat any creature that moves along the ground, whether it crawls on its belly or walks on four or more feet; for such creatures are detestable.
43 Do not defile yourselves by any crawling creature; do not become unclean or defiled by them. 44 For I am the LORD your God; consecrate yourselves, therefore, and be holy, because I am holy. e You must not defile yourselves by any creature that crawls along the ground. 45 For I am the LORD, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt so that I would be your God;therefore be holy, because I am holy.
46 This is the law regarding animals, birds, all living creatures that move in the water, and all creatures that crawl along the ground. 47 You must distinguish between the unclean and the clean, between animals that may be eaten and those that may not.’ ”
Footnotes:
4 a The precise identification of some of the birds and animals in this chapter is uncertain.
5 b Or The coney or The hyrax
16 c Literally the daughter of the ostrich or the daughter of the owl
26 d Literally a split hoof not completely divided
44 e Here and in verse 45; cited in 1 Peter 1:16
Leviticus 12
Purification after Childbirth
1 Then the LORD said to Moses, 2 “Say to the Israelites, ‘A woman who becomes pregnant and gives birth to a son will be unclean for seven days, as she is during the days of her menstruation. 3 And on the eighth day the flesh of the boy’s foreskin is to be circumcised.
4 The woman shall continue in purification from her bleeding for thirty-three days. She must not touch anything sacred or go into the sanctuary until the days of her purification are complete.
5 If, however, she gives birth to a daughter, the woman will be unclean for two weeks as she is during her menstruation. Then she must continue in purification from her bleeding for sixty-six days.
6 When the days of her purification are complete, whether for a son or for a daughter, she is to bring to the priest at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting a year-old lamb for a burnt offering and a young pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering. 7 And the priest will present them before the LORD and make atonement for her; and she shall be ceremonially cleansed from her flow of blood. This is the law for a woman giving birth, whether to a male or to a female.
8 But if she cannot afford a lamb, she shall bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons, a one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering. Then the priest will make atonement for her, and she will be clean.’ ”
Footnotes:
8 a Cited in Luke 2:24
Leviticus 13
Laws about Skin Diseases
(Numbers 5:1–4)
1 Then the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, 2 “When someone has a swelling or rash or bright spot on his skin that could become an infectious skin disease, a he must be brought to Aaron the priest or to one of his sons who is a priest.
3 The priest is to examine the infection on his skin, and if the hair in the infection has turned white and the sore appears to be deeper than the skin, it is a skin disease. After the priest examines him, he must pronounce him unclean.
4 If, however, the spot on his skin is white and does not appear to be deeper than the skin, and the hair in it has not turned white, the priest shall isolate the infected person for seven days. 5 On the seventh day the priest is to reexamine him, and if he sees that the infection is unchanged and has not spread on the skin, the priest must isolate him for another seven days. 6 The priest will examine him again on the seventh day, and if the sore has faded and has not spread on the skin, the priest shall pronounce him clean; it is a rash. The person must wash his clothes and be clean.
7 But if the rash spreads further on his skin after he has shown himself to the priest for his cleansing, he must present himself again to the priest. 8 The priest will reexamine him, and if the rash has spread on the skin, the priest must pronounce him unclean; he has a skin disease.
9 When anyone develops a skin disease, he must be brought to the priest. 10 The priest will examine him, and if there is a white swelling on the skin that has turned the hair white, and there is raw flesh in the swelling, 11 it is a chronic skin disease and the priest must pronounce him unclean. He need not isolate him, for he is unclean.
12 But if the skin disease breaks out all over his skin so that it covers all the skin of the infected person from head to foot, as far as the priest can see, 13 the priest shall examine him, and if the disease has covered his entire body, he is to pronounce the infected person clean. Since it has all turned white, he is clean.
14 But whenever raw flesh appears on someone, he will be unclean. 15 When the priest sees the raw flesh, he must pronounce him unclean. The raw flesh is unclean; it is a skin disease. 16 But if the raw flesh changes and turns white, he must go to the priest. 17 The priest will reexamine him, and if the infection has turned white, the priest is to pronounce the infected person clean; then he is clean.
18 When a boil appears on someone’s skin and it heals, 19 and a white swelling or a reddish-white spot develops where the boil was, he must present himself to the priest. 20 The priest shall examine it, and if it appears to be beneath the skin and the hair in it has turned white, the priest shall pronounce him unclean; it is a diseased infection that has broken out in the boil.
21 But when the priest examines it, if there is no white hair in it, and it is not beneath the skin and has faded, the priest shall isolate him for seven days. 22 If it spreads any further on the skin, the priest must pronounce him unclean; it is an infection. 23 But if the spot remains unchanged and does not spread, it is only the scar from the boil, and the priest shall pronounce him clean.
24 When there is a burn on someone’s skin and the raw area of the burn becomes reddish-white or white, 25 the priest must examine it. If the hair in the spot has turned white and the spot appears to be deeper than the skin, it is a disease that has broken out in the burn. The priest must pronounce him unclean; it is a diseased infection.
26 But if the priest examines it and there is no white hair in the spot, and it is not beneath the skin but has faded, the priest shall isolate him for seven days. 27 On the seventh day the priest is to reexamine him, and if it has spread further on the skin, the priest must pronounce him unclean; it is a diseased infection. 28 But if the spot is unchanged and has not spread on the skin but has faded, it is a swelling from the burn, and the priest is to pronounce him clean; for it is only the scar from the burn.
29 If a man or woman has an infection on the head or chin, 30 the priest shall examine the infection, and if it appears to be deeper than the skin and the hair in it is yellow and thin, the priest must pronounce him unclean; it is a scaly outbreak, an infectious disease of the head or chin.
31 But if the priest examines the scaly infection and it does not appear to be deeper than the skin, and there is no black hair in it, the priest shall isolate the infected person for seven days. 32 On the seventh day the priest is to reexamine the infection, and if the scaly outbreak has not spread and there is no yellow hair in it, and it does not appear to be deeper than the skin, 33 then the person must shave himself except for the scaly area. Then the priest shall isolate him for another seven days. 34 On the seventh day the priest shall examine the scaly outbreak, and if it has not spread on the skin and does not appear to be deeper than the skin, the priest is to pronounce him clean. He must wash his clothes, and he will be clean.
35 If, however, the scaly outbreak spreads further on the skin after his cleansing, 36 the priest is to examine him, and if the scaly outbreak has spread on the skin, the priest need not look for yellow hair; the person is unclean.
37 If, however, in his sight the scaly outbreak is unchanged and black hair has grown in it, then it has healed. He is clean, and the priest is to pronounce him clean.
38 When a man or a woman has white spots on the skin, 39 the priest shall examine them, and if the spots are dull white, it is a harmless rash that has broken out on the skin; the person is clean.
40 Now if a man loses his hair and is bald, he is still clean. 41 Or if his hairline recedes and he is bald on his forehead, he is still clean. 42 But if there is a reddish-white sore on the bald head or forehead, it is an infectious disease breaking out on it. 43 The priest is to examine him, and if the swelling of the infection on his bald head or forehead is reddish-white like a skin disease, 44 the man is diseased; he is unclean. The priest must pronounce him unclean because of the infection on his head.
45 A diseased person must wear torn clothes and let his hair hang loose, b and he must cover his mouth and cry out, ‘Unclean, unclean!’ 46 As long as he has the infection, he remains unclean. He must live alone in a place outside the camp.
Laws about Mildew
47 If any fabric is contaminated with mildew c—any wool or linen garment, 48 any weave or knit of linen or wool, or any article of leather— 49 and if the mark in the fabric, leather, weave, knit, or leather article is green or red, then it is contaminated with mildew and must be shown to the priest. 50 And the priest is to examine the mildew and isolate the contaminated fabric for seven days.
51 On the seventh day the priest shall reexamine it, and if the mildew has spread in the fabric, weave, knit, or leather, then regardless of how it is used, it is a harmful mildew; the article is unclean. 52 He is to burn the fabric, weave, or knit, whether the contaminated item is wool or linen or leather. Since the mildew is harmful, the article must be burned up.
53 But when the priest reexamines it, if the mildew has not spread in the fabric, weave, knit, or leather article, 54 the priest is to order the contaminated article to be washed and isolated for another seven days. 55 After it has been washed, the priest is to reexamine it, and if the mildewed article has not changed in appearance, it is unclean. Even though the mildew has not spread, you must burn it, whether the rot is on the front or back.
56 If the priest examines it and the mildew has faded after it has been washed, he must cut the contaminated section out of the fabric, leather, weave, or knit. 57 But if it reappears in the fabric, weave, or knit, or on any leather article, it is spreading. You must burn the contaminated article.
58 If the mildew disappears from the fabric, weave, or knit, or any leather article after washing, then it is to be washed again, and it will be clean.
59 This is the law concerning a mildew contamination in wool or linen fabric, weave, or knit, or any leather article, for pronouncing it clean or unclean.”
Footnotes:
2 a Forms of the Hebrew tzaraath , traditionally translated as leprosy , were used for various skin diseases; here and throughout verses 3–46.
45 b Or uncover his head
47 c Forms of the Hebrew tzaraath , traditionally translated as leprosy regarding skin diseases, are translated as mildew regarding blemishes on garments, utensils, or buildings; here and throughout the remainder of this chapter.
Leviticus 14
Cleansing from Skin Diseases
(Matthew 8:1–4; Mark 1:40–45; Luke 5:12–16)
1 Then the LORD said to Moses, 2 “This is the law for the one afflicted with a skin disease a on the day of his cleansing, when he is brought to the priest. 3 The priest is to go outside the camp to examine him, and if the skin disease of the afflicted person has healed, 4 the priest shall order that two live clean birds, cedar wood, scarlet yarn, and hyssop be brought for the one to be cleansed.
5 Then the priest shall command that one of the birds be slaughtered over fresh water b in a clay pot. 6 And he is to take the live bird together with the cedar wood, scarlet yarn, and hyssop, and dip them into the blood of the bird that was slaughtered over the fresh water. 7 Seven times he shall sprinkle the one to be cleansed of the skin disease. Then he shall pronounce him clean and release the live bird into the open field.
8 The one being cleansed must wash his clothes, shave off all his hair, and bathe with water; then he will be ceremonially clean. Afterward, he may enter the camp, but he must remain outside his tent for seven days. 9 On the seventh day he must shave off all his hair—his head, his beard, his eyebrows, and the rest of his hair. He must wash his clothes and bathe himself with water, and he will be clean.
10 On the eighth day he is to bring two unblemished male lambs, an unblemished ewe lamb a year old, a grain offering of three-tenths of an ephah of fine flour c mixed with olive oil, and one log of olive oil. d 11 The priest who performs the cleansing shall present the one to be cleansed, together with these offerings, before the LORD at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.
12 Then the priest is to take one of the male lambs and present it as a guilt offering, along with the log of olive oil; and he must wave them as a wave offering before the LORD. 13 Then he is to slaughter the lamb in the sanctuary area where the sin offering and burnt offering are slaughtered. Like the sin offering, the guilt offering belongs to the priest; it is most holy.
14 The priest is to take some of the blood from the guilt offering and put it on the right earlobe of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot. 15 Then the priest shall take some of the log of olive oil, pour it into his left palm, 16 dip his right forefinger into the oil in his left palm, and sprinkle some of the oil with his finger seven times before the LORD. 17 And the priest is to put some of the oil remaining in his palm on the right earlobe of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot, on top of the blood of the guilt offering.
18 The rest of the oil in his palm, the priest is to put on the head of the one to be cleansed, to make atonement for him before the LORD. 19 Then the priest is to sacrifice the sin offering and make atonement for the one to be cleansed from his uncleanness. After that, the priest shall slaughter the burnt offering 20 and offer it on the altar, with the grain offering, to make atonement for him, and he will be clean.
21 If, however, the person is poor and cannot afford these offerings, he is to take one male lamb as a guilt offering to be waved to make atonement for him, along with a tenth of an ephah of fine flour e mixed with olive oil for a grain offering, a log of olive oil, 22 and two turtledoves or two young pigeons, whichever he can afford, one to be a sin offering and the other a burnt offering.
23 On the eighth day he is to bring them for his cleansing to the priest at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting before the LORD. 24 The priest shall take the lamb for the guilt offering, along with the log of olive oil, and wave them as a wave offering before the LORD.
25 And after he slaughters the lamb for the guilt offering, the priest is to take some of the blood of the guilt offering and put it on the right earlobe of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot. 26 Then the priest is to pour some of the oil into his left palm 27 and sprinkle with his right forefinger some of the oil in his left palm seven times before the LORD. 28 The priest shall also put some of the oil in his palm on the right earlobe of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot—on the same places as the blood of the guilt offering.
29 The rest of the oil in his palm, the priest is to put on the head of the one to be cleansed, to make atonement for him before the LORD. 30 Then he must sacrifice the turtledoves or young pigeons, whichever he can afford, 31 one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering, f together with the grain offering. In this way the priest will make atonement before the LORD for the one to be cleansed.
32 This is the law for someone who has a skin disease and cannot afford the cost of his cleansing.”
Signs of Home Contamination
33 Then the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, 34 “When you enter the land of Canaan, which I am giving you as your possession, and I put a contamination of mildew g into a house in that land, 35 the owner of the house shall come and tell the priest, ‘Something like mildew has appeared in my house.’
36 The priest must order that the house be cleared before he enters it to examine the mildew, so that nothing in the house will become unclean. After this, the priest shall go in to inspect the house.
37 He is to examine the house, and if the mildew on the walls consists of green or red depressions that appear to be beneath the surface of the wall, 38 the priest shall go outside the doorway of the house and close it up for seven days.
39 On the seventh day the priest is to return and inspect the house. If the mildew has spread on the walls, 40 he must order that the contaminated stones be pulled out and thrown into an unclean place outside the city. 41 And he shall have the inside of the house scraped completely and the plaster that is scraped off dumped into an unclean place outside the city.
42 So different stones must be obtained to replace the contaminated ones, as well as additional mortar to replaster the house.
43 If the mildew reappears in the house after the stones have been torn out and the house has been scraped and replastered, 44 the priest must come and inspect it.
If the mildew has spread in the house, it is a destructive mildew;the house is unclean. 45 It must be torn down with its stones, its timbers, and all its plaster, and taken outside the city to an unclean place. 46 Anyone who enters the house during any of the days that it is closed up will be unclean until evening. 47 And anyone who sleeps in the house or eats in it must wash his clothes.
Cleansing a Home
48 If, however, the priest comes and inspects it, and the mildew has not spread after the house has been replastered, he shall pronounce the house clean, because the mildew is gone.
49 He is to take two birds, cedar wood, scarlet yarn, and hyssop to purify the house; 50 and he shall slaughter one of the birds over fresh water in a clay pot.
51 Then he shall take the cedar wood, the hyssop, the scarlet yarn, and the live bird, dip them in the blood of the slaughtered bird and the fresh water, and sprinkle the house seven times. 52 And he shall cleanse the house with the bird’s blood, the fresh water, the live bird, the cedar wood, the hyssop, and the scarlet yarn.
53 Finally, he is to release the live bird into the open fields outside the city. In this way he will make atonement for the house, and it will be clean.
54 This is the law for any infectious skin disease, for a scaly outbreak, 55 for mildew in clothing or in a house, 56 and for a swelling, rash, or spot, 57 to determine when something is clean or unclean. This is the law regarding skin diseases and mildew. h”
Footnotes:
2 a Forms of the Hebrew tzaraath , traditionally translated as leprosy , were used for various skin diseases; also in verses 3, 7, 32, 54, and 57.
5 b Or flowing water or living water ; here and in verses 6, 50, 51, and 52
10 c Three-tenths of an ephah is approximately 6 dry quarts or 6.6 liters (probably about 7.6 pounds or 3.5 kilograms of flour).
10 d Or one log of oil ; that is, approximately 0.33 quarts or 0.31 liters; also in verses 12, 15, 21, and 24
21 e A tenth of an ephah is approximately 2 dry quarts or 2.2 liters (probably about 2.6 pounds or 1.2 kilograms of flour).
31 f LXX and Syriac; Hebrew includes as he is able to afford,
34 g Forms of the Hebrew tzaraath , traditionally translated as leprosy regarding skin diseases, are translated as mildew regarding blemishes on garments, utensils, or buildings; here and throughout the remainder of this chapter.
57 h The Hebrew translated here as skin diseases and mildew is one singular term; see the footnotes for verses 2 and 34.
Leviticus 15
The Uncleanness of Men
(Deuteronomy 23:9–14)
1 And the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, 2 “Say to the Israelites, ‘When any man has a bodily discharge, the discharge is unclean. 3 This uncleanness is from his discharge, whether his body allows the discharge to flow or blocks it. So his discharge will bring about uncleanness.
4 Any bed on which the man with the discharge lies will be unclean, and any furniture on which he sits will be unclean. 5 Anyone who touches his bed must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean until evening. 6 Whoever sits on furniture on which the man with the discharge was sitting must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean until evening.
7 Whoever touches the body of the man with a discharge must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean until evening. 8 If the man with the discharge spits on one who is clean, that person must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean until evening.
9 Any saddle on which the man with the discharge rides will be unclean. 10 Whoever touches anything that was under him will be unclean until evening, and whoever carries such things must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean until evening.
11 If the man with the discharge touches anyone without first rinsing his hands with water, the one who was touched must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean until evening. 12 Any clay pot that the man with the discharge touches must be broken, and any wooden utensil must be rinsed with water.
The Cleansing of Men
13 When the man has been cleansed from his discharge, he must count off seven days for his cleansing, wash his clothes, and bathe himself in fresh water, a and he shall be clean. 14 On the eighth day he is to take two turtledoves or two young pigeons, come before the LORD at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, and give them to the priest. 15 The priest is to sacrifice them, one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering. In this way the priest will make atonement for the man before the LORD because of his discharge.
16 When a man has an emission of semen, he must bathe his whole body with water, and he will be unclean until evening. 17 Any clothing or leather on which there is an emission of semen must be washed with water, and it will remain unclean until evening. 18 If a man lies with a woman and there is an emission of semen, both must bathe with water, and they will remain unclean until evening.
The Uncleanness of Women
19 When a woman has a discharge consisting of blood from her body, she will be unclean due to her menstruation for seven days, and anyone who touches her will be unclean until evening. 20 Anything on which she lies or sits during her menstruation will be unclean, 21 and anyone who touches her bed must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean until evening.
22 Whoever touches any furniture on which she was sitting must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean until evening. 23 And whether it is a bed or furniture on which she was sitting, whoever touches it will be unclean until evening.
24 If a man lies with her and her menstrual flow touches him, he will be unclean for seven days, and any bed on which he lies will become unclean.
25 When a woman has a discharge of her blood for many days at a time other than her menstrual period, or if it continues beyond her period, she will be unclean all the days of her unclean discharge, just as she is during the days of her menstruation. 26 Any bed on which she lies or any furniture on which she sits during the days of her discharge will be unclean, like her bed during her menstrual period. 27 Anyone who touches these things will be unclean; he must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean until evening.
The Cleansing of Women
28 When a woman is cleansed of her discharge, she must count off seven days, and after that she will be ceremonially clean. 29 On the eighth day she is to take two turtledoves or two young pigeons and bring them to the priest at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. 30 The priest is to sacrifice one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering. In this way the priest will make atonement for her before the LORD for her unclean discharge.
31 You must keep the children of Israel separate from their uncleanness, so that they do not die by defiling My tabernacle, which is among them.
32 This is the law of him who has a discharge, of the man who has an emission of semen whereby he is unclean, 33 of a woman in her menstrual period, of any male or female who has a discharge, and of a man who lies with an unclean woman.’ ”
Footnotes:
13 a Or flowing water or living water
Leviticus 16
The Day of Atonement
(Leviticus 23:26–32;Numbers 29:7–11)
1 Now the LORD spoke to Moses after the death of two of Aaron’s sons when they approached the presence of the LORD. 2 And the LORD said to Moses: “Tell your brother Aaron not to enter freely into the Most Holy Place a behind the veil in front of the mercy seat b on the ark, or else he will die, because I appear in the cloud above the mercy seat.
3 This is how Aaron is to enter the Holy Place: with a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. 4 He is to wear the sacred linen tunic, with linen undergarments. He must tie a linen sash around him and put on the linen turban. These are holy garments, and he must bathe himself with water before he wears them. 5 And he shall take from the congregation of Israel two male goats for a sin offering and one ram for a burnt offering.
6 Aaron is to present the bull for his sin offering and make atonement for himself and his household. 7 Then he shall take the two goats and present them before the LORD at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.
8 After Aaron casts lots for the two goats, one for the LORD and the other for the scapegoat, c 9 he shall present the goat chosen by lot for the LORD and sacrifice it as a sin offering. 10 But the goat chosen by lot as the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the LORD to make atonement by sending it into the wilderness as the scapegoat.
11 When Aaron presents the bull for his sin offering and makes atonement for himself and his household, he is to slaughter the bull for his own sin offering. 12 Then he must take a censer full of burning coals from the altar before the LORD, and two handfuls of finely ground fragrant incense, and take them inside the veil. 13 He is to put the incense on the fire before the LORD, and the cloud of incense will cover the mercy seat above the Testimony, d so that he will not die. 14 And he is to take some of the bull’s blood and sprinkle it with his finger on the east side of the mercy seat; then he shall sprinkle some of it with his finger seven times before the mercy seat.
15 Aaron shall then slaughter the goat for the sin offering for the people and bring its blood behind the veil, and with its blood he must do as he did with the bull’s blood: He is to sprinkle it against the mercy seat and in front of it.
16 So he shall make atonement for the Most Holy Place because of the impurities and rebellious acts of the Israelites in regard to all their sins. He is to do the same for the Tent of Meeting which abides among them, because it is surrounded by their impurities. 17 No one may be in the Tent of Meeting from the time Aaron goes in to make atonement in the Most Holy Place until he leaves, after he has made atonement for himself, his household, and the whole assembly of Israel.
18 Then he shall go out to the altar that is before the LORD and make atonement for it. He is to take some of the bull’s blood and some of the goat’s blood and put it on all the horns of the altar. 19 He is to sprinkle some of the blood on it with his finger seven times to cleanse it and consecrate it from the uncleanness of the Israelites.
20 When Aaron has finished purifying the Most Holy Place, the Tent of Meeting, and the altar, he is to bring forward the live goat. 21 Then he is to lay both hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the iniquities and rebellious acts of the Israelites in regard to all their sins. He is to put them on the goat’s head and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man appointed for the task. 22 The goat will carry on itself all their iniquities into a solitary place, and the man will release it into the wilderness.
23 Then Aaron is to enter the Tent of Meeting, take off the linen garments he put on before entering the Most Holy Place, and leave them there. 24 He is to bathe himself with water in a holy place and put on his own clothes. Then he must go out and sacrifice his burnt offering and the people’s burnt offering to make atonement for himself and for the people. 25 He is also to burn the fat of the sin offering on the altar.
26 The man who released the goat as the scapegoat must wash his clothes and bathe himself with water; afterward he may reenter the camp.
27 The bull for the sin offering and the goat for the sin offering, whose blood was brought into the Most Holy Place to make atonement, must be taken outside the camp; and their hides, flesh, and dung must be burned up. 28 The one who burns them must wash his clothes and bathe himself with water, and afterward he may reenter the camp.
29 This is to be a permanent statute for you: On the tenth day of the seventh month, you shall humble yourselves e and not do any work—whether the native or the foreigner who resides among you— 30 because on this day atonement will be made for you to cleanse you, and you will be clean from all your sins before the LORD. 31 It is a Sabbath of complete rest for you, that you may humble yourselves; it is a permanent statute.
32 The priest who is anointed and ordained to succeed his father as high priest shall make atonement. He will put on the sacred linen garments 33 and make atonement for the Most Holy Place, f the Tent of Meeting, and the altar, and for the priests and all the people of the assembly. 34 This is to be a permanent statute for you, to make atonement once a year for the Israelites because of all their sins.”
And all this was done as the LORD had commanded Moses.
Footnotes:
2 a Or the Holy Place ; also in verses 16, 17, 20, 23, and 27
2 b Or atonement cover ; here and throughout this chapter
8 c Literally the other to Azazel ; similarly twice in verse 10 and once in verse 26
13 d The Testimony refers to the stone tablets in the ark of the covenant inscribed with the Ten Commandments.
29 e Or afflict your souls or deny yourselves ; also in verse 31
33 f Or the Holy Sanctuary
Leviticus 17
The Place of Sacrifice
1 Then the LORD said to Moses, 2 “Speak to Aaron, his sons, and all the Israelites and tell them this is what the LORD has commanded: 3 ‘Anyone from the house of Israel who slaughters an ox, a a lamb, or a goat in the camp or outside of it 4 instead of bringing it to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting to present it as an offering to the LORD before His tabernacle—that man shall incur bloodguilt. He has shed blood and must be cut off from among his people.
5 For this reason the Israelites will bring to the LORD the sacrifices they have been offering in the open fields. They are to bring them to the priest at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and offer them as sacrifices of peace to the LORD. 6 The priest will then sprinkle the blood on the altar of the LORD at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and burn the fat as a pleasing aroma to the LORD.
7 They must no longer offer their sacrifices to the goat demons b to which they have prostituted themselves. This will be a permanent statute for them for the generations to come.’
8 Tell them that if anyone from the house of Israel or any foreigner living among them offers a burnt offering or a sacrifice 9 but does not bring it to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting to sacrifice it to the LORD, that man must be cut off from his people.
Laws against Eating Blood
10 If anyone from the house of Israel or a foreigner living among them eats any blood, I will set My face against that person and cut him off from among his people. 11 For the life c of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for your souls upon the altar; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul. 12 Therefore I say to the Israelites, ‘None of you may eat blood, nor may any foreigner living among you eat blood.’
13 And if any Israelite or foreigner living among them hunts down a wild animal or bird that may be eaten, he must drain its blood and cover it with dirt. 14 For the life of all flesh is its blood. Therefore I have told the Israelites, ‘You must not eat the blood of any living thing, because the life of all flesh is its blood; whoever eats it must be cut off.’
15 And any person, whether native or foreigner, who eats anything found dead or mauled by wild beasts must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean until evening; then he will be clean. 16 But if he does not wash his clothes and bathe himself, then he shall bear his iniquity.”
Footnotes:
3 a Or a bull or a cow
7 b Or goat idols
11 c Literally the soul ; also in verse 14
Leviticus 18
Unlawful Sexual Relations
(Matthew 5:27–30)
1 Then the LORD said to Moses, 2 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them:I am the LORD your God. 3 You must not follow the practices of the land of Egypt, where you used to live, and you must not follow the practices of the land of Canaan, into which I am bringing you. You must not walk in their customs.
4 You are to practice My judgments and keep My statutes by walking in them. I am the LORD your God. 5 Keep My statutes and My judgments, for the man who does these things will live by them. a I am the LORD.
6 None of you are to approach any close relative to have sexual relations. b I am the LORD.
7 You must not expose the nakedness of your father by having sexual relations with your mother. She is your mother; you must not have sexual relations with her.
8 You must not have sexual relations with your father’s wife; it would dishonor your father.
9 You must not have sexual relations with your sister, either your father’s daughter or your mother’s daughter, whether she was born in the same home or elsewhere.
10 You must not have sexual relations with your son’s daughter or your daughter’s daughter, for that would shame your family.
11 You must not have sexual relations with the daughter of your father’s wife, born to your father; she is your sister.
12 You must not have sexual relations with your father’s sister; she is your father’s close relative.
13 You must not have sexual relations with your mother’s sister, for she is your mother’s close relative.
14 You must not dishonor your father’s brother by approaching his wife to have sexual relations with her; she is your aunt.
15 You must not have sexual relations with your daughter-in-law. She is your son’s wife; you are not to have sexual relations with her.
16 You must not have sexual relations with your brother’s wife; that would shame your brother.
17 You must not have sexual relations with both a woman and her daughter. You are not to marry her son’s daughter or her daughter’s daughter and have sexual relations with her. They are close relatives; it is depraved.
18 You must not take your wife’s sister as a rival wife and have sexual relations with her while your wife is still alive.
19 You must not approach a woman to have sexual relations with her during her menstrual period.
20 You must not lie carnally with your neighbor’s wife and thus defile yourself with her.
21 You must not give any of your children to be sacrificed c to Molech, for you must not profane the name of your God. I am the LORD.
22 You must not lie with a man as with a woman; that is an abomination.
23 You must not lie carnally with any animal, thus defiling yourself with it; a woman must not stand before an animal to mate with it; that is a perversion.
24 Do not defile yourselves by any of these practices, for by all these things the nations I am driving out before you have defiled themselves. 25 Even the land has become defiled, so I am punishing it for its sin, and the land will vomit out its inhabitants.
26 But you are to keep My statutes and ordinances, and you must not commit any of these abominations—neither your native-born nor the foreigner who lives among you. 27 For the men who were in the land before you committed all these abominations, and the land has become defiled. 28 So if you defile the land, it will vomit you out as it spewed out the nations before you.
29 Therefore anyone who commits any of these abominations must be cut off from among his people. 30 You must keep My charge not to practice any of the abominable customs that were practiced before you, so that you do not defile yourselves by them. I am the LORD your God.”
Footnotes:
5 a Cited in Romans 10:5 and Galatians 3:12; see also Ezekiel 20:11, 13, and 21.
6 b Literally to uncover (their) nakedness ; here and throughout this chapter
21 c Hebrew to make them pass through (the fire)
Leviticus 19
Commandments for Holiness
1 Then the LORD said to Moses, 2 “Speak to the whole congregation of Israel and tell them: Be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy. a
3 Each of you must respect his mother and father, and you must keep My Sabbaths. I am the LORD your God.
4 Do not turn to idols or make for yourselves molten gods. I am the LORD your God.
5 When you sacrifice a peace offering to the LORD, you shall offer it for your acceptance. 6 It shall be eaten on the day you sacrifice it, or on the next day; but what remains on the third day must be burned up. 7 If any of it is eaten on the third day, it is tainted and will not be accepted. 8 Whoever eats it will bear his iniquity, for he has profaned what is holy to the LORD. That person must be cut off from his people.
Love Your Neighbor
(Romans 13:8–10)
9 When you reap the harvest of your land, you are not to reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. 10 You must not strip your vineyard bare or gather its fallen grapes. Leave them for the poor and the foreigner. I am the LORD your God.
11 You must not steal. You must not lie or deceive one another.
12 You must not swear falsely by My name and so profane the name of your God. I am the LORD.
13 You must not defraud your neighbor or rob him.
You must not withhold until morning the wages due a hired hand.
14 You must not curse the deaf or place a stumbling block before the blind, but you shall fear your God. I am the LORD.
15 You must not pervert justice; you must not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the rich; you are to judge your neighbor fairly.
16 You must not go about spreading slander among your people.
You must not endanger the life b of your neighbor. I am the LORD.
17 You must not harbor hatred against your brother in your heart. Directly rebuke your neighbor, so that you will not incur guilt on account of him. 18 Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against any of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. c I am the LORD.
Keep My Statutes
19 You are to keep My statutes. You shall not crossbreed two different kinds of livestock; you shall not sow your fields with two kinds of seed; and you shall not wear clothing made of two kinds of material.
20 If a man lies carnally with a slave girl promised to another man but who has not been redeemed or given her freedom, there must be due punishment. But they are not to be put to death, because she had not been freed. 21 The man, however, must bring a ram to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting as his guilt offering to the LORD. 22 The priest shall make atonement on his behalf before the LORD with the ram of the guilt offering for the sin he has committed, and he will be forgiven the sin he has committed.
23 When you enter the land and plant any kind of tree for food, you shall regard the fruit as forbidden. d For three years it will be forbidden to you and must not be eaten. 24 In the fourth year all its fruit must be consecrated as a praise offering to the LORD. 25 But in the fifth year you may eat its fruit; thus your harvest will be increased. I am the LORD your God.
26 You must not eat anything with blood still in it.
You must not practice divination or sorcery.
27 You must not cut off the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard.
28 You must not make any cuts in your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the LORD.
29 You must not defile your daughter by making her a prostitute, or the land will be prostituted and filled with depravity.
30 You must keep My Sabbaths and have reverence for My sanctuary. I am the LORD.
31 You must not turn to mediums or spiritists; do not seek them out, or you will be defiled by them. I am the LORD your God.
32 You are to rise in the presence of the elderly, honor the aged, and fear your God. I am the LORD.
33 When a foreigner resides with you in your land, you must not oppress him. 34 You must treat the foreigner living among you as native-born and love him as yourself, for you were foreigners in the land of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.
35 You must not use dishonest measures of length, weight, or volume. 36 You shall maintain honest scales and weights, an honest ephah, e and an honest hin. f I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.
37 You must keep all My statutes and all My ordinances and follow them. I am the LORD.”
Footnotes:
2 a Cited in 1 Peter 1:16
16 b Literally blood
18 c Cited in Matthew 5:43, Matthew 19:19, Matthew 22:39, Mark 12:31, Luke 10:27, Romans 13:9, Galatians 5:14, and James 2:8
23 d Hebrew as uncircumcised ; twice in this verse
36 e An ephah is a dry measure of approximately 20 dry quarts or 22 liters.
36 f A hin is a liquid measure of approximately 0.97 gallons or 3.67 liters.
Leviticus 20
Punishments for Disobedience
(Leviticus 26:14–39;Deuteronomy 28:15–68)
1 Then the LORD said to Moses, 2 “Tell the Israelites, ‘Any Israelite or foreigner living in Israel who gives any of his children to Molech must be put to death. The people of the land are to stone him. 3 And I will set My face against that man and cut him off from his people, because by giving his offspring to Molech, he has defiled My sanctuary and profaned My holy name.
4 And if the people of the land ever hide their eyes and fail to put to death the man who gives one of his children to Molech, 5 then I will set My face against that man and his family and cut off from among their people both him and all who follow him in prostituting themselves with Molech.
6 Whoever turns to mediums or spiritists to prostitute himself with them, I will also set My face against that person and cut him off from his people.
7 Consecrate yourselves, therefore, and be holy, because I am the LORD your God. 8 And you shall keep My statutes and practice them. I am the LORD who sanctifies you.
9 If anyone curses a his father or mother, he must be put to death. b He has cursed his father or mother; his blood shall be upon him.
Punishments for Sexual Immorality
(Proverbs 5:1–23; 1 Corinthians 5:1–8)
10 If a man commits adultery with another man’s wife—with the wife of his neighbor—both the adulterer and the adulteress must surely be put to death.
11 If a man lies with his father’s wife, he has uncovered his father’s nakedness. Both must surely be put to death; their blood is upon them.
12 If a man lies with his daughter-in-law, both must surely be put to death. They have acted perversely; their blood is upon them.
13 If a man lies with a man as with a woman, they have both committed an abomination. They must surely be put to death; their blood is upon them.
14 If a man marries both a woman and her mother, it is depraved. Both he and they must be burned in the fire, so that there will be no depravity among you.
15 If a man lies carnally with an animal, he must be put to death. And you are also to kill the animal.
16 If a woman approaches any animal to mate with it, you must kill both the woman and the animal. They must surely be put to death; their blood is upon them.
17 If a man marries his sister, whether the daughter of his father or of his mother, and they have sexual relations, c it is a disgrace. They must be cut off in the sight of their people. He has uncovered the nakedness of his sister; he shall bear his iniquity.
18 If a man lies with a menstruating woman and has sexual relations with her, d he has exposed the source of her flow, and she has uncovered the source of her blood. Both of them must be cut off from among their people.
19 You must not have sexual relations with the sister of your mother or your father, for it is exposing one’s own kin; both shall bear their iniquity.
20 If a man lies with his uncle’s wife, he has uncovered the nakedness of his uncle. They will bear their sin; they shall die childless.
21 If a man marries his brother’s wife, it is an act of impurity. He has uncovered the nakedness of his brother; they shall be childless.
Distinguish between Clean and Unclean
22 You are therefore to keep all My statutes and ordinances, so that the land where I am bringing you to live will not vomit you out. 23 You must not follow the statutes of the nations I am driving out before you. Because they did all these things, I abhorred them.
24 But I have told you that you will inherit their land, since I will give it to you as an inheritance—a land flowing with milk and honey. I am the LORD your God, who has set you apart from the peoples.
25 You are therefore to distinguish between clean and unclean animals and birds. Do not become contaminated by any animal or bird, or by anything that crawls on the ground; I have set these apart as unclean for you. 26 You are to be holy to Me because I, the LORD, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be My own.
27 A man or a woman who is a medium or spiritist must surely be put to death. They shall be stoned; their blood is upon them.’ ”
Footnotes:
9 a Or dishonors or reviles ; similarly again in this verse
9 b Cited in Matthew 15:4 and Mark 7:10
17 c Literally and he sees her nakedness and she sees his nakedness
18 d Literally uncovers her nakedness ; similarly in verse 19
Leviticus 21
Holiness Required of Priests
1 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Speak to Aaron’s sons, the priests, and tell them that a priest is not to defile himself for a dead person among his people, 2 except for his immediate family—his mother, father, son, daughter, or brother, 3 or his unmarried sister who is near to him, since she has no husband. 4 He is not to defile himself for those related to him by marriage, and so profane himself.
5 Priests must not make bald spots on their heads, shave off the edges of their beards, or make cuts in their bodies. 6 They must be holy to their God and not profane the name of their God. Because they present to the LORD the offerings made by fire, the food of their God, they must be holy.
7 A priest must not marry a woman defiled by prostitution or divorced by her husband, for the priest is holy to his God. 8 You are to regard him as holy, since he presents the food of your God. He shall be holy to you, because I the LORD am holy—I who set you apart. 9 If a priest’s daughter defiles herself by prostituting herself, she profanes her father; she must be burned in the fire.
10 The priest who is highest among his brothers, who has had the anointing oil poured on his head and has been ordained to wear the priestly garments, must not let his hair hang loose a or tear his garments. 11 He must not go near any dead body; he must not defile himself, even for his father or mother. 12 He must not leave or desecrate the sanctuary of his God, for the consecration of the anointing oil of his God is on him. I am the LORD.
13 The woman he marries must be a virgin. 14 He is not to marry a widow, a divorced woman, or one defiled by prostitution. He is to marry a virgin from his own people, 15 so that he does not defile his offspring among his people, for I am the LORD who sanctifies him.”
Restrictions against Those with Blemishes
16 Then the LORD said to Moses, 17 “Say to Aaron, ‘For the generations to come, none of your descendants who has a physical defect may approach to offer the food of his God.
18 No man who has any defect may approach—no man who is blind, lame, disfigured, or deformed; 19 no man who has a broken foot or hand, 20 or who is a hunchback or dwarf, or who has an eye defect, a festering rash, scabs, or a crushed testicle.
21 No descendant of Aaron the priest who has a defect shall approach to present the offerings made by fire to the LORD. Since he has a defect, he is not to come near to offer the food of his God. 22 He may eat the most holy food of his God as well as the holy food, 23 but because he has a defect, he must not go near the veil or approach the altar, so as not to desecrate My sanctuaries. For I am the LORD who sanctifies them.’ ”
24 Moses told this to Aaron and his sons and to all the Israelites.
Footnotes:
10 a Or must not uncover his head
Leviticus 22
Restrictions against the Unclean
1 Then the LORD said to Moses, 2 “Tell Aaron and his sons to treat with respect the sacred offerings that the Israelites have consecrated to Me, so that they do not profane My holy name. I am the LORD.
3 Tell them that for the generations to come, if any of their descendants in a state of uncleanness approaches the sacred offerings that the Israelites consecrate to the LORD, that person must be cut off from My presence. I am the LORD.
4 If a descendant of Aaron has a skin disease a or a discharge, he may not eat the sacred offerings until he is clean. Whoever touches anything defiled by a corpse or by a man who has an emission of semen, 5 or whoever touches a crawling creature or a person that makes him unclean, whatever the uncleanness may be— 6 the man who touches any of these will remain unclean until evening. He must not eat from the sacred offerings unless he has bathed himself with water.
7 When the sun has set, he will become clean, and then he may eat from the sacred offerings, for they are his food. 8 He must not eat anything found dead or torn by wild animals, which would make him unclean. I am the LORD. 9 The priests must keep My charge, lest they bear the guilt and die because they profane it. I am the LORD who sanctifies them.
10 No one outside a priest’s family may eat the sacred offering, nor may the guest of a priest or his hired hand eat it. 11 But if a priest buys a slave with his own money, or if a slave is born in his household, that slave may eat his food.
12 If the priest’s daughter is married to a man other than a priest, she is not to eat of the sacred contributions. 13 But if a priest’s daughter with no children becomes widowed or divorced and returns to her father’s house, she may share her father’s food as in her youth. But no outsider may share it.
14 If anyone eats a sacred offering in error, he must add a fifth to its value and give the sacred offering to the priest. 15 The priests must not profane the sacred offerings that the Israelites present to the LORD 16 by allowing the people to eat the sacred offerings and thus to bear the punishment for guilt. For I am the LORD who sanctifies them.”
Worthy Offerings
17 Then the LORD said to Moses, 18 “Speak to Aaron and his sons and all the Israelites and tell them, ‘Any man of the house of Israel or any foreign resident who presents a gift for a burnt offering to the LORD, whether to fulfill a vow or as a freewill offering, 19 must offer an unblemished male from the cattle, sheep, or goats in order for it to be accepted on your behalf. 20 You must not present anything with a defect, because it will not be accepted on your behalf.
21 When a man presents a peace offering to the LORD from the herd or flock to fulfill a vow or as a freewill offering, it must be without blemish or defect to be acceptable. 22 You are not to present to the LORD any animal that is blind, injured, or maimed, or anything with a running sore, a festering rash, or a scab; you must not put any of these on the altar as an offering made by fire to the LORD.
23 You may present as a freewill offering an ox b or sheep that has a deformed or stunted limb, but it is not acceptable in fulfillment of a vow. 24 You are not to present to the LORD an animal whose testicles are bruised, crushed, torn, or cut; you are not to sacrifice them in your land. 25 Neither you nor a foreigner shall present food to your God from any such animal. They will not be accepted on your behalf, because they are deformed and flawed.’ ”
26 Then the LORD said to Moses, 27 “When an ox, c a sheep, or a goat is born, it must remain with its mother for seven days. From the eighth day on, it will be acceptable as an offering made by fire to the LORD. 28 But you must not slaughter an ox d or a sheep on the same day as its young.
29 When you sacrifice a thank offering to the LORD, offer it so that it may be acceptable on your behalf. 30 It must be eaten that same day. Do not leave any of it until morning. I am the LORD.
31 You are to keep My commandments and practice them. I am the LORD. 32 You must not profane My holy name. I must be acknowledged as holy among the Israelites. I am the LORD who sanctifies you, 33 who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God. I am the LORD.”
Footnotes:
4 a Forms of the Hebrew tzaraath , traditionally translated as leprosy , were used for various skin diseases; see Leviticus 13.
23 b Or a bull or a cow
27 c Or a calf
28 d Or a cow
Leviticus 23
Feasts and Sabbaths
(Exodus 23:14–19)
1 Then the LORD said to Moses, 2 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them, ‘These are My appointed feasts, the feasts of the LORD that you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies.
3 For six days work may be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of complete rest, a day of sacred assembly. You must not do any work; wherever you live, it is a Sabbath to the LORD.
Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread
(Exodus 12:14–28; Numbers 28:16–25; Deuteronomy 16:1–8)
4 These are the LORD’s appointed feasts, the sacred assemblies you are to proclaim at their appointed times. 5 The Passover to the LORD begins at twilight on the fourteenth a day of the first month. 6 On the fifteenth day of the same month begins the Feast of Unleavened Bread b to the LORD. For seven days you must eat unleavened bread. 7 On the first day you are to hold a sacred assembly; you are not to do any regular work. 8 For seven days you are to present an offering made by fire to the LORD. On the seventh day there shall be a sacred assembly; you must not do any regular work.’ ”
The Feast of Firstfruits
9 And the LORD said to Moses, 10 “Speak to the Israelites and say, ‘When you enter the land that I am giving you and you reap its harvest, you are to bring to the priest a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest. 11 And he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD so that it may be accepted on your behalf; the priest is to wave it on the day after the Sabbath.
12 On the day you wave the sheaf, you shall offer a year-old lamb without blemish as a burnt offering to the LORD, 13 along with its grain offering of two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour c mixed with oil—an offering made by fire to the LORD, a pleasing aroma—and its drink offering of a quarter hin of wine. d
14 You must not eat any bread or roasted or new grain until the very day you have brought this offering to your God. This is to be a permanent statute for the generations to come, wherever you live.
The Feast of Weeks
(Acts 2:1–13)
15 From the day after the Sabbath, the day you brought the sheaf of the wave offering, you are to count off seven full weeks. 16 You shall count off fifty days until the day after the seventh Sabbath, and then present an offering of new grain to the LORD.
17 Bring two loaves of bread from your dwellings as a wave offering, each made from two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour, baked with leaven, as the firstfruits to the LORD.
18 Along with the bread you are to present seven unblemished male lambs a year old, one young bull, and two rams. They will be a burnt offering to the LORD, together with their grain offerings and drink offerings—an offering made by fire, a pleasing aroma to the LORD.
19 You shall also prepare one male goat as a sin offering and two male lambs a year old as a peace offering. 20 The priest is to wave the lambs as a wave offering before the LORD, together with the bread of the firstfruits. The bread and the two lambs shall be holy to the LORD for the priest.
21 On that same day you are to proclaim a sacred assembly, and you must not do any regular work. This is to be a permanent statute wherever you live for the generations to come.
22 When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap all the way to the edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and the foreign resident. I am the LORD your God.’ ”
The Feast of Trumpets
(Numbers 29:1–6)
23 The LORD also said to Moses, 24 “Speak to the Israelites and say, ‘On the first day of the seventh month you are to have a day of rest, a sacred assembly announced by trumpet blasts. e 25 You must not do any regular work, but you are to present an offering made by fire to the LORD.’ ”
The Day of Atonement
(Leviticus 16:1–34; Numbers 29:7–11)
26 Again the LORD said to Moses, 27 “The tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. You shall hold a sacred assembly and humble yourselves, f and present an offering made by fire to the LORD.
28 On this day you are not to do any work, for it is the Day of Atonement, when atonement is made for you before the LORD your God. 29 If anyone does not humble himself on this day, he must be cut off from his people. 30 I will destroy from among his people anyone who does any work on this day.
31 You are not to do any work at all. This is a permanent statute for the generations to come, wherever you live. 32 It will be a Sabbath of complete rest for you, and you shall humble yourselves. From the evening of the ninth day of the month until the following evening you are to keep your Sabbath.”
The Feast of Tabernacles
(Nehemiah 8:13–18; Zechariah 14:16–21)
33 And the LORD said to Moses, 34 “Speak to the Israelites and say, ‘On the fifteenth day of the seventh month the Feast of Tabernacles g to the LORD begins, and it continues for seven days. 35 On the first day there shall be a sacred assembly. You must not do any regular work. 36 For seven days you are to present an offering made by fire to the LORD. On the eighth day you are to hold a sacred assembly and present an offering made by fire to the LORD. It is a solemn assembly; you must not do any regular work.
37 These are the LORD’s appointed feasts, which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies for presenting offerings by fire to the LORD—burnt offerings and grain offerings, sacrifices and drink offerings, each on its designated day. 38 These offerings are in addition to the offerings for the LORD’s Sabbaths, and in addition to your gifts, to all your vow offerings, and to all the freewill offerings you give to the LORD.
39 On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, after you have gathered the produce of the land, you are to celebrate a feast to the LORD for seven days. There shall be complete rest on the first day and also on the eighth day.
40 On the first day you are to gather the fruit of majestic trees, the branches of palm trees, and the boughs of leafy trees and of willows h of the brook. And you are to rejoice before the LORD your God for seven days. 41 You are to celebrate this as a feast to the LORD for seven days each year. This is a permanent statute for the generations to come; you are to celebrate it in the seventh month.
42 You are to dwell in booths i for seven days. All the native-born of Israel must dwell in booths, 43 so that your descendants may know that I made the Israelites dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.’ ”
44 So Moses announced to the Israelites the appointed feasts of the LORD.
Footnotes:
5 a Hebrew begins between the two evenings of the fourteenth
6 b That is, the seven-day period after the Passover during which no leaven may be eaten; see Exodus 12:14–20.
13 c Two-tenths of an ephah is approximately 4 dry quarts or 4.4 liters (probably about 5.1 pounds or 2.3 kilograms of flour); also in verse 17.
13 d A quarter hin is approximately 0.97 quarts or 0.92 liters of wine.
24 e Or a sacred assembly, a memorial of shouting
27 f Or afflict your souls or deny yourselves ; also in verse 32
34 g That is, Sukkot, the autumn feast of pilgrimage to Jerusalem; also translated as the Feast of Booths or the Feast of Shelters and originally called the Feast of Ingathering (see Exodus 23:16 and Exodus 34:22).
40 h Or poplars
42 i Or tabernacles or shelters ; twice in this verse, and also in verse 43; see the footnote for verse 34.
Leviticus 24
The Oil for the Lamps
(Exodus 27:20–21)
1 Then the LORD said to Moses, 2 “Command the Israelites to bring you pure oil of pressed olives for the light, to keep the lamps burning continually.
3 Outside the veil of the Testimony a in the Tent of Meeting, Aaron is to tend the lamps continually before the LORD from evening until morning. This is to be a permanent statute for the generations to come. 4 He shall tend the lamps on the pure gold lampstand before the LORD continually.
The Showbread
(Exodus 25:23–30; Exodus 37:10–16)
5 You are also to take fine flour and bake twelve loaves, using two-tenths of an ephah for each loaf, b 6 and set them in two rows—six per row—on the table of pure gold before the LORD. 7 And you are to place pure frankincense near each row, so that it may serve as a memorial portion for the bread, an offering made by fire to the LORD.
8 Every Sabbath day the bread is to be set out before the LORD on behalf of the Israelites as a permanent covenant. 9 It belongs to Aaron and his sons, who are to eat it in a holy place; for it is to him a most holy part of the offerings made by fire to the LORD—his portion forever.”
Punishment for Blasphemy
10 Now the son of an Israelite mother and an Egyptian father went out among the Israelites, and a fight broke out in the camp between him and an Israelite. 11 The son of the Israelite woman blasphemed the Name with a curse. So they brought him to Moses. (His mother’s name was Shelomith daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan.)
12 They placed him in custody until the will of the LORD should be made clear to them.
13 Then the LORD said to Moses, 14 “Take the blasphemer c outside the camp, and have all who heard him lay their hands on his head; then have the whole assembly stone him.
15 And you are to tell the Israelites, ‘If anyone curses his God, he shall bear the consequences of his sin. 16 Whoever blasphemes the name of the LORD must surely be put to death; the whole assembly must surely stone him, whether he is a foreign resident or native; if he blasphemes the Name, he must be put to death.
An Eye for an Eye
(Matthew 5:38–48)
17 And if a man takes the life of anyone else, he must surely be put to death. 18 Whoever kills an animal must make restitution—life for life. 19 If anyone injures his neighbor, whatever he has done must be done to him: 20 fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth. d Just as he injured the other person, the same must be inflicted on him.
21 Whoever kills an animal must make restitution, but whoever kills a man must be put to death. 22 You are to have the same standard of law for the foreign resident and the native;for I am the LORD your God.’ ”
23 Then Moses spoke to the Israelites, and they took the blasphemer outside the camp and stoned him. So the Israelites did as the LORD had commanded Moses.
Footnotes:
3 a The Testimony refers to the stone tablets in the ark of the covenant inscribed with the Ten Commandments.
5 b Two-tenths of an ephah is approximately 4 dry quarts or 4.4 liters (probably about 5.1 pounds or 2.3 kilograms of flour).
14 c Literally the one who cursed ;also in verse 23
20 d Cited in Matthew 5:38
Leviticus 25
The Seventh Year
(Exodus 23:10–13; Deuteronomy 15:1–6)
1 Then the LORD said to Moses on Mount Sinai, 2 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: When you enter the land that I am giving you, the land itself must observe a Sabbath to the LORD.
3 For six years you may sow your field and prune your vineyard and gather its crops. 4 But in the seventh year there shall be a Sabbath of complete rest for the land—a Sabbath to the LORD.
You are not to sow your field or prune your vineyard. 5 You are not to reap the aftergrowth of your harvest or gather the grapes of your untended vines. The land must have a year of complete rest. 6 Whatever the land yields during the Sabbath year shall be food for you—for yourself, your manservant and maidservant, the hired hand or foreigner who stays with you, 7 and for your livestock and the wild animals in your land. All its growth may serve as food.
The Year of Jubilee
8 And you shall count off seven Sabbaths of years—seven times seven years—so that the seven Sabbaths of years amount to forty-nine years. 9 Then you are to sound the horn far and wide on the tenth day of the seventh month, the Day of Atonement. You shall sound it throughout your land.
10 So you are to consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty in the land for all its inhabitants. It shall be your Jubilee, when each of you is to return to his property and to his clan.
11 The fiftieth year will be a Jubilee for you; you are not to sow the land or reap its aftergrowth or harvest the untended vines. 12 For it is a Jubilee;it shall be holy to you. You may eat only the crops taken directly from the field.
Return of Property
13 In this Year of Jubilee, each of you shall return to his own property.
14 If you make a sale to your neighbor or a purchase from him, you must not take advantage of each other. 15 You are to buy from your neighbor according to the number of years since the last Jubilee; he is to sell to you according to the number of harvest years remaining. 16 You shall increase the price in proportion to a greater number of years, or decrease it in proportion to a lesser number of years; for he is selling you a given number of harvests.
17 Do not take advantage of each other, but fear your God; for I am the LORD your God.
The Blessing of Obedience
(Deuteronomy 28:1–14)
18 You are to keep My statutes and carefully observe My judgments, so that you may dwell securely in the land. 19 Then the land will yield its fruit, so that you can eat your fill and dwell in safety in the land.
20 Now you may wonder, ‘What will we eat in the seventh year if we do not sow or gather our produce?’ 21 But I will send My blessing upon you in the sixth year, so that the land will yield a crop sufficient for three years. 22 While you are sowing in the eighth year, you will be eating from the previous harvest, until the ninth year’s harvest comes in.
The Law of Redemption
23 The land must not be sold permanently, because it is Mine, and you are but foreigners and residents with Me. 24 Thus for every piece of property you possess, you must provide for the redemption of the land.
25 If your brother becomes impoverished and sells some of his property, his nearest of kin may come and redeem what his brother has sold. 26 Or if a man has no one to redeem it for him, but he prospers and acquires enough to redeem his land, 27 he shall calculate the years since its sale, repay the balance to the man to whom he sold it, and return to his property. 28 But if he cannot obtain enough to repay him, what he sold will remain in possession of the buyer until the Year of Jubilee. In the Jubilee, however, it is to be released, so that he may return to his property.
29 If a man sells a house in a walled city, he retains his right of redemption until a full year after its sale; during that year it may be redeemed. 30 If it is not redeemed by the end of a full year, then the house in the walled city is permanently transferred to its buyer and his descendants. It is not to be released in the Jubilee. 31 But houses in villages with no walls around them are to be considered as open fields. They may be redeemed, and they shall be released in the Jubilee.
32 As for the cities of the Levites, the Levites always have the right to redeem their houses in the cities they possess. 33 So whatever belongs to the Levites may be redeemed—a house sold in a city they possess—and must be released in the Jubilee, because the houses in the cities of the Levites are their possession among the Israelites. 34 But the open pastureland around their cities may not be sold, for this is their permanent possession.
Redemption of the Poor
35 Now if your countryman becomes destitute and cannot support himself among you, then you are to help him as you would a foreigner or stranger, so that he can continue to live among you. 36 Do not take any interest or profit from him, but fear your God, that your countryman may live among you. 37 You must not lend him your silver at interest or sell him your food for profit. 38 I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt to give you the land of Canaan and to be your God.
Redemption of Bondmen
39 If a countryman among you becomes destitute and sells himself to you, then you must not force him into slave labor. 40 Let him stay with you as a hired worker or temporary resident; he is to work for you until the Year of Jubilee. 41 Then he and his children are to be released, and he may return to his clan and to the property of his fathers.
42 Because the Israelites are My servants, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt, they are not to be sold as slaves. 43 You are not to rule over them harshly, but you shall fear your God.
44 Your menservants and maidservants shall come from the nations around you, from whom you may purchase them. 45 You may also purchase them from the foreigners residing among you or their clans living among you who are born in your land. These may become your property. 46 You may leave them to your sons after you to inherit as property; you can make them slaves for life. But as for your brothers, the Israelites, no man may rule harshly over his brother.
Redemption of Servants
47 If a foreigner residing among you prospers, but your countryman dwelling near him becomes destitute and sells himself to the foreigner or to a member of his clan, 48 he retains the right of redemption after he has sold himself. One of his brothers may redeem him: 49 either his uncle or cousin or any close relative from his clan may redeem him. Or if he prospers, he may redeem himself.
50 He and his purchaser will then count the time from the year he sold himself up to the Year of Jubilee. The price of his sale will be determined by the number of years, based on the daily wages of a hired hand. 51 If many years remain, he must pay for his redemption in proportion to his purchase price. 52 If only a few years remain until the Year of Jubilee, he is to calculate and pay his redemption according to his remaining years. 53 He shall be treated like a man hired from year to year, but a foreign owner must not rule over him harshly in your sight.
54 Even if he is not redeemed in any of these ways, he and his children shall be released in the Year of Jubilee. 55 For the Israelites are My servants. They are My servants, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.
Leviticus 26
Additional Blessings of Obedience
1 “You must not make idols for yourselves or set up a carved image or sacred pillar;you must not place a sculpted stone in your land to bow down to it. For I am the LORD your God.
2 You must keep My Sabbaths and have reverence for My sanctuary. I am the LORD.
3 If you follow My statutes and carefully keep My commandments, 4 I will give you rains in their season, and the land will yield its produce, and the trees of the field will bear their fruit. 5 Your threshing will continue until the grape harvest, and the grape harvest will continue until sowing time; you will have your fill of food to eat and will dwell securely in your land.
6 And I will give peace to the land, and you will lie down with nothing to fear. I will rid the land of dangerous animals, and no sword will pass through your land. 7 You will pursue your enemies, and they will fall by the sword before you. 8 Five of you will pursue a hundred, and a hundred of you will pursue ten thousand, and your enemies will fall by the sword before you.
9 I will turn toward you and make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will establish My covenant with you. 10 You will still be eating the old supply of grain when you need to clear it out to make room for the new.
11 And I will make My dwelling place a among you, and My soul will not despise b you. 12 I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be My people. c 13 I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt so that you would no longer be slaves to the Egyptians. I broke the bars of your yoke and enabled you to walk in uprightness.
Punishments for Disobedience
(Leviticus 20:1–9; Deuteronomy 28:15–68)
14 If, however, you fail to obey Me and to carry out all these commandments, 15 and if you reject My statutes, despise My ordinances, and neglect to carry out all My commandments, and so break My covenant, 16 then this is what I will do to you: I will bring upon you sudden terror, wasting disease, and fever that will destroy your sight and drain your life. You will sow your seed in vain, because your enemies will eat it. 17 And I will set My face against you, so that you will be defeated by your enemies. Those who hate you will rule over you, and you will flee when no one pursues you.
18 And if after all this you will not obey Me, I will proceed to punish you sevenfold for your sins. 19 I will break down your stubborn pride and make your sky like iron and your land like bronze, 20 and your strength will be spent in vain. For your land will not yield its produce, and the trees of the land will not bear their fruit.
21 If you walk in hostility toward Me and refuse to obey Me, I will multiply your plagues seven times, according to your sins. 22 I will send wild animals against you to rob you of your children, destroy your livestock, and reduce your numbers, until your roads lie desolate.
23 And if in spite of these things you do not accept My discipline, but continue to walk in hostility toward Me, 24 then I will act with hostility toward you, and I will strike you sevenfold for your sins. 25 And I will bring a sword against you to execute the vengeance of the covenant. Though you withdraw into your cities, I will send a plague among you, and you will be delivered into the hand of the enemy. 26 When I cut off your supply d of bread, ten women will bake your bread in a single oven and dole out your bread by weight, so that you will eat but not be satisfied.
27 But if in spite of all this you do not obey Me, but continue to walk in hostility toward Me, 28 then I will walk in fury against you, and I, even I, will punish you sevenfold for your sins. 29 You will eat the flesh of your own sons and daughters. 30 I will destroy your high places, cut down your incense altars, and heap your lifeless bodies on the lifeless remains of your idols; and My soul will despise you.
31 I will reduce your cities to rubble and lay waste your sanctuaries, and I will refuse to smell the pleasing aroma of your sacrifices. 32 And I will lay waste the land, so that your enemies who dwell in it will be appalled. 33 But I will scatter you among the nations and will draw out a sword after you as your land becomes desolate and your cities are laid waste.
34 Then the land shall enjoy its Sabbaths all the days it lies desolate, while you are in the land of your enemies. At that time the land will rest and enjoy its Sabbaths. 35 As long as it lies desolate, the land will have the rest it did not receive during the Sabbaths when you lived in it.
36 As for those of you who survive, I will send a faintness into their hearts in the lands of their enemies, so that even the sound of a windblown leaf will put them to flight. And they will flee as one flees the sword, and fall when no one pursues them. 37 They will stumble over one another as before the sword, though no one is behind them. So you will not be able to stand against your enemies.
38 You will perish among the nations, and the land of your enemies will consume you. 39 Those of you who survive in the lands of your enemies will waste away in their iniquity and will decay in the sins of their fathers.
God Remembers Those Who Repent
40 But if they will confess their iniquity and that of their fathers in the unfaithfulness that they practiced against Me, by which they have also walked in hostility toward Me— 41 and I acted with hostility toward them and brought them into the land of their enemies—and if their uncircumcised hearts will be humbled and they will make amends for their iniquity, 42 then I will remember My covenant with Jacob and My covenant with Isaac and My covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the land.
43 For the land will be abandoned by them, and it will enjoy its Sabbaths by lying desolate without them. And they will pay the penalty for their iniquity, because they rejected My ordinances and abhorred My statutes.
44 Yet in spite of this, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject or despise them so as to destroy them and break My covenant with them; for I am the LORD their God. 45 But for their sake I will remember the covenant with their fathers, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the nations, that I might be their God. I am the LORD.”
46 These are the statutes, ordinances, and laws that the LORD established between Himself and the Israelites through Moses on Mount Sinai.
Footnotes:
11 a Or My tabernacle
11 b Or reject ; also in verse 30
12 c Cited in 2 Corinthians 6:16
26 d Hebrew staff
Leviticus 27
Rules about Valuations
1 Then the LORD said to Moses, 2 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them, ‘When someone makes a special vow to the LORD involving the value of persons, 3 if the valuation concerns a male from twenty to sixty years of age, then your valuation shall be fifty shekels of silver, a according to the sanctuary shekel. b 4 Or if it is a female, then your valuation shall be thirty shekels. c 5 And if the person is from five to twenty years of age, then your valuation for the male shall be twenty shekels, d and for the female ten shekels. e
6 Now if the person is from one month to five years of age, then your valuation for the male shall be five shekels of silver, f and for the female three shekels of silver. g 7 And if the person is sixty years of age or older, then your valuation shall be fifteen shekels h for the male and ten shekels for the female. 8 But if the one making the vow is too poor to pay the valuation, he is to present the person i before the priest, who shall set the value according to what the one making the vow can afford.
9 If he vows an animal that may be brought as an offering to the LORD, any such animal given to the LORD shall be holy. 10 He must not replace it or exchange it, either good for bad or bad for good. But if he does substitute one animal for another, both that animal and its substitute will be holy.
11 But if the vow involves any of the unclean animals that may not be brought as an offering to the LORD, the animal must be presented before the priest. 12 The priest shall set its value, whether high or low; as the priest values it, the price will be set. 13 If, however, the owner decides to redeem the animal, he must add a fifth to its value.
14 Now if a man consecrates his house as holy to the LORD, then the priest shall value it either as good or bad. The price will stand just as the priest values it. 15 But if he who consecrated his house redeems it, he must add a fifth to the assessed value, and it will belong to him.
16 If a man consecrates to the LORD a parcel of his land, then your valuation shall be proportional to the seed required for it—fifty shekels of silver for every homer of barley seed. j 17 If he consecrates his field during the Year of Jubilee, the price will stand according to your valuation.
18 But if he consecrates his field after the Jubilee, the priest is to calculate the price in proportion to the years left until the next Year of Jubilee, so that your valuation will be reduced. 19 And if the one who consecrated the field decides to redeem it, he must add a fifth to the assessed value, and it shall belong to him.
20 If, however, he does not redeem the field, or if he has sold it to another man, it may no longer be redeemed. 21 When the field is released in the Jubilee, it will become holy, like a field devoted to the LORD; it becomes the property of the priests.
22 Now if a man consecrates to the LORD a field he has purchased, which is not a part of his own property, 23 then the priest shall calculate for him the value up to the Year of Jubilee, and the man shall pay the assessed value on that day as a sacred offering to the LORD. 24 In the Year of Jubilee the field shall return to the one from whom it was bought—the original owner of the land. 25 Every valuation will be according to the sanctuary shekel, twenty gerahs to the shekel. k
26 But no one may consecrate a firstborn of the livestock, because a firstborn belongs to the LORD. Whether it is an ox or a sheep, it is the LORD’s. 27 But if it is among the unclean animals, then he may redeem it according to your valuation and add a fifth of its value. If it is not redeemed, then it shall be sold according to your valuation.
28 Nothing that a man sets apart l to the LORD from all he owns—whether a man, an animal, or his inherited land—can be sold or redeemed; everything so devoted is most holy to the LORD.
29 No person set apart for destruction may be ransomed; he must surely be put to death.
Instruction on Tithes
(Deuteronomy 14:22–29; Deuteronomy 26:1–15; Nehemiah 13:10–14)
30 Thus any tithe from the land, whether from the seed of the land or the fruit of the trees, belongs to the LORD; it is holy to the LORD. 31 If a man wishes to redeem part of his tithe, he must add a fifth to its value.
32 Every tenth animal from the herd or flock that passes under the shepherd’s rod will be holy to the LORD. 33 He must not inspect whether it is good or bad, and he shall not make any substitution. But if he does make a substitution, both the animal and its substitute shall become holy; they cannot be redeemed.’ ”
34 These are the commandments that the LORD gave to Moses for the Israelites on Mount Sinai.
Footnotes:
3 a 50 shekels is approximately 1.26 pounds or 569.8 grams of silver; also in verse 16.
3 b A shekel weighed approximately 0.4 ounces or 11.4 grams; also in verse 25.
4 c 30 shekels is approximately 12 ounces or 342 grams of silver.
5 d 20 shekels is approximately 8 ounces or 228 grams of silver.
5 e 10 shekels is approximately 4 ounces or 114 grams of silver; also in verse 7.
6 f 5 shekels is approximately 2 ounces or 57 grams of silver.
6 g 3 shekels is approximately 1.2 ounces or 34.2 grams of silver.
7 h 15 shekels is approximately 6 ounces or 171 grams of silver.
8 i Or present himself
16 j A homer is a dry measure of approximately 6.24 bushels or 220 liters (probably about 291 pounds or 132 kilograms of barley seed).
25 k 20 gerahs is equivalent to one shekel (approximately 0.4 ounces or 11.4 grams).
28 l Forms of the Hebrew cherem refer to the giving over of things or persons to the LORD; similarly in verse 29.
Numbers
Numbers 1
The First Census of Israel
(Numbers 26:1–4)
1 On the first day of the second month of the second year after the Israelites had come out of the land of Egypt, the LORD spoke to Moses in the Tent of Meeting in the Wilderness of Sinai. He said: 2 “Take a census of the whole congregation of Israel by their clans and families, listing every man by name, one by one.
3 You and Aaron are to number those who are twenty years of age or older by their divisions—everyone who can serve in Israel’s army. 4 And one man from each tribe, the head of each family, must be there with you.
The Leaders of the Tribes
5 These are the names of the men who are to assist you:
From the tribe of Reuben, Elizur son of Shedeur;
6 from Simeon, Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai;
7 from Judah, Nahshon son of Amminadab;
8 from Issachar, Nethanel son of Zuar;
9 from Zebulun, Eliab son of Helon;
10 from the sons of Joseph:
from Ephraim, Elishama son of Ammihud,
and from Manasseh, Gamaliel son of Pedahzur;
11 from Benjamin, Abidan son of Gideoni;
12 from Dan, Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai;
13 from Asher, Pagiel son of Ocran;
14 from Gad, Eliasaph son of Deuel;
15 and from Naphtali, Ahira son of Enan.”
16 These men were appointed from the congregation; they were the leaders of the tribes of their fathers, the heads of the clans of Israel.
The Number of Every Tribe
17 So Moses and Aaron took these men who had been designated by name, 18 and on the first day of the second month they assembled the whole congregation and recorded their ancestry by clans and families, counting one by one the names of those twenty years of age or older, 19 just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
So Moses numbered them in the Wilderness of Sinai:
20 From the sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel, according to the records of their clans and families, counting one by one the names of every male twenty years of age or older who could serve in the army, 21 those registered to the tribe of Reuben numbered 46,500.
22 From the sons of Simeon, according to the records of their clans and families, counting one by one the names of every male twenty years of age or older who could serve in the army, 23 those registered to the tribe of Simeon numbered 59,300.
24 From the sons of Gad, according to the records of their clans and families, counting the names of all those twenty years of age or older who could serve in the army, 25 those registered to the tribe of Gad numbered 45,650.
26 From the sons of Judah, according to the records of their clans and families, counting the names of all those twenty years of age or older who could serve in the army, 27 those registered to the tribe of Judah numbered 74,600.
28 From the sons of Issachar, according to the records of their clans and families, counting the names of all those twenty years of age or older who could serve in the army, 29 those registered to the tribe of Issachar numbered 54,400.
30 From the sons of Zebulun, according to the records of their clans and families, counting the names of all those twenty years of age or older who could serve in the army, 31 those registered to the tribe of Zebulun numbered 57,400.
32 From the sons of Joseph:
From the sons of Ephraim, according to the records of their clans and families, counting the names of all those twenty years of age or older who could serve in the army, 33 those registered to the tribe of Ephraim numbered 40,500.
34 And from the sons of Manasseh, according to the records of their clans and families, counting the names of all those twenty years of age or older who could serve in the army, 35 those registered to the tribe of Manasseh numbered 32,200.
36 From the sons of Benjamin, according to the records of their clans and families, counting the names of all those twenty years of age or older who could serve in the army, 37 those registered to the tribe of Benjamin numbered 35,400.
38 From the sons of Dan, according to the records of their clans and families, counting the names of all those twenty years of age or older who could serve in the army, 39 those registered to the tribe of Dan numbered 62,700.
40 From the sons of Asher, according to the records of their clans and families, counting the names of all those twenty years of age or older who could serve in the army, 41 those registered to the tribe of Asher numbered 41,500.
42 From the sons of Naphtali, according to the records of their clans and families, counting the names of all those twenty years of age or older who could serve in the army, 43 those registered to the tribe of Naphtali numbered 53,400.
44 These were the men numbered by Moses and Aaron, with the assistance of the twelve leaders of Israel, each one representing his family. 45 So all the Israelites twenty years of age or older who could serve in Israel’s army were counted according to their families. 46 And all those counted totaled 603,550.
The Exemption of the Levites
47 The Levites, however, were not numbered along with them by the tribe of their fathers. 48 For the LORD had said to Moses: 49 “Do not number the tribe of Levi in the census with the other Israelites. 50 Instead, you are to appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of the Testimony, all its furnishings, and everything in it. They shall carry the tabernacle and all its articles, care for it, and camp around it.
51 Whenever the tabernacle is to move, the Levites are to take it down, and whenever it is to be pitched, the Levites are to set it up. Any outsider who goes near it must be put to death.
52 The Israelites are to camp by their divisions, each man in his own camp and under his own standard. 53 But the Levites are to camp around the tabernacle of the Testimony and watch over it, so that no wrath will fall on the congregation of Israel. So the Levites are responsible for the tabernacle of the Testimony.”
54 Thus the Israelites did everything just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
Numbers 2
The Order of the Camps
1 Then the LORD said to Moses and Aaron: 2 “The Israelites are to camp around the Tent of Meeting at a distance from it, each man under his standard, with the banners of his family.
3 On the east side, toward the sunrise, the divisions of Judah are to camp under their standard:
The leader of the descendants of Judah is Nahshon son of Amminadab, 4 and his division numbers 74,600.
5 The tribe of Issachar will camp next to it. The leader of the Issacharites is Nethanel son of Zuar, 6 and his division numbers 54,400.
7 Next will be the tribe of Zebulun. The leader of the Zebulunites is Eliab son of Helon, 8 and his division numbers 57,400.
9 The total number of men in the divisions of the camp of Judah is 186,400; they shall set out first.
10 On the south side, the divisions of Reuben are to camp under their standard:
The leader of the Reubenites is Elizur son of Shedeur, 11 and his division numbers 46,500.
12 The tribe of Simeon will camp next to it. The leader of the Simeonites is Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai, 13 and his division numbers 59,300.
14 Next will be the tribe of Gad. The leader of the Gadites is Eliasaph son of Deuel, a 15 and his division numbers 45,650.
16 The total number of men in the divisions of the camp of Reuben is 151,450; they shall set out second.
17 In the middle of the camps, the Tent of Meeting is to travel with the camp of the Levites. They are to set out in the order they encamped, each in his own place under his standard.
18 On the west side, the divisions of Ephraim are to camp under their standard:
The leader of the Ephraimites is Elishama son of Ammihud, 19 and his division numbers 40,500.
20 The tribe of Manasseh will be next to it. The leader of the Manassites is Gamaliel son of Pedahzur, 21 and his division numbers 32,200.
22 Next will be the tribe of Benjamin. The leader of the Benjamites is Abidan son of Gideoni, 23 and his division numbers 35,400.
24 The total number of men in the divisions of the camp of Ephraim is 108,100; they shall set out third.
25 On the north side, the divisions of Dan are to camp under their standard:
The leader of the Danites is Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai, 26 and his division numbers 62,700.
27 The tribe of Asher will camp next to it. The leader of the Asherites is Pagiel son of Ocran, 28 and his division numbers 41,500.
29 Next will be the tribe of Naphtali. The leader of the Naphtalites is Ahira son of Enan, 30 and his division numbers 53,400.
31 The total number of men in the camp of Dan is 157,600; they shall set out last, under their standards.”
32 These are the Israelites, numbered according to their families. The total of those counted in the camps, by their divisions, was 603,550. 33 But the Levites were not counted among the other Israelites, as the LORD had commanded Moses.
34 So the Israelites did everything the LORD commanded Moses; they camped under their standards in this way and set out in the same way, each man with his clan and his family.
Footnotes:
14 a Many MT manuscripts, SP, and Vulgate (see also Numbers 1:14); most MT manuscripts Reuel
Numbers 3
The Sons of Aaron
(Leviticus 10:1–7)
1 This is the account of Aaron and Moses at the time the LORD spoke with Moses on Mount Sinai.
2 These are the names of the sons of Aaron: Nadab the firstborn, then Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 3 These were Aaron’s sons, the anointed priests, who were ordained to serve as priests.
4 Nadab and Abihu, however, died in the presence of the LORD when they offered unauthorized a fire before the LORD in the Wilderness of Sinai. And since they had no sons, only Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests during the lifetime of their father Aaron.
The Duties of the Levites
5 Then the LORD said to Moses, 6 “Bring the tribe of Levi and present them to Aaron the priest to assist him. 7 They are to perform duties for him and for the whole congregation before the Tent of Meeting, attending to the service of the tabernacle. 8 They shall take care of all the furnishings of the Tent of Meeting and fulfill obligations for the Israelites by attending to the service of the tabernacle.
9 Assign the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they have been given exclusively to him b from among the Israelites. 10 So you shall appoint Aaron and his sons to carry out the duties of the priesthood; but any outsider who approaches the tabernacle must be put to death.”
11 Again the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 12 “Behold, I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel in place of every firstborn Israelite from the womb. The Levites belong to Me, 13 for all the firstborn are Mine. On the day I struck down every firstborn in the land of Egypt, I consecrated to Myself all the firstborn in Israel, both man and beast. They are Mine; I am the LORD.”
The Numbering of the Levites
14 Then the LORD spoke to Moses in the Wilderness of Sinai, saying, 15 “Number the Levites by their families and clans. You are to count every male a month old or more.”
16 So Moses numbered them according to the word of the LORD, as he had been commanded.
17 These were the sons of Levi by name: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. 18 These were the names of the sons of Gershon by their clans: Libni and Shimei. 19 The sons of Kohath by their clans were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. 20 And the sons of Merari by their clans were Mahli and Mushi. These were the clans of the Levites, according to their families.
The Gershonites
(Numbers 4:21–28; 1 Chronicles 23:7–11)
21 From Gershon came the Libnite clan and the Shimeite clan; these were the Gershonite clans. 22 The number of all the males a month old or more was 7,500.
23 The Gershonite clans were to camp on the west, behind the tabernacle, 24 and the leader of the families of the Gershonites was Eliasaph son of Lael.
25 The duties of the Gershonites at the Tent of Meeting were the tabernacle and tent, its covering, the curtain for the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, 26 the curtains of the courtyard, the curtain for the entrance to the courtyard that surrounds the tabernacle and altar, and the cords—all the service for these items.
The Kohathites
(Numbers 4:1–20; 1 Chronicles 23:12–20)
27 From Kohath came the clans of the Amramites, the Izharites, the Hebronites, and the Uzzielites; these were the clans of the Kohathites. 28 The number of all the males a month old or more was 8,600. c They were responsible for the duties of the sanctuary.
29 The clans of the Kohathites were to camp on the south side of the tabernacle, 30 and the leader of the families of the Kohathites was Elizaphan d son of Uzziel.
31 Their duties were the ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, the articles of the sanctuary used with them, and the curtain—all the service for these items.
32 The chief of the leaders of the Levites was Eleazar son of Aaron the priest; he oversaw those responsible for the duties of the sanctuary.
The Merarites
(Numbers 4:29–33; 1 Chronicles 23:21–23)
33 From Merari came the clans of the Mahlites and Mushites; these were the Merarite clans. 34 The number of all the males a month old or more was 6,200.
35 The leader of the families of the Merarites was Zuriel son of Abihail; they were to camp on the north side of the tabernacle.
36 The duties assigned to the sons of Merari were the tabernacle’s frames, crossbars, posts, bases, and all its equipment—all the service for these items, 37 as well as the posts of the surrounding courtyard with their bases, tent pegs, and ropes.
Moses and Aaron
38 Moses, Aaron, and Aaron’s sons were to camp to the east of the tabernacle, toward the sunrise, before the Tent of Meeting. They were to perform the duties of the sanctuary as a service on behalf of the Israelites; but any outsider who approached the sanctuary was to be put to death.
39 The total number of Levites that Moses and Aaron counted by their clans at the LORD’s command, including all the males a month old or more, was 22,000.
The Redemption of the Firstborn
40 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Number every firstborn male of the Israelites a month old or more, and list their names. 41 You are to take the Levites for Me—I am the LORD—in place of all the firstborn of Israel, and the livestock of the Levites in place of all the firstborn of the livestock of the Israelites.”
42 So Moses numbered all the firstborn of the Israelites, as the LORD had commanded him. 43 The total number of the firstborn males a month old or more, listed by name, was 22,273.
44 Again the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 45 “Take the Levites in place of all the firstborn of Israel, and the livestock of the Levites in place of their livestock. The Levites belong to Me; I am the LORD. 46 To redeem the 273 firstborn Israelites who outnumber the Levites, 47 you are to collect five shekels e for each one, according to the sanctuary shekel of twenty gerahs. f 48 Give the money to Aaron and his sons as the redemption price for the excess among the Israelites.”
49 So Moses collected the redemption money from those in excess of the number redeemed by the Levites. 50 He collected the money from the firstborn of the Israelites: 1,365 shekels, g according to the sanctuary shekel. 51 And Moses gave the redemption money to Aaron and his sons in obedience to the word of the LORD, just as the LORD had commanded him.
Footnotes:
4 a Or strange
9 b Most MT manuscripts; some MT manuscripts, SP, and LXX (see also Numbers 8:16) to Me
28 c Hebrew; some LXX manuscripts 8,300 ; see the total in verse 39.
30 d Elizaphan is a variant of Elzaphan ; see Exodus 6:22 and Leviticus 10:4.
47 e 5 shekels is approximately 2 ounces or 57 grams.
47 f 20 gerahs is equivalent to one shekel (approximately 0.4 ounces or 11.4 grams).
50 g 1,365 shekels is approximately 34.3 pounds or 15.6 kilograms.
Numbers 4
The Duties of the Kohathites
(Numbers 3:27–32; 1 Chronicles 23:12–20)
1 Then the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, 2 “Take a census of the Kohathites among the Levites by their clans and families, 3 men from thirty to fifty years old—everyone who is qualified to serve in the work at the Tent of Meeting.
4 This service of the Kohathites at the Tent of Meeting regards the most holy things. 5 Whenever the camp sets out, Aaron and his sons are to go in, take down the veil of the curtain, and cover the ark of the Testimony a with it. 6 They are to place over this a covering of fine leather, b spread a solid blue cloth over it, and insert its poles.
7 Over the table of the Presence they are to spread a blue cloth and place the plates and cups on it, along with the bowls and pitchers for the drink offering. The regular bread offering is to remain on it. 8 And they shall spread a scarlet cloth over them, cover them with fine leather, and insert the poles.
9 They are to take a blue cloth and cover the lampstand used for light, together with its lamps, wick trimmers, and trays, as well as the jars of oil with which to supply it. 10 Then they shall wrap it and all its utensils inside a covering of fine leather and put it on the carrying frame.
11 Over the gold altar they are to spread a blue cloth, cover it with fine leather, and insert the poles. 12 They are to take all the utensils for serving in the sanctuary, place them in a blue cloth, cover them with fine leather, and put them on the carrying frame.
13 Then they shall remove the ashes from the bronze altar, spread a purple cloth over it, 14 and place on it all the vessels used to serve there: the firepans, meat forks, shovels, and sprinkling bowls—all the equipment of the altar. They are to spread over it a covering of fine leather and insert the poles.
15 When Aaron and his sons have finished covering the holy objects and all their equipment, as soon as the camp is ready to move, the Kohathites shall come and do the carrying. But they must not touch the holy objects, or they will die. These are the transportation duties of the Kohathites regarding the Tent of Meeting.
16 Eleazar son of Aaron the priest shall oversee the oil for the light, the fragrant incense, the daily grain offering, and the anointing oil. He has oversight of the entire tabernacle and everything in it, including the holy objects and their utensils.”
17 Then the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, 18 “Do not allow the Kohathite tribal clans to be cut off from among the Levites. 19 In order that they may live and not die when they come near the most holy things, do this for them: Aaron and his sons are to go in and assign each man his task and what he is to carry. 20 But the Kohathites are not to go in and look at the holy objects, even for a moment, or they will die.”
The Duties of the Gershonites
(Numbers 3:21–26; 1 Chronicles 23:7–11)
21 And the LORD said to Moses, 22 “Take a census of the Gershonites as well, by their families and clans, 23 from thirty to fifty years old, counting everyone who comes to serve in the work at the Tent of Meeting.
24 This is the service of the Gershonite clans regarding work and transport: 25 They are to carry the curtains of the tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting with the covering of fine leather over it, the curtains for the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, 26 the curtains of the courtyard, and the curtains for the entrance at the gate of the courtyard that surrounds the tabernacle and altar, along with their ropes and all the equipment for their service. The Gershonites will do all that needs to be done with these items.
27 All the service of the Gershonites—all their transport duties and other work—is to be done at the direction of Aaron and his sons; you are to assign to them all that they are responsible to carry. 28 This is the service of the Gershonite clans at the Tent of Meeting, and their duties shall be under the direction of Ithamar son of Aaron the priest.
The Duties of the Merarites
(Numbers 3:33–37; 1 Chronicles 23:21–23)
29 As for the sons of Merari, you are to number them by their clans and families, 30 from thirty to fifty years old, counting everyone who comes to serve in the work of the Tent of Meeting.
31 This is the duty for all their service at the Tent of Meeting: to carry the frames of the tabernacle with its crossbars, posts, and bases, 32 and the posts of the surrounding courtyard with their bases, tent pegs, and ropes, including all their equipment and everything related to their use. You shall assign by name the items that they are responsible to carry.
33 This is the service of the Merarite clans according to all their work at the Tent of Meeting, under the direction of Ithamar son of Aaron the priest.”
The Numbering of the Levite Clans
34 So Moses, Aaron, and the leaders of the congregation numbered the Kohathites by their clans and families, 35 everyone from thirty to fifty years old who came to serve in the work at the Tent of Meeting. 36 And those numbered by their clans totaled 2,750. 37 These were counted from the Kohathite clans, everyone who could serve at the Tent of Meeting. Moses and Aaron numbered them according to the command of the LORD through Moses.
38 Then the Gershonites were numbered by their clans and families, 39 everyone from thirty to fifty years old who came to serve in the work at the Tent of Meeting. 40 And those numbered by their clans and families totaled 2,630. 41 These were counted from the Gershonite clans who served at the Tent of Meeting, whom Moses and Aaron counted at the LORD’s command.
42 And the Merarites were numbered by their clans and families, 43 everyone from thirty to fifty years old who came to serve in the work at the Tent of Meeting. 44 The men registered by their clans numbered 3,200. 45 These were counted from the Merarite clans, whom Moses and Aaron numbered at the LORD’s command through Moses.
46 So Moses, Aaron, and the leaders of Israel numbered by their clans and families all the Levites 47 from thirty to fifty years old who came to do the work of serving and carrying the Tent of Meeting. 48 And the number of men was 8,580. 49 At the LORD’s command they were numbered through Moses and each one was assigned his work and burden, as the LORD had commanded Moses.
Footnotes:
5 a That is, the ark of the covenant
6 b Possibly the hides of large aquatic mammals; also in verses 8, 10, 11, 12, 14, and 25; see Exodus 25:5.
Numbers 5
Cleansing the Camps
(Leviticus 13:1–46)
1 Then the LORD said to Moses, 2 “Command the Israelites to send away from the camp anyone with a skin disease, a anyone who has a bodily discharge, and anyone who is defiled by a dead body. 3 You must send away male and female alike; send them outside the camp so they will not defile their camp, where I dwell among them.”
4 So the Israelites did this, sending such people outside the camp. They did just as the LORD had instructed Moses.
Restitution for Trespasses
(Luke 19:1–10)
5 And the LORD said to Moses, 6 “Tell the Israelites that when a man or woman acts unfaithfully against the LORD by committing any sin against another, that person is guilty 7 and must confess the sin he has committed. He must make full restitution, add a fifth to its value, and give all this to the one he has wronged.
8 But if the man has no relative to whom restitution can be made for the wrong, the restitution belongs to the LORD and must be given to the priest along with the ram of atonement, by which the atonement is made for him.
9 Every sacred contribution the Israelites bring to the priest shall belong to him. 10 Each man’s sacred gifts are his own, but whatever he gives to the priest will belong to the priest.”
The Adultery Test
11 Then the LORD said to Moses, 12 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them that if any man’s wife goes astray and is unfaithful to him 13 by sleeping with another man, and it is concealed from her husband and her impurity is undetected (since there is no witness against her and she was not caught in the act), 14 and if a feeling of jealousy comes over her husband and he suspects his wife who has defiled herself—or if a feeling of jealousy comes over him and he suspects her even though she has not defiled herself— 15 then he is to bring his wife to the priest.
He must also bring for her an offering of a tenth of an ephah of barley flour. b He is not to pour oil over it or put frankincense on it, because it is a grain offering for jealousy, an offering of memorial as a reminder of iniquity.
16 The priest is to bring the wife forward and have her stand before the LORD. 17 Then he is to take some holy water in a clay jar and put some of the dust from the tabernacle floor into the water.
18 After the priest has the woman stand before the LORD, he is to let down her hair and place in her hands the grain offering of memorial, which is the grain offering for jealousy. The priest is to hold the bitter water that brings a curse. 19 And he is to put the woman under oath and say to her, ‘If no other man has slept with you and you have not gone astray and become defiled while under your husband’s authority, may you be immune to this bitter water that brings a curse. 20 But if you have gone astray while under your husband’s authority and have defiled yourself and lain carnally with a man other than your husband’— 21 and the priest shall have the woman swear under the oath of the curse—‘then may the LORD make you an attested curse among your people by making your thigh shrivel and your belly swell. 22 May this water that brings a curse enter your stomach and cause your belly to swell and your thigh to shrivel.’
Then the woman is to say, ‘Amen, Amen.’
23 And the priest shall write these curses on a scroll and wash them off into the bitter water. 24 He is to have the woman drink the bitter water that brings a curse, and it will enter her and cause her bitter suffering. 25 The priest shall take from her hand the grain offering for jealousy, wave it before the LORD, and bring it to the altar. 26 Then the priest is to take a handful of the grain offering as a memorial portion and burn it on the altar; after that he is to have the woman drink the water.
27 When he has made her drink the water, if she has defiled herself and been unfaithful to her husband, then the water that brings a curse will enter her and cause bitter suffering; her belly will swell, her thigh will shrivel, and she will become accursed among her people. 28 But if the woman has not defiled herself and is clean, she will be unaffected and able to conceive children.
29 This is the law of jealousy when a wife goes astray and defiles herself while under her husband’s authority, 30 or when a feeling of jealousy comes over a husband and he suspects his wife. He is to have the woman stand before the LORD, and the priest is to apply to her this entire law. 31 The husband will be free from guilt, but the woman shall bear her iniquity.”
Footnotes:
2 a Forms of the Hebrew tzaraath , traditionally translated as leprosy , were used for various skin diseases; see Leviticus 13.
15 b A tenth of an ephah is approximately 2 dry quarts or 2.2 liters (probably about 3.5 pounds or 1.6 kilograms of barley flour).
Numbers 6
The Nazirite Vow
(Judges 13:1–25)
1 And the LORD said to Moses, 2 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them that if a man or woman makes a special vow, the vow of a Nazirite, a to separate himself to the LORD, 3 he is to abstain from wine and strong drink. He must not drink vinegar made from wine or strong drink, and he must not drink any grape juice or eat fresh grapes or raisins. 4 All the days of his separation, he is not to eat anything that comes from the grapevine, not even the seeds or skins.
5 For the entire period of his vow of separation, no razor shall pass over his head. He must be holy until the time of his separation to the LORD is complete; he must let the hair of his head grow long.
6 Throughout the days of his separation to the LORD, he must not go near a dead body. 7 Even if his father or mother or brother or sister should die, he is not to defile himself, because the crown of consecration to his God is upon his head. 8 Throughout the time of his separation, he is holy to the LORD.
9 If someone suddenly dies in his presence and defiles his consecrated head of hair, he must shave his head on the day of his cleansing—the seventh day. 10 On the eighth day he must bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons to the priest at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. 11 And the priest is to offer one as a sin offering b and the other as a burnt offering to make atonement for him, because he has sinned by being in the presence of the dead body. On that day he must consecrate his head again. 12 He must rededicate his time of separation to the LORD and bring a year-old male lamb as a guilt offering. But the preceding days shall not be counted, because his separation was defiled.
13 Now this is the law of the Nazirite when his time of separation is complete: He must be brought to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, 14 and he is to present an offering to the LORD of an unblemished year-old male lamb as a burnt offering, an unblemished year-old female lamb as a sin offering, and an unblemished ram as a peace offering— 15 together with their grain offerings and drink offerings—and a basket of unleavened cakes made from fine flour mixed with oil and unleavened wafers coated with oil.
16 The priest is to present all these before the LORD and make the sin offering and the burnt offering. 17 He shall also offer the ram as a peace offering to the LORD, along with the basket of unleavened bread. And the priest is to offer the accompanying grain offering and drink offering.
18 Then at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, the Nazirite is to shave his consecrated head, take the hair, and put it on the fire under the peace offering. 19 And the priest is to take the boiled shoulder from the ram, one unleavened cake from the basket, and one unleavened wafer, and put them into the hands of the Nazirite who has just shaved the hair of his consecration. 20 The priest shall then wave them as a wave offering before the LORD. This is a holy portion for the priest, in addition to the breast of the wave offering and the thigh that was presented. After that, the Nazirite may drink wine.
21 This is the law of the Nazirite who vows his offering to the LORD for his separation, in addition to whatever else he can afford; he must fulfill whatever vow he makes, according to the law of his separation.”
Aaron’s Blessing
22 Then the LORD said to Moses, 23 “Tell Aaron and his sons: This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them:
24 ‘May the LORD bless you
and keep you;
25 may the LORD cause His face to shine upon you
and be gracious to you;
26 may the LORD lift up His countenance toward you
and give you peace.’
27 So they shall put My name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.”
Footnotes:
2 a Nazirite means one separated or one consecrated .
11 b Or purification offering ; here and throughout Numbers
Numbers 7
Offerings of Dedication
1 On the day Moses finished setting up the tabernacle, he anointed and consecrated it and all its furnishings, along with the altar and all its utensils. 2 And the leaders of Israel, the heads of their families, presented an offering. These men were the tribal leaders who had supervised the registration. 3 They brought as their offering before the LORD six covered carts and twelve oxen—an ox from each leader and a cart from every two leaders—and presented them before the tabernacle.
4 And the LORD said to Moses, 5 “Accept these gifts from them, that they may be used in the work of the Tent of Meeting. And give them to the Levites, to each man according to his service.”
6 So Moses took the carts and oxen and gave them to the Levites. 7 He gave the Gershonites two carts and four oxen, as their service required, 8 and he gave the Merarites four carts and eight oxen, as their service required, all under the direction of Ithamar son of Aaron the priest. 9 But he did not give any to the Kohathites, since they were to carry on their shoulders the holy objects for which they were responsible.
10 When the altar was anointed, the leaders approached with their offerings for its dedication and presented them before the altar. 11 And the LORD said to Moses, “Each day one leader is to present his offering for the dedication of the altar.”
12 On the first day Nahshon son of Amminadab from the tribe of Judah drew near with his offering. 13 His offering was one silver platter weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, a and one silver bowl weighing seventy shekels, b both according to the sanctuary shekel and filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering; 14 one gold dish weighing ten shekels, c filled with incense; 15 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb a year old for a burnt offering; 16 one male goat for a sin offering; 17 and a peace offering of two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Nahshon son of Amminadab.
18 On the second day Nethanel son of Zuar, the leader of Issachar, drew near. 19 The offering he presented was one silver platter weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel and filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering; 20 one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense; 21 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb a year old for a burnt offering; 22 one male goat for a sin offering; 23 and a peace offering of two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Nethanel son of Zuar.
24 On the third day Eliab son of Helon, the leader of the Zebulunites, drew near. 25 His offering was one silver platter weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel and filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering; 26 one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense; 27 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb a year old for a burnt offering; 28 one male goat for a sin offering; 29 and a peace offering of two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Eliab son of Helon.
30 On the fourth day Elizur son of Shedeur, the leader of the Reubenites, drew near. 31 His offering was one silver platter weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel and filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering; 32 one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense; 33 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb a year old for a burnt offering; 34 one male goat for a sin offering; 35 and a peace offering of two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Elizur son of Shedeur.
36 On the fifth day Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai, the leader of the Simeonites, drew near. 37 His offering was one silver platter weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel and filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering; 38 one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense; 39 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb a year old for a burnt offering; 40 one male goat for a sin offering; 41 and a peace offering of two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai.
42 On the sixth day Eliasaph son of Deuel, the leader of the Gadites, drew near. 43 His offering was one silver platter weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel and filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering; 44 one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense; 45 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb a year old for a burnt offering; 46 one male goat for a sin offering; 47 and a peace offering of two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Eliasaph son of Deuel.
48 On the seventh day Elishama son of Ammihud, the leader of the Ephraimites, drew near. 49 His offering was one silver platter weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel and filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering; 50 one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense; 51 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb a year old for a burnt offering; 52 one male goat for a sin offering; 53 and a peace offering of two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Elishama son of Ammihud.
54 On the eighth day Gamaliel son of Pedahzur, the leader of the Manassites, drew near. 55 His offering was one silver platter weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel and filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering; 56 one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense; 57 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb a year old for a burnt offering; 58 one male goat for a sin offering; 59 and a peace offering of two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Gamaliel son of Pedahzur.
60 On the ninth day Abidan son of Gideoni, the leader of the Benjamites, drew near. 61 His offering was one silver platter weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel and filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering; 62 one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense; 63 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb a year old for a burnt offering; 64 one male goat for a sin offering; 65 and a peace offering of two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Abidan son of Gideoni.
66 On the tenth day Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai, the leader of the Danites, drew near. 67 His offering was one silver platter weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel and filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering; 68 one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense; 69 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb a year old for a burnt offering; 70 one male goat for a sin offering; 71 and a peace offering of two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai.
72 On the eleventh day Pagiel son of Ocran, the leader of the Asherites, drew near. 73 His offering was one silver platter weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel and filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering; 74 one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense; 75 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb a year old for a burnt offering; 76 one male goat for a sin offering; 77 and a peace offering of two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Pagiel son of Ocran.
78 On the twelfth day Ahira son of Enan, the leader of the Naphtalites, drew near. 79 His offering was one silver platter weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel and filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering; 80 one gold dish weighing ten shekels, filled with incense; 81 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb a year old for a burnt offering; 82 one male goat for a sin offering; 83 and a peace offering of two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Ahira son of Enan.
84 So these were the offerings from the leaders of Israel for the dedication of the altar when it was anointed: twelve silver platters, twelve silver bowls, and twelve gold dishes.
85 Each silver platter weighed a hundred and thirty shekels, and each silver bowl seventy shekels. The total weight of the silver articles was two thousand four hundred shekels, d according to the sanctuary shekel.
86 The twelve gold dishes filled with incense weighed ten shekels each, according to the sanctuary shekel. The total weight of the gold dishes was a hundred and twenty shekels. e
87 All the livestock for the burnt offering totaled twelve bulls, twelve rams, and twelve male lambs a year old—together with their grain offerings—and twelve male goats for the sin offering.
88 All the livestock sacrificed for the peace offering totaled twenty-four bulls, sixty rams, sixty male goats, and sixty male lambs a year old. This was the dedication offering for the altar after it was anointed.
89 When Moses entered the Tent of Meeting to speak with the LORD, he heard the voice speaking to him from between the two cherubim above the mercy seat f on the ark of the Testimony. g Thus the LORD spoke to him.
Footnotes:
13 a 130 shekels is approximately 3.3 pounds or 1.48 kilograms; here and throughout this chapter.
13 b 70 shekels is approximately 1.76 pounds or 797.8 grams; here and throughout this chapter.
14 c 10 shekels is approximately 4 ounces or 114 grams; here and throughout this chapter.
85 d 2,400 shekels is approximately 60.3 pounds or 27.4 kilograms.
86 e 120 shekels is approximately 3 pounds or 1.4 kilograms.
89 f Or atonement cover
89 g That is, the ark of the covenant
Numbers 8
The Lampstand
(Exodus 25:31–40; Exodus 37:17–24)
1 Then the LORD said to Moses, 2 “Speak to Aaron and tell him: ‘When you set up the seven lamps, they are to light the area in front of the lampstand.’ ”
3 And Aaron did so; he set up the lamps facing toward the front of the lampstand, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
4 This is how the lampstand was constructed: it was made of hammered gold from its base to its blossoms, fashioned according to the pattern the LORD had shown Moses.
Cleansing the Levites
5 Again the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 6 “Take the Levites from among the Israelites and make them ceremonially clean. 7 This is what you must do to cleanse them: Sprinkle them with the water of purification. Have them shave their whole bodies and wash their clothes, and so purify themselves.
8 Then have them take a young bull with its grain offering of fine flour mixed with oil, and you are to take a second young bull for a sin offering. 9 Bring the Levites before the Tent of Meeting and assemble the whole congregation of Israel. 10 You are to present the Levites before the LORD and have the Israelites lay their hands upon them. 11 Aaron is to present the Levites before the LORD as a wave offering from the sons of Israel, so that they may perform the service of the LORD. 12 And the Levites are to lay their hands on the heads of the bulls, and offer to the LORD one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering, to make atonement for the Levites.
13 You are to have the Levites stand before Aaron and his sons and then present them before the LORD as a wave offering. 14 In this way you shall separate the Levites from the rest of the Israelites, and the Levites will belong to Me. 15 After you have cleansed them and presented them as a wave offering, they may come to serve at the Tent of Meeting.
16 For the Levites have been wholly given to Me from among the sons of Israel. I have taken them for Myself in place of all who come first from the womb, the firstborn of all the sons of Israel. 17 For every firstborn male in Israel is Mine, both man and beast. I set them apart for Myself on the day I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt. 18 But I have taken the Levites in place of all the firstborn among the sons of Israel. 19 And I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and his sons from among the Israelites, to perform the service for the Israelites at the Tent of Meeting and to make atonement on their behalf, so that no plague will come against the Israelites when they approach the sanctuary.”
20 So Moses, Aaron, and the whole congregation of Israel did with the Levites everything that the LORD had commanded Moses they should do. 21 The Levites purified themselves and washed their clothes, and Aaron presented them as a wave offering before the LORD. Aaron also made atonement for them to cleanse them. 22 After that, the Levites came to perform their service at the Tent of Meeting in the presence of Aaron and his sons. Thus they did with the Levites just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
Retirement for Levites
23 And the LORD said to Moses, 24 “This applies to the Levites: Men twenty-five years of age or older shall enter to perform the service in the work at the Tent of Meeting. 25 But at the age of fifty, they must retire from performing the work and no longer serve.
26 After that, they may assist their brothers in fulfilling their duties at the Tent of Meeting, but they themselves are not to do the work. This is how you are to assign responsibilities to the Levites.”
Numbers 9
The Second Passover
(Exodus 12:1–13)
1 In the first month of the second year after Israel had come out of the land of Egypt, the LORD spoke to Moses in the Wilderness of Sinai: 2 “The Israelites are to observe the Passover at its appointed time. 3 You are to observe it at the appointed time, at twilight on the fourteenth a day of this month, in accordance with its statutes and ordinances.”
4 So Moses told the Israelites to observe the Passover, 5 and they did so in the Wilderness of Sinai, at twilight on the fourteenth day of the first month. The Israelites did everything just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
6 But there were some men who were unclean due to a dead body, so they could not observe the Passover on that day. And they came before Moses and Aaron that same day 7 and said to Moses, “We are unclean because of a dead body, but why should we be excluded from presenting the LORD’s offering with the other Israelites at the appointed time?”
8 “Wait here until I find out what the LORD commands concerning you,” Moses replied.
9 Then the LORD said to Moses, 10 “Tell the Israelites: ‘When any one of you or your descendants is unclean because of a dead body, or is away on a journey, he may still observe the Passover to the LORD. 11 Such people are to observe it at twilight on the fourteenth day of the second month. They are to eat the lamb, together with unleavened bread and bitter herbs; 12 they may not leave any of it until morning or break any of its bones. They must observe the Passover according to all its statutes.
13 But if a man who is ceremonially clean and is not on a journey still fails to observe the Passover, he must be cut off from his people, because he did not present the LORD’s offering at its appointed time. That man will bear the consequences of his sin.
14 If a foreigner dwelling among you wants to observe the Passover to the LORD, he is to do so according to the Passover statute and its ordinances. You are to apply the same statute to both the foreigner and the native of the land.’ ”
The Cloud above the Tabernacle
(Exodus 40:34–38)
15 On the day that the tabernacle, the Tent of the Testimony, was set up, the cloud covered it and appeared like fire above the tabernacle from evening until morning. 16 It remained that way continually; the cloud would cover the tabernacle by day, b and at night it would appear like fire. 17 Whenever the cloud was lifted from above the Tent, the Israelites would set out, and wherever the cloud settled, there the Israelites would camp. 18 At the LORD’s command the Israelites set out, and at the LORD’s command they camped. As long as the cloud remained over the tabernacle, they remained encamped.
19 Even when the cloud lingered over the tabernacle for many days, the Israelites kept the LORD’s charge and did not set out. 20 Sometimes the cloud remained over the tabernacle for only a few days, and they would camp at the LORD’s command and set out at the LORD’s command. 21 Sometimes the cloud remained only from evening until morning, and when it lifted in the morning, they would set out. Whether it was by day or by night, when the cloud was taken up, they would set out.
22 Whether the cloud lingered for two days, a month, or longer, the Israelites camped and did not set out as long as the cloud remained over the tabernacle; but when it was lifted, they would set out. 23 They camped at the LORD’s command, and they set out at the LORD’s command; they carried out the LORD’s charge according to His command through Moses.
Footnotes:
3 a Hebrew between the two evenings of the fourteenth ; also in verses 5 and 11
16 b LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate; Hebrew does not include by day
Numbers 10
The Two Silver Trumpets
1 Then the LORD said to Moses, 2 “Make two trumpets of hammered silver to be used for calling the congregation and for having the camps set out. 3 When both are sounded, the whole congregation is to assemble before you at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. 4 But if only one is sounded, then the leaders, the heads of the clans of Israel, are to gather before you.
5 When you sound short blasts, the camps that lie on the east side are to set out. 6 When you sound the short blasts a second time, the camps that lie on the south side are to set out. The blasts are to signal them to set out. 7 To convene the assembly, you are to sound long blasts, not short ones. 8 The sons of Aaron, the priests, are to sound the trumpets. This shall be a permanent statute for you and the generations to come.
9 When you enter into battle in your land against an adversary who attacks you, sound short blasts on the trumpets, and you will be remembered before the LORD your God and saved from your enemies. 10 And on your joyous occasions, your appointed feasts, and the beginning of each month, you are to blow the trumpets over your burnt offerings and fellowship offerings to serve as a reminder for you before your God. I am the LORD your God.”
From Sinai to Paran
11 On the twentieth day of the second month of the second year, the cloud was lifted from above the tabernacle of the Testimony, 12 and the Israelites set out from the Wilderness of Sinai, traveling from place to place until the cloud settled in the Wilderness of Paran. 13 They set out this first time according to the LORD’s command through Moses.
14 First, the divisions of the camp of Judah set out under their standard, with Nahshon son of Amminadab in command. 15 Nethanel son of Zuar was over the division of the tribe of Issachar, 16 and Eliab son of Helon was over the division of the tribe of Zebulun. 17 Then the tabernacle was taken down, and the Gershonites and the Merarites set out, transporting it.
18 Then the divisions of the camp of Reuben set out under their standard, with Elizur son of Shedeur in command. 19 Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai was over the division of the tribe of Simeon, 20 and Eliasaph son of Deuel was over the division of the tribe of Gad. 21 Then the Kohathites set out, transporting the holy objects; the tabernacle was to be set up before their arrival.
22 Next, the divisions of the camp of Ephraim set out under their standard, with Elishama son of Ammihud in command. 23 Gamaliel son of Pedahzur was over the division of the tribe of Manasseh, 24 and Abidan son of Gideoni was over the division of the tribe of Benjamin.
25 Finally, the divisions of the camp of Dan set out under their standard, serving as the rear guard for all units, with Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai in command. 26 Pagiel son of Ocran was over the division of the tribe of Asher, 27 and Ahira son of Enan was over the division of the tribe of Naphtali.
28 This was the order of march for the Israelite divisions as they set out.
29 Then Moses said to Hobab, the son of Moses’ father-in-law Reuel a the Midianite, “We are setting out for the place of which the LORD said: ‘I will give it to you.’ Come with us, and we will treat you well, for the LORD has promised good things to Israel.”
30 “I will not go,” Hobab replied. “Instead, I am going back to my own land and my own people.”
31 “Please do not leave us,” Moses said, “since you know where we should camp in the wilderness, and you can serve as our eyes. 32 If you come with us, we will share with you whatever good things the LORD gives us.”
33 So they set out on a three-day journey from the mountain of the LORD, with the ark of the covenant of the LORD traveling ahead of them for those three days to seek a resting place for them. 34 And the cloud of the LORD was over them by day when they set out from the camp.
35 Whenever the ark set out, Moses would say,
“Rise up, O LORD!
May Your enemies be scattered;
may those who hate You flee before You.”
36 And when it came to rest, he would say:
“Return, O LORD,
to the countless thousands of Israel.”
Footnotes:
29 a Reuel was also called Jethro ; see Exodus 3:1.
Numbers 11
The Complaints of the People
1 Soon the people began to complain about their hardship in the hearing of the LORD, and when He heard them, His anger was kindled, and fire from the LORD blazed among them and consumed the outskirts of the camp. 2 And the people cried out to Moses, and he prayed to the LORD, and the fire died down. 3 So that place was called Taberah, a because the fire of the LORD had burned among them.
4 Meanwhile, the rabble among them had a strong craving for other food, and again the Israelites wept and said, “Who will feed us meat? 5 We remember the fish we ate freely in Egypt, along with the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic. 6 But now our appetite is gone; there is nothing to see but this manna!”
7 Now the manna resembled coriander seed, and its appearance was like that of gum resin. 8 The people walked around and gathered it, ground it on a handmill or crushed it in a mortar, then boiled it in a cooking pot or shaped it into cakes. It tasted like pastry baked with fine oil. 9 When the dew fell on the camp at night, the manna would fall with it.
The Complaint of Moses
10 Then Moses heard the people of family after family weeping at the entrances to their tents, and the anger of the LORD was kindled greatly, and Moses was also displeased.
11 So Moses asked the LORD, “Why have You brought this trouble on Your servant? Why have I not found favor in Your sight, that You have laid upon me the burden of all these people? 12 Did I conceive all these people? Did I give them birth, so that You should tell me, ‘Carry them in your bosom, as a nurse carries an infant,’ to the land that You swore to give their fathers?
13 Where can I get meat for all these people? For they keep crying out to me, ‘Give us meat to eat!’
14 I cannot carry all these people by myself; it is too burdensome for me. 15 If this is how You are going to treat me, please kill me right now—if I have found favor in Your eyes—and let me not see my own wretchedness.”
Seventy Elders Anointed
16 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Bring Me seventy of the elders of Israel known to you as leaders and officers of the people. Bring them to the Tent of Meeting and have them stand there with you.
17 And I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take some of the Spirit that is on you and put that Spirit on them. They will help you bear the burden of the people, so that you do not have to bear it by yourself.
18 And say to the people: Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, and you will eat meat, because you have cried out in the hearing of the LORD, saying: ‘Who will feed us meat? For we were better off in Egypt!’ Therefore the LORD will give you meat, and you will eat. 19 You will eat it not for one or two days, nor for five or ten or twenty days, 20 but for a whole month—until it comes out of your nostrils and makes you nauseous—because you have rejected the LORD, who is among you, and have cried out before Him, saying, ‘Why did we ever leave Egypt?’ ”
21 But Moses replied, “Here I am among 600,000 men on foot, yet You say, ‘I will give them meat, and they will eat for a month.’ 22 If all our flocks and herds were slaughtered for them, would they have enough? Or if all the fish in the sea were caught for them, would they have enough?”
23 The LORD answered Moses, “Is the LORD’s arm too short? Now you will see whether or not My word will come to pass.”
24 So Moses went out and relayed to the people the words of the LORD, and he gathered seventy of the elders of the people and had them stand around the tent. 25 Then the LORD came down in the cloud and spoke to him, and He took some of the Spirit that was on Moses and placed that Spirit on the seventy elders. As the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied—but they never did so again.
26 Two men, however, had remained in the camp—one named Eldad and the other Medad—and the Spirit rested on them. They were among those listed, but they had not gone out to the tent, and they prophesied in the camp. 27 A young man ran and reported to Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.”
28 Joshua son of Nun, the attendant to Moses since youth, spoke up and said, “Moses, my lord, stop them!”
29 But Moses replied, “Are you jealous on my account? I wish that all the LORD’s people were prophets and that the LORD would place His Spirit on them!”
30 Then Moses returned to the camp, along with the elders of Israel.
The Quail and the Plague
31 Now a wind sent by the LORD came up, drove in quail from the sea, and brought them near the camp, about two cubits above the surface of the ground, b for a day’s journey in every direction around the camp. 32 All that day and night, and all the next day, the people stayed up gathering the quail. No one gathered less than ten homers, c and they spread them out all around the camp.
33 But while the meat was still between their teeth, before it was chewed, the anger of the LORD burned against the people, and the LORD struck them with a severe plague. 34 So they called that place Kibroth-hattaavah, d because there they buried the people who had craved other food.
35 From Kibroth-hattaavah the people moved on to Hazeroth, where they remained for some time.
Footnotes:
3 a Taberah means burning .
31 b Or up to two cubits deep ; that is, approximately 3 feet or 91.4 centimeters
32 c 10 homers is approximately 62.4 bushels or 2,200 liters.
34 d Kibroth-hattaavah means graves of craving .
Numbers 12
The Complaint of Miriam and Aaron
1 Then Miriam and Aaron criticized Moses because of the Cushite woman he had married, for he had taken a Cushite wife. 2 “Does the LORD speak only through Moses?” they said. “Does He not also speak through us?” And the LORD heard this.
3 Now Moses was a very humble man, more so than any man on the face of the earth.
4 And suddenly the LORD said to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, “You three, come out to the Tent of Meeting.” So the three went out, 5 and the LORD came down in a pillar of cloud, stood at the entrance to the Tent, and summoned Aaron and Miriam. When both of them had stepped forward, 6 He said, “Hear now My words:
If there is a prophet among you,
I, the LORD, will reveal Myself to him in a vision;
I will speak to him in a dream.
7 But this is not so with My servant Moses;
he is faithful in all My house. a
8 I speak with him face to face,
clearly and not in riddles;
he sees the form of the LORD.
Why then were you unafraid to speak against My servant Moses?” 9 So the anger of the LORD burned against them, and He departed.
10 As the cloud lifted from above the Tent, suddenly Miriam became leprous, b white as snow. Aaron turned toward her, saw that she was leprous, 11 and said to Moses, “My lord, please do not hold against us this sin we have so foolishly committed. 12 Please do not let her be like a stillborn infant whose flesh is half consumed when he comes out of his mother’s womb.”
13 So Moses cried out to the LORD, “O God, please heal her!”
14 But the LORD answered Moses, “If her father had but spit in her face, would she not have been in disgrace for seven days? Let her be confined outside the camp for seven days; after that she may be brought back in.”
15 So Miriam was confined outside the camp for seven days, and the people did not move on until she was brought in again. 16 After that, the people set out from Hazeroth and camped in the Wilderness of Paran.
Footnotes:
7 a Cited in Hebrews 3:5
10 b The Hebrew word traditionally translated as leprous was used for various skin diseases; see Leviticus 13.
Numbers 13
The Spies Explore Canaan
(Deuteronomy 1:19–25)
1 And the LORD said to Moses, 2 “Send out for yourself men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites. From each of their fathers’ tribes send one man who is a leader among them.”
3 So at the consent a of the LORD, Moses sent them out from the Wilderness of Paran. All the men were leaders of the Israelites, 4 and these were their names:
From the tribe of Reuben, Shammua son of Zaccur;
5 from the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat son of Hori;
6 from the tribe of Judah, Caleb son of Jephunneh;
7 from the tribe of Issachar, Igal son of Joseph;
8 from the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea son of Nun;
9 from the tribe of Benjamin, Palti son of Raphu;
10 from the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel son of Sodi;
11 from the tribe of Manasseh (a tribe of Joseph), Gaddi son of Susi;
12 from the tribe of Dan, Ammiel son of Gemalli;
13 from the tribe of Asher, Sethur son of Michael;
14 from the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi son of Vophsi;
15 and from the tribe of Gad, Geuel son of Machi.
16 These were the names of the men Moses sent to spy out the land; and Moses gave to Hoshea son of Nun the name Joshua.
17 When Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, he told them, “Go up through the Negev and into the hill country. 18 See what the land is like and whether its people are strong or weak, few or many. 19 Is the land where they live good or bad? Are the cities where they dwell open camps or fortifications? 20 Is the soil fertile or unproductive? Are there trees in it or not? Be courageous, and bring back some of the fruit of the land.” (It was the season for the first ripe grapes.)
21 So they went up and spied out the land from the Wilderness of Zin as far as Rehob, toward Lebo-hamath. 22 They went up through the Negev and came to Hebron, where Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the descendants of Anak, dwelled. It had been built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.
23 When they came to the Valley of Eshcol, b they cut down a branch with a single cluster of grapes, which they carried on a pole between two men. They also took some pomegranates and figs. 24 Because of the cluster of grapes the Israelites cut there, that place was called the Valley of Eshcol.
The Reports of the Spies
25 After forty days the men returned from spying out the land, 26 and they went back to Moses, Aaron, and the whole congregation of Israel in the Wilderness of Paran at Kadesh. They brought back a report for the whole congregation and showed them the fruit of the land.
27 And they gave this account to Moses: “We went into the land to which you sent us, and indeed, it is flowing with milk and honey. Here is some of its fruit! 28 Nevertheless, the people living in the land are strong, and the cities are large and fortified. We even saw the descendants of Anak there. 29 The Amalekites live in the land of the Negev; the Hittites, Jebusites, and Amorites live in the hill country; and the Canaanites live by the sea and along the Jordan.”
30 Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, “We must go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly conquer it!”
31 But the men who had gone up with him replied, “We cannot go up against the people, for they are stronger than we are!”
32 So they gave the Israelites a bad report about the land that they had spied out:“The land we explored devours its inhabitants, and all the people we saw there are great in stature. 33 We even saw the Nephilim there—the descendants of Anak that come from the Nephilim! We seemed like grasshoppers in our own sight, and we must have seemed the same to them!”
Footnotes:
3 a Literally according to the mouth
23 b Eshcol means cluster ; also in verse 24.
Numbers 14
Israel’s Rebellion
(Deuteronomy 1:26–33)
1 Then the whole congregation lifted up their voices and cried out, and that night the people wept. 2 All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and the whole congregation said to them, “If only we had died in the land of Egypt, or if only we had died in this wilderness! 3 Why is the LORD bringing us into this land to fall by the sword? Our wives and children will become plunder. Would it not be better for us to go back to Egypt?”
4 So they said to one another, “Let us appoint a leader and return to Egypt.”
5 Then Moses and Aaron fell facedown before the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel.
6 Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes 7 and said to the whole congregation of Israel, “The land we passed through and explored is an exceedingly good land. 8 If the LORD delights in us, He will bring us into this land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and He will give it to us. 9 Only do not rebel against the LORD, and do not be afraid of the people of the land, for they will be like bread for us. Their protection has been removed, and the LORD is with us. Do not be afraid of them!”
10 But the whole congregation threatened to stone Joshua and Caleb.
Then the glory of the LORD appeared to all the Israelites at the Tent of Meeting. 11 And the LORD said to Moses, “How long will this people treat Me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in Me, despite all the signs I have performed among them? 12 I will strike them with a plague and destroy them—and I will make you into a nation greater and mightier than they are.”
Moses Intercedes for Israel
13 But Moses said to the LORD, “The Egyptians will hear of it, for by Your strength You brought this people from among them. 14 And they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land. They have already heard that You, O LORD, are in the midst of this people, that You, O LORD, have been seen face to face, that Your cloud stands over them, and that You go before them in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.
15 If You kill this people as one man, the nations who have heard of Your fame will say, 16 ‘Because the LORD was unable to bring this people into the land He swore to give them, He has slaughtered them in the wilderness.’
17 So now I pray, may the power of my Lord be magnified, just as You have declared: 18 ‘The LORD is slow to anger and abounding in loving devotion, a forgiving iniquity and transgression. Yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished; He will visit the iniquity of the fathers upon their children to the third and fourth generation.’
19 Pardon, I pray, the iniquity of this people, in keeping with the greatness of Your loving devotion, just as You have forgiven them ever since they left Egypt.”
God’s Forgiveness and Judgment
(Deuteronomy 1:34–40)
20 “I have pardoned them as you requested,” the LORD replied. 21 “Yet as surely as I live and as surely as the whole earth is filled with the glory of the LORD, 22 not one of the men who have seen My glory and the signs I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness—yet have tested Me and disobeyed Me these ten times— 23 not one will ever see the land that I swore to give their fathers. None of those who have treated Me with contempt will see it.
24 But because My servant Caleb has a different spirit and has followed Me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he has entered, and his descendants will inherit it.
25 Now since the Amalekites and Canaanites are living in the valleys, turn back tomorrow and head for the wilderness along the route to the Red Sea. b”
26 Then the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, 27 “How long will this wicked congregation grumble against Me? I have heard the complaints that the Israelites are making against Me. 28 So tell them: As surely as I live, declares the LORD, I will do to you exactly as I heard you say. 29 Your bodies will fall in this wilderness—all who were numbered in the census, everyone twenty years of age or older—because you have grumbled against Me.
30 Surely none of you will enter the land in which I swore to settle you, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun. 31 But I will bring your children, whom you said would become plunder, into the land you have rejected—and they will enjoy it. 32 As for you, however, your bodies will fall in this wilderness.
33 Your children will be shepherds in the wilderness for forty years, and they will suffer for your unfaithfulness until the last of your bodies lies in the wilderness. 34 In keeping with the forty days you spied out the land, you shall bear your guilt forty years—a year for each day—and you will experience My alienation.
35 I, the LORD, have spoken, and I will surely do these things to this entire wicked congregation, which has conspired against Me. They will meet their end in the wilderness, and there they will die.”
The Plague on the Ten Spies
36 So the men Moses had sent to spy out the land, who had returned and made the whole congregation grumble against him by bringing out a bad report about the land— 37 those men who had brought out the bad report about the land—were struck down by a plague before the LORD. 38 Of those men who had gone to spy out the land, only Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh remained alive.
39 And when Moses relayed these words to all the Israelites, the people mourned bitterly.
The Defeat at Hormah
(Deuteronomy 1:41–46)
40 Early the next morning they got up and went up toward the ridge of the hill country. “We have indeed sinned,” they said, “but we will go to the place the LORD has promised.”
41 But Moses said, “Why are you transgressing the commandment of the LORD? This will not succeed! 42 Do not go up, lest you be struck down by your enemies, because the LORD is not among you. 43 For there the Amalekites and Canaanites will face you, and you will fall by the sword. Because you have turned away from the LORD, He will not be with you.”
44 But they dared to go up to the ridge of the hill country, though neither Moses nor the ark of the covenant of the LORD moved from the camp. 45 Then the Amalekites and Canaanites who lived in that part of the hill country came down, attacked them, and routed them all the way to Hormah.
Footnotes:
18 a Forms of the Hebrew chesed are translated here and in most cases throughout the Scriptures as loving devotion ; the range of meaning includes love , goodness , kindness , faithfulness , and mercy , as well as loyalty to a covenant .
25 b Or the Sea of Reeds
Numbers 15
Laws about Offerings
1 Then the LORD said to Moses, 2 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them:After you enter the land that I am giving you as a home 3 and you present an offering made by fire to the LORD from the herd or flock to produce a pleasing aroma to the LORD—either a burnt offering or a sacrifice, for a special vow or freewill offering or appointed feast— 4 then the one presenting his offering to the LORD shall also present a grain offering of a tenth of an ephah of fine flour a mixed with a quarter hin of olive oil. b 5 With the burnt offering or sacrifice of each lamb, you are to prepare a quarter hin of wine as a drink offering.
6 With a ram you are to prepare a grain offering of two-tenths of an ephah c of fine flour mixed with a third of a hin of olive oil, d 7 and a third of a hin of wine as a drink offering, a pleasing aroma to the LORD.
8 When you prepare a young bull as a burnt offering or sacrifice to fulfill a vow or as a peace offering to the LORD, 9 present with the bull a grain offering of three-tenths of an ephah of fine flour e mixed with half a hin of olive oil. f 10 Also present half a hin of wine as a drink offering. It is an offering made by fire, a pleasing aroma to the LORD. 11 This is to be done for each bull, ram, lamb, or goat. 12 This is how you must prepare each one, no matter how many.
13 Everyone who is native-born shall prepare these things in this way when he presents an offering made by fire as a pleasing aroma to the LORD. 14 And for the generations to come, if a foreigner residing with you or someone else among you wants to prepare an offering made by fire as a pleasing aroma to the LORD, he is to do exactly as you do. 15 The assembly is to have the same statute both for you and for the foreign resident; it is a permanent statute for the generations to come. You and the foreigner shall be the same before the LORD. 16 The same law and the same ordinance will apply both to you and to the foreigner residing with you.”
17 Then the LORD said to Moses, 18 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them:When you enter the land to which I am bringing you 19 and you eat the food of the land, you shall lift up an offering to the LORD. 20 From the first of your dough, you are to lift up a cake as a contribution; offer it just like an offering from the threshing floor. 21 Throughout your generations, you are to give the LORD an offering from the first of your dough.
Offerings for Unintentional Sins
22 Now if you stray unintentionally and do not obey all these commandments that the LORD has spoken to Moses— 23 all that the LORD has commanded you through Moses from the day the LORD gave them and continuing through the generations to come— 24 and if it was done unintentionally without the knowledge of the congregation, then the whole congregation is to prepare one young bull as a burnt offering, a pleasing aroma to the LORD, with its grain offering and drink offering according to the regulation, and one male goat as a sin offering.
25 The priest is to make atonement for the whole congregation of Israel, so that they may be forgiven; for the sin was unintentional and they have brought to the LORD an offering made by fire and a sin offering, presented before the LORD for their unintentional sin. 26 Then the whole congregation of Israel and the foreigners residing among them will be forgiven, since it happened to all the people unintentionally.
27 Also, if one person sins unintentionally, he is to present a year-old female goat as a sin offering. 28 And the priest shall make atonement before the LORD on behalf of the person who erred by sinning unintentionally; and when atonement has been made for him, he will be forgiven. 29 You shall have the same law for the one who acts in error, whether he is a native-born Israelite or a foreigner residing among you.
30 But the person who sins defiantly, whether a native or foreigner, blasphemes the LORD. That person shall be cut off from among his people. 31 He shall certainly be cut off, because he has despised the word of the LORD and broken His commandment; his guilt remains on him.”
A Sabbath-Breaker Stoned
(Exodus 31:12–17)
32 While the Israelites were in the wilderness, a man was found gathering wood on the Sabbath day. 33 Those who found the man gathering wood brought him to Moses, Aaron, and the whole congregation, 34 and because it had not been declared what should be done to him, they placed him in custody.
35 And the LORD said to Moses, “The man must surely be put to death. The whole congregation is to stone him outside the camp.”
36 So the whole congregation took the man outside the camp and stoned him to death, as the LORD had commanded Moses.
The Law of Tassels
37 Later, the LORD said to Moses, 38 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them that throughout the generations to come they are to make for themselves tassels for the corners of their garments, with a blue cord on each tassel. 39 These will serve as tassels for you to look at, so that you may remember all the commandments of the LORD, that you may obey them and not prostitute yourselves by following your own heart and your own eyes.
40 Then you will remember and obey all My commandments, and you will be holy to your God. 41 I am the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God. I am the LORD your God.”
Footnotes:
4 a A tenth of an ephah is approximately 2 dry quarts or 2.2 liters (probably about 2.6 pounds or 1.2 kilograms of flour).
4 b Or a quarter hin of oil ; that is, approximately 0.97 quarts or 0.92 liters; similarly in verse 5
6 c Two-tenths of an ephah is approximately 4 dry quarts or 4.4 liters (probably about 5.1 pounds or 2.3 kilograms of flour).
6 d Or a third of a hin of oil ; that is, approximately 1.3 quarts or 1.2 liters; similarly in verse 7
9 e Three-tenths of an ephah is approximately 6 dry quarts or 6.6 liters (probably about 7.6 pounds or 3.5 kilograms of flour).
9 f Or half a hin of oil ; that is, approximately 1.9 quarts or 1.8 liters; similarly in verse 10
Numbers 16
Korah’s Rebellion
1 Now Korah son of Izhar, the son of Kohath son of Levi, along with some Reubenites—Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth—conducted 2 a rebellion against Moses, along with 250 men of Israel renowned as leaders of the congregation and representatives in the assembly. 3 They came together against Moses and Aaron and told them, “You have taken too much upon yourselves! a For everyone in the entire congregation is holy, and the LORD is in their midst. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the LORD?”
4 When Moses heard this, he fell facedown. 5 Then he said to Korah and all his followers, “Tomorrow morning the LORD will reveal who belongs to Him b and who is holy, and He will bring that person near to Himself. The one He chooses, He will bring near to Himself. 6 You, Korah, and all your followers are to do as follows: Take censers, 7 and tomorrow you are to place fire and incense in them in the presence of the LORD. Then the man the LORD chooses will be the one who is holy. It is you sons of Levi who have taken too much upon yourselves!”
8 Moses also said to Korah, “Now listen, you sons of Levi! 9 Is it not enough for you that the God of Israel has separated you from the congregation of Israel and brought you near to Himself to perform the work at the LORD’s tabernacle, and to stand before the congregation to minister to them? 10 He has brought you near, you and all your fellow Levites, but you are seeking the priesthood as well. 11 Therefore, it is you and all your followers who have conspired against the LORD! As for Aaron, who is he that you should grumble against him?”
12 Then Moses summoned Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, but they said, “We will not come! 13 Is it not enough that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey to kill us in the wilderness? Must you also appoint yourself as ruler over us? 14 Moreover, you have not brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey or given us an inheritance of fields and vineyards. Will you gouge out the eyes of these men? No, we will not come!”
15 Then Moses became very angry and said to the LORD, “Do not regard their offering. I have not taken one donkey from them or mistreated a single one of them.”
16 And Moses said to Korah, “You and all your followers are to appear before the LORD tomorrow—you and they and Aaron. 17 Each man is to take his censer, place incense in it, and present it before the LORD—250 censers. You and Aaron are to present your censers as well.”
18 So each man took his censer, put fire and incense in it, and stood with Moses and Aaron at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. 19 When Korah had gathered his whole assembly against them at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, the glory of the LORD appeared to the whole congregation.
20 And the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, 21 “Separate yourselves from this congregation so that I may consume them in an instant.”
22 But Moses and Aaron fell facedown and said, “O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, when one man sins, will You be angry with the whole congregation?”
Moses Separates the People
23 Then the LORD said to Moses, 24 “Tell the congregation to move away from the dwellings of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.”
25 So Moses got up and went to Dathan and Abiram, and the elders of Israel followed him. 26 And he warned the congregation, “Move away now from the tents of these wicked men. Do not touch anything that belongs to them, or you will be swept away because of all their sins.”
27 So they moved away from the dwellings of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. Meanwhile, Dathan and Abiram had come out and stood at the entrances to their tents with their wives and children and infants.
The Earth Swallows Korah
28 Then Moses said, “This is how you will know that the LORD has sent me to do all these things, for it was not my own doing: 29 If these men die a natural death, or if they suffer the fate of all men, then the LORD has not sent me. 30 But if the LORD brings about something unprecedented, and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them and all that belongs to them so that they go down alive into Sheol, then you will know that these men have treated the LORD with contempt.”
31 As soon as Moses had finished saying all this, the ground beneath them split open, 32 and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them and their households—all Korah’s men and all their possessions. 33 They went down alive into Sheol with all they owned. The earth closed over them, and they vanished from the assembly.
34 At their cries, all the people of Israel who were around them fled, saying, “The earth may swallow us too!” 35 And fire came forth from the LORD and consumed the 250 men who were offering the incense.
The Censers Reserved for Holy Use
36 Then the LORD said to Moses, 37 “Tell Eleazar son of Aaron the priest to remove the censers from the flames and to scatter the coals far away, because the censers are holy. 38 As for the censers of those who sinned at the cost of their own lives, hammer them into sheets to overlay the altar, for these were presented before the LORD, and so have become holy. They will serve as a sign to the Israelites.”
39 So Eleazar the priest took the bronze censers brought by those who had been burned up, and he had them hammered out to overlay the altar, 40 just as the LORD commanded him through Moses. This was to be a reminder to the Israelites that no outsider who is not a descendant of Aaron should approach to offer incense before the LORD, lest he become like Korah and his followers.
Murmuring and Plague
(1 Corinthians 10:1–13)
41 The next day the whole congregation of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron, saying, “You have killed the LORD’s people!” 42 But when the congregation gathered against them, Moses and Aaron turned toward the Tent of Meeting, and suddenly the cloud covered it and the glory of the LORD appeared.
43 Then Moses and Aaron went to the front of the Tent of Meeting, 44 and the LORD said to Moses, 45 “Get away from this congregation so that I may consume them in an instant.” And Moses and Aaron fell facedown.
46 Moses said to Aaron, “Take your censer, place fire from the altar in it, and add incense. Go quickly to the congregation and make atonement for them, because wrath has come out from the LORD; the plague has begun.”
47 So Aaron took the censer as Moses had ordered and ran into the midst of the assembly. And seeing that the plague had begun among the people, he offered the incense and made atonement for the people. 48 He stood between the living and the dead, and the plague was halted. 49 But those who died from the plague numbered 14,700, in addition to those who had died on account of Korah.
50 Then Aaron returned to Moses at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, since the plague had been halted.
Footnotes:
3 a Figuratively You have gone too far or You have appropriated too much authority to yourselves ; similarly in verse 7
5 b LXX God has visited and knows those who are His ; cited in 2 Timothy 2:19
Numbers 17
Aaron’s Staff Buds
1 And the LORD said to Moses, 2 “Speak to the Israelites and take from them twelve staffs, one from the leader of each tribe. Write each man’s name on his staff, 3 and write Aaron’s name on the staff of Levi, because there must be one staff for the head of each tribe. 4 Place the staffs in the Tent of Meeting in front of the Testimony, a where I meet with you. 5 The staff belonging to the man I choose will sprout, and I will rid Myself of the constant grumbling of the Israelites against you.”
6 So Moses spoke to the Israelites, and each of their leaders gave him a staff—one for each of the leaders of their tribes, twelve staffs in all. And Aaron’s staff was among them. 7 Then Moses placed the staffs before the LORD in the Tent of the Testimony.
8 The next day Moses entered the Tent of the Testimony and saw that Aaron’s staff, representing the house of Levi, had sprouted, put forth buds, blossomed, and produced almonds. 9 Then Moses brought out all the staffs from the LORD’s presence to all the Israelites. They saw them, and each man took his own staff.
10 The LORD said to Moses, “Put Aaron’s staff back in front of the Testimony, to be kept as a sign for the rebellious, so that you may put an end to their grumbling against Me, lest they die.” 11 So Moses did as the LORD had commanded him.
12 Then the Israelites declared to Moses, “Look, we are perishing! We are lost; we are all lost! 13 Anyone who comes near the tabernacle of the LORD will die. Are we all going to perish?”
Footnotes:
4 a The Testimony refers to the stone tablets in the ark of the covenant inscribed with the Ten Commandments; also in verse 10.
Numbers 18
Duties of Priests and Levites
1 So the LORD said to Aaron, “You and your sons and your father’s house must bear the iniquity involving the sanctuary. And you and your sons alone must bear the iniquity involving your priesthood. 2 But bring with you also your brothers from the tribe of Levi, the tribe of your father, that they may join you and assist you and your sons before the Tent of the Testimony. 3 And they shall attend to your duties and to all the duties of the Tent; but they must not come near to the furnishings of the sanctuary or the altar, or both they and you will die. 4 They are to join you and attend to the duties of the Tent of Meeting, doing all the work at the Tent; but no outsider may come near you.
5 And you shall attend to the duties of the sanctuary and of the altar, so that wrath may not fall on the Israelites again. 6 Behold, I Myself have selected your fellow Levites from the Israelites as a gift to you, dedicated to the LORD to perform the service for the Tent of Meeting. 7 But only you and your sons shall attend to your priesthood for everything concerning the altar and what is inside the veil, and you are to perform that service. I am giving you the work of the priesthood as a gift, but any outsider who comes near the sanctuary must be put to death.”
Offerings for Priests and Levites
8 Then the LORD said to Aaron, “Behold, I have put you in charge of My offerings. As for all the sacred offerings of the Israelites, I have given them to you and your sons as a portion and a permanent statute. 9 A portion of the most holy offerings reserved from the fire will be yours. From all the offerings they render to Me as most holy offerings, whether grain offerings or sin offerings or guilt offerings, that part belongs to you and your sons. 10 You are to eat it as a most holy offering, a and every male may eat it. You shall regard it as holy.
11 And this is yours as well: the offering of their gifts, along with all the wave offerings of the Israelites. I have given this to you and your sons and daughters as a permanent statute. Every ceremonially clean person in your household may eat it. 12 I give you all the freshest olive oil and all the finest new wine and grain that the Israelites give to the LORD as their firstfruits. 13 The firstfruits of everything in their land that they bring to the LORD will belong to you. Every ceremonially clean person in your household may eat them.
14 Every devoted thing in Israel belongs to you. 15 The firstborn of every womb, whether man or beast, that is offered to the LORD belongs to you. But you must surely redeem every firstborn son and every firstborn male of unclean animals. 16 You are to pay the redemption price for a month-old male according to your valuation: five shekels of silver, b according to the sanctuary shekel, which is twenty gerahs. c
17 But you must not redeem the firstborn of an ox, a sheep, or a goat; they are holy. You are to sprinkle their blood on the altar and burn their fat as an offering made by fire, a pleasing aroma to the LORD. 18 And their meat belongs to you, just as the breast and right thigh of the wave offering belong to you.
19 All the holy offerings that the Israelites present to the LORD I give to you and to your sons and daughters as a permanent statute. It is a permanent covenant of salt d before the LORD for you and your offspring.”
20 Then the LORD said to Aaron, “You will have no inheritance in their land, nor will you have any portion among them. I am your portion and your inheritance among the Israelites.
21 Behold, I have given to the Levites all the tithes in Israel as an inheritance in return for the work they do, the service of the Tent of Meeting. 22 No longer may the Israelites come near to the Tent of Meeting, or they will incur guilt and die.
23 The Levites are to perform the work of the Tent of Meeting, and they must bear their iniquity. This is a permanent statute for the generations to come. The Levites will not receive an inheritance among the Israelites. 24 For I have given to the Levites as their inheritance the tithe that the Israelites present to the LORD as a contribution. That is why I told them that they would not receive an inheritance among the Israelites.”
25 And the LORD instructed Moses, 26 “Speak to the Levites and tell them:‘When you receive from the Israelites the tithe that I have given you as your inheritance, you must present part of it as an offering to the LORD—a tithe of the tithe. 27 Your offering will be reckoned to you as grain from the threshing floor or juice from the winepress. 28 So you are to present an offering to the LORD from all the tithes you receive from the Israelites, and from these you are to give the LORD’s offering to Aaron the priest. 29 You must present the offering due the LORD from all the best of every gift, the holiest part of it.’
30 Therefore say to the Levites, ‘When you have presented the best part, it will be reckoned to you as the produce of the threshing floor or winepress. 31 And you and your households may eat the rest of it anywhere; it is the compensation for your work at the Tent of Meeting. 32 Once you have presented the best part of it, you will not incur guilt because of it. But you must not defile the sacred offerings of the Israelites, or else you will die.’ ”
Footnotes:
10 a Or You are to eat it in a most holy place
16 b 5 shekels is approximately 2 ounces or 57 grams of silver.
16 c 20 gerahs is equivalent to one shekel (approximately 0.4 ounces or 11.4 grams).
19 d That is, a perpetual covenant
Numbers 19
The Red Heifer
1 Then the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, 2 “This is the statute of the law that the LORD has commanded: Instruct the Israelites to bring you an unblemished red heifer that has no defect and has never been placed under a yoke. 3 Give it to Eleazar the priest, and he will have it brought outside the camp and slaughtered in his presence.
4 Eleazar the priest is to take some of its blood on his finger and sprinkle it seven times toward the front of the Tent of Meeting. 5 Then the heifer must be burned in his sight. Its hide, its flesh, and its blood are to be burned, along with its dung. 6 The priest is to take cedar wood, hyssop, and scarlet wool and throw them onto the burning heifer.
7 Then the priest must wash his clothes and bathe his body in water; after that he may enter the camp, but he will be ceremonially unclean until evening. 8 The one who burned the heifer must also wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and he too will be ceremonially unclean until evening.
9 Then a man who is ceremonially clean is to gather up the ashes of the heifer and store them in a ceremonially clean place outside the camp. They must be kept by the congregation of Israel for preparing the water of purification; this is for purification from sin. 10 The man who has gathered up the ashes of the heifer must also wash his clothes, and he will be ceremonially unclean until evening. This is a permanent statute for the Israelites and for the foreigner residing among them.
Purification of the Unclean
11 Whoever touches any dead body will be unclean for seven days. 12 He must purify himself with the water on the third day and on the seventh day; then he will be clean. But if he does not purify himself on the third and seventh days, he will not be clean. 13 Anyone who touches a human corpse and fails to purify himself defiles the tabernacle of the LORD. That person must be cut off from Israel. He remains unclean, because the water of purification has not been sprinkled on him, and his uncleanness is still on him.
14 This is the law when a person dies in a tent: Everyone who enters the tent and everyone already in the tent will be unclean for seven days, 15 and any open container without a lid fastened on it is unclean.
16 Anyone in the open field who touches someone who has been killed by the sword or has died of natural causes, or anyone who touches a human bone or a grave, will be unclean for seven days.
17 For the purification of the unclean person, take some of the ashes of the burnt sin offering, put them in a jar, and pour fresh water a over them. 18 Then a man who is ceremonially clean is to take some hyssop, dip it in the water, and sprinkle the tent, all the furnishings, and the people who were there. He is also to sprinkle the one who touched a bone, a grave, or a person who has died or been slain.
19 The man who is ceremonially clean is to sprinkle the unclean person on the third day and on the seventh day. After he purifies the unclean person on the seventh day, the one being cleansed must wash his clothes and bathe in water, and that evening he will be clean. 20 But if a person who is unclean does not purify himself, he will be cut off from the assembly, because he has defiled the sanctuary of the LORD. The water of purification has not been sprinkled on him; he is unclean.
21 This is a permanent statute for the people: The one who sprinkles the water of purification must wash his clothes, and whoever touches the water of purification will be unclean until evening. 22 Anything the unclean person touches will become unclean, and anyone who touches it will be unclean until evening.”
Footnotes:
17 a Or flowing water or living water
Numbers 20
Water from the Rock
(Exodus 17:1–7)
1 In the first month, the whole congregation of Israel entered the Wilderness of Zin and stayed in Kadesh. There Miriam died and was buried.
2 Now there was no water for the congregation, so they gathered against Moses and Aaron. 3 The people quarreled with Moses and said, “If only we had perished with our brothers before the LORD! 4 Why have you brought the LORD’s assembly into this wilderness for us and our livestock to die here? 5 Why have you led us up out of Egypt to bring us to this wretched place? It is not a place of grain, figs, vines, or pomegranates—and there is no water to drink!”
6 Then Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. They fell facedown, and the glory of the LORD appeared to them. 7 And the LORD said to Moses, 8 “Take the staff and assemble the congregation. You and your brother Aaron are to speak to the rock while they watch, and it will pour out its water. You will bring out water from the rock and provide drink for the congregation and their livestock.”
9 So Moses took the staff from the LORD’s presence, just as he had been commanded. 10 Then Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly in front of the rock, and Moses said to them, “Listen now, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?” 11 Then Moses raised his hand and struck the rock twice with his staff, so that a great amount of water gushed out, and the congregation and their livestock were able to drink.
12 But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust Me to show My holiness in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them.”
13 These were the waters of Meribah, a where the Israelites quarreled with the LORD, and He showed His holiness among them.
Edom Refuses Passage
14 From Kadesh, Moses sent messengers to tell the king of Edom, “This is what your brother Israel says: You know all the hardship that has befallen us, 15 how our fathers went down to Egypt, where we lived many years. The Egyptians mistreated us and our fathers, 16 and when we cried out to the LORD, He heard our voice, sent an angel, and brought us out of Egypt.
Now look, we are in Kadesh, a city on the edge of your territory. 17 Please let us pass through your land. We will not cut through any field or vineyard, or drink water from any well. We will stay on the King’s Highway; we will not turn to the right or to the left until we have passed through your territory.”
18 But Edom answered, “You may not travel through our land, or we will come out and confront you with the sword.”
19 “We will stay on the main road,” the Israelites replied, “and if we or our herds drink your water, we will pay for it. There will be no problem; only let us pass through on foot.”
20 But Edom insisted, “You may not pass through.” And they came out to confront the Israelites with a large army and a strong hand. 21 So Edom refused to allow Israel to pass through their territory, and Israel turned away from them.
The Death of Aaron
22 After they had set out from Kadesh, the whole congregation of Israel came to Mount Hor. 23 And at Mount Hor, near the border of the land of Edom, the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, 24 “Aaron will be gathered to his people; he will not enter the land that I have given the Israelites, because both of you rebelled against My command at the waters of Meribah. 25 Take Aaron and his son Eleazar and bring them up Mount Hor. 26 Remove Aaron’s priestly garments and put them on his son Eleazar. Aaron will be gathered to his people and will die there.”
27 So Moses did as the LORD had commanded, and they climbed Mount Hor in the sight of the whole congregation. 28 After Moses had removed Aaron’s garments and put them on his son Eleazar, Aaron died there on top of the mountain. Then Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain. 29 When the whole congregation saw that Aaron had died, the entire house of Israel mourned for him thirty days.
Footnotes:
13 a Meribah means quarreling ; also in verse 24; see Exodus 17:7.
Numbers 21
The Defeat of Arad
1 When the Canaanite king of Arad, who lived in the Negev, heard that Israel was coming along the road to Atharim, he attacked Israel and captured some prisoners. 2 So Israel made a vow to the LORD: “If You will deliver this people into our hands, we will devote their cities to destruction. a”
3 And the LORD heard Israel’s plea and delivered up the Canaanites. Israel devoted them and their cities to destruction; so they named the place Hormah. b
The Bronze Serpent
4 Then they set out from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, c in order to bypass the land of Edom. But the people grew impatient on the journey 5 and spoke against God and against Moses: “Why have you led us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread or water, and we detest this wretched food!”
6 So the LORD sent venomous snakes among the people, and many of the Israelites were bitten and died.
7 Then the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned by speaking against the LORD and against you. Intercede with the LORD so He will take the snakes away from us.” So Moses interceded for the people.
8 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent and mount it on a pole. When anyone who is bitten looks at it, he will live.” 9 So Moses made a bronze snake and mounted it on a pole. If anyone who was bitten looked at the bronze snake, he would live.
The Journey to Moab
10 Then the Israelites set out and camped at Oboth. 11 They journeyed from Oboth and camped at Iye-abarim in the wilderness opposite Moab to the east. 12 From there they set out and camped in the Valley of Zered. 13 From there they moved on and camped on the other side of the Arnon, in the wilderness that extends into the Amorite territory.
Now the Arnon is the border between the Moabites and the Amorites. 14 Therefore it is stated in the Book of the Wars of the LORD:
“Waheb in Suphah
and the wadis of the Arnon,
15 even the slopes of the wadis
that extend to the site of Ar
and lie along the border of Moab.”
16 From there they went on to Beer, d the well where the LORD said to Moses, “Gather the people so that I may give them water.” 17 Then Israel sang this song:
“Spring up, O well,
all of you sing to it!
18 The princes dug the well;
the nobles of the people hollowed it out
with their scepters
and with their staffs.”
From the wilderness the Israelites went on to Mattanah, 19 and from Mattanah to Nahaliel, and from Nahaliel to Bamoth, 20 and from Bamoth to the valley in Moab where the top of Pisgah overlooks the wasteland. e
The Defeat of Sihon
(Deuteronomy 2:24–37)
21 Then Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, saying, 22 “Let us pass through your land. We will not cut through any field or vineyard, or drink water from any well. We will stay on the King’s Highway until we have passed through your territory.”
23 But Sihon would not let Israel pass through his territory. Instead, he gathered his whole army and went out to confront Israel in the wilderness. When he came to Jahaz, f he fought against Israel. 24 And Israel put him to the sword and took possession of his land, from the Arnon to the Jabbok—but only up to the border of the Ammonites, because it was fortified. g
25 Israel captured all the cities of the Amorites and occupied them, including Heshbon and all its villages. 26 Heshbon was the city of Sihon king of the Amorites, who had fought against the former king of Moab and taken all his land as far as the Arnon. 27 That is why the poets say:
“Come to Heshbon, let it be rebuilt;
let the city of Sihon be restored.
28 For a fire went out from Heshbon,
a blaze from the city of Sihon.
It consumed Ar of Moab,
the rulers of Arnon’s heights.
29 Woe to you, O Moab!
You are destroyed, O people of Chemosh!
He gave up his sons as refugees,
and his daughters into captivity
to Sihon king of the Amorites.
30 But we have overthrown them;
Heshbon is destroyed as far as Dibon.
We demolished them as far as Nophah,
which reaches to Medeba. h”
The Defeat of Og
(Deuteronomy 3:1–11)
31 So Israel lived in the land of the Amorites. 32 After Moses had sent spies to Jazer, Israel captured its villages and drove out the Amorites who were there.
33 Then they turned and went up the road to Bashan, and Og king of Bashan and his whole army came out to meet them in battle at Edrei.
34 But the LORD said to Moses, “Do not fear him, for I have delivered him into your hand, along with all his people and his land. Do to him as you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon.”
35 So they struck down Og, along with his sons and his whole army, until no remnant was left. And they took possession of his land.
Footnotes:
2 a Forms of the Hebrew cherem refer to the giving over of things or persons to the LORD, either by destroying them or by giving them as an offering; also in verse 3.
3 b Hormah means destruction .
4 c Or the Sea of Reeds
16 d Beer means well .
20 e Or Jeshimon
23 f Jahaz is a variant of Jahzah ; see 1 Chronicles 6:78.
24 g Or because the territory was rugged ; literally because it was strong
30 h Or We demolished them until fire spread to Medeba
Numbers 22
Balak Summons Balaam
1 Then the Israelites traveled on and camped in the plains of Moab near the Jordan, across from Jericho.
2 Now Balak son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites, 3 and Moab was terrified of the people because they were numerous. Indeed, Moab dreaded the Israelites. 4 So the Moabites said to the elders of Midian, “This horde will devour everything around us, as an ox licks up the grass of the field.”
Since Balak son of Zippor was king of Moab at that time, 5 he sent messengers to Balaam son of Beor at Pethor, which is by the Euphrates a in the land of his people.
“Behold, a people has come out of Egypt,” said Balak. “They cover the face of the land and have settled next to me. 6 So please come now and put a curse on this people, because they are too mighty for me. Perhaps I may be able to defeat them and drive them out of the land; for I know that those you bless are blessed, and those you curse are cursed.”
7 The elders of Moab and Midian departed with the fees for divination in hand. They came to Balaam and relayed to him the words of Balak.
8 “Spend the night here,” Balaam replied, “and I will give you the answer that the LORD speaks to me.” So the princes of Moab stayed with Balaam.
9 Then God came to Balaam and asked, “Who are these men with you?”
10 And Balaam said to God, “Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, sent me this message: 11 ‘Behold, a people has come out of Egypt, and they cover the face of the land. Now come and put a curse on them for me. Perhaps I may be able to fight against them and drive them away.’ ”
12 But God said to Balaam, “Do not go with them. You are not to curse this people, for they are blessed.”
13 So Balaam got up the next morning and said to Balak’s princes, “Go back to your homeland, because the LORD has refused to let me go with you.”
14 And the princes of Moab arose, returned to Balak, and said, “Balaam refused to come with us.”
15 Then Balak sent other princes, more numerous and more distinguished than the first messengers. 16 They came to Balaam and said, “This is what Balak son of Zippor says: ‘Please let nothing hinder you from coming to me, 17 for I will honor you richly and do whatever you say. So please come and put a curse on this people for me!’ ”
18 But Balaam replied to the servants of Balak, “If Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not do anything small or great to go beyond the command of the LORD my God. 19 So now, please stay here overnight as the others did, that I may find out what else the LORD has to tell me.”
20 That night God came to Balaam and said, “Since these men have come to summon you, get up and go with them, but you must only do what I tell you.” 21 So in the morning Balaam got up, saddled his donkey, and went with the princes of Moab.
The Angel and Balaam’s Donkey
22 Then God’s anger was kindled because Balaam was going along, and the angel b of the LORD stood in the road to oppose him. Balaam was riding his donkey, and his two servants were with him.
23 When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD standing in the road with a drawn sword in his hand, she turned off the path and went into a field. So Balaam beat her to return her to the path.
24 Then the angel of the LORD stood in a narrow passage between two vineyards, with walls on either side. 25 And the donkey saw the angel of the LORD and pressed herself against the wall, crushing Balaam’s foot against it. So he beat her once again.
26 And the angel of the LORD moved on ahead and stood in a narrow place where there was no room to turn to the right or left. 27 When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, she lay down under Balaam, and he became furious and beat her with his staff.
28 Then the LORD opened the donkey’s mouth, and she said to Balaam, “What have I done to you that you have beaten me these three times?”
29 Balaam answered the donkey, “You have made a fool of me! If I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you right now!”
30 But the donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not the donkey you have ridden all your life until today? Have I ever treated you this way before?”
“No,” he replied.
31 Then the LORD opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the road with a drawn sword in his hand. And Balaam bowed low and fell facedown.
32 The angel of the LORD asked him, “Why have you beaten your donkey these three times? Behold, I have come out to oppose you, because your way is perverse c before me. 33 The donkey saw me and turned away from me these three times. If she had not turned away, then by now I would surely have killed you and let her live.”
34 “I have sinned,” Balaam said to the angel of the LORD, “for I did not realize that you were standing in the road to confront me. And now, if this is displeasing in your sight, I will go back home.”
35 But the angel of the LORD said to Balaam, “Go with the men, but you are to speak only what I tell you.” So Balaam went with the princes of Balak.
36 When Balak heard that Balaam was coming, he went out to meet him at the Moabite city on the Arnon border, at the edge of his territory. 37 And he said to Balaam, “Did I not send you an urgent summons? Why did you not come to me? Am I really not able to richly reward you?”
38 “See, I have come to you,” Balaam replied, “but can I say just anything? I must speak only the word that God puts in my mouth.”
39 So Balaam accompanied Balak, and they came to Kiriath-huzoth. 40 Balak sacrificed cattle and sheep, and he gave portions to Balaam and the princes who were with him.
41 The next morning, Balak took Balaam and brought him up to Bamoth-baal. From there he could see the outskirts of the camp of the people.
Footnotes:
5 a Hebrew the River
22 b Or Angel ; here through the rest of chapter 22; corresponding pronouns may also be capitalized.
32 c Or reckless or contrary
Numbers 23
Balaam’s First Oracle
1 Then Balaam said to Balak, “Build for me seven altars here, and prepare for me seven bulls and seven rams.”
2 So Balak did as Balaam had instructed, and Balak and Balaam offered a bull and a ram on each altar.
3 “Stay here by your burnt offering while I am gone,” Balaam said to Balak. “Perhaps the LORD will meet with me. And whatever He reveals to me, I will tell you.”
So Balaam went off to a barren height, 4 and God met with him. “I have set up seven altars,” Balaam said, “and on each altar I have offered a bull and a ram.”
5 Then the LORD put a message in Balaam’s mouth, saying, “Return to Balak and give him this message.”
6 So he returned to Balak, who was standing there beside his burnt offering, with all the princes of Moab.
7 And Balaam lifted up an oracle, saying:
“Balak brought me from Aram,
the king of Moab from the mountains of the east.
‘Come,’ he said, ‘put a curse on Jacob for me;
come and denounce Israel!’
8 How can I curse what God has not cursed?
How can I denounce what the LORD has not denounced?
9 For I see them from atop the rocky cliffs,
and I watch them from the hills.
Behold, a people dwelling apart,
not reckoning themselves among the nations.
10 Who can count the dust of Jacob
or number even a fourth of Israel?
Let me die the death of the righteous;
let my end be like theirs!”
11 Then Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me? I brought you here to curse my enemies, and behold, you have only blessed them!”
12 But Balaam replied, “Should I not speak exactly what the LORD puts in my mouth?”
Balaam’s Second Oracle
13 Then Balak said to him, “Please come with me to another place where you can see them. You will only see the outskirts of their camp—not all of them. And from there, curse them for me.”
14 So Balak took him to the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, where he built seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.
15 Balaam said to Balak, “Stay here beside your burnt offering while I meet the LORD over there.”
16 And the LORD met with Balaam and put a message in his mouth, saying, “Return to Balak and speak what I tell you.”
17 So he returned to Balak, who was standing there by his burnt offering with the princes of Moab.
“What did the LORD say?” Balak asked.
18 Then Balaam lifted up an oracle, saying:
“Arise, O Balak, and listen;
give ear to me, O son of Zippor.
19 God is not a man, that He should lie,
or a son of man, that He should change His mind.
Does He speak and not act?
Does He promise and not fulfill?
20 I have indeed received a command to bless;
He has blessed, and I cannot change it.
21 He considers no disaster for Jacob;
He sees no trouble for Israel.
The LORD their God is with them,
and the shout of the King is among them.
22 God brought them out of Egypt
with strength like a wild ox.
23 For there is no spell against Jacob
and no divination against Israel.
It will now be said of Jacob and Israel,
‘What great things God has done!’
24 Behold, the people rise like a lioness;
they rouse themselves like a lion,
not resting until they devour their prey
and drink the blood of the slain.”
25 Now Balak said to Balaam, “Then neither curse them at all nor bless them at all!”
26 But Balaam replied, “Did I not tell you that whatever the LORD says, I must do?”
27 “Please come,” said Balak, “I will take you to another place. Perhaps it will please God that you curse them for me from there.”
28 And Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor, which overlooks the wasteland. a
29 Then Balaam said, “Build for me seven altars here, and prepare for me seven bulls and seven rams.”
30 So Balak did as Balaam had instructed, and he offered a bull and a ram on each altar.
Footnotes:
28 a Or Jeshimon
Numbers 24
Balaam’s Third Oracle
1 And when Balaam saw that it pleased the LORD to bless Israel, he did not resort to sorcery as on previous occasions, but he turned his face toward the wilderness. 2 When Balaam looked up and saw Israel encamped tribe by tribe, the Spirit of God came upon him, 3 and he lifted up an oracle, saying:
“This is the prophecy of Balaam son of Beor,
the prophecy of a man whose eyes are open,
4 the prophecy of one who hears the words of God,
who sees a vision from the Almighty, a
who bows down with eyes wide open:
5 How lovely are your tents, O Jacob,
your dwellings, O Israel!
6 They spread out like palm groves, b
like gardens beside a stream,
like aloes the LORD has planted,
like cedars beside the waters.
7 Water will flow from his buckets,
and his seed will have abundant water.
His king will be greater than Agag,
and his kingdom will be exalted.
8 God brought him out of Egypt
with strength like a wild ox,
to devour hostile nations and crush their bones,
to pierce them with arrows.
9 He crouches, he lies down like a lion;
like a lioness, who dares to rouse him?
Blessed are those who bless you
and cursed are those who curse you.”
Balak Dismisses Balaam
10 Then Balak’s anger burned against Balaam, and he struck his hands together and said to Balaam, “I summoned you to curse my enemies, but behold, you have persisted in blessing them these three times. 11 Therefore, flee at once to your home! I said I would richly reward you, but instead the LORD has denied your reward.”
12 Balaam answered Balak, “Did I not already tell the messengers you sent me 13 that even if Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not do anything of my own accord, good or bad, to go beyond the command of the LORD? I will speak whatever the LORD says. 14 Now I am going back to my people, but come, let me warn you what this people will do to your people in the days to come.”
Balaam’s Fourth Oracle
15 Then Balaam lifted up an oracle, saying,
“This is the prophecy of Balaam son of Beor,
the prophecy of a man whose eyes are open,
16 the prophecy of one who hears the words of God,
who has knowledge from the Most High,
who sees a vision from the Almighty,
who bows down with eyes wide open:
17 I see him, but not now;
I behold him, but not near.
A star will come forth from Jacob,
and a scepter will arise from Israel.
He will crush the skulls c of Moab
and strike down all the sons of Sheth.
18 Edom will become a possession,
as will Seir, his enemy;
but Israel will perform with valor.
19 A ruler will come from Jacob
and destroy the survivors of the city.”
Balaam’s Final Three Oracles
20 Then Balaam saw Amalek and lifted up an oracle, saying:
“Amalek was first among the nations,
but his end is destruction.”
21 Next he saw the Kenites and lifted up an oracle, saying:
“Your dwelling place is secure,
and your nest is set in a cliff.
22 Yet Kain will be destroyed
when Asshur d takes you captive.”
23 Once more Balaam lifted up an oracle, saying:
“Ah, who can live
unless God has ordained it?
24 Ships will come from the coasts of Cyprus; e
they will subdue Asshur and Eber,
but they too will perish forever.”
25 Then Balaam arose and returned to his homeland, and Balak also went on his way.
Footnotes:
4 a Hebrew Shaddai ; also in verse 16
6 b Or like valleys
17 c SP foreheads ; Hebrew corners (of the head) ; LXX princes
22 d Or Assyria ; also in verse 24
24 e Hebrew Kittim
Numbers 25
Moab Seduces Israel
(1 Corinthians 10:1–13)
1 While Israel was staying in Shittim, a the men began to indulge in sexual immorality with the daughters of Moab, 2 who also invited them to the sacrifices for their gods. And the people ate and bowed down to these gods. 3 So Israel joined in worshiping Baal of Peor, and the anger of the LORD burned against them.
4 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Take all the leaders of the people and execute them in broad daylight before the LORD, so that His fierce anger may turn away from Israel.”
5 So Moses told the judges of Israel, “Each of you must kill all of his men who have joined in worshiping Baal of Peor.”
The Zeal of Phinehas
6 Just then an Israelite man brought to his family a Midianite woman in the sight of Moses and the whole congregation of Israel while they were weeping at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. 7 On seeing this, Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, got up from the assembly, took a spear in his hand, 8 followed the Israelite into his tent, and drove the spear through both of them—through the Israelite and on through the belly of the woman.
So the plague against the Israelites was halted, 9 but those who died in the plague numbered 24,000.
10 Then the LORD said to Moses, 11 “Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned My wrath away from the Israelites; for he was zealous for My sake among them, so that I did not consume the Israelites in My zeal. 12 Declare, therefore, that I am granting him My covenant of peace. 13 It will be a covenant of permanent priesthood for him and his descendants, because he was zealous for his God and made atonement for the Israelites.”
14 The name of the Israelite who was slain with the Midianite woman was Zimri son of Salu, the leader of a Simeonite family. 15 And the name of the slain Midianite woman was Cozbi, the daughter of Zur, a tribal chief of a Midianite family.
16 And the LORD said to Moses, 17 “Attack the Midianites and strike them dead. 18 For they assailed you deceitfully when they seduced you in the matter of Peor and their sister Cozbi, the daughter of the Midianite leader, the woman who was killed on the day the plague came because of Peor.”
Footnotes:
1 a Or Acacia Grove
Numbers 26
The Second Census of Israel
(Numbers 1:1–4)
1 After the plague had ended, the LORD said to Moses and Eleazar son of Aaron the priest, 2 “Take a census of the whole congregation of Israel by the houses of their fathers—all those twenty years of age or older who can serve in the army of Israel.”
3 So on the plains of Moab by the Jordan, across from Jericho, Moses and Eleazar the priest issued the instruction, 4 “Take a census of the men twenty years of age or older, a as the LORD has commanded Moses.”
And these were the Israelites who came out of the land of Egypt:
The Tribe of Reuben
5 Reuben was the firstborn of Israel. These were the descendants of Reuben:
The Hanochite clan from Hanoch,
the Palluite clan from Pallu,
6 the Hezronite clan from Hezron,
and the Carmite clan from Carmi.
7 These were the clans of Reuben, and their registration numbered 43,730.
8 Now the son of Pallu was Eliab, 9 and the sons of Eliab were Nemuel, Dathan, and Abiram.
It was Dathan and Abiram, chosen by the congregation, who fought against Moses and Aaron with the followers of Korah who rebelled against the LORD. 10 And the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them along with Korah, whose followers died when the fire consumed 250 men. They serve as a warning sign. 11 However, the line of Korah did not die out.
The Tribe of Simeon
12 These were the descendants of Simeon by their clans:
The Nemuelite clan from Nemuel, b
the Jaminite clan from Jamin,
the Jachinite clan from Jachin,
13 the Zerahite clan from Zerah, c
and the Shaulite clan from Shaul.
14 These were the clans of Simeon, and there were 22,200 men.
The Tribe of Gad
15 These were the descendants of Gad by their clans:
The Zephonite clan from Zephon,
the Haggite clan from Haggi,
the Shunite clan from Shuni,
16 the Oznite clan from Ozni,
17 the Arodite clan from Arod, d
and the Arelite clan from Areli.
18 These were the clans of Gad, and their registration numbered 40,500.
The Tribe of Judah
19 The sons of Judah were Er and Onan, but they died in the land of Canaan. 20 These were the descendants of Judah by their clans:
The Shelanite clan from Shelah,
the Perezite clan from Perez,
and the Zerahite clan from Zerah.
21 And these were the descendants of Perez:
the Hezronite clan from Hezron
and the Hamulite clan from Hamul.
22 These were the clans of Judah, and their registration numbered 76,500.
The Tribe of Issachar
23 These were the descendants of Issachar by their clans:
The Tolaite clan from Tola,
the Punite clan from Puvah, e
24 the Jashubite clan from Jashub, f
and the Shimronite clan from Shimron.
25 These were the clans of Issachar, and their registration numbered 64,300.
The Tribe of Zebulun
26 These were the descendants of Zebulun by their clans:
The Seredite clan from Sered,
the Elonite clan from Elon,
and the Jahleelite clan from Jahleel.
27 These were the clans of Zebulun, and their registration numbered 60,500.
The Tribe of Manasseh
28 The descendants of Joseph included the clans of Manasseh and Ephraim.
29 These were the descendants of Manasseh:
The Machirite clan from Machir, the father of Gilead,
and the Gileadite clan from Gilead.
30 These were the descendants of Gilead:
the Iezerite clan from Iezer, g
the Helekite clan from Helek,
31 the Asrielite clan from Asriel,
the Shechemite clan from Shechem,
32 the Shemidaite clan from Shemida,
and the Hepherite clan from Hepher.
33 Now Zelophehad son of Hepher had no sons but only daughters. The names of his daughters were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.
34 These were the clans of Manasseh, and their registration numbered 52,700.
The Tribe of Ephraim
35 These were the descendants of Ephraim by their clans:
The Shuthelahite clan from Shuthelah,
the Becherite clan from Becher,
and the Tahanite clan from Tahan.
36 And the descendants of Shuthelah were the Eranite clan from Eran.
37 These were the clans of Ephraim, and their registration numbered 32,500.
These clans were the descendants of Joseph.
The Tribe of Benjamin
38 These were the descendants of Benjamin by their clans:
The Belaite clan from Bela,
the Ashbelite clan from Ashbel,
the Ahiramite clan from Ahiram,
39 the Shuphamite clan from Shupham, h
and the Huphamite clan from Hupham.
40 And the descendants of Bela from Ard and Naaman were the Ardite clan from Ard i and the Naamite clan from Naaman.
41 These were the clans of Benjamin, and their registration numbered 45,600.
The Tribe of Dan
42 These were the descendants of Dan by their clans:
The Shuhamite clan from Shuham.
These were the clans of Dan. 43 All of them were Shuhamite clans, and their registration numbered 64,400.
The Tribe of Asher
44 These were the descendants of Asher by their clans:
The Imnite clan from Imnah,
the Ishvite clan from Ishvi,
and the Beriite clan from Beriah.
45 And these were the descendants of Beriah:
the Heberite clan from Heber
and the Malchielite clan from Malchiel.
46 And the name of Asher’s daughter was Serah.
47 These were the clans of Asher, and their registration numbered 53,400.
The Tribe of Naphtali
48 These were the descendants of Naphtali by their clans:
The Jahzeelite clan from Jahzeel,
49 the Jezerite clan from Jezer,
and the Shillemite clan from Shillem.
50 These were the clans of Naphtali, and their registration numbered 45,400.
51 These men of Israel numbered 601,730 in all.
Inheritance by Lot
52 Then the LORD said to Moses, 53 “The land is to be divided among the tribes as an inheritance, according to the number of names. 54 Increase the inheritance for a large tribe and decrease it for a small one; each tribe is to receive its inheritance according to the number of those registered.
55 Indeed, the land must be divided by lot; they shall receive their inheritance according to the names of the tribes of their fathers. 56 Each inheritance is to be divided by lot among the larger and smaller tribes.”
The Levites Numbered
57 Now these were the Levites numbered by their clans:
The Gershonite clan from Gershon,
the Kohathite clan from Kohath,
and the Merarite clan from Merari.
58 These were the families of the Levites:
The Libnite clan,
the Hebronite clan,
the Mahlite clan,
the Mushite clan,
and the Korahite clan.
Now Kohath was the father of Amram, 59 and Amram’s wife was named Jochebed. She was also a daughter of Levi, born to Levi in Egypt. To Amram she bore Aaron, Moses, and their sister Miriam. 60 Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar were born to Aaron, 61 but Nadab and Abihu died when they offered unauthorized j fire before the LORD.
62 The registration of the Levites totaled 23,000, every male a month old or more;they were not numbered among the other Israelites, because no inheritance was given to them among the Israelites.
Only Caleb and Joshua Remain
63 These were the ones numbered by Moses and Eleazar the priest when they counted the Israelites on the plains of Moab by the Jordan, across from Jericho.
64 Among all these, however, there was not one who had been numbered by Moses and Aaron the priest when they counted the Israelites in the Wilderness of Sinai. 65 For the LORD had told them that they would surely die in the wilderness. Not one was left except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.
Footnotes:
4 a Take a census of the men is implied but not included in the Hebrew; see verse 2.
12 b Nemuel is another name for Jemuel ; see Genesis 46:10.
13 c Zerah is a variant of Zohar ; see Genesis 46:10 and Exodus 6:15.
17 d SP and Syriac Arodi ; see Genesis 46:16.
23 e SP, LXX, Vulgate, and Syriac the Puite clan from Puah ; see 1 Chronicles 7:1.
24 f Jashub is a variant of Job ; see Genesis 46:13.
30 g Iezer is a variant of Abiezer ; see Joshua 17:2.
39 h A few MT manuscripts, SP, Vulgate, and Syriac (see also LXX); most MT manuscripts Shephupham
40 i SP and Vulgate (see also LXX); MT does not include from Ard .
61 j Or strange
Numbers 27
The Daughters of Zelophehad
(Numbers 36:1–13)
1 Now the daughters of Zelophehad son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, belonged to the clans of Manasseh son of Joseph. These were the names of his daughters: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. They approached 2 the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, stood before Moses, Eleazar the priest, the leaders, and the whole congregation, and said, 3 “Our father died in the wilderness, but he was not among the followers of Korah who gathered together against the LORD. Instead, he died because of his own sin, and he had no sons. 4 Why should the name of our father disappear from his clan because he had no sons? Give us property among our father’s brothers.”
5 So Moses brought their case before the LORD, 6 and the LORD answered him, 7 “The daughters of Zelophehad speak correctly. You certainly must give them property as an inheritance among their father’s brothers, and transfer their father’s inheritance to them.
8 Furthermore, you shall say to the Israelites, ‘If a man dies and leaves no son, you are to transfer his inheritance to his daughter. 9 If he has no daughter, give his inheritance to his brothers. 10 If he has no brothers, give his inheritance to his father’s brothers. 11 And if his father has no brothers, give his inheritance to the next of kin from his clan, that he may take possession of it. This is to be a statutory ordinance for the Israelites, as the LORD has commanded Moses.’ ”
Moses Requests a Successor
(Deuteronomy 3:23–29)
12 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go up this mountain of the Abarim range a and see the land that I have given the Israelites. 13 After you have seen it, you too will be gathered to your people, as your brother Aaron was; 14 for when the congregation contended in the Wilderness of Zin, both of you rebelled against My command to show My holiness in their sight regarding the waters.” Those were the waters of Meribah b in Kadesh, in the Wilderness of Zin.
15 So Moses appealed to the LORD, 16 “May the LORD, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the congregation 17 who will go out and come in before them, and who will lead them out and bring them in, so that the congregation of the LORD will not be like sheep without a shepherd.”
Joshua to Succeed Moses
(Deuteronomy 31:1–8)
18 And the LORD replied to Moses, “Take Joshua son of Nun, a man with the Spirit in him, and lay your hands on him. 19 Have him stand before Eleazar the priest and the whole congregation, and commission him in their sight. 20 Confer on him some of your authority, so that the whole congregation of Israel will obey him. 21 He shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who will seek counsel for him before the LORD by the judgment of the Urim. c At his command, he and all the Israelites with him—the entire congregation—will go out and come in.”
22 Moses did as the LORD had commanded him. He took Joshua, had him stand before Eleazar the priest and the whole congregation, 23 and laid his hands on him and commissioned him, as the LORD had instructed through Moses.
Footnotes:
12 a LXX Go up Mount Nebo beyond the Jordan
14 b Meribah means quarreling ; see Exodus 17:7.
21 c Literally the Lights
Numbers 28
The Daily Offerings
(Exodus 29:38–44)
1 Then the LORD said to Moses, 2 “Command the Israelites and say to them:See that you present to Me at its appointed time the food for My offerings by fire, as a pleasing aroma to Me.
3 And tell them that this is the offering made by fire you are to present to the LORD as a regular burnt offering each day: two unblemished year-old male lambs. 4 Offer one lamb in the morning and the other at twilight, a 5 along with a tenth of an ephah of fine flour b as a grain offering, mixed with a quarter hin of oil from pressed olives. c
6 This is a regular burnt offering established at Mount Sinai as a pleasing aroma, an offering made by fire to the LORD. 7 The drink offering accompanying each lamb shall be a quarter hin. Pour out the offering of fermented drink to the LORD in the sanctuary area. 8 And offer the second lamb at twilight, with the same grain offering and drink offering as in the morning. It is an offering made by fire, a pleasing aroma to the LORD.
The Sabbath Offerings
9 On the Sabbath day, present two unblemished year-old male lambs, accompanied by a grain offering of two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour d mixed with oil, as well as a drink offering.
10 This is the burnt offering for every Sabbath, in addition to the regular burnt offering and its drink offering.
The Monthly Offerings
11 At the beginning of every month, you are to present to the LORD a burnt offering of two young bulls, one ram, and seven male lambs a year old, all unblemished, 12 along with three-tenths of an ephah of fine flour e mixed with oil as a grain offering with each bull, two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering with the ram, 13 and a tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering with each lamb. This is a burnt offering, a pleasing aroma, an offering made by fire to the LORD.
14 Their drink offerings shall be half a hin of wine f with each bull, a third of a hin g with the ram, and a quarter hin with each lamb. This is the monthly burnt offering to be made at each new moon throughout the year.
15 In addition to the regular burnt offering with its drink offering, one male goat is to be presented to the LORD as a sin offering.
Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread
(Exodus 12:14–28; Leviticus 23:4–8; Deuteronomy 16:1–8)
16 The fourteenth day of the first month is the LORD’s Passover. 17 On the fifteenth day of this month, there shall be a feast; for seven days unleavened bread is to be eaten.
18 On the first day there is to be a sacred assembly; you must not do any regular work. 19 Present to the LORD an offering made by fire, a burnt offering of two young bulls, one ram, and seven male lambs a year old, all unblemished. 20 The grain offering shall consist of fine flour mixed with oil; offer three-tenths of an ephah with each bull, two-tenths of an ephah with the ram, 21 and a tenth of an ephah with each of the seven lambs. 22 Include one male goat as a sin offering to make atonement for you.
23 You are to present these in addition to the regular morning burnt offering. 24 Offer the same food each day for seven days as an offering made by fire, a pleasing aroma to the LORD. It is to be offered with its drink offering and the regular burnt offering.
25 On the seventh day you shall hold a sacred assembly; you must not do any regular work.
The Feast of Weeks
(Deuteronomy 16:9–12)
26 On the day of firstfruits, when you present an offering of new grain to the LORD during the Feast of Weeks, h you are to hold a sacred assembly;you must not do any regular work.
27 Present a burnt offering of two young bulls, one ram, and seven male lambs a year old as a pleasing aroma to the LORD, 28 together with their grain offerings of fine flour mixed with oil—three-tenths of an ephah with each bull, two-tenths of an ephah with the ram, 29 and a tenth of an ephah with each of the seven lambs.
30 Include one male goat to make atonement for you. 31 Offer them with their drink offerings in addition to the regular burnt offering and its grain offering. The animals must be unblemished.
Footnotes:
4 a Hebrew between the two evenings ; also in verse 8
5 b A tenth of an ephah is approximately 2 dry quarts or 2.2 liters (probably about 2.6 pounds or 1.2 kilograms of flour); also in verses 13, 21, and 29.
5 c Or a quarter hin of pure olive oil ; Hebrew a quarter hin of pressed oil ; that is, approximately 0.97 quarts or 0.92 liters; similarly in verses 7 and 14
9 d Two-tenths of an ephah is approximately 4 dry quarts or 4.4 liters (probably about 5.1 pounds or 2.3 kilograms of flour); also in verses 12, 20, and 28.
12 e Three-tenths of an ephah is approximately 6 dry quarts or 6.6 liters (probably about 7.6 pounds or 3.5 kilograms of flour); also in verses 20 and 28.
14 f Half a hin is approximately 1.9 quarts or 1.8 liters of wine.
14 g A third of a hin is approximately 1.3 quarts or 1.2 liters of wine.
26 h That is, Shavuot, the late spring feast of pilgrimage to Jerusalem; it is also known as the Feast of Harvest (see Exodus 23:16) or the Feast of Pentecost (see Acts 2:1).
Numbers 29
The Feast of Trumpets
(Leviticus 23:23–25)
1 “On the first day of the seventh month, you are to hold a sacred assembly, and you must not do any regular work. This will be a day for you to sound the trumpets.
2 As a pleasing aroma to the LORD, you are to present a burnt offering of one young bull, one ram, and seven male lambs a year old, all unblemished, 3 together with their grain offerings of fine flour mixed with oil—three-tenths of an ephah a with the bull, two-tenths of an ephah b with the ram, 4 and a tenth of an ephah c with each of the seven male lambs.
5 Include one male goat as a sin offering to make atonement for you. 6 These are in addition to the monthly and daily burnt offerings with their prescribed grain offerings and drink offerings. They are a pleasing aroma, an offering made by fire to the LORD.
The Day of Atonement
(Leviticus 16:1–34; Leviticus 23:26–32)
7 On the tenth day of this seventh month, you are to hold a sacred assembly, and you shall humble yourselves; d you must not do any work.
8 Present as a pleasing aroma to the LORD a burnt offering of one young bull, one ram, and seven male lambs a year old, all unblemished, 9 together with their grain offerings of fine flour mixed with oil—three-tenths of an ephah with the bull, two-tenths of an ephah with the ram, 10 and a tenth of an ephah with each of the seven lambs.
11 Include one male goat for a sin offering, in addition to the sin offering of atonement and the regular burnt offering with its grain offering and drink offerings.
The Feast of Tabernacles
(Deuteronomy 16:13–17)
12 On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, you are to hold a sacred assembly; you must not do any regular work, and you shall observe a feast to the LORD for seven days.
13 As a pleasing aroma to the LORD, you are to present an offering made by fire, a burnt offering of thirteen young bulls, two rams, and fourteen male lambs a year old, all unblemished, 14 along with the grain offering of three-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil with each of the thirteen bulls, two-tenths of an ephah with each of the two rams, 15 and a tenth of an ephah with each of the fourteen lambs. 16 Include one male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain offering and drink offering.
17 On the second day you are to present twelve young bulls, two rams, and fourteen male lambs a year old, all unblemished, 18 along with the grain and drink offerings for the bulls, rams, and lambs, according to the number prescribed. 19 Include one male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain offering and drink offering.
20 On the third day you are to present eleven bulls, two rams, and fourteen male lambs a year old, all unblemished, 21 along with the grain and drink offerings for the bulls, rams, and lambs, according to the number prescribed. 22 Include one male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain offering and drink offering.
23 On the fourth day you are to present ten bulls, two rams, and fourteen male lambs a year old, all unblemished, 24 along with the grain and drink offerings for the bulls, rams, and lambs, according to the number prescribed. 25 Include one male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain offering and drink offering.
26 On the fifth day you are to present nine bulls, two rams, and fourteen male lambs a year old, all unblemished, 27 along with the grain and drink offerings for the bulls, rams, and lambs, according to the number prescribed. 28 Include one male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain offering and drink offering.
29 On the sixth day you are to present eight bulls, two rams, and fourteen male lambs a year old, all unblemished, 30 along with the grain and drink offerings for the bulls, rams, and lambs, according to the number prescribed. 31 Include one male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain offering and drink offering.
32 On the seventh day you are to present seven bulls, two rams, and fourteen male lambs a year old, all unblemished, 33 along with the grain and drink offerings for the bulls, rams, and lambs, according to the number prescribed. 34 Include one male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain offering and drink offering.
35 On the eighth day you are to hold a solemn assembly; you must not do any regular work. 36 As a pleasing aroma to the LORD, you are to present an offering made by fire, a burnt offering of one bull, one ram, and seven male lambs a year old, all unblemished, 37 along with the grain and drink offerings for the bulls, rams, and lambs, according to the number prescribed. 38 Include one male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain offering and drink offering.
39 You are to present these offerings to the LORD at your appointed times, in addition to your vow and freewill offerings, whether burnt offerings, grain offerings, drink offerings, or peace offerings.”
40 So Moses spoke all this to the Israelites just as the LORD had commanded him.
Footnotes:
3 a Three-tenths of an ephah is approximately 6 dry quarts or 6.6 liters (probably about 7.6 pounds or 3.5 kilograms of flour); also in verses 9 and 14.
3 b Two-tenths of an ephah is approximately 4 dry quarts or 4.4 liters (probably about 5.1 pounds or 2.3 kilograms of flour); also in verses 9 and 14.
4 c A tenth of an ephah is approximately 2 dry quarts or 2.2 liters (probably about 2.6 pounds or 1.2 kilograms of flour); also in verses 10 and 15.
7 d Or afflict your souls or deny yourselves
Numbers 30
Laws about Vows
(Matthew 5:33–37)
1 Then Moses said to the heads of the tribes of Israel, “This is what the LORD has commanded: 2 If a man makes a vow to the LORD or swears an oath to obligate himself by a pledge, he must not break his word; he must do everything he has promised. a
3 And if a woman in her father’s house during her youth makes a vow to the LORD or obligates herself by a pledge, 4 and her father hears about her vow or pledge but says nothing to her, then all the vows or pledges by which she has bound herself shall stand. 5 But if her father prohibits her on the day he hears about it, then none of the vows or pledges by which she has bound herself shall stand. The LORD will absolve her because her father has prohibited her.
6 If a woman marries while under a vow or rash promise by which she has bound herself, 7 and her husband hears of it but says nothing to her on that day, then the vows or pledges by which she has bound herself shall stand. 8 But if her husband prohibits her when he hears of it, he nullifies the vow that binds her or the rash promise she has made, and the LORD will absolve her.
9 Every vow a widow or divorced woman pledges to fulfill is binding on her.
10 If a woman in her husband’s house has made a vow or put herself under an obligation with an oath, 11 and her husband hears of it but says nothing to her and does not prohibit her, then all the vows or pledges by which she has bound herself shall stand. 12 But if her husband nullifies them on the day he hears of them, then nothing that came from her lips, whether her vows or pledges, shall stand. Her husband has nullified them, and the LORD will absolve her.
13 Her husband may confirm or nullify any vow or any sworn pledge to deny herself. b 14 But if her husband says nothing to her from day to day, then he confirms all the vows and pledges that bind her. He has confirmed them, because he said nothing to her on the day he heard about them. 15 But if he nullifies them after he hears of them, then he will bear her iniquity.”
16 These are the statutes that the LORD commanded Moses concerning the relationship between a man and his wife, and between a father and a young daughter still in his home.
Footnotes:
2 a Cited in Matthew 5:33
13 b Or to fast
Numbers 31
Vengeance on Midian
1 And the LORD said to Moses, 2 “Take vengeance on the Midianites for the Israelites. After that, you will be gathered to your people.”
3 So Moses told the people, “Arm some of your men for war, that they may go against the Midianites and execute the LORD’s vengeance on them. 4 Send into battle a thousand men from each tribe of Israel.”
5 So a thousand men were recruited from each tribe of Israel—twelve thousand armed for war. 6 And Moses sent the thousand from each tribe into battle, along with Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest, who took with him the vessels of the sanctuary and the trumpets for signaling.
7 Then they waged war against Midian, as the LORD had commanded Moses, and they killed every male. 8 Among the slain were Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba—the five kings of Midian. They also killed Balaam son of Beor with the sword.
9 The Israelites captured the Midianite women and their children, and they plundered all their herds, flocks, and goods. 10 Then they burned all the cities where the Midianites had lived, as well as all their encampments, 11 and carried away all the plunder and spoils, both people and animals.
12 They brought the captives, spoils, and plunder to Moses, to Eleazar the priest, and to the congregation of Israel at the camp on the plains of Moab, by the Jordan across from Jericho. 13 And Moses, Eleazar the priest, and all the leaders of the congregation went to meet them outside the camp.
14 But Moses was angry with the officers of the army—the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds—who were returning from the battle. 15 “Have you spared all the women?” he asked them. 16 “Look, these women caused the sons of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to turn unfaithfully against the LORD at Peor, so that the plague struck the congregation of the LORD. 17 So now, kill all the boys, as well as every woman who has had relations with a man, 18 but spare for yourselves every girl who has never had relations with a man.
19 All of you who have killed a person or touched the dead are to remain outside the camp for seven days. On the third day and the seventh day you are to purify both yourselves and your captives. 20 And purify every garment and leather good, everything made of goat’s hair, and every article of wood.”
21 Then Eleazar the priest said to the soldiers who had gone into battle, “This is the statute of the law which the LORD has commanded Moses: 22 Only the gold, silver, bronze, iron, tin, and lead— 23 everything that can withstand the fire—must be put through the fire, and it will be clean. But it must still be purified with the water of purification. And everything that cannot withstand the fire must pass through the water. 24 On the seventh day you are to wash your clothes, and you will be clean. After that you may enter the camp.”
Division of the Spoils
25 The LORD said to Moses, 26 “You and Eleazar the priest and the family heads of the congregation are to take a count of what was captured, both of man and beast. 27 Then divide the captives between the troops who went out to battle and the rest of the congregation.
28 Set aside a tribute for the LORD from what belongs to the soldiers who went into battle: one out of every five hundred, whether persons, cattle, donkeys, or sheep. 29 Take it from their half and give it to Eleazar the priest as an offering to the LORD.
30 From the Israelites’ half, take one out of every fifty, whether persons, cattle, donkeys, sheep, or other animals, and give them to the Levites who keep charge of the tabernacle of the LORD.”
31 So Moses and Eleazar the priest did as the LORD had commanded Moses, 32 and this plunder remained from the spoils the soldiers had taken:
675,000 sheep,
33 72,000 cattle,
34 61,000 donkeys,
35 and 32,000 women who had not slept with a man.
36 This was the half portion for those who had gone to war:
337,500 sheep, 37 including a tribute to the LORD of 675,
38 36,000 cattle, including a tribute to the LORD of 72,
39 30,500 donkeys, including a tribute to the LORD of 61,
40 and 16,000 people, including a tribute to the LORD of 32.
41 Moses gave the tribute to Eleazar the priest as an offering for the LORD, as the LORD had commanded Moses.
42 From the Israelites’ half, which Moses had set apart from the men who had gone to war, 43 this half belonged to the congregation:
337,500 sheep,
44 36,000 cattle,
45 30,500 donkeys,
46 and 16,000 people.
47 From the Israelites’ half, Moses took one out of every fifty persons and animals and gave them to the Levites who kept charge of the tabernacle of the LORD, as the LORD had commanded him.
The Voluntary Offering
48 Then the officers who were over the units of the army—the commanders of thousands and of hundreds—approached Moses 49 and said, “Your servants have counted the soldiers under our command, and not one of us is missing. 50 So we have brought to the LORD an offering of the gold articles each man acquired—armlets, bracelets, rings, earrings, and necklaces—to make atonement for ourselves before the LORD.”
51 So Moses and Eleazar the priest received from them all the articles made out of gold. 52 All the gold that the commanders of thousands and of hundreds presented as an offering to the LORD weighed 16,750 shekels. a 53 Each of the soldiers had taken plunder for himself. 54 And Moses and Eleazar the priest received the gold from the commanders of thousands and of hundreds and brought it into the Tent of Meeting as a memorial for the Israelites before the LORD.
Footnotes:
52 a 16,750 shekels is approximately 420.8 pounds or 190.9 kilograms.
Numbers 32
The Tribes East of the Jordan
(Deuteronomy 3:12–22; Joshua 13:8–14)
1 Now the Reubenites and Gadites, who had very large herds and flocks, surveyed the lands of Jazer and Gilead, and they saw that the region was suitable for livestock. 2 So the Gadites and Reubenites came to Moses, Eleazar the priest, and the leaders of the congregation, and said, 3 “Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, a Nebo, and Beon, 4 which the LORD conquered before the congregation of Israel, are suitable for livestock—and your servants have livestock.”
5 “If we have found favor in your sight,” they said, “let this land be given to your servants as a possession. Do not make us cross the Jordan.”
6 But Moses asked the Gadites and Reubenites, “Shall your brothers go to war while you sit here? 7 Why are you discouraging the Israelites from crossing into the land that the LORD has given them? 8 This is what your fathers did when I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to inspect the land.
9 For when your fathers went up to the Valley of Eshcol and saw the land, they discouraged the Israelites from entering the land that the LORD had given them. 10 So the anger of the LORD was kindled that day, and He swore an oath, saying, 11 ‘Because they did not follow Me wholeheartedly, not one of the men twenty years of age or older who came out of Egypt will see the land that I swore to give Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob— 12 not one except Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua son of Nun—because they did follow the LORD wholeheartedly.’ 13 The anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until the whole generation who had done evil in His sight was gone.
14 Now behold, you, a brood of sinners, have risen up in place of your fathers to further stoke the burning anger of the LORD against Israel. 15 For if you turn away from following Him, He will once again leave this people in the wilderness, and you will be the cause of their destruction.”
16 Then the Gadites and Reubenites approached Moses and said, “We want to build sheepfolds here for our livestock and cities for our little ones. 17 But we will arm ourselves and be ready b to go ahead of the Israelites until we have brought them into their place. Meanwhile, our little ones will remain in the fortified cities for protection from the inhabitants of the land. 18 We will not return to our homes until every Israelite has taken possession of his inheritance. 19 Yet we will not have an inheritance with them across the Jordan and beyond, because our inheritance has come to us on the east side of the Jordan.”
20 Moses replied, “If you will do this—if you will arm yourselves before the LORD for battle, 21 and if every one of your armed men crosses the Jordan before the LORD, until He has driven His enemies out before Him, 22 then when the land is subdued before the LORD, you may return and be free of obligation to the LORD and to Israel. And this land will belong to you as a possession before the LORD. 23 But if you do not do this, you will certainly sin against the LORD—and be assured that your sin will find you out. 24 Build cities for your little ones and folds for your flocks, but do what you have promised.”
25 The Gadites and Reubenites said to Moses, “Your servants will do just as our lord commands. 26 Our children, our wives, our livestock, and all our animals will remain here in the cities of Gilead. 27 But your servants are equipped for war, and every man will cross over to the battle before the LORD, just as our lord says.”
28 So Moses gave orders about them to Eleazar the priest, to Joshua son of Nun, and to the family leaders of the tribes of Israel. 29 And Moses said to them, “If the Gadites and Reubenites cross the Jordan with you, with every man armed for battle before the LORD, and the land is subdued before you, then you are to give them the land of Gilead as a possession. 30 But if they do not arm themselves and go across with you, then they must accept their possession among you in the land of Canaan.”
31 The Gadites and Reubenites replied, “As the LORD has spoken to your servants, so we will do. 32 We will cross over into the land of Canaan armed before the LORD, that we may have our inheritance on this side of the Jordan.”
33 So Moses gave to the Gadites, to the Reubenites, and to the half-tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan—the land including its cities and the territory surrounding them.
34 And the Gadites built up Dibon, Ataroth, Aroer, 35 Atroth-shophan, Jazer, Jogbehah, 36 Beth-nimrah, and Beth-haran as fortified cities, and they built folds for their flocks.
37 The Reubenites built up Heshbon, Elealeh, Kiriathaim, 38 as well as Nebo and Baal-meon (whose names were changed), and Sibmah. And they renamed the cities they rebuilt.
39 The descendants of Machir son of Manasseh went to Gilead, captured it, and drove out the Amorites who were there. 40 So Moses gave Gilead to the clan of Machir son of Manasseh, and they settled there. 41 Jair, a descendant of Manasseh, went and captured their villages and called them Havvoth-jair. c 42 And Nobah went and captured Kenath and its villages and called it Nobah, after his own name.
Footnotes:
3 a Hebrew; see verse 38, and similarly in SP and LXX Sibmah
17 b LXX we will arm ourselves for battle
41 c Havvoth-jair means the villages of Jair .
Numbers 33
Forty-Two Journeys of the Israelites
1 These are the journeys of the Israelites when they came out of the land of Egypt by their divisions under the leadership of Moses and Aaron. 2 At the LORD’s command, Moses recorded the stages of their journey. These are the stages listed by their starting points:
3 On the fifteenth day of the first month, on the day after the Passover, the Israelites set out from Rameses. They marched out defiantly a in full view of all the Egyptians, 4 who were burying all their firstborn, whom the LORD had struck down among them; for the LORD had executed judgment against their gods. 5 The Israelites set out from Rameses and camped at Succoth.
6 They set out from Succoth and camped at Etham, on the edge of the wilderness.
7 They set out from Etham and turned back to Pi-hahiroth, opposite Baal-zephon, and they camped near Migdol.
8 They set out from Pi-hahiroth b and crossed through the sea, into the wilderness, and they journeyed three days into the Wilderness of Etham and camped at Marah.
9 They set out from Marah and came to Elim, where there were twelve springs and seventy palm trees, and they camped there.
10 They set out from Elim and camped by the Red Sea. c
11 They set out from the Red Sea and camped in the Desert of Sin. d
12 They set out from the Desert of Sin and camped at Dophkah.
13 They set out from Dophkah and camped at Alush.
14 They set out from Alush and camped at Rephidim, where there was no water for the people to drink.
15 They set out from Rephidim and camped in the Wilderness of Sinai.
16 They set out from the Wilderness of Sinai and camped at Kibroth-hattaavah.
17 They set out from Kibroth-hattaavah and camped at Hazeroth.
18 They set out from Hazeroth and camped at Rithmah.
19 They set out from Rithmah and camped at Rimmon-perez.
20 They set out from Rimmon-perez and camped at Libnah.
21 They set out from Libnah and camped at Rissah.
22 They set out from Rissah and camped at Kehelathah.
23 They set out from Kehelathah and camped at Mount Shepher.
24 They set out from Mount Shepher and camped at Haradah.
25 They set out from Haradah and camped at Makheloth.
26 They set out from Makheloth and camped at Tahath.
27 They set out from Tahath and camped at Terah.
28 They set out from Terah and camped at Mithkah.
29 They set out from Mithkah and camped at Hashmonah.
30 They set out from Hashmonah and camped at Moseroth.
31 They set out from Moseroth and camped at Bene-jaakan.
32 They set out from Bene-jaakan and camped at Hor-haggidgad.
33 They set out from Hor-haggidgad and camped at Jotbathah.
34 They set out from Jotbathah and camped at Abronah.
35 They set out from Abronah and camped at Ezion-geber.
36 They set out from Ezion-geber and camped at Kadesh in the Wilderness of Zin.
37 They set out from Kadesh and camped at Mount Hor, on the outskirts of the land of Edom. 38 At the LORD’s command, Aaron the priest climbed Mount Hor and died there on the first day of the fifth month, in the fortieth year after the Israelites had come out of the land of Egypt. 39 Aaron was 123 years old when he died on Mount Hor.
40 Now the Canaanite king of Arad, who lived in the Negev in the land of Canaan, heard that the Israelites were coming. 41 And the Israelites set out from Mount Hor and camped at Zalmonah.
42 They set out from Zalmonah and camped at Punon.
43 They set out from Punon and camped at Oboth.
44 They set out from Oboth and camped at Iye-abarim on the border of Moab.
45 They set out from Iyim e and camped at Dibon-gad.
46 They set out from Dibon-gad and camped at Almon-diblathaim.
47 They set out from Almon-diblathaim and camped in the mountains of Abarim f facing Nebo.
48 They set out from the mountains of Abarim and camped on the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho.
49 And there on the plains of Moab they camped by the Jordan, from Beth-jeshimoth to Abel-shittim. g
Instructions for Occupying Canaan
50 On the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho, the LORD said to Moses, 51 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them: When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan, 52 you must drive out before you all the inhabitants of the land, destroy all their carved images and cast idols, and demolish all their high places.
53 You are to take possession of the land and settle in it, for I have given you the land to possess. 54 And you are to divide the land by lot according to your clans. Give a larger inheritance to a larger clan and a smaller inheritance to a smaller one. Whatever falls to each one by lot will be his. You will receive an inheritance according to the tribes of your fathers.
55 But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land before you, those you allow to remain will become barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides; they will harass you in the land where you settle. 56 And then I will do to you what I had planned to do to them.”
Footnotes:
3 a Or marched out boldly ; literally marched out with an upraised hand
8 b Some Hebrew manuscripts, SP, and Vulgate; see verse 7; most MT manuscripts Hahiroth
10 c Or the Sea of Reeds ; also in verse 11
11 d The geographical name Sin is related to Sinai and should not be mistaken for the English word sin ; also in verse 12.
45 e Iyim is another name for Iye-abarim ; see verse 44.
47 f Or the mountains beyond the river ; also in verse 48
49 g Or the Meadow of the Acacias ; that is, an area in the lowlands of Moab
Numbers 34
The Boundaries of Canaan
(Genesis 15:8–21)
1 Then the LORD said to Moses, 2 “Command the Israelites and say to them:When you enter the land of Canaan, it will be allotted to you as an inheritance with these boundaries:
3 Your southern border will extend from the Wilderness of Zin along the border of Edom. On the east, your southern border will run from the end of the Salt Sea, a 4 cross south of the Ascent of Akrabbim, b continue to Zin, and go south of Kadesh-barnea. Then it will go on to Hazar-addar and proceed to Azmon, 5 where it will turn from Azmon, join the Brook of Egypt, and end at the Sea. c
6 Your western border will be the coastline of the Great Sea; this will be your boundary on the west.
7 Your northern border will run from the Great Sea directly to Mount Hor, 8 and from Mount Hor to Lebo-hamath, then extend to Zedad, 9 continue to Ziphron, and end at Hazar-enan. This will be your boundary on the north.
10 And your eastern border will run straight from Hazar-enan to Shepham, 11 then go down from Shepham to Riblah on the east side of Ain and continue along the slopes east of the Sea of Chinnereth. d 12 Then the border will go down along the Jordan and end at the Salt Sea.
This will be your land, defined by its borders on all sides.”
13 So Moses commanded the Israelites, “Apportion this land by lot as an inheritance. The LORD has commanded that it be given to the nine and a half tribes. 14 For the tribes of the Reubenites and Gadites, along with the half-tribe of Manasseh, have already received their inheritance. 15 These two and a half tribes have received their inheritance across the Jordan from Jericho, toward the sunrise.”
Leaders to Divide the Land
16 Then the LORD said to Moses, 17 “These are the names of the men who are to assign the land as an inheritance for you: Eleazar the priest and Joshua son of Nun. 18 Appoint one leader from each tribe to distribute the land. 19 These are their names:
Caleb son of Jephunneh from the tribe of Judah;
20 Shemuel son of Ammihud from the tribe of Simeon;
21 Elidad son of Chislon from the tribe of Benjamin;
22 Bukki son of Jogli, a leader from the tribe of Dan;
23 Hanniel son of Ephod, a leader from the tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph;
24 Kemuel son of Shiphtan, a leader from the tribe of Ephraim;
25 Eli-zaphan son of Parnach, a leader from the tribe of Zebulun;
26 Paltiel son of Azzan, a leader from the tribe of Issachar;
27 Ahihud son of Shelomi, a leader from the tribe of Asher;
28 and Pedahel son of Ammihud, a leader from the tribe of Naphtali.”
29 These are the ones whom the LORD commanded to apportion the inheritance to the Israelites in the land of Canaan.
Footnotes:
3 a That is, the Dead Sea; also in verse 12
4 b Or the Ascent of Scorpions or Scorpion Pass
5 c That is, the Mediterranean Sea, also called the Great Sea; also in verses 6 and 7
11 d That is, the Sea of Galilee
Numbers 35
Forty-Eight Cities for the Levites
(Joshua 21:1–45; 1 Chronicles 6:54–81)
1 Again the LORD spoke to Moses on the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho: 2 “Command the Israelites to give, from the inheritance they will possess, cities for the Levites to live in and pasturelands around the cities. 3 The cities will be for them to live in, and the pasturelands will be for their herds, their flocks, and all their other livestock.
4 The pasturelands around the cities you are to give the Levites will extend a thousand cubits a from the wall on every side. 5 You are also to measure two thousand cubits b outside the city on the east, two thousand on the south, two thousand on the west, and two thousand on the north, with the city in the center. These areas will serve as larger pasturelands for the cities.
6 Six of the cities you give the Levites are to be appointed as cities of refuge, to which a manslayer may flee. In addition to these, give the Levites forty-two other cities. 7 The total number of cities you give the Levites will be forty-eight, with their corresponding pasturelands. 8 The cities that you apportion from the territory of the Israelites should be given to the Levites in proportion to the inheritance of each tribe: more from a larger tribe and less from a smaller one.”
Six Cities of Refuge
(Deuteronomy 4:41–43; Deuteronomy 19:1–14; Joshua 20:1–9)
9 Then the LORD said to Moses, 10 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them:When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan, 11 designate cities to serve as your cities of refuge, so that a person who kills someone unintentionally may flee there. 12 You are to have these cities as a refuge from the avenger, so that the manslayer will not die until he stands trial before the assembly.
13 The cities you select will be your six cities of refuge. 14 Select three cities across the Jordan and three in the land of Canaan as cities of refuge. 15 These six cities will serve as a refuge for the Israelites and for the foreigner or stranger among them, so that anyone who kills a person unintentionally may flee there.
16 If, however, anyone strikes a person with an iron object and kills him, he is a murderer;the murderer must surely be put to death. 17 Or if anyone has in his hand a stone of deadly size, and he strikes and kills another, he is a murderer; the murderer must surely be put to death. 18 If anyone has in his hand a deadly object of wood, and he strikes and kills another, he is a murderer; the murderer must surely be put to death.
19 The avenger of blood is to put the murderer to death; when he finds him, he is to kill him.
20 Likewise, if anyone maliciously pushes another or intentionally throws an object at him and kills him, 21 or if in hostility he strikes him with his hand and he dies, the one who struck him must surely be put to death; he is a murderer. When the avenger of blood finds the murderer, he is to kill him.
22 But if anyone pushes a person suddenly, without hostility, or throws an object at him unintentionally, 23 or without looking drops a heavy stone that kills him, but he was not an enemy and did not intend to harm him, 24 then the congregation must judge between the slayer and the avenger of blood according to these ordinances. 25 The assembly is to protect the manslayer from the hand of the avenger of blood. Then the assembly will return him to the city of refuge to which he fled, and he must live there until the death of the high priest, who was anointed with the holy oil.
26 But if the manslayer ever goes outside the limits of the city of refuge to which he fled 27 and the avenger of blood finds him outside of his city of refuge and kills him, then the avenger will not be guilty of bloodshed 28 because the manslayer must remain in his city of refuge until the death of the high priest. Only after the death of the high priest may he return to the land he owns. 29 This will be a statutory ordinance for you for the generations to come, wherever you live.
30 If anyone kills a person, the murderer is to be put to death on the testimony of the witnesses. But no one is to be put to death based on the testimony of a lone witness.
31 You are not to accept a ransom for the life of a murderer who deserves to die; he must surely be put to death. 32 Nor should you accept a ransom for the person who flees to a city of refuge and allow him to return and live on his own land before the death of the high priest.
33 Do not pollute the land where you live, for bloodshed pollutes the land, and no atonement can be made for the land on which the blood is shed, except by the blood of the one who shed it. 34 Do not defile the land where you live and where I dwell. For I, the LORD, dwell among the Israelites.”
Footnotes:
4 a 1,000 cubits is approximately 1,500 feet or 457.2 meters.
5 b 2,000 cubits is approximately 3,000 feet or 914.4 meters.
Numbers 36
Zelophehad’s Daughters Marry
(Numbers 27:1–11)
1 Now the family heads of the clan of Gilead son of Machir son of Manasseh, one of the clans of Joseph, approached Moses and the leaders who were the heads of the Israelite families and addressed them, 2 saying, “When the LORD commanded my lord to give the land as an inheritance to the Israelites by lot, He also commanded him to give the inheritance of our brother Zelophehad to his daughters. 3 But if they marry any of the men from the other tribes of Israel, their inheritance will be withdrawn from the portion of our fathers and added to the tribe into which they marry. So our allotted inheritance would be taken away. 4 And when the Jubilee for the Israelites comes, their inheritance will be added to the tribe into which they marry and taken away from the tribe of our fathers.”
5 So at the word of the LORD, Moses commanded the Israelites: “The tribe of the sons of Joseph speaks correctly. 6 This is what the LORD has commanded concerning the daughters of Zelophehad: They may marry anyone they please, provided they marry within a clan of the tribe of their father. 7 No inheritance in Israel may be transferred from tribe to tribe, because each of the Israelites is to retain the inheritance of the tribe of his fathers. 8 Every daughter who possesses an inheritance from any Israelite tribe must marry within a clan of the tribe of her father, so that every Israelite will possess the inheritance of his fathers. 9 No inheritance may be transferred from one tribe to another, for each tribe of Israel must retain its inheritance.”
10 So the daughters of Zelophehad did as the LORD had commanded Moses. 11 Mahlah, Tirzah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Noah, the daughters of Zelophehad, were married to cousins on their father’s side. 12 They married within the clans of the descendants of Manasseh son of Joseph, and their inheritance remained within the tribe of their father’s clan.
13 These are the commandments and ordinances that the LORD gave the Israelites through Moses on the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho.
Deuteronomy
Deuteronomy 1
The Command to Leave Horeb
(Exodus 33:1–6)
1 These are the words that Moses spoke to all Israel in the wilderness east of the Jordan—in the Arabah opposite Suph—between Paran and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Dizahab.
2 It is an eleven-day journey from Horeb a to Kadesh-barnea by way of Mount Seir. 3 In the fortieth year, on the first day of the eleventh month, Moses proclaimed to the Israelites all that the LORD had commanded him concerning them. 4 This was after he had defeated Sihon king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon, and then at Edrei had defeated Og king of Bashan, who lived in Ashtaroth.
5 On the east side of the Jordan in the land of Moab, Moses began to explain this law, saying: b
6 The LORD our God said to us at Horeb: “You have stayed at this mountain long enough. 7 Resume your journey and go to the hill country of the Amorites; go to all the neighboring peoples in the Arabah, in the hill country, in the foothills, c in the Negev, and along the seacoast to the land of the Canaanites and to Lebanon, as far as the great River Euphrates.
8 See, I have placed the land before you. Enter and possess the land that the LORD swore He would give to your fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and to their descendants after them.”
Moses Appoints Leaders
(Exodus 18:13–27)
9 At that time I said to you, “I cannot carry the burden for you alone. 10 The LORD your God has multiplied you, so that today you are as numerous as the stars in the sky. 11 May the LORD, the God of your fathers, increase you a thousand times over and bless you as He has promised. 12 But how can I bear your troubles, burdens, and disputes all by myself? 13 Choose for yourselves wise, understanding, and respected men from each of your tribes, and I will appoint them as your leaders.”
14 And you answered me and said, “What you propose to do is good.”
15 So I took the leaders of your tribes, wise and respected men, and appointed them as leaders over you—as commanders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens, and as officers for your tribes.
16 At that time I charged your judges: “Hear the disputes between your brothers, and judge fairly between a man and his brother or a foreign resident. 17 Show no partiality in judging; hear both small and great alike. Do not be intimidated by anyone, for judgment belongs to God. And bring to me any case too difficult for you, and I will hear it.”
18 And at that time I commanded you all the things you were to do.
Twelve Spies Sent Out
(Numbers 13:1–33)
19 And just as the LORD our God had commanded us, we set out from Horeb and went toward the hill country of the Amorites, through all the vast and terrifying wilderness you have seen. When we reached Kadesh-barnea, 20 I said: “You have reached the hill country of the Amorites, which the LORD our God is giving us. 21 See, the LORD your God has placed the land before you. Go up and take possession of it as the LORD, the God of your fathers, has told you. Do not be afraid or discouraged.”
22 Then all of you approached me and said, “Let us send men ahead of us to search out the land and bring us word of what route to follow and which cities to enter.”
23 The plan seemed good to me, so I selected twelve men from among you, one from each tribe. 24 They left and went up into the hill country, and came to the Valley of Eshcol and spied out the land. 25 They took some of the fruit of the land in their hands, carried it down to us, and brought us word: “It is a good land that the LORD our God is giving us.”
Israel’s Rebellion
(Numbers 14:1–12)
26 But you were unwilling to go up; you rebelled against the command of the LORD your God. 27 You grumbled in your tents and said, “Because the LORD hates us, He has brought us out of the land of Egypt to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites to be annihilated. 28 Where can we go? Our brothers have made our hearts melt, saying: ‘The people are larger and taller than we are; the cities are large, with walls up to the heavens. We even saw the descendants of the Anakim there.’ ”
29 So I said to you: “Do not be terrified or afraid of them! 30 The LORD your God, who goes before you, will fight for you, just as you saw Him do for you in Egypt 31 and in the wilderness, where the LORD your God carried you, as a man carries his son, all the way by which you traveled until you reached this place.”
32 But in spite of all this, you did not trust the LORD your God, 33 who went before you on the journey, in the fire by night and in the cloud by day, to seek out a place for you to camp and to show you the road to travel.
Israel’s Penalty
(Numbers 14:20–35)
34 When the LORD heard your words, He grew angry and swore an oath, saying, 35 “Not one of the men of this evil generation shall see the good land I swore to give your fathers, 36 except Caleb son of Jephunneh. He will see it, and I will give him and his descendants the land on which he has set foot, because he followed the LORD wholeheartedly.”
37 The LORD was also angry with me on your account, and He said, “Not even you shall enter the land. 38 Joshua son of Nun, who stands before you, will enter it. Encourage him, for he will enable Israel to inherit the land. 39 And the little ones you said would become captives—your children who on that day did not know good from evil—will enter the land that I will give them, and they will possess it. 40 But you are to turn back and head for the wilderness along the route to the Red Sea. d”
The Defeat at Hormah
(Numbers 14:40–45)
41 “We have sinned against the LORD,” you replied. “We will go up and fight, as the LORD our God has commanded us.” Then each of you put on his weapons of war, thinking it easy to go up into the hill country.
42 But the LORD said to me, “Tell them not to go up and fight, for I am not with you to keep you from defeat by your enemies.”
43 So I spoke to you, but you would not listen. You rebelled against the command of the LORD and presumptuously went up into the hill country.
44 Then the Amorites who lived in the hills came out against you and chased you like a swarm of bees. They routed you from Seir all the way to Hormah. 45 And you returned and wept before the LORD, but He would not listen to your voice or give ear to you.
46 For this reason you stayed in Kadesh for a long time—a very long time.
Footnotes:
2 a That is, Mount Sinai, or possibly a mountain in the range containing Mount Sinai; also in verses 6 and 19
5 b Note that Deuteronomy 1:6 through Deuteronomy 4:40 may be presented as a continuous section of unbroken speech by Moses. In place of multiple levels of nested quotes, this section has been set apart with a double space.
7 c Hebrew Shephelah or lowlands ; that is, the western foothills of Judea
40 d Or the Sea of Reeds
Deuteronomy 2
Wanderings in the Wilderness
1 Then we turned back and headed for the wilderness by way of the Red Sea, a as the LORD had instructed me, and for many days we wandered around Mount Seir.
2 At this time the LORD said to me, 3 “You have been wandering around this hill country long enough; turn to the north 4 and command the people: ‘You will pass through the territory of your brothers, the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir. They will be afraid of you, so you must be very careful. 5 Do not provoke them, for I will not give you any of their land, not even a footprint, because I have given Mount Seir to Esau as his possession. 6 You are to pay them in silver for the food you eat and the water you drink.’ ”
7 Indeed, the LORD your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He has watched over your journey through this vast wilderness. The LORD your God has been with you these forty years, and you have lacked nothing.
8 So we passed by our brothers, the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir. We turned away from the Arabah road, which comes up from Elath and Ezion-geber, and traveled along the road of the Wilderness of Moab. 9 Then the LORD said to me, “Do not harass the Moabites or provoke them to war, for I will not give you any of their land, because I have given Ar to the descendants of Lot as their possession.”
10 (The Emites used to live there, a people great and many, as tall as the Anakites. 11 Like the Anakites, they were also regarded as Rephaim, though the Moabites called them Emites. 12 The Horites used to live in Seir, but the descendants of Esau drove them out. They destroyed the Horites from before them and settled in their place, just as Israel did in the land that the LORD gave them as their possession.)
13 “Now arise and cross over the Brook of Zered.”
So we crossed over the Brook of Zered.
14 The time we spent traveling from Kadesh-barnea until we crossed over the Brook of Zered was thirty-eight years, until that entire generation of fighting men had perished from the camp, as the LORD had sworn to them. 15 Indeed, the LORD’s hand was against them, to eliminate them from the camp, until they had all perished.
16 Now when all the fighting men among the people had died, 17 the LORD said to me, 18 “Today you are going to cross the border of Moab at Ar. 19 But when you get close to the Ammonites, do not harass them or provoke them, for I will not give you any of the land of the Ammonites. I have given it to the descendants of Lot as their possession.”
20 (That too was regarded as the land of the Rephaim, who used to live there, though the Ammonites called them Zamzummites. 21 They were a people great and many, as tall as the Anakites. But the LORD destroyed them from before the Ammonites, who drove them out and settled in their place, 22 just as He had done for the descendants of Esau who lived in Seir, when He destroyed the Horites from before them. They drove them out and have lived in their place to this day. 23 And the Avvim, who lived in villages as far as Gaza, were destroyed by the Caphtorites, who came out of Caphtor b and settled in their place.)
The Defeat of Sihon
(Numbers 21:21–30)
24 “Arise, set out, and cross the Arnon Valley. See, I have delivered into your hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land. Begin to take possession of it and engage him in battle. 25 This very day I will begin to put the dread and fear of you upon all the nations under heaven. They will hear the reports of you and tremble in anguish because of you.”
26 So from the Wilderness of Kedemoth I sent messengers with an offer of peace to Sihon king of Heshbon, saying, 27 “Let us pass through your land; we will stay on the main road. We will not turn to the right or to the left. 28 You can sell us food to eat and water to drink in exchange for silver. Only let us pass through on foot, 29 just as the descendants of Esau who live in Seir and the Moabites who live in Ar did for us, until we cross the Jordan into the land that the LORD our God is giving us.”
30 But Sihon king of Heshbon would not let us pass through, for the LORD your God had made his spirit stubborn and his heart obstinate, that He might deliver him into your hand, as is the case this day.
31 Then the LORD said to me, “See, I have begun to deliver Sihon and his land over to you. Now begin to conquer and possess his land.”
32 So Sihon and his whole army came out for battle against us at Jahaz. 33 And the LORD our God delivered him over to us, and we defeated him and his sons and his whole army.
34 At that time we captured all his cities and devoted to destruction c the people of every city, including women and children. We left no survivors. 35 We carried off for ourselves only the livestock and the plunder from the cities we captured.
36 From Aroer on the rim of the Arnon Valley, along with the city in the valley, even as far as Gilead, not one city had walls too high for us. The LORD our God gave us all of them. 37 But you did not go near the land of the Ammonites, or the land along the banks of the Jabbok River, or the cities of the hill country, or any place that the LORD our God had forbidden.
Footnotes:
1 a Or the Sea of Reeds
23 b That is, Crete
34 c Forms of the Hebrew cherem refer to the giving over of things or persons to the LORD, either by destroying them or by giving them as an offering.
Deuteronomy 3
The Defeat of Og
(Numbers 21:31–35)
1 Then we turned and went up the road to Bashan, and Og king of Bashan and his whole army came out to meet us in battle at Edrei. 2 But the LORD said to me, “Do not fear him, for I have delivered him into your hand, along with all his people and his land. Do to him as you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon.”
3 So the LORD our God also delivered Og king of Bashan and his whole army into our hands. We struck them down until no survivor was left.
4 At that time we captured all sixty of his cities. There was not a single city we failed to take—the entire region of Argob, the kingdom of Og in Bashan. 5 All these cities were fortified with high walls and gates and bars, and there were many more unwalled villages. 6 We devoted them to destruction, a as we had done to Sihon king of Heshbon, utterly destroying the men, women, and children of every city.
7 But all the livestock and plunder of the cities we carried off for ourselves.
8 At that time we took from the two kings of the Amorites the land across the Jordan, from the Arnon Valley as far as Mount Hermon— 9 which the Sidonians call Sirion but the Amorites call Senir— 10 all the cities of the plateau, all of Gilead, and all of Bashan as far as the cities of Salecah and Edrei in the kingdom of Og.
11 (For only Og king of Bashan had remained of the remnant of the Rephaim. His bed of iron, nine cubits long and four cubits wide, b is still in Rabbah of the Ammonites.)
Land Division East of the Jordan
(Numbers 32:1–42; Joshua 13:8–14)
12 So at that time we took possession of this land. To the Reubenites and Gadites I gave the land beyond Aroer along the Arnon Valley, and half the hill country of Gilead, along with its cities.
13 To the half-tribe of Manasseh I gave the rest of Gilead and all of Bashan, the kingdom of Og. (The entire region of Argob, the whole territory of Bashan, used to be called the land of the Rephaim.) 14 Jair, a descendant of Manasseh, took the whole region of Argob as far as the border of the Geshurites and Maacathites. He renamed Bashan after himself, Havvoth-jair, c by which it is called to this day.
15 To Machir I gave Gilead, 16 and to the Reubenites and Gadites I gave the territory from Gilead to the Arnon Valley (the middle of the valley was the border) and up to the Jabbok River, the border of the Ammonites. 17 The Jordan River in the Arabah bordered it from Chinnereth to the Sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea d) with the slopes of Pisgah to the east.
18 At that time I commanded you: “The LORD your God has given you this land to possess. All your men of valor are to cross over, armed for battle, ahead of your brothers, the Israelites. 19 But your wives, your children, and your livestock—I know that you have much livestock—may remain in the cities I have given you, 20 until the LORD gives rest to your brothers as He has to you, and they too have taken possession of the land that the LORD your God is giving them across the Jordan. Then each of you may return to the possession I have given you.”
21 And at that time I commanded Joshua: “Your own eyes have seen all that the LORD your God has done to these two kings. The LORD will do the same to all the kingdoms you are about to enter. 22 Do not be afraid of them, for the LORD your God Himself will fight for you.”
Moses Forbidden to Cross the Jordan
(Numbers 27:12–17)
23 At that time I also pleaded with the LORD: 24 “O Lord GOD, You have begun to show Your greatness and power to Your servant. For what god in heaven or on earth can perform such works and mighty acts as Yours? 25 Please let me cross over and see the good land beyond the Jordan—that pleasant hill country as well as Lebanon!”
26 But the LORD was angry with me on account of you, and He would not listen to me. “That is enough,” the LORD said to me. “Do not speak to Me again about this matter. 27 Go to the top of Pisgah and look to the west and north and south and east. See the land with your own eyes, for you will not cross this Jordan. 28 But commission Joshua, encourage him, and strengthen him, for he will cross over ahead of the people and enable them to inherit the land that you will see.”
29 So we stayed in the valley opposite Beth-peor.
Footnotes:
6 a Forms of the Hebrew cherem refer to the giving over of things or persons to the LORD, either by destroying them or by giving them as an offering.
11 b Og’s bed was approximately 14 feet long and 6 feet wide (4.3 meters long and 1.8 meters wide).
14 c Or the villages of Jair
17 d That is, the Dead Sea
Deuteronomy 4
An Exhortation to Obedience
(Deuteronomy 11:1–7)
1 Hear now, O Israel, the statutes and ordinances I am teaching you to follow, so that you may live and may enter and take possession of the land that the LORD, the God of your fathers, is giving you. 2 You must not add to or subtract from what I command you, so that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God that I am giving you.
3 Your eyes have seen what the LORD did at Baal-peor, for the LORD your God destroyed from among you all who followed Baal of Peor. 4 But you who held fast to the LORD your God are alive to this day, every one of you.
5 See, I have taught you statutes and ordinances just as the LORD my God has commanded me, so that you may follow them in the land that you are about to enter and possess. 6 Observe them carefully, for this will show your wisdom and understanding in the sight of the peoples, who will hear of all these statutes and say, “Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.”
7 For what nation is great enough to have a god as near to them as the LORD our God is to us whenever we call on Him? 8 And what nation is great enough to have righteous statutes and ordinances like this entire law I set before you today?
9 Only be on your guard and diligently watch yourselves, so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen, and so that they do not slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and grandchildren. 10 The day you stood before the LORD your God at Horeb, a the LORD said to me, “Gather the people before Me to hear My words, so that they may learn to fear Me all the days they live on the earth, and that they may teach them to their children.”
11 You came near and stood at the base of the mountain, a mountain blazing with fire to the heavens, with black clouds and deep darkness. 12 And the LORD spoke to you out of the fire. You heard the sound of the words, but saw no form; there was only a voice. 13 He declared to you His covenant, which He commanded you to follow—the Ten Commandments b that He wrote on two tablets of stone.
14 At that time the LORD commanded me to teach you the statutes and ordinances you are to follow in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess.
A Warning against Idolatry
(Deuteronomy 12:29–32; Ezekiel 6:1–7)
15 So since you saw no form of any kind on the day the LORD spoke to you out of the fire at Horeb, be careful 16 that you do not act corruptly and make an idol for yourselves of any form or shape, whether in the likeness of a male or female, 17 of any beast that is on the earth or bird that flies in the air, 18 or of any creature that crawls on the ground or fish that is in the waters below.
19 When you look to the heavens and see the sun and moon and stars—all the host of heaven—do not be enticed to bow down and worship what the LORD your God has apportioned to all the nations under heaven. 20 Yet the LORD has taken you and brought you out of the iron furnace, out of Egypt, to be the people of His inheritance, as you are today.
21 The LORD, however, was angry with me on account of you, and He swore that I would not cross the Jordan to enter the good land that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance. 22 For I will not be crossing the Jordan, because I must die in this land. But you shall cross over and take possession of that good land.
23 Be careful that you do not forget the covenant of the LORD your God that He made with you; do not make an idol for yourselves in the form of anything He has forbidden you. 24 For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, c a jealous God.
25 After you have children and grandchildren and you have been in the land a long time, if you then act corruptly and make an idol of any form—doing evil in the sight of the LORD your God and provoking Him to anger— 26 I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you this day that you will quickly perish from the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess. You will not live long upon it, but will be utterly destroyed.
27 Then the LORD will scatter you among the peoples, and only a few of you will survive among the nations to which the LORD will drive you. 28 And there you will serve man-made gods of wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or eat or smell.
29 But if from there you will seek the LORD your God, you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul. 30 When you are in distress and all these things have happened to you, then in later days you will return to the LORD your God and listen to His voice. 31 For the LORD your God is a merciful God; He will not abandon you or destroy you or forget the covenant with your fathers, which He swore to them by oath.
The LORD Alone Is God
32 Indeed, ask now from one end of the heavens to the other about the days that long preceded you, from the day that God created man on earth: Has anything as great as this ever happened or been reported? 33 Has a people ever heard the voice of God d speaking out of the fire, as you have, and lived? 34 Or has any god tried to take as his own a nation out of another nation—by trials, signs, wonders, and war, by a strong hand and an outstretched arm, and by great terrors—as the LORD your God did for you in Egypt, before your eyes?
35 You were shown these things so that you would know that the LORD is God; there is no other besides Him.
36 He let you hear His voice from heaven to discipline you, and on earth He showed you His great fire, and you heard His words out of the fire. 37 Because He loved your fathers, He chose their descendants after them and brought you out of Egypt by His presence and great power, 38 to drive out before you nations greater and mightier than you, and to bring you into their land and give it to you for your inheritance, as it is this day.
39 Know therefore this day and take to heart that the LORD is God in heaven above and on the earth below; there is no other. 40 Keep His statutes and commandments, which I am giving you today, so that you and your children after you may prosper, and that you may live long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you for all time.
Cities of Refuge
(Numbers 35:9–34; Deuteronomy 19:1–14; Joshua 20:1–9)
41 Then Moses set aside three cities across the Jordan to the east 42 to which a manslayer could flee after killing his neighbor unintentionally without prior malice.
To save one’s own life, he could flee to one of these cities: 43 Bezer in the wilderness on the plateau belonging to the Reubenites, Ramoth in Gilead belonging to the Gadites, or Golan in Bashan belonging to the Manassites.
Introduction to the Law
44 This is the law that Moses set before the Israelites. 45 These are the testimonies, statutes, and ordinances that Moses proclaimed to them after they had come out of Egypt, 46 while they were in the valley across the Jordan facing Beth-peor in the land of Sihon king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon and was defeated by Moses and the Israelites after they had come out of Egypt.
47 They took possession of the land belonging to Sihon and to Og king of Bashan—the two Amorite kings across the Jordan to the east— 48 extending from Aroer on the rim of the Arnon Valley as far as Mount Siyon e (that is, Hermon), 49 including all the Arabah on the east side of the Jordan and as far as the Sea of the Arabah, f below the slopes of Pisgah.
Footnotes:
10 a That is, Mount Sinai, or possibly a mountain in the range containing Mount Sinai; also in verse 15
13 b Hebrew the Ten Words
24 c Cited in Hebrews 12:29
33 d Or of a god
48 e Or Sion ; Syriac Sirion
49 f That is, the Dead Sea
Deuteronomy 5
The Covenant at Horeb
1 Then Moses summoned all Israel and said to them: a
Hear, O Israel, the statutes and ordinances that I declare in your hearing this day. Learn them and observe them carefully. 2 The LORD our God made a covenant with us at Horeb. b
3 He did not make this covenant with our fathers, but with all of us who are alive here today. 4 The LORD spoke with you face to face out of the fire on the mountain.
The Ten Commandments
(Exodus 20:1–17)
5 At that time I was standing between the LORD and you to declare to you the word of the LORD, because you were afraid of the fire and would not go up the mountain. And He said: 6 “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
7 You shall have no other gods before Me. c
8 You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in the heavens above, on the earth below, or in the waters beneath. 9 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on their children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, 10 but showing loving devotion to a thousand generations d of those who love Me and keep My commandments.
11 You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave anyone unpunished who takes His name in vain.
12 Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the LORD your God has commanded you. 13 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 14 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God, on which you must not do any work—neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your ox or donkey or any of your livestock, nor the foreigner within your gates, so that your manservant and maidservant may rest as you do. 15 Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and that the LORD your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. That is why the LORD your God has commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.
16 Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you, so that your days may be long and that it may go well with you in the land that the LORD your God is giving you. e
18 You shall not commit adultery. g
20 You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. i
21 You shall not covet j your neighbor’s wife. You shall not covet your neighbor’s house or field, or his manservant or maidservant, or his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
Moses Intercedes for the People
(Exodus 20:18–21; Hebrews 12:18–29)
22 The LORD spoke these commandments in a loud voice to your whole assembly out of the fire, the cloud, and the deep darkness on the mountain; He added nothing more. And He wrote them on two tablets of stone and gave them to me.
23 And when you heard the voice out of the darkness while the mountain was blazing with fire, all the heads of your tribes and your elders approached me, 24 and you said, “Behold, the LORD our God has shown us His glory and greatness, and we have heard His voice out of the fire. Today we have seen that a man can live even if God speaks with him. 25 But now, why should we die? For this great fire will consume us, and we will die, if we hear the voice of the LORD our God any longer. 26 For who of all flesh has heard the voice of the living God speaking out of the fire, as we have, and survived? 27 Go near and listen to all that the LORD our God says. Then you can tell us everything the LORD our God tells you; we will listen and obey.”
28 And the LORD heard the words you spoke to me, and He said to me, “I have heard the words that these people have spoken to you. They have done well in all that they have spoken. 29 If only they had such a heart to fear Me and keep all My commandments always, so that it might be well with them and with their children forever. 30 Go and tell them: ‘Return to your tents.’ 31 But you stand here with Me, that I may speak to you all the commandments and statutes and ordinances you are to teach them to follow in the land that I am giving them to possess.”
32 So be careful to do as the LORD your God has commanded you; you are not to turn aside to the right or to the left. 33 You must walk in all the ways that the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess.
Footnotes:
1 a Note that Deuteronomy 5:1 through Deuteronomy 26:19 may be presented as a continuous section of unbroken speech by Moses. In place of multiple levels of nested quotes, this section has been set apart with a double space.
2 b That is, Mount Sinai, or possibly a mountain in the range containing Mount Sinai
7 c Or besides Me
10 d Hebrew loving devotion to thousands ; forms of the Hebrew chesed are translated here and in most cases throughout the Scriptures as loving devotion ; the range of meaning includes love , goodness , kindness , faithfulness , and mercy , as well as loyalty to a covenant .
16 e Cited in Matthew 15:4, Matthew 19:19, Mark 7:10, Luke 18:20, and Ephesians 6:2–3
17 f Cited in Matthew 5:21, Matthew 19:18, Mark 10:19, Luke 18:20, Romans 13:9, and James 2:11
18 g Cited in Matthew 5:27, Matthew 19:18, Mark 10:19, Luke 18:20, Romans 13:9, and James 2:11
19 h Cited in Matthew 19:18, Mark 10:19, Luke 18:20, and Romans 13:9
20 i Cited in Matthew 19:18, Mark 10:19, and Luke 18:20
21 j Cited in Romans 7:7 and Romans 13:9
Deuteronomy 6
The Greatest Commandment
(Matthew 22:34–40; Mark 12:28–34)
1 These are the commandments and statutes and ordinances that the LORD your God has instructed me to teach you to follow in the land that you are about to enter and possess, 2 so that you and your children and grandchildren may fear the LORD your God all the days of your lives by keeping all His statutes and commandments that I give you, and so that your days may be prolonged. 3 Hear, O Israel, and be careful to observe them, so that you may prosper and multiply greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the LORD, the God of your fathers, has promised you.
4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is One. a 5 And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. b
6 These words I am commanding you today are to be upon your hearts. 7 And you shall teach them diligently to your children and speak of them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as reminders on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorposts of your houses and on your gates.
10 And when the LORD your God brings you into the land He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, that He would give you—a land with great and splendid cities that you did not build, 11 with houses full of every good thing with which you did not fill them, with wells that you did not dig, and with vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant—and when you eat and are satisfied, 12 be careful not to forget the LORD who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
13 Fear the LORD your God, serve Him only, and take your oaths in His name. c 14 Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you. 15 For the LORD your God, who is among you, is a jealous God. Otherwise the anger of the LORD your God will be kindled against you, and He will wipe you off the face of the earth.
16 Do not test the LORD your God as you tested Him at Massah. d 17 You are to diligently keep the commandments of the LORD your God and the testimonies and statutes He has given you. 18 Do what is right and good in the sight of the LORD, so that it may be well with you and that you may enter and possess the good land that the LORD your God swore to give your fathers, 19 driving out all your enemies before you, as the LORD has said.
Teach Your Children
20 In the future, when your son asks, “What is the meaning of the decrees and statutes and ordinances that the LORD our God has commanded you?” 21 then you are to tell him, “We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, but the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand. 22 Before our eyes the LORD inflicted great and devastating signs and wonders on Egypt, on Pharaoh, and on all his household. 23 But He brought us out from there to lead us in and give us the land that He had sworn to our fathers.
24 And the LORD commanded us to observe all these statutes and to fear the LORD our God, that we may always be prosperous and preserved, as we are to this day. 25 And if we are careful to observe every one of these commandments before the LORD our God, as He has commanded us, then that will be our righteousness.”
Footnotes:
4 a Or The LORD our God is One LORD or The LORD is our God, the LORD is One or The LORD is our God, the LORD alone ; cited in Mark 12:29
5 b Cited in Matthew 22:37, Mark 12:30, and Luke 10:27
13 c Or serve Him, and take your oaths only in His name ; cited in Matthew 4:10 and Luke 4:8
16 d Massah means testing ; see Exodus 17:7; cited in Matthew 4:7 and Luke 4:12.
Deuteronomy 7
Drive Out the Nations
1 When the LORD your God brings you into the land that you are entering to possess, and He drives out before you many nations—the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, seven nations larger and stronger than you— 2 and when the LORD your God has delivered them over to you to defeat them, then you must devote them to complete destruction. a Make no treaty b with them and show them no mercy.
3 Do not intermarry with them. Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons, 4 because they will turn your sons away from following Me to serve other gods. Then the anger of the LORD will burn against you, and He will swiftly destroy you.
5 Instead, this is what you are to do to them: tear down their altars, smash their sacred pillars, cut down their Asherah poles, and burn their idols in the fire. 6 For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for His prized possession out of all peoples on the face of the earth.
7 The LORD did not set His affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than the other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. 8 But because the LORD loved you and kept the oath He swore to your fathers, He brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.
9 Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who keeps His covenant of loving devotion for a thousand generations of those who love Him and keep His commandments. 10 But those who hate Him He repays to their faces with destruction; He will not hesitate to repay to his face the one who hates Him.
11 So keep the commandments and statutes and ordinances that I am giving you to follow this day.
The Promises of God
(Exodus 23:20–33)
12 If you listen to these ordinances and keep them carefully, then the LORD your God will keep His covenant and the loving devotion that He swore to your fathers. 13 He will love you and bless you and multiply you. He will bless the fruit of your womb and the produce of your land—your grain, new wine, and oil, the young of your herds and the lambs of your flocks—in the land that He swore to your fathers to give you. 14 You will be blessed above all peoples; among you there will be no barren man or woman or livestock.
15 And the LORD will remove from you all sickness. He will not lay upon you any of the terrible diseases you knew in Egypt, but He will inflict them on all who hate you. 16 You must destroy all the peoples the LORD your God will deliver to you. Do not look on them with pity. Do not worship their gods, for that will be a snare to you.
17 You may say in your heart, “These nations are greater than we are; how can we drive them out?” 18 But do not be afraid of them. Be sure to remember what the LORD your God did to Pharaoh and all Egypt: 19 the great trials that you saw, the signs and wonders, and the mighty hand and outstretched arm by which the LORD your God brought you out. The LORD your God will do the same to all the peoples you now fear.
20 Moreover, the LORD your God will send the hornet against them until even the survivors hiding from you have perished. 21 Do not be terrified by them, for the LORD your God, who is among you, is a great and awesome God.
22 The LORD your God will drive out these nations before you little by little. You will not be enabled to eliminate them all at once, or the wild animals would multiply around you. 23 But the LORD your God will give them over to you and throw them into great confusion, until they are destroyed. 24 He will hand their kings over to you, and you will wipe out their names from under heaven. No one will be able to stand against you; you will annihilate them.
25 You must burn up the images of their gods; do not covet the silver and gold that is on them or take it for yourselves, or you will be ensnared by it; for it is detestable to the LORD your God. 26 And you must not bring any detestable thing into your house, or you, like it, will be set apart for destruction. You are to utterly detest and abhor it, because it is set apart for destruction.
Footnotes:
2 a Forms of the Hebrew cherem refer to the giving over of things or persons to the LORD, either by destroying them or by giving them as an offering; also twice in verse 26.
2 b Forms of the Hebrew berit are translated in most passages as covenant .
Deuteronomy 8
Remember the LORD Your God
1 You must carefully follow every commandment I am giving you today, so that you may live and multiply, and enter and possess the land that the LORD swore to give your fathers. 2 Remember that these forty years the LORD your God led you all the way in the wilderness, so that He might humble you and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep His commandments.
3 He humbled you, and in your hunger He gave you manna to eat, which neither you nor your fathers had known, so that you might understand that man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. a 4 Your clothing did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years.
5 So know in your heart that just as a man disciplines his son, so the LORD your God disciplines you. 6 Therefore you shall keep the commandments of the LORD your God, walking in His ways and fearing Him.
7 For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks and fountains and springs that flow through the valleys and hills; 8 a land of wheat, barley, vines, fig trees, and pomegranates; a land of olive oil and honey; 9 a land where you will eat food without scarcity, where you will lack nothing; a land whose rocks are iron and whose hills are ready to be mined for copper. 10 When you eat and are satisfied, you are to bless the LORD your God for the good land that He has given you.
11 Be careful not to forget the LORD your God by failing to keep His commandments and ordinances and statutes, which I am giving you this day. 12 Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses in which to dwell, 13 and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all that you have is multiplied, 14 then your heart will become proud, and you will forget the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
15 He led you through the vast and terrifying wilderness with its venomous snakes and scorpions, a thirsty and waterless land. He brought you water from the rock of flint. 16 He fed you in the wilderness with manna that your fathers had not known, in order to humble you and test you, so that in the end He might cause you to prosper.
17 You might say in your heart, “The power and strength of my hands have made this wealth for me.” 18 But remember that it is the LORD your God who gives you the power to gain wealth, in order to confirm His covenant that He swore to your fathers even to this day.
19 If you ever forget the LORD your God and go after other gods to worship and bow down to them, I testify against you today that you will surely perish. 20 Like the nations that the LORD has destroyed before you, so you will perish if you do not obey the LORD your God.
Footnotes:
3 a Cited in Matthew 4:4 and Luke 4:4
Deuteronomy 9
Assurance of Victory
1 Hear, O Israel: Today you are about to cross the Jordan to go in and dispossess nations greater and stronger than you, with large cities fortified to the heavens. 2 The people are strong and tall, the descendants of the Anakim. You know about them, and you have heard it said, “Who can stand up to the sons of Anak?” 3 But understand that today the LORD your God goes across ahead of you as a consuming fire; He will destroy them and subdue them before you. And you will drive them out and annihilate them swiftly, as the LORD has promised you.
4 When the LORD your God has driven them out before you, do not say in your heart, “Because of my righteousness the LORD has brought me in to possess this land.” Rather, the LORD is driving out these nations before you because of their wickedness.
5 It is not because of your righteousness or uprightness of heart that you are going in to possess their land, but it is because of their wickedness that the LORD your God is driving out these nations before you, to keep the promise He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 6 Understand, then, that it is not because of your righteousness that the LORD your God is giving you this good land to possess, for you are a stiff-necked people.
The Golden Calf
(Exodus 32:1–35; Acts 7:39–43)
7 Remember this, and never forget how you provoked the LORD your God in the wilderness. From the day you left the land of Egypt until you reached this place, you have been rebelling against the LORD.
8 At Horeb a you provoked the LORD, and He was angry enough to destroy you. 9 When I went up on the mountain to receive the tablets of stone, the tablets of the covenant that the LORD made with you, I stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights. I ate no bread and drank no water.
10 Then the LORD gave me the two stone tablets, inscribed by the finger of God with the exact words that the LORD spoke to you out of the fire on the mountain on the day of the assembly. 11 And at the end of forty days and forty nights, the LORD gave me the two stone tablets, the tablets of the covenant. 12 And the LORD said to me, “Get up and go down from here at once, for your people, whom you brought out of Egypt, have corrupted themselves. How quickly they have turned aside from the way that I commanded them! They have made for themselves a molten image.”
13 The LORD also said to me, “I have seen this people, and they are indeed a stiff-necked people. 14 Leave Me alone, so that I may destroy them and blot out their name from under heaven. Then I will make you into a nation mightier and greater than they are.”
15 So I went back down the mountain while it was blazing with fire, with the two tablets of the covenant in my hands. 16 And I saw how you had sinned against the LORD your God; you had made for yourselves a molten calf. You had turned aside quickly from the way that the LORD had commanded you. 17 So I took the two tablets and threw them out of my hands, shattering them before your eyes.
18 Then I fell down before the LORD for forty days and forty nights, as I had done the first time. I did not eat bread or drink water because of all the sin you had committed in doing what was evil in the sight of the LORD and provoking Him to anger. 19 For I was afraid b of the anger and wrath that the LORD had directed against you, enough to destroy you. But the LORD listened to me this time as well.
20 The LORD was angry enough with Aaron to destroy him, but at that time I also prayed for Aaron. 21 And I took that sinful thing, the calf you had made, and burned it in the fire. Then I crushed it and ground it to powder as fine as dust, and I cast it into the stream that came down from the mountain.
22 You continued to provoke the LORD at Taberah, c at Massah, d and at Kibroth-hattaavah. e 23 And when the LORD sent you out from Kadesh-barnea, He said, “Go up and possess the land that I have given you.”
But you rebelled against the command of the LORD your God. You neither believed Him nor obeyed Him. 24 You have been rebelling against the LORD since the day I came to know you. 25 So I fell down before the LORD for forty days and forty nights, because the LORD had said He would destroy you.
26 And I prayed to the LORD and said, “O Lord GOD, do not destroy Your people, Your inheritance, whom You redeemed through Your greatness and brought out of Egypt with a mighty hand. 27 Remember Your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Overlook the stubbornness of this people and the wickedness of their sin. 28 Otherwise, those in the land from which You brought us out will say, ‘Because the LORD was not able to bring them into the land He had promised them, and because He hated them, He has brought them out to kill them in the wilderness.’ 29 But they are Your people, Your inheritance, whom You brought out by Your great power and outstretched arm.”
Footnotes:
8 a That is, Mount Sinai, or possibly a mountain in the range containing Mount Sinai
19 b LXX And I am greatly terrified ; cited in Hebrews 12:21
22 c Taberah means burning ; see Numbers 11:3.
22 d Massah means testing ; see Exodus 17:7.
22 e Kibroth-hattaavah means graves of craving ; see Numbers 11:34.
Deuteronomy 10
New Stone Tablets
(Exodus 34:1–9)
1 At that time the LORD said to me, “Chisel out two stone tablets like the originals, come up to Me on the mountain, and make an ark of wood. 2 And I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke; and you are to place them in the ark.”
3 So I made an ark of acacia wood, chiseled out two stone tablets like the originals, and went up the mountain with the two tablets in my hands. 4 And the LORD wrote on the tablets what had been written previously, the Ten Commandments a that He had spoken to you on the mountain out of the fire on the day of the assembly. The LORD gave them to me, 5 and I went back down the mountain and placed the tablets in the ark I had made, as the LORD had commanded me; and there they have remained.
6 The Israelites traveled from Beeroth Bene-jaakan b to Moserah, where Aaron died and was buried, and Eleazar his son succeeded him as priest. 7 From there they traveled to Gudgodah, and from Gudgodah to Jotbathah, a land with streams of water.
8 At that time the LORD set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the ark of the covenant of the LORD, to stand before the LORD to serve Him, and to pronounce blessings in His name, as they do to this day. 9 That is why Levi has no portion or inheritance among his brothers; the LORD is his inheritance, as the LORD your God promised him.
10 I stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights, like the first time, and that time the LORD again listened to me and agreed not to destroy you.
11 Then the LORD said to me, “Get up. Continue your journey ahead of the people, that they may enter and possess the land that I swore to their fathers to give them.”
A Call to Obedience
(Joshua 24:14–28)
12 And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God by walking in all His ways, to love Him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, 13 and to keep the commandments and statutes of the LORD that I am giving you this day for your own good?
14 Behold, to the LORD your God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, and the earth and everything in it. 15 Yet the LORD has set His affection on your fathers and loved them. And He has chosen you, their descendants after them, above all the peoples, even to this day.
16 Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and stiffen your necks no more. 17 For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, mighty, and awesome God, showing no partiality and accepting no bribe. 18 He executes justice for the fatherless and widow, and He loves the foreigner, giving him food and clothing. 19 So you also must love the foreigner, since you yourselves were foreigners in the land of Egypt.
20 You are to fear the LORD your God and serve Him. Hold fast to Him and take your oaths in His name. 21 He is your praise and He is your God, who has done for you these great and awesome wonders that your eyes have seen. 22 Your fathers went down to Egypt, seventy in all, and now the LORD your God has made you as numerous as the stars in the sky.
Footnotes:
4 a Hebrew the Ten Words
6 b Or from the wells of the Bene-jaakan
Deuteronomy 11
Obedience and Discipline
(Deuteronomy 4:1–14)
1 You shall therefore love the LORD your God and always keep His charge, His statutes, His ordinances, and His commandments.
2 Know this day that it is not your children who have known and seen the discipline of the LORD your God: His greatness, His mighty hand, and His outstretched arm; 3 the signs and works He did in Egypt to Pharaoh king of Egypt and all his land; 4 what He did to the Egyptian army and horses and chariots when He made the waters of the Red Sea a engulf them as they pursued you, and how He destroyed them completely, even to this day; 5 what He did for you in the wilderness until you reached this place; 6 and what He did in the midst of all the Israelites to Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab the Reubenite, when the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them, their households, their tents, and every living thing that belonged to them.
7 For it is your own eyes that have seen every great work that the LORD has done.
God’s Great Blessings
(Joshua 1:1–9)
8 You shall therefore keep every commandment I am giving you today, so that you may have the strength to go in and possess the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, 9 and so that you may live long in the land that the LORD swore to your fathers to give them and their descendants, a land flowing with milk and honey.
10 For the land that you are entering to possess is not like the land of Egypt, from which you have come, where you sowed your seed and irrigated on foot, like a vegetable garden. 11 But the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess is a land of mountains and valleys that drinks in the rain from heaven. 12 It is a land for which the LORD your God cares; the eyes of the LORD your God are always on it, from the beginning to the end of the year.
13 So if you carefully obey the commandments I am giving you today, to love the LORD your God and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul, 14 then I will provide b rain for your land in season, the autumn and spring rains, that you may gather your grain, new wine, and oil. 15 And I will provide grass in the fields for your livestock, and you will eat and be satisfied.
16 But be careful that you are not enticed to turn aside to worship and bow down to other gods, 17 or the anger of the LORD will be kindled against you. He will shut the heavens so that there will be no rain, nor will the land yield its produce, and you will soon perish from the good land that the LORD is giving you.
Remember God’s Words
18 Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as reminders on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 19 Teach them to your children, speaking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 20 Write them on the doorposts of your houses and on your gates, 21 so that as long as the heavens are above the earth, your days and those of your children may be multiplied in the land that the LORD swore to give your fathers.
22 For if you carefully keep all these commandments I am giving you to follow—to love the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways, and to hold fast to Him— 23 then the LORD will drive out all these nations before you, and you will dispossess nations greater and stronger than you. 24 Every place where the sole of your foot treads will be yours. Your territory will extend from the wilderness to Lebanon, and from the Euphrates River to the Western Sea. c 25 No man will be able to stand against you; the LORD your God will put the fear and dread of you upon all the land, wherever you set foot, as He has promised you.
A Blessing and a Curse
26 See, today I am setting before you a blessing and a curse— 27 a blessing if you obey the commandments of the LORD your God that I am giving you today, 28 but a curse if you disobey the commandments of the LORD your God and turn aside from the path I command you today by following other gods, which you have not known.
29 When the LORD your God brings you into the land you are entering to possess, you are to proclaim the blessing on Mount Gerizim and the curse on Mount Ebal. 30 Are not these mountains across the Jordan, west of the road toward the sunset, in the land of the Canaanites who live in the Arabah opposite Gilgal near the Oak d of Moreh?
31 For you are about to cross the Jordan to enter and possess the land that the LORD your God is giving you. When you take possession of it and settle in it, 32 be careful to follow all the statutes and ordinances that I am setting before you today.
Footnotes:
4 a Or the Sea of Reeds
14 b Hebrew; SP, LXX, and Vulgate He will provide ; also in verse 15
24 c That is, the Mediterranean Sea, also called the Great Sea
30 d SP, LXX, and Syriac (see Genesis 12:6); Hebrew Oaks or Terebinths or Great Trees
Deuteronomy 12
One Place for Worship
1 These are the statutes and ordinances you must be careful to follow all the days you live in the land that the LORD, the God of your fathers, has given you to possess.
2 Destroy completely all the places where the nations you are dispossessing have served their gods—atop the high mountains, on the hills, and under every green tree. 3 Tear down their altars, smash their sacred pillars, burn up their Asherah poles, cut down the idols of their gods, and wipe out their names from every place. 4 You shall not worship the LORD your God in this way.
5 Instead, you must seek the place the LORD your God will choose from among all your tribes to establish as a dwelling for His Name, and there you must go. 6 To that place you are to bring your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tithes and heave offerings, your vow offerings and freewill offerings, as well as the firstborn of your herds and flocks. 7 There, in the presence of the LORD your God, you and your households shall eat and rejoice in all you do, because the LORD your God has blessed you.
8 You are not to do as we are doing here today, where everyone does what seems right in his own eyes. 9 For you have not yet come to the resting place and the inheritance that the LORD your God is giving you.
10 When you cross the Jordan and live in the land that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, and He gives you rest from all the enemies around you and you dwell securely, 11 then the LORD your God will choose a dwelling for His Name. And there you are to bring everything I command you:your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tithes and special gifts, and all the choice offerings you vow to the LORD. 12 And you shall rejoice before the LORD your God—you, your sons and daughters, your menservants and maidservants, and the Levite within your gates, since he has no portion or inheritance among you.
13 Be careful not to offer your burnt offerings in just any place you see; 14 you must offer them only in the place the LORD will choose in one of your tribal territories, and there you shall do all that I command you.
15 But whenever you want, you may slaughter and eat meat within any of your gates, according to the blessing the LORD your God has given you. Both the ceremonially clean and unclean may eat it as they would a gazelle or deer, 16 but you must not eat the blood; pour it on the ground like water.
17 Within your gates you must not eat the tithe of your grain or new wine or oil, the firstborn of your herds or flocks, any of the offerings that you have vowed to give, or your freewill offerings or special gifts. 18 Instead, you must eat them in the presence of the LORD your God at the place the LORD your God will choose—you, your sons and daughters, your menservants and maidservants, and the Levite within your gates. Rejoice before the LORD your God in all you do, 19 and be careful not to neglect the Levites as long as you live in your land.
20 When the LORD your God expands your territory as He has promised, and you crave meat and say, “I want to eat meat,” you may eat it whenever you want. 21 If the place where the LORD your God chooses to put His Name is too far from you, then you may slaughter any of the herd or flock He has given you, as I have commanded you, and you may eat it within your gates whenever you want. 22 Indeed, you may eat it as you would eat a gazelle or deer; both the ceremonially unclean and the clean may eat it. 23 Only be sure not to eat the blood, because the blood is the life, and you must not eat the life with the meat. 24 You must not eat the blood; pour it on the ground like water. 25 Do not eat it, so that it may go well with you and your children after you, because you will be doing what is right in the eyes of the LORD.
26 But you are to take your holy things and your vow offerings and go to the place the LORD will choose. 27 Present the meat and blood of your burnt offerings on the altar of the LORD your God. The blood of your other sacrifices must be poured out beside the altar of the LORD your God, but you may eat the meat. 28 Be careful to obey all these things I command you, so that it may always go well with you and your children after you, because you will be doing what is good and right in the eyes of the LORD your God.
A Warning against Idolatry
(Deuteronomy 4:15–31; Ezekiel 6:1–7)
29 When the LORD your God cuts off before you the nations you are entering to dispossess, and you drive them out and live in their land, 30 be careful not to be ensnared by their ways after they have been destroyed before you. Do not inquire about their gods, asking, “How do these nations serve their gods? I will do likewise.”
31 You must not worship the LORD your God in this way, because they practice for their gods every abomination which the LORD hates. They even burn their sons and daughters in the fire as sacrifices to their gods.
32 See that you do everything I command you; do not add to it or subtract from it.
Deuteronomy 13
Idolaters to Be Put to Death
1 If a prophet or dreamer of dreams arises among you and proclaims a sign or wonder to you, 2 and if the sign or wonder he has spoken to you comes about, but he says, “Let us follow other gods (which you have not known) and let us worship them,” 3 you must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer. For the LORD your God is testing you to find out whether you love Him with all your heart and with all your soul. 4 You are to follow the LORD your God and fear Him. Keep His commandments and listen to His voice;serve Him and hold fast to Him.
5 Such a prophet or dreamer must be put to death, because he has advocated rebellion against the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery; he has tried to turn you from the way in which the LORD your God has commanded you to walk. So you must purge the evil from among you. a
6 If your very own brother, or your son or daughter, or the wife you embrace, b or your closest friend secretly entices you, saying, “Let us go and worship other gods” (which neither you nor your fathers have known, 7 the gods of the peoples around you, whether near or far, whether from one end of the earth or the other), 8 you must not yield to him or listen to him. Show him no pity, and do not spare him or shield him.
9 Instead, you must surely kill him. Your hand must be the first against him to put him to death, and then the hands of all the people. 10 Stone him to death for trying to turn you away from the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 11 Then all Israel will hear and be afraid, and will never again do such a wicked thing among you.
Idolatrous Cities to Be Destroyed
12 If, regarding one of the cities the LORD your God is giving you to inhabit, you hear it said 13 that wicked men have arisen from among you and have led the people of their city astray, saying, “Let us go and serve other gods” (which you have not known), 14 then you must inquire, investigate, and interrogate thoroughly. And if it is established with certainty that this abomination has been committed among you, 15 you must surely put the inhabitants of that city to the sword. Devote to destruction c all its people and livestock.
16 And you are to gather all its plunder in the middle of the public square, and completely burn the city and all its plunder as a whole burnt offering to the LORD your God. The city must remain a mound of ruins forever, never to be rebuilt.
17 Nothing devoted to destruction shall cling to your hands, so that the LORD will turn from His fierce anger, grant you mercy, show you compassion, and multiply you as He swore to your fathers, 18 because you obey the LORD your God, keeping all His commandments I am giving you today and doing what is right in the eyes of the LORD your God.
Footnotes:
5 a Cited in 1 Corinthians 5:13
6 b Hebrew the wife of your bosom
15 c Forms of the Hebrew cherem refer to the giving over of things or persons to the LORD, either by destroying them or by giving them as an offering; similarly in verse 17.
Deuteronomy 14
Clean and Unclean Animals
(Leviticus 11:1–47; Acts 10:9–16)
1 You are sons of the LORD your God; do not cut yourselves or shave your foreheads on behalf of the dead, 2 for you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD has chosen you to be a people for His prized possession out of all the peoples on the face of the earth.
3 You must not eat any detestable thing. 4 These are the animals that you may eat: a
The ox, the sheep, the goat,
5 the deer, the gazelle, the roe deer,
the wild goat, the ibex, the antelope,
and the mountain sheep.
6 You may eat any animal that has a split hoof divided in two and that chews the cud.
7 But of those that chew the cud or have a completely divided hoof, you are not to eat the following:
the camel,
the rabbit,
or the rock badger. b
Although they chew the cud, they do not have a divided hoof. They are unclean for you, 8 as well as the pig; though it has a divided hoof, it does not chew the cud. It is unclean for you. You must not eat its meat or touch its carcass.
9 Of all the creatures that live in the water, you may eat anything with fins and scales, 10 but you may not eat anything that does not have fins and scales; it is unclean for you.
11 You may eat any clean bird, 12 but these you may not eat:
the eagle, the bearded vulture, the black vulture,
13 the red kite, the falcon, any kind of kite,
14 any kind of raven,
15 the ostrich, c the screech owl, the gull, any kind of hawk,
16 the little owl, the great owl, the white owl,
17 the desert owl, the osprey, the cormorant,
18 the stork, any kind of heron,
the hoopoe, or the bat.
19 All flying insects are unclean for you; they may not be eaten. 20 But you may eat any clean bird.
21 You are not to eat any carcass; you may give it to the foreigner residing within your gates, and he may eat it, or you may sell it to a foreigner. For you are a holy people belonging to the LORD your God.
You must not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.
Giving Tithes
(Leviticus 27:30–34; Deuteronomy 26:1–15; Nehemiah 13:10–14)
22 You must be sure to set aside a tenth of all the produce brought forth each year from your fields. 23 And you are to eat a tenth of your grain, new wine, and oil, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks, in the presence of the LORD your God at the place He will choose as a dwelling for His Name, so that you may learn to fear the LORD your God always.
24 But if the distance is too great for you to carry that with which the LORD your God has blessed you, because the place where the LORD your God will choose to put His Name is too far away, 25 then exchange it for money, take the money in your hand, and go to the place the LORD your God will choose. 26 Then you may spend the money on anything you desire: cattle, sheep, wine, strong drink, or anything you wish. You are to feast there in the presence of the LORD your God and rejoice with your household. 27 And do not neglect the Levite within your gates, since he has no portion or inheritance among you.
28 At the end of every three years, bring a tenth of all your produce for that year and lay it up within your gates. 29 Then the Levite (because he has no portion or inheritance among you), the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow within your gates may come and eat and be satisfied. And the LORD your God will bless you in all the work of your hands.
Footnotes:
4 a The precise identification of some of the birds and animals in this chapter is uncertain.
7 b Or the coney or the hyrax
15 c Literally the daughter of the ostrich or the daughter of the owl
Deuteronomy 15
The Seventh Year
(Exodus 23:10–13; Leviticus 25:1–7)
1 At the end of every seven years you must cancel debts. 2 This is the manner of remission: Every creditor shall cancel what he has loaned to his neighbor. He is not to collect anything from his neighbor or brother, because the LORD’s time of release has been proclaimed. 3 You may collect something from a foreigner, but you must forgive whatever your brother owes you.
4 There will be no poor among you, however, because the LORD will surely bless you in the land that the LORD your God is giving you to possess as an inheritance, 5 if only you obey the LORD your God and are careful to follow all these commandments I am giving you today. 6 When the LORD your God blesses you as He has promised, you will lend to many nations but borrow from none; you will rule over many nations but be ruled by none.
Generosity in Lending and Giving
(Matthew 6:1–4)
7 If there is a poor man among your brothers within any of the gates in the land that the LORD your God is giving you, then you are not to harden a your heart or shut your hand from your poor brother. 8 Instead, you are to open your hand to him and freely loan him whatever he needs.
9 Be careful not to harbor this wicked thought in your heart: “The seventh year, the year of release, is near,” so that you look upon your poor brother begrudgingly and give him nothing. He will cry out to the LORD against you, and you will be guilty of sin.
10 Give generously to him, and do not let your heart be grieved when you do so. And because of this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything to which you put your hand. 11 For there will never cease to be poor in the land; that is why I am commanding you to open wide your hand to your brother and to the poor and needy in your land.
Hebrew Servants
(Exodus 21:1–11)
12 If a fellow Hebrew, a man or a woman, is sold b to you and serves you six years, then in the seventh year you must set him free.
13 And when you release him, do not send him away empty-handed. 14 You are to furnish him liberally from your flock, your threshing floor, and your winepress. You shall give to him as the LORD your God has blessed you. 15 Remember that you were slaves in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God redeemed you; that is why I am giving you this command today.
16 But if your servant says to you, ‘I do not want to leave you,’ because he loves you and your household and is well off with you, 17 then take an awl and pierce it through his ear into the door, and he will become your servant for life. And treat your maidservant the same way.
18 Do not regard it as a hardship to set your servant free, because his six years of service were worth twice the wages of a hired hand. And the LORD your God will bless you in all you do.
Firstborn Animals
(Exodus 13:1–16)
19 You must set apart to the LORD your God every firstborn male produced by your herds and flocks. You are not to put the firstborn of your oxen to work, nor are you to shear the firstborn of your flock. 20 Each year you and your household are to eat it before the LORD your God in the place the LORD will choose.
21 But if an animal has a defect, is lame or blind, or has any serious flaw, you must not sacrifice it to the LORD your God. 22 Eat it within your gates; both the ceremonially unclean and clean may eat it as they would a gazelle or a deer. 23 But you must not eat the blood; pour it on the ground like water.
Footnotes:
7 a Or make strong or make courageous
12 b Or sells himself
Deuteronomy 16
Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread
(Exodus 12:14–28; Leviticus 23:4–8; Numbers 28:16–25)
1 Observe the month of Abib a and celebrate the Passover to the LORD your God, because in the month of Abib the LORD your God brought you out of Egypt by night.
2 You are to offer to the LORD your God the Passover sacrifice from the herd or flock in the place the LORD will choose as a dwelling for His Name. 3 You must not eat leavened bread with it; for seven days you are to eat with it unleavened bread, the bread of affliction, because you left the land of Egypt in haste—so that you may remember for the rest of your life the day you left the land of Egypt.
4 No leaven is to be found in all your land for seven days, and none of the meat you sacrifice in the evening of the first day shall remain until morning.
5 You are not to sacrifice the Passover animal in any of the towns that the LORD your God is giving you. 6 You must only offer the Passover sacrifice at the place the LORD your God will choose as a dwelling for His Name. Do this in the evening as the sun sets, at the same time you departed from Egypt. 7 And you shall roast it and eat it in the place the LORD your God will choose, and in the morning you shall return to your tents.
8 For six days you must eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day you shall hold a solemn assembly to the LORD your God, and you must not do any work.
The Feast of Weeks
(Numbers 28:26–31)
9 You are to count off seven weeks from the time you first put the sickle to the standing grain. 10 And you shall celebrate the Feast of Weeks b to the LORD your God with a freewill offering that you give in proportion to how the LORD your God has blessed you, 11 and you shall rejoice before the LORD your God in the place He will choose as a dwelling for His Name—you, your sons and daughters, your menservants and maidservants, and the Levite within your gates, as well as the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widows among you.
12 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt, and carefully follow these statutes.
The Feast of Tabernacles
(Numbers 29:12–40)
13 You are to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles c for seven days after you have gathered the produce of your threshing floor and your winepress. 14 And you shall rejoice in your feast—you, your sons and daughters, your menservants and maidservants, and the Levite, as well as the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widows among you.
15 For seven days you shall celebrate a feast to the LORD your God in the place He will choose, because the LORD your God will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hands, so that your joy will be complete.
16 Three times a year all your men are to appear before the LORD your God in the place He will choose: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, d the Feast of Weeks, e and the Feast of Tabernacles. f No one should appear before the LORD empty-handed. 17 Everyone must appear with a gift as he is able, according to the blessing the LORD your God has given you.
Judges and Justice
18 You are to appoint judges and officials for your tribes in every town that the LORD your God is giving you. They are to judge the people with righteous judgment.
19 Do not deny justice or show partiality. Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the righteous.
20 Pursue justice, and justice alone, so that you may live, and you may possess the land that the LORD your God is giving you.
Forbidden Forms of Worship
21 Do not set up any wooden Asherah pole next to the altar you will build for the LORD your God, 22 and do not set up for yourselves a sacred pillar, which the LORD your God hates.
Footnotes:
1 a Abib was the first month of the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar, usually occurring within the months of March and April; twice in this verse.
10 b That is, Shavuot; see footnotes for verse 16.
13 c Or Booths or Shelters ; see footnotes for verse 16.
16 d That is, the seven-day period after the Passover during which no leaven may be eaten; see Exodus 12:14–20.
16 e That is, Shavuot, the late spring feast of pilgrimage to Jerusalem; it is also known as the Feast of Harvest (see Exodus 23:16) or the Feast of Pentecost (see Acts 2:1).
16 f That is, Sukkot, the autumn feast of pilgrimage to Jerusalem; also translated as the Feast of Booths or the Feast of Shelters and originally called the Feast of Ingathering (see Exodus 23:16 and Exodus 34:22).
Deuteronomy 17
Detestable Sacrifices
1 You shall not sacrifice to the LORD your God an ox or a sheep with any defect or serious flaw, for that is detestable to the LORD your God.
Purge the Idolater
2 If a man or woman among you in one of the towns that the LORD your God gives you is found doing evil in the sight of the LORD your God by transgressing His covenant 3 and going to worship other gods, bowing down to them or to the sun or moon or any of the host of heaven—which I have forbidden— 4 and if it is reported and you hear about it, you must investigate it thoroughly.
If the report is true and such an abomination has happened in Israel, 5 you must bring out to your gates the man or woman who has done this evil thing, and you must stone that person to death. 6 On the testimony of two or three witnesses a man shall be put to death, but he shall not be executed on the testimony of a lone witness. 7 The hands of the witnesses shall be the first in putting him to death, and after that, the hands of all the people. So you must purge the evil from among you. a
Courts of Law
8 If a case is too difficult for you to judge, whether the controversy within your gates is regarding bloodshed, lawsuits, or assaults, you must go up to the place the LORD your God will choose. 9 You are to go to the Levitical priests and to the judge who presides at that time. Inquire of them, and they will give you a verdict in the case.
10 You must abide by the verdict they give you at the place the LORD will choose. Be careful to do everything they instruct you, 11 according to the terms of law they give and the verdict they proclaim. Do not turn aside to the right or to the left from the decision they declare to you.
12 But the man who acts presumptuously, refusing to listen either to the priest who stands there to serve the LORD your God, or to the judge, must be put to death. You must purge the evil from Israel. 13 Then all the people will hear and be afraid, and will no longer behave arrogantly.
Guidelines for a King
(1 Samuel 8:1–9)
14 When you enter the land that the LORD your God is giving you and have taken possession of it and settled in it, and you say, “Let us set a king over us like all the nations around us,” 15 you are to appoint over yourselves the king whom the LORD your God shall choose. Appoint a king from among your brothers; you are not to set over yourselves a foreigner who is not one of your brothers.
16 But the king must not acquire many horses for himself or send the people back to Egypt to acquire more horses, for the LORD has said, ‘You are never to go back that way again.’ 17 He must not take many wives for himself, lest his heart go astray. He must not accumulate for himself large amounts of silver and gold.
18 When he is seated on his royal throne, he must write for himself a copy of this instruction on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests. 19 It is to remain with him, and he is to read from it all the days of his life, so that he may learn to fear the LORD his God by carefully observing all the words of this instruction and these statutes. 20 Then his heart will not be exalted above his countrymen, and he will not turn aside from the commandment, to the right or to the left, in order that he and his sons may reign many years over his kingdom in Israel.
Footnotes:
7 a Cited in 1 Corinthians 5:13
Deuteronomy 18
Provision for Priests and Levites
(1 Corinthians 9:1–18)
1 The Levitical priests—indeed the whole tribe of Levi—shall have no portion or inheritance with Israel. They are to eat the offerings made by fire to the LORD; that is their inheritance. 2 Although they have no inheritance among their brothers, the LORD is their inheritance, as He promised them.
3 This shall be the priests’ share from the people who offer a sacrifice, whether a bull or a sheep: the priests are to be given the shoulder, the jowls, and the stomach. 4 You are to give them the firstfruits of your grain, new wine, and oil, and the first wool sheared from your flock. 5 For the LORD your God has chosen Levi and his sons out of all your tribes to stand and minister in His name for all time.
6 Now if a Levite moves from any town of residence throughout Israel and comes in all earnestness to the place the LORD will choose, 7 then he shall serve in the name of the LORD his God like all his fellow Levites who stand there before the LORD. 8 They shall eat equal portions, even though he has received money from the sale of his father’s estate.
Sorcery Forbidden
(Acts 8:9–25)
9 When you enter the land that the LORD your God is giving you, do not imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. 10 Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, a practices divination or conjury, interprets omens, practices sorcery, 11 casts spells, consults a medium or spiritist, or inquires of the dead. 12 For whoever does these things is detestable to the LORD. And because of these detestable things, the LORD your God is driving out the nations before you.
13 You must be blameless before the LORD your God. 14 Though these nations, which you will dispossess, listen to conjurers and diviners, the LORD your God has not permitted you to do so.
A Prophet Like Moses
(Acts 3:11–26)
15 The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers. You must listen to him. b 16 This is what you asked of the LORD your God at Horeb c on the day of the assembly, when you said, “Let us not hear the voice of the LORD our God or see this great fire anymore, so that we will not die!”
17 Then the LORD said to me, “They have spoken well. 18 I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. I will put My words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him. 19 And I will hold accountable anyone who does not listen to My words that the prophet speaks in My name. d 20 But if any prophet dares to speak a message in My name that I have not commanded him to speak, or to speak in the name of other gods, that prophet must be put to death.”
21 You may ask in your heart, “How can we recognize a message that the LORD has not spoken?” 22 When a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD and the message does not come to pass or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. The prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him.
Footnotes:
10 a Literally makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire
15 b Cited in Acts 3:22
16 c That is, Mount Sinai, or possibly a mountain in the range containing Mount Sinai
19 d See Acts 3:23.
Deuteronomy 19
Cities of Refuge
(Numbers 35:9–34; Deuteronomy 4:41–43; Joshua 20:1–9)
1 When the LORD your God has cut off the nations whose land He is giving you, and when you have driven them out and settled in their cities and houses, 2 then you are to set apart for yourselves three cities within the land that the LORD your God is giving you to possess. 3 You are to build roads for yourselves a and divide into three regions the land that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, so that any manslayer can flee to these cities.
4 Now this is the situation regarding the manslayer who flees to one of these cities to save his life, having killed his neighbor accidentally, without intending to harm him: 5 If he goes into the forest with his neighbor to cut timber and swings his axe to chop down a tree, but the blade flies off the handle and strikes and kills his neighbor, he may flee to one of these cities to save his life.
6 Otherwise, the avenger of blood might pursue the manslayer in a rage, overtake him if the distance is great, and strike him dead though he did not deserve to die, since he did not intend any harm. 7 This is why I am commanding you to set apart for yourselves three cities.
8 And if the LORD your God enlarges your territory, as He swore to your fathers, and gives you all the land He promised them, 9 and if you carefully keep all these commandments I am giving you today, loving the LORD your God and walking in His ways at all times, then you are to add three more cities to these three.
10 Thus innocent blood will not be shed in the land that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, so that you will not be guilty of bloodshed.
11 If, however, a man hates his neighbor and lies in wait, attacks him and kills him, and then flees to one of these cities, 12 the elders of his city must send for him, bring him back, and hand him over to the avenger of blood to die. 13 You must show him no pity. You are to purge from Israel the guilt of shedding innocent blood, that it may go well with you.
14 You must not move your neighbor’s boundary marker, which was set up by your ancestors to mark the inheritance you shall receive in the land that the LORD your God is giving you to possess.
The Testimony of Two or Three Witnesses
(Matthew 18:15–20)
15 A lone witness is not sufficient to establish any wrongdoing or sin against a man, regardless of what offense he may have committed. A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses. b
16 If a false witness testifies against someone, accusing him of a crime, 17 both parties to the dispute must stand in the presence of the LORD, before the priests and judges who are in office at that time. 18 The judges shall investigate thoroughly, and if the witness is proven to be a liar who has falsely accused his brother, 19 you must do to him as he intended to do to his brother. So you must purge the evil from among you. c 20 Then the rest of the people will hear and be afraid, and they will never again do anything so evil among you. 21 You must show no pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, d hand for hand, and foot for foot.
Footnotes:
3 a Or You are to survey the way
15 b Cited in Matthew 18:16 and 2 Corinthians 13:1
19 c Cited in 1 Corinthians 5:13
21 d Cited in Matthew 5:38
Deuteronomy 20
Laws of Warfare
1 When you go out to war against your enemies and see horses, chariots, and an army larger than yours, do not be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, is with you. 2 When you are about to go into battle, the priest is to come forward and address the army, 3 saying to them, “Hear, O Israel, today you are going into battle with your enemies. Do not be fainthearted or afraid; do not be alarmed or terrified because of them. 4 For the LORD your God goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the victory.”
5 Furthermore, the officers are to address the army, saying, “Has any man built a new house and not dedicated it? Let him return home, or he may die in battle and another man dedicate it. 6 Has any man planted a vineyard and not begun to enjoy its fruit? Let him return home, or he may die in battle and another man enjoy its fruit. 7 Has any man become pledged to a woman and not married her? Let him return home, or he may die in battle and another man marry her.”
8 Then the officers shall speak further to the army, saying, “Is any man afraid or fainthearted? Let him return home, so that the hearts of his brothers will not melt like his own.”
9 When the officers have finished addressing the army, they are to appoint commanders to lead it.
10 When you approach a city to fight against it, you are to make an offer of peace. 11 If they accept your offer of peace and open their gates, all the people there will become forced laborers to serve you.
12 But if they refuse to make peace with you and wage war against you, lay siege to that city. 13 When the LORD your God has delivered it into your hand, you must put every male to the sword. 14 But the women, children, livestock, and whatever else is in the city—all its spoil—you may take as plunder, and you shall use the spoil of your enemies that the LORD your God gives you. 15 This is how you are to treat all the cities that are far away from you and do not belong to the nations nearby.
16 However, in the cities of the nations that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, you must not leave alive anything that breathes. 17 For you must devote them to complete destruction a —the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites—as the LORD your God has commanded you, 18 so that they cannot teach you to do all the detestable things they do for their gods, and so cause you to sin against the LORD your God.
19 When you lay siege to a city for an extended time while fighting against it to capture it, you must not destroy its trees by putting an axe to them, because you can eat their fruit. You must not cut them down. Are the trees of the field human, that you should besiege them? 20 But you may destroy the trees that you know do not produce fruit. Use them to build siege works against the city that is waging war against you, until it falls.
Footnotes:
17 a Forms of the Hebrew cherem refer to the giving over of things or persons to the LORD, either by destroying them or by giving them as an offering.
Deuteronomy 21
Atonement for an Unsolved Murder
1 If one is found slain, lying in a field in the land that the LORD your God is giving you to possess, and it is not known who killed him, 2 your elders and judges must come out and measure the distance from the victim to the neighboring cities.
3 Then the elders of the city nearest the victim shall take a heifer that has never been yoked or used for work, 4 bring the heifer to a valley with running water that has not been plowed or sown, and break its neck there by the stream.
5 And the priests, the sons of Levi, shall come forward, for the LORD your God has chosen them to serve Him and pronounce blessings in His name and to give a ruling in every dispute and case of assault. 6 Then all the elders of the city nearest the victim shall wash their hands by the stream over the heifer whose neck has been broken, 7 and they shall declare, “Our hands did not shed this blood, nor did our eyes see it. 8 Accept this atonement, O LORD, for Your people Israel whom You have redeemed, and do not hold the shedding of innocent blood against them.”
And the bloodshed will be atoned for. 9 So you shall purge from among you the guilt of shedding innocent blood, since you have done what is right in the eyes of the LORD.
Marrying a Captive Woman
10 When you go to war against your enemies and the LORD your God delivers them into your hand and you take them captive, 11 if you see a beautiful woman among them, and you desire her and want to take her as your wife, 12 then you shall bring her into your house. She must shave her head, trim her nails, 13 and put aside the clothing of her captivity.
After she has lived in your house a full month and mourned her father and mother, you may have relations with her and be her husband, and she shall be your wife. 14 And if you are not pleased with her, you are to let her go wherever she wishes. But you must not sell her for money or treat her as a slave, since you have dishonored her.
Inheritance Rights of the Firstborn
15 If a man has two wives, one beloved and the other unloved, and both bear him sons, but the unloved wife has the firstborn son, 16 when that man assigns his inheritance to his sons he must not appoint the son of the beloved wife as the firstborn over the son of the unloved wife.
17 Instead, he must acknowledge the firstborn, the son of his unloved wife, by giving him a double portion of all that he has. For that son is the firstfruits of his father’s strength; the right of the firstborn belongs to him.
A Rebellious Son
(Luke 15:11–32)
18 If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who does not obey his father and mother and does not listen to them when disciplined, 19 his father and mother are to lay hold of him and bring him to the elders of his city, to the gate of his hometown, 20 and say to the elders, “This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious; he does not obey us. He is a glutton and a drunkard.”
21 Then all the men of his city will stone him to death. So you must purge the evil from among you, a and all Israel will hear and be afraid.
Cursed Is Anyone Hung on a Tree
22 If a man has committed a sin worthy of death, and he is executed, and you hang his body on a tree, b 23 you must not leave the body on the tree overnight, but you must be sure to bury him that day, because anyone who is hung on a tree is under God’s curse. c You must not defile the land that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance.
Footnotes:
21 a Cited in 1 Corinthians 5:13
22 b Or impale his body on a pole ; similarly in verse 23
23 c LXX; Hebrew anyone who is hanged is under God’s curse ; cited in Galatians 3:13
Deuteronomy 22
Various Laws
1 If you see your brother’s ox or sheep straying, you must not ignore it; a be sure to return it to your brother. 2 If your brother does not live near you, or if you do not know who he is, you are to take the animal home to remain with you until your brother comes seeking it; then you can return it to him. 3 And you shall do the same for his donkey, his cloak, or anything your brother has lost and you have found. You must not ignore it.
4 If you see your brother’s donkey or ox fallen on the road, you must not ignore it;you must help him lift it up.
5 A woman must not wear men’s clothing, and a man must not wear women’s clothing, for whoever does these things is detestable to the LORD your God.
6 If you come across a bird’s nest with chicks or eggs, either in a tree or on the ground along the road, and the mother is sitting on the chicks or eggs, you must not take the mother along with the young. 7 You may take the young, but be sure to let the mother go, so that it may be well with you and that you may prolong your days.
8 If you build a new house, you are to construct a railing around your roof, so that you do not bring bloodguilt on your house if someone falls from it.
9 Do not plant your vineyard with two types of seed; if you do, the entire harvest will be defiled b —both the crop you plant and the fruit of your vineyard.
10 Do not plow with an ox and a donkey yoked together.
11 Do not wear clothes of wool and linen woven together.
12 You are to make tassels on the four corners of the cloak you wear.
Marriage Violations
13 Suppose a man marries a woman, has relations with her, and comes to hate her, 14 and he then accuses her of shameful conduct and gives her a bad name, saying, “I married this woman and had relations with her, but I discovered she was not a virgin.”
15 Then the young woman’s father and mother shall bring the proof of her virginity to the city elders at the gate 16 and say to the elders, “I gave my daughter in marriage to this man, but he has come to hate her. 17 And now he has accused her of shameful conduct, saying, ‘I discovered that your daughter was not a virgin.’ But here is the proof of her virginity.” And they shall spread out the cloth before the city elders.
18 Then the elders of that city shall take the man and punish him. 19 They are also to fine him a hundred shekels of silver c and give them to the young woman’s father, because this man has given a virgin of Israel a bad name. And she shall remain his wife; he must not divorce her as long as he lives.
20 If, however, this accusation is true, and no proof of the young woman’s virginity can be found, 21 she shall be brought to the door of her father’s house, and there the men of her city will stone her to death. For she has committed an outrage in Israel by being promiscuous in her father’s house. So you must purge the evil from among you. d
22 If a man is found lying with another man’s wife, both the man who slept with her and the woman must die. You must purge the evil from Israel.
23 If there is a virgin pledged in marriage to a man, and another man encounters her in the city and sleeps with her, 24 you must take both of them out to the gate of that city and stone them to death—the young woman because she did not cry out in the city, and the man because he has violated his neighbor’s wife. So you must purge the evil from among you.
25 But if the man encounters a betrothed woman in the open country, and he overpowers her and lies with her, only the man who has done this must die. 26 Do nothing to the young woman, because she has committed no sin worthy of death. This case is just like one in which a man attacks his neighbor and murders him. 27 When he found her in the field, the betrothed woman cried out, but there was no one to save her.
28 If a man encounters a virgin who is not pledged in marriage, and he seizes her and lies with her, and they are discovered, 29 then the man who lay with her must pay the young woman’s father fifty shekels of silver, e and she must become his wife because he has violated her. He must not divorce her as long as he lives.
30 A man is not to marry his father’s wife, so that he will not dishonor his father’s marriage bed. f
Footnotes:
1 a Or you must not hide yourself
9 b Or will be forfeited to the sanctuary
19 c 100 shekels is approximately 2.5 pounds or 1.1 kilograms of silver.
21 d Here and in verse 24; cited in 1 Corinthians 5:13
29 e 50 shekels is approximately 1.26 pounds or 569.8 grams of silver.
30 f Or uncover his father’s skirt
Deuteronomy 23
Exclusion from the Congregation
1 No man with crushed or severed genitals may enter the assembly of the LORD.
2 No one of illegitimate birth may enter the assembly of the LORD, nor may any of his descendants, even to the tenth generation.
3 No Ammonite or Moabite or any of their descendants may enter the assembly of the LORD, even to the tenth generation. 4 For they did not meet you with food and water on your way out of Egypt, and they hired Balaam son of Beor from Pethor in Aram-naharaim a to curse you. 5 Yet the LORD your God would not listen to Balaam, and the LORD your God turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the LORD your God loves you. 6 You are not to seek peace or prosperity from them as long as you live.
7 Do not despise an Edomite, for he is your brother. Do not despise an Egyptian, because you lived as a foreigner in his land. 8 The third generation of children born to them may enter the assembly of the LORD.
Uncleanness in the Camp
(Leviticus 15:1–12)
9 When you are encamped against your enemies, then you shall keep yourself from every wicked thing. 10 If any man among you becomes unclean because of a nocturnal emission, he must leave the camp and stay outside. 11 When evening approaches, he must wash with water, and when the sun sets he may return to the camp.
12 You must have a place outside the camp to go and relieve yourself. 13 And you must have a digging tool in your equipment so that when you relieve yourself you can dig a hole and cover up your excrement.
14 For the LORD your God walks throughout your camp to protect you and deliver your enemies to you. Your camp must be holy, lest He see anything unclean among you and turn away from you.
Miscellaneous Laws
15 Do not return a slave to his master if he has taken refuge with you. 16 Let him live among you wherever he chooses, in the town of his pleasing. Do not oppress him.
17 No daughter or son of Israel is to be a shrine prostitute. 18 You must not bring the wages of a prostitute, whether female or male, b into the house of the LORD your God to fulfill any vow, because both are detestable to the LORD your God.
19 Do not charge your brother interest on money, food, or any other type of loan. 20 You may charge a foreigner interest, but not your brother, so that the LORD your God may bless you in everything to which you put your hand in the land that you are entering to possess.
21 If you make a vow to the LORD your God, do not be slow to keep it, because He will surely require it of you, and you will be guilty of sin. 22 But if you refrain from making a vow, you will not be guilty of sin. 23 Be careful to follow through on what comes from your lips, because you have freely vowed to the LORD your God with your own mouth.
24 When you enter your neighbor’s vineyard, you may eat your fill of grapes, but you must not put any in your basket.
25 When you enter your neighbor’s grainfield, you may pluck the heads of grain with your hand, but you must not put a sickle to your neighbor’s grain.
Footnotes:
4 a That is, Mesopotamia; Aram-naharaim means Aram of the two rivers , likely the region between the Euphrates and Balih Rivers in northwestern Mesopotamia.
18 b Hebrew or a dog
Deuteronomy 24
Marriage and Divorce Laws
(Matthew 5:31–32; Luke 16:18)
1 If a man marries a woman, but she becomes displeasing to him because he finds some indecency in her, he may write her a certificate of divorce, a hand it to her, and send her away from his house.
2 If, after leaving his house, she goes and becomes another man’s wife, 3 and the second man hates her, writes her a certificate of divorce, hands it to her, and sends her away from his house, or if he dies, 4 then the husband who divorced her first may not remarry her after she has been defiled, for that is an abomination to the LORD. You must not bring sin upon the land that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance.
5 If a man is newly married, he must not be sent to war or be pressed into any duty. For one year he is free to stay at home and bring joy to the wife he has married.
Additional Laws
6 Do not take a pair of millstones or even an upper millstone as security for a debt, because that would be taking one’s livelihood as security.
7 If a man is caught kidnapping one of his Israelite brothers, whether he treats him as a slave or sells him, the kidnapper must die. So you must purge the evil from among you. b
8 In cases of infectious skin diseases, c be careful to diligently follow everything the Levitical priests instruct you. Be careful to do as I have commanded them. 9 Remember what the LORD your God did to Miriam on the journey after you came out of Egypt.
10 When you lend anything to your neighbor, do not enter his house to collect security. 11 You are to stand outside while the man to whom you are lending brings the security out to you. 12 If he is a poor man, you must not go to sleep with the security in your possession; 13 be sure to return it to him by sunset, so that he may sleep in his own cloak and bless you, and this will be credited to you as righteousness before the LORD your God.
14 Do not oppress a hired hand who is poor and needy, whether he is a brother or a foreigner residing in one of your towns. 15 You are to pay his wages each day before sunset, because he is poor and depends on them. Otherwise he may cry out to the LORD against you, and you will be guilty of sin.
16 Fathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor children for their fathers;each is to die for his own sin. d
17 Do not deny justice to the foreigner or the fatherless, and do not take a widow’s cloak as security. 18 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt, and the LORD your God redeemed you from that place. Therefore I am commanding you to do this.
19 If you are harvesting in your field and forget a sheaf there, do not go back to get it. It is to be left for the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow, so that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.
20 When you beat the olives from your trees, you must not go over the branches again. What remains will be for the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow.
21 When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, you must not go over the vines again. What remains will be for the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow. 22 Remember that you were slaves in the land of Egypt. Therefore I am commanding you to do this.
Footnotes:
1 a Cited in Matthew 5:31; see also Mark 10:4.
7 b Cited in 1 Corinthians 5:13
8 c Forms of the Hebrew tzaraath , traditionally translated as leprosy , were used for various skin diseases; see Leviticus 13.
16 d Cited in 2 Kings 14:6 and 2 Chronicles 25:4
Deuteronomy 25
Fairness and Mercy
1 If there is a dispute between men, they are to go to court to be judged, so that the innocent may be acquitted and the guilty condemned.
2 If the guilty man deserves to be beaten, the judge shall have him lie down and be flogged in his presence with the number of lashes his crime warrants. 3 He may receive no more than forty lashes, lest your brother be beaten any more than that and be degraded in your sight.
4 Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain. a
Widowhood and Marriage
5 When brothers dwell together and one of them dies without a son, the widow must not marry outside the family. Her husband’s brother is to take her as his wife and fulfill the duty of a brother-in-law for her. b 6 The first son she bears will carry on the name of the dead brother, so that his name will not be blotted out from Israel.
7 But if the man does not want to marry his brother’s widow, she is to go to the elders at the city gate and say, “My husband’s brother refuses to preserve his brother’s name in Israel. He is not willing to perform the duty of a brother-in-law for me.”
8 Then the elders of his city shall summon him and speak with him. If he persists and says, “I do not want to marry her,” 9 his brother’s widow shall go up to him in the presence of the elders, remove his sandal, spit in his face, and declare, “This is what is done to the man who will not maintain his brother’s line.” 10 And his family name in Israel will be called “The House of the Unsandaled.”
11 If two men are fighting, and the wife of one steps in to rescue her husband from the one striking him, and she reaches out her hand and grabs his genitals, 12 you are to cut off her hand. You must show her no pity.
Standard Weights and Measures
(Proverbs 11:1–3; Ezekiel 45:10–12)
13 You shall not have two differing weights in your bag, one heavy and one light. 14 You shall not have two differing measures in your house, one large and one small.
15 You must maintain accurate and honest weights and measures, so that you may live long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you. 16 For everyone who behaves dishonestly in regard to these things is detestable to the LORD your God.
Revenge on the Amalekites
17 Remember what the Amalekites did to you along your way from Egypt, 18 how they met you on your journey when you were tired and weary, and they attacked all your stragglers;they had no fear of God.
19 When the LORD your God gives you rest from the enemies around you in the land that He is giving you to possess as an inheritance, you are to blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven. Do not forget!
Footnotes:
4 a Cited in 1 Corinthians 9:9 and 1 Timothy 5:18
5 b Cited in Matthew 22:24, Mark 12:19, and Luke 20:28
Deuteronomy 26
Offering Firstfruits and Tithes
(Leviticus 27:30–34;Deuteronomy 14:22–29; Nehemiah 13:10–14)
1 When you enter the land that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, and you take possession of it and settle in it, 2 you are to take some of the firstfruits of all your produce from the soil of the land that the LORD your God is giving you and put them in a basket. Then go to the place the LORD your God will choose as a dwelling for His Name, 3 to the priest who is serving at that time, and say to him, “I declare today to the LORD your God that I have entered the land that the LORD swore to our fathers to give us.”
4 Then the priest shall take the basket from your hands and place it before the altar of the LORD your God, 5 and you are to declare before the LORD your God, “My father was a wandering Aramean, and he went down to Egypt few in number and lived there and became a great nation, mighty and numerous. 6 But the Egyptians mistreated us and afflicted us, putting us to hard labor. 7 So we called out to the LORD, the God of our fathers; and the LORD heard our voice and saw our affliction, toil, and oppression. 8 Then the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great terror, signs, and wonders. 9 And He brought us to this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. 10 And now, behold, I have brought the firstfruits of the land that You, O LORD, have given me.”
Then you are to place the basket before the LORD your God and bow down before Him. 11 So you shall rejoice—you, the Levite, and the foreigner dwelling among you—in all the good things the LORD your God has given to you and your household.
12 When you have finished laying aside a tenth of all your produce in the third year, the year of the tithe, you are to give it to the Levite, the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow, that they may eat and be filled within your gates.
13 Then you shall declare in the presence of the LORD your God, “I have removed from my house the sacred portion and have given it to the Levite, the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow, according to all the commandments You have given me. I have not transgressed or forgotten Your commandments. 14 I have not eaten any of the sacred portion while in mourning, or removed any of it while unclean, or offered any of it for the dead. I have obeyed the LORD my God; I have done everything You commanded me. 15 Look down from Your holy habitation, from heaven, and bless Your people Israel and the land You have given us as You swore to our fathers—a land flowing with milk and honey.”
Obey the LORD’s Commands
16 The LORD your God commands you this day to follow these statutes and ordinances. You must be careful to follow them with all your heart and with all your soul.
17 Today you have proclaimed that the LORD is your God and that you will walk in His ways, keep His statutes and commandments and ordinances, and listen to His voice.
18 And today the LORD has proclaimed that you are His people and treasured possession as He promised, that you are to keep all His commandments, 19 that He will set you high in praise and name and honor above all the nations He has made, and that you will be a holy people to the LORD your God, as He has promised.
Deuteronomy 27
The Altar on Mount Ebal
(Joshua 8:30–35)
1 Then Moses and the elders of Israel commanded the people: “Keep all the commandments I am giving you today.
2 And on the day you cross the Jordan into the land that the LORD your God is giving you, set up large stones and coat them with plaster. 3 Write on them all the words of this law when you have crossed over to enter the land that the LORD your God is giving you, a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the LORD, the God of your fathers, has promised you. 4 And when you have crossed the Jordan, you are to set up these stones on Mount Ebal, as I am commanding you today, and you are to coat them with plaster.
5 Moreover, you are to build there an altar to the LORD your God, an altar of stones. You must not use any iron tool on them. 6 You shall build the altar of the LORD your God with uncut stones and offer upon it burnt offerings to the LORD your God. 7 There you are to sacrifice your peace offerings, eating them and rejoicing in the presence of the LORD your God. 8 And you shall write distinctly upon these stones all the words of this law.”
9 Then Moses and the Levitical priests spoke to all Israel: “Be silent, O Israel, and listen! This day you have become the people of the LORD your God. 10 You shall therefore obey the voice of the LORD your God and follow His commandments and statutes I am giving you today.”
Curses Pronounced from Ebal
11 On that day Moses commanded the people: 12 “When you have crossed the Jordan, these tribes shall stand on Mount Gerizim to bless the people: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin. 13 And these tribes shall stand on Mount Ebal to deliver the curse: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali.
14 Then the Levites shall proclaim in a loud voice to every Israelite:
15 ‘Cursed is the man who makes a carved idol or molten image—an abomination to the LORD, the work of the hands of a craftsman—and sets it up in secret.’
And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’
16 ‘Cursed is he who dishonors his father or mother.’
And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’
17 ‘Cursed is he who moves his neighbor’s boundary stone.’
And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’
18 ‘Cursed is he who lets a blind man wander in the road.’
And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’
19 ‘Cursed is he who withholds justice from the foreigner, the fatherless, or the widow.’
And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’
20 ‘Cursed is he who sleeps with his father’s wife, for he has violated his father’s marriage bed.’ a
And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’
21 ‘Cursed is he who lies with any animal.’
And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’
22 ‘Cursed is he who sleeps with his sister, the daughter of his father or the daughter of his mother.’
And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’
23 ‘Cursed is he who sleeps with his mother-in-law.’
And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’
24 ‘Cursed is he who strikes down his neighbor in secret.’
And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’
25 ‘Cursed is he who accepts a bribe to kill an innocent person.’
And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’
26 ‘Cursed is he who does not put the words of this law into practice.’ b
And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’
Footnotes:
20 a Or uncovered his father’s skirt
26 b LXX Cursed is every man who does not continue in all the words of this law ; cited in Galatians 3:10
Deuteronomy 28
The Blessings of Obedience
(Leviticus 25:18–22)
1 “Now if you faithfully obey the voice of the LORD your God and are careful to follow all His commandments I am giving you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. 2 And all these blessings will come upon you and overtake you, if you will obey the voice of the LORD your God:
3 You will be blessed in the city
and blessed in the country.
4 The fruit of your womb will be blessed,
as well as the produce of your land
and the offspring of your livestock—
the calves of your herds
and the lambs of your flocks.
5 Your basket and kneading bowl will be blessed.
6 You will be blessed when you come in
and blessed when you go out.
7 The LORD will cause the enemies who rise up against you to be defeated before you. They will march out against you in one direction but flee from you in seven.
8 The LORD will decree a blessing on your barns and on everything to which you put your hand; the LORD your God will bless you in the land He is giving you. 9 The LORD will establish you as His holy people, just as He has sworn to you, if you keep the commandments of the LORD your God and walk in His ways. 10 Then all the peoples of the earth will see that you are called by the name of the LORD, and they will stand in awe of you.
11 The LORD will make you prosper abundantly—in the fruit of your womb, the offspring of your livestock, and the produce of your land—in the land that the LORD swore to your fathers to give you.
12 The LORD will open the heavens, His abundant storehouse, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations, but borrow from none.
13 The LORD will make you the head and not the tail; you will only move upward and never downward, if you hear and carefully follow the commandments of the LORD your God, which I am giving you today. 14 Do not turn aside to the right or to the left from any of the words I command you today, and do not go after other gods to serve them.
The Curses of Disobedience
(Leviticus 20:1–9; Leviticus 26:14–39)
15 If, however, you do not obey the LORD your God by carefully following all His commandments and statutes I am giving you today, all these curses will come upon you and overtake you:
16 You will be cursed in the city
and cursed in the country.
17 Your basket and kneading bowl will be cursed.
18 The fruit of your womb will be cursed,
as well as the produce of your land,
the calves of your herds,
and the lambs of your flocks.
19 You will be cursed when you come in
and cursed when you go out.
20 The LORD will send curses upon you, confusion and reproof in all to which you put your hand, until you are destroyed and quickly perish because of the wickedness you have committed in forsaking Him. a
21 The LORD will make the plague cling to you until He has exterminated you from the land that you are entering to possess. 22 The LORD will strike you with wasting disease, with fever and inflammation, with scorching heat and drought, b and with blight and mildew; these will pursue you until you perish. 23 The sky over your head will be bronze, and the earth beneath you iron.
24 The LORD will turn the rain of your land into dust and powder; it will descend on you from the sky until you are destroyed.
25 The LORD will cause you to be defeated before your enemies. You will march out against them in one direction but flee from them in seven. You will be an object of horror to all the kingdoms of the earth. 26 Your corpses will be food for all the birds of the air and beasts of the earth, with no one to scare them away.
27 The LORD will afflict you with the boils of Egypt, with tumors and scabs and itch from which you cannot be cured.
28 The LORD will afflict you with madness, blindness, and confusion of mind, 29 and at noon you will grope about like a blind man in the darkness. You will not prosper in your ways. Day after day you will be oppressed and plundered, with no one to save you.
30 You will be pledged in marriage to a woman, but another man will violate her. You will build a house but will not live in it. You will plant a vineyard but will not enjoy its fruit. 31 Your ox will be slaughtered before your eyes, but you will not eat any of it. Your donkey will be taken away and not returned to you. Your flock will be given to your enemies, and no one will save you.
32 Your sons and daughters will be given to another nation, while your eyes grow weary looking for them day after day, with no power in your hand. 33 A people you do not know will eat the produce of your land and of all your toil. All your days you will be oppressed and crushed. 34 You will be driven mad by the sights you see.
35 The LORD will afflict you with painful, incurable boils on your knees and thighs, from the soles of your feet to the top of your head.
36 The LORD will bring you and the king you appoint to a nation neither you nor your fathers have known, and there you will worship other gods—gods of wood and stone. 37 You will become an object of horror, scorn, and ridicule among all the nations to which the LORD will drive you.
38 You will sow much seed in the field but harvest little, because the locusts will consume it. 39 You will plant and cultivate vineyards, but will neither drink the wine nor gather the grapes, because worms will eat them. 40 You will have olive trees throughout your territory but will never anoint yourself with oil, because the olives will drop off. 41 You will father sons and daughters, but they will not remain yours, because they will go into captivity. 42 Swarms of locusts will consume all your trees and the produce of your land.
43 The foreigner living among you will rise higher and higher above you, while you sink down lower and lower. 44 He will lend to you, but you will not lend to him. He will be the head, and you will be the tail.
45 All these curses will come upon you. They will pursue you and overtake you until you are destroyed, since you did not obey the LORD your God and keep the commandments and statutes He gave you. 46 These curses will be a sign and a wonder upon you and your descendants forever.
47 Because you did not serve the LORD your God with joy and gladness of heart in all your abundance, 48 you will serve your enemies the LORD will send against you in famine, thirst, nakedness, and destitution. He will place an iron yoke on your neck until He has destroyed you.
49 The LORD will bring a nation from afar, from the ends of the earth, to swoop down upon you like an eagle—a nation whose language you will not understand, 50 a ruthless nation with no respect for the old and no pity for the young. 51 They will eat the offspring of your livestock and the produce of your land until you are destroyed. They will leave you no grain or new wine or oil, no calves of your herds or lambs of your flocks, until they have caused you to perish. 52 They will besiege all the cities throughout your land, until the high and fortified walls in which you trust have fallen. They will besiege all your cities throughout the land that the LORD your God has given you.
53 Then you will eat the fruit of your womb, the flesh of the sons and daughters whom the LORD your God has given you, in the siege and distress that your enemy will inflict on you.
54 The most gentle and refined man among you will begrudge his brother, the wife he embraces, c and the rest of his children who have survived, 55 refusing to share with any of them the flesh of his children he will eat because he has nothing left in the siege and distress that your enemy will inflict on you within all your gates. d
56 The most gentle and refined woman among you, so gentle and refined she would not venture to set the sole of her foot on the ground, will begrudge the husband she embraces e and her son and daughter 57 the afterbirth that comes from between her legs and the children she bears, because she will secretly eat them for lack of anything else in the siege and distress that your enemy will inflict on you within your gates.
58 If you are not careful to observe all the words of this law which are written in this book, that you may fear this glorious and awesome name—the LORD your God— 59 He will bring upon you and your descendants extraordinary disasters, severe and lasting plagues, and terrible and chronic sicknesses. 60 He will afflict you again with all the diseases you dreaded in Egypt, and they will cling to you.
61 The LORD will also bring upon you every sickness and plague not recorded in this Book of the Law, until you are destroyed. 62 You who were as numerous as the stars in the sky will be left few in number, because you would not obey the voice of the LORD your God.
63 Just as it pleased the LORD to make you prosper and multiply, so also it will please Him to annihilate you and destroy you. And you will be uprooted from the land you are entering to possess.
64 Then the LORD will scatter you among all the nations, from one end of the earth to the other, and there you will worship other gods, gods of wood and stone, which neither you nor your fathers have known. 65 Among those nations you will find no repose, not even a resting place for the sole of your foot. There the LORD will give you a trembling heart, failing eyes, and a despairing soul.
66 So your life will hang in doubt before you, and you will be afraid night and day, never certain of survival. 67 In the morning you will say, ‘If only it were evening!’ and in the evening you will say, ‘If only it were morning!’—because of the dread in your hearts of the terrifying sights you will see.
68 The LORD will return you to Egypt in ships by a route that I said you should never see again. There you will sell yourselves to your enemies as male and female slaves, but no one will buy you.”
Footnotes:
20 a Hebrew Me
22 b Or sword
54 c Hebrew the wife of his bosom
55 d Or within all your cities ; similarly in verse 57
56 e Hebrew the husband of her bosom
Deuteronomy 29
The Covenant in Moab
1 These are the words of the covenant that the LORD commanded Moses to make with the Israelites in the land of Moab, in addition to the covenant He had made with them at Horeb. a
2 Moses summoned all Israel and proclaimed to them, “You have seen with your own eyes everything the LORD did in Egypt to Pharaoh, to all his officials, and to all his land. 3 You saw with your own eyes the great trials, and those miraculous signs and wonders. 4 Yet to this day the LORD has not given you a mind to understand, eyes to see, or ears to hear.
5 For forty years I led you in the wilderness,
yet your clothes and sandals did not wear out.
6 You ate no bread and drank no wine or strong drink,
so that you might know that I am the LORD your God.
7 When you reached this place, Sihon king of Heshbon and Og king of Bashan came out against us in battle, but we defeated them. 8 We took their land and gave it as an inheritance to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh. 9 So keep and follow the words of this covenant, that you may prosper in all you do.
10 All of you are standing today before the LORD your God—you leaders of tribes, b elders, officials, and all the men of Israel, 11 your children and wives, and the foreigners in your camps who cut your wood and draw your water— 12 so that you may enter into the covenant of the LORD your God, which He is making with you today, and into His oath, 13 and so that He may establish you today as His people, and He may be your God as He promised you and as He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
14 I am making this covenant and this oath not only with you, 15 but also with those who are standing here with us today in the presence of the LORD our God, as well as with those who are not here today.
16 For you yourselves know how we lived in the land of Egypt and how we passed through the nations on the way here. 17 You saw the abominations and idols among them made of wood and stone, of silver and gold.
18 Make sure there is no man or woman, clan or tribe among you today whose heart turns away from the LORD our God to go and worship the gods of those nations. Make sure there is no root among you that bears such poisonous and bitter fruit, c 19 because when such a person hears the words of this oath, d he invokes a blessing on himself, saying, ‘I will have peace, even though I walk in the stubbornness of my own heart.’
This will bring disaster on the watered land as well as the dry. 20 The LORD will never be willing to forgive him. Instead, His anger and jealousy will burn against that man, and every curse written in this book will fall upon him. The LORD will blot out his name from under heaven 21 and single him out from all the tribes of Israel for disaster, according to all the curses of the covenant written in this Book of the Law.
22 Then the generation to come—your sons who follow you and the foreigner who comes from a distant land—will see the plagues of the land and the sicknesses the LORD has inflicted on it. 23 All its soil will be a burning waste of sulfur and salt, unsown and unproductive, with no plant growing on it, just like the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, which the LORD overthrew in His fierce anger.
24 So all the nations will ask, ‘Why has the LORD done such a thing to this land? Why this great outburst of anger?’
25 And the people will answer, ‘It is because they abandoned the covenant of the LORD, the God of their fathers, which He made with them when He brought them out of the land of Egypt. 26 They went and served other gods, and they worshiped gods they had not known—gods that the LORD had not given to them. 27 Therefore the anger of the LORD burned against this land, and He brought upon it every curse written in this book. 28 The LORD uprooted them from their land in His anger, rage, and great wrath, and He cast them into another land, where they are today.’
29 The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, so that we may follow all the words of this law.
Footnotes:
1 a That is, Mount Sinai, or possibly a mountain in the range containing Mount Sinai
10 b LXX and Syriac; Hebrew you leaders, tribes
18 c See Hebrews 12:15
19 d Or curse
Deuteronomy 30
The Promise of Restoration
(Nehemiah 1:1–11)
1 “When all these things come upon you—the blessings and curses I have set before you—and you call them to mind in all the nations to which the LORD your God has banished you, 2 and when you and your children return to the LORD your God and obey His voice with all your heart and all your soul according to everything I am giving you today, 3 then He will restore you from captivity a and have compassion on you and gather you from all the nations to which the LORD your God has scattered you. 4 Even if you have been banished to the farthest horizon, b He will gather you and return you from there. c
5 And the LORD your God will bring you into the land your fathers possessed, and you will take possession of it. He will cause you to prosper and multiply more than your fathers. 6 The LORD your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, and you will love Him with all your heart and with all your soul, so that you may live.
7 Then the LORD your God will put all these curses upon your enemies who hate you and persecute you. 8 And you will again obey the voice of the LORD and follow all His commandments I am giving you today. 9 So the LORD your God will make you abound in all the work of your hands and in the fruit of your womb, the offspring of your livestock, and the produce of your land. Indeed, the LORD will again delight in your goodness, as He delighted in that of your fathers, 10 if you obey the LORD your God by keeping His commandments and statutes that are written in this Book of the Law, and if you turn to Him with all your heart and with all your soul.
The Choice of Life or Death
11 For this commandment I give you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. 12 It is not in heaven, that you should need to ask, ‘Who will ascend into heaven d to get it for us and proclaim it, that we may obey it?’ 13 And it is not beyond the sea, that you should need to ask, ‘Who will cross the sea e to get it for us and proclaim it, that we may obey it?’ 14 But the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart, f so that you may obey it.
15 See, I have set before you today life and goodness, as well as death and disaster. 16 For I am commanding you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, statutes, and ordinances, so that you may live and increase, and the LORD your God may bless you in the land that you are entering to possess.
17 But if your heart turns away and you do not listen, but are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, 18 I declare to you today that you will surely perish; you shall not prolong your days in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess.
19 I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing. Therefore choose life, so that you and your descendants may live, 20 and that you may love the LORD your God, obey Him, and hold fast to Him. For He is your life, and He will prolong your life in the land that the LORD swore to give to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”
Footnotes:
3 a Or restore your fortunes
4 b Or to the extremity of the heavens
4 c Cited in Nehemiah 1:8–9
12 d Cited in Romans 10:6
13 e See Romans 10:7.
14 f Cited in Romans 10:8
Deuteronomy 31
Joshua to Succeed Moses
(Numbers 27:18–23)
1 When Moses had finished speaking a these words to all Israel, 2 he said to them, “I am now a hundred and twenty years old; I am no longer able to come and go, and the LORD has said to me, ‘You shall not cross the Jordan.’
3 The LORD your God Himself will cross over ahead of you. He will destroy these nations before you, and you will dispossess them. Joshua will cross ahead of you, as the LORD has said. 4 And the LORD will do to them as He did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites, when He destroyed them along with their land.
5 The LORD will deliver them over to you, and you must do to them exactly as I have commanded you. 6 Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid or terrified of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.” b
7 Then Moses called for Joshua and said to him in the presence of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you will go with this people into the land that the LORD swore to their fathers to give them, and you shall give it to them as an inheritance. 8 The LORD Himself goes before you; He will be with you. He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid or discouraged.”
The Reading of the Law
(Nehemiah 8:1–8)
9 So Moses wrote down this law and gave it to the priests, the sons of Levi, who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and to all the elders of Israel.
10 Then Moses commanded them, “At the end of every seven years, at the appointed time in the year of remission of debt, during the Feast of Tabernacles, c 11 when all Israel comes before the LORD your God at the place He will choose, you are to read this law in the hearing of all Israel.
12 Assemble the people—men, women, children, and the foreigners within your gates—so that they may listen and learn to fear the LORD your God and to follow carefully all the words of this law. 13 Then their children who do not know the law will listen and learn to fear the LORD your God, as long as you live in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess.”
God Commissions Joshua
14 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, the time of your death is near. Call Joshua and present yourselves at the Tent of Meeting, so that I may commission him.”
So Moses and Joshua went and presented themselves at the Tent of Meeting. 15 Then the LORD appeared at the tent in a pillar of cloud, and the cloud stood over the entrance to the tent.
16 And the LORD said to Moses, “You will soon rest with your fathers, and these people will rise up and prostitute themselves with the foreign gods of the land they are entering. They will forsake Me and break the covenant I have made with them.
17 On that day My anger will burn against them, and I will abandon them and hide My face from them, so that they will be consumed, and many troubles and afflictions will befall them.
On that day they will say, ‘Have not these disasters come upon us because our God is no longer with us?’
18 And on that day I will surely hide My face because of all the evil they have done by turning to other gods.
19 Now therefore, write down for yourselves this song and teach it to the Israelites;have them recite it, so that it may be a witness for Me against them. 20 When I have brought them into the land that I swore to give their fathers, a land flowing with milk and honey, they will eat their fill and prosper. Then they will turn to other gods and worship them, and they will reject Me and break My covenant. 21 And when many troubles and afflictions have come upon them, this song will testify against them, because it will not be forgotten from the lips of their descendants. For I know their inclination, even before I bring them into the land that I swore to give them.”
22 So that very day Moses wrote down this song and taught it to the Israelites.
23 Then the LORD commissioned Joshua son of Nun and said, “Be strong and courageous, for you will bring the Israelites into the land that I swore to give them, and I will be with you.”
The Law Placed in the Ark
24 When Moses had finished writing in a book the words of this law from beginning to end, 25 he gave this command to the Levites who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD: 26 “Take this Book of the Law and place it beside the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, so that it may remain there as a witness against you. 27 For I know how rebellious and stiff-necked you are. If you are already rebelling against the LORD while I am still alive, how much more will you rebel after my death!
28 Assemble before me all the elders of your tribes and all your officers so that I may speak these words in their hearing and call heaven and earth to witness against them. 29 For I know that after my death you will become utterly corrupt and turn from the path I have commanded you. And in the days to come, disaster will befall you because you will do evil in the sight of the LORD to provoke Him to anger by the work of your hands.”
Moses Begins His Song
30 Then Moses recited aloud to the whole assembly of Israel the words of this song from beginning to end:
Footnotes:
1 a DSS and LXX; MT When Moses went out and spoke
6 b Cited in Hebrews 13:5; here and in verse 8
10 c That is, Sukkot, the autumn feast of pilgrimage to Jerusalem; also translated as the Feast of Booths or the Feast of Shelters and originally called the Feast of Ingathering (see Exodus 23:16 and Exodus 34:22).
Deuteronomy 32
The Song of Moses
(Revelation 15:1–4)
1 Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak;
hear, O earth, the words of my mouth.
2 Let my teaching fall like rain
and my speech settle like dew,
like gentle rain on new grass,
like showers on tender plants.
3 For I will proclaim the name of the LORD.
Ascribe greatness to our God!
4 He is the Rock, His work is perfect;
all His ways are just.
A God of faithfulness without injustice,
5 His people have acted corruptly toward Him;
the spot on them is not that of His children,
but of a perverse and crooked generation. a
6 Is this how you repay the LORD,
O foolish and senseless people?
Is He not your Father and Creator?
Has He not made you and established you?
7 Remember the days of old;
consider the years long past.
Ask your father, and he will tell you,
your elders, and they will inform you.
8 When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance,
when He divided the sons of man,
He set the boundaries of the peoples
according to the number of the sons of God. b
9 But the LORD’s portion is His people,
Jacob His allotted inheritance.
10 He found him in a desert land,
in a barren, howling wilderness;
He surrounded him, He instructed him,
He guarded him as the apple c of His eye.
11 As an eagle stirs up its nest
and hovers over its young,
He spread His wings to catch them
and carried them on His pinions. d
12 The LORD alone led him,
and no foreign god was with him.
13 He made him ride on the heights of the land
and fed him the produce of the field.
He nourished him with honey from the rock
and oil from the flinty crag,
14 with curds from the herd and milk from the flock,
with the fat of lambs,
with rams from Bashan, and goats,
with the choicest grains of wheat.
From the juice of the finest grapes
you drank the wine.
15 But Jeshurun e grew fat and kicked—
becoming fat, bloated, and gorged.
He abandoned the God who made him
and scorned the Rock of his salvation.
16 They provoked His jealousy with foreign gods;
they enraged Him with abominations.
17 They sacrificed to demons, not to God,
to gods they had not known,
to newly arrived gods,
which your fathers did not fear.
18 You ignored the Rock who brought you forth;
you forgot the God who gave you birth.
19 When the LORD saw this, He rejected them,
provoked to anger by His sons and daughters.
20 He said: “I will hide My face from them;
I will see what will be their end.
For they are a perverse generation—
21 They have provoked My jealousy by that which is not God;
they have enraged Me with their worthless idols.
So I will make them jealous by those who are not a people; f
I will make them angry by a nation without understanding. g
22 For a fire has been kindled by My anger,
and it burns to the depths of Sheol;
it consumes the earth and its produce,
and scorches the foundations of the mountains.
23 I will heap disasters upon them;
I will spend My arrows against them.
24 They will be wasted from hunger
and ravaged by pestilence and bitter plague;
I will send the fangs of wild beasts against them,
with the venom of vipers that slither in the dust.
25 Outside, the sword will take their children,
and inside, terror will strike
the young man and the young woman,
the infant and the gray-haired man.
26 I would have said that I would cut them to pieces
and blot out their memory from mankind,
27 if I had not dreaded the taunt of the enemy,
lest their adversaries misunderstand and say:
‘Our own hand has prevailed;
it was not the LORD who did all this.’ ”
28 Israel is a nation devoid of counsel,
with no understanding among them.
29 If only they were wise, they would understand it;
they would comprehend their fate.
30 How could one man pursue a thousand,
or two put ten thousand to flight,
unless their Rock had sold them,
unless the LORD had given them up?
31 For their rock is not like our Rock,
even our enemies concede. h
32 But their vine is from the vine of Sodom
and from the fields of Gomorrah.
Their grapes are poisonous;
their clusters are bitter.
33 Their wine is the venom of serpents,
the deadly poison of cobras.
34 “Have I not stored up these things,
35 Vengeance is Mine; I will repay. i
In due time their foot will slip;
for their day of disaster is near,
and their doom is coming quickly.”
36 For the LORD will vindicate His people j
and have compassion on His servants
when He sees that their strength is gone
and no one remains, slave or free.
37 He will say: “Where are their gods,
the rock in which they took refuge,
38 which ate the fat of their sacrifices
and drank the wine of their drink offerings?
Let them rise up and help you;
let them give you shelter!
39 See now that I am He;
there is no God besides Me.
I bring death and I give life;
I wound and I heal,
and there is no one
who can deliver from My hand.
40 For I lift up My hand to heaven and declare:
As surely as I live forever,
41 when I sharpen My flashing sword,
and My hand grasps it in judgment,
I will take vengeance on My adversaries
and repay those who hate Me.
42 I will make My arrows drunk with blood,
while My sword devours flesh—
the blood of the slain and captives,
the heads of the enemy leaders.”
43 Rejoice, O heavens, with Him,
and let all God’s angels worship Him. k
Rejoice, O nations, with His people; l
for He will avenge the blood of His children. m
He will take vengeance on His adversaries
and repay those who hate Him; n
He will cleanse His land
and His people.
44 Then Moses came with Joshua o son of Nun and recited all the words of this song in the hearing of the people. 45 When Moses had finished reciting all these words to all Israel, 46 he said to them, “Take to heart all these words I testify among you today, so that you may command your children to carefully follow all the words of this law. 47 For they are not idle words to you, because they are your life, and by them you will live long in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess.”
Moses’ Death Foretold
48 On that same day the LORD said to Moses, 49 “Go up into the Abarim Range to Mount Nebo, in the land of Moab across from Jericho, and view the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites as their own possession.
50 And there on the mountain that you climb, you will die and be gathered to your people, just as your brother Aaron died on Mount Hor and was gathered to his people.
51 For at the waters of Meribah-kadesh in the Wilderness of Zin, both of you broke faith with Me among the Israelites by failing to treat Me as holy in their presence. 52 Although you shall see from a distance the land that I am giving the Israelites, you shall not enter it.”
Footnotes:
5 a Cited in Philippians 2:15
8 b DSS; LXX according to the number of the angels of God ; MT according to the number of the sons of Israel
10 c Literally the pupil
11 d Pinions are the outer parts of a bird’s wings, including the flight feathers.
15 e Jeshurun means the upright one , a term of endearment for Israel.
21 f Or not a nation ; see also LXX.
21 g Cited in Romans 10:19
31 h Hebrew; LXX but our enemies are void of understanding
35 i LXX; Hebrew Vengeance is Mine, and recompense ; cited in Romans 12:19 and Hebrews 10:30
36 j Or will judge His people ; see also LXX; cited in Hebrews 10:30
43 k See DSS and LXX; MT lacks Rejoice, O heavens, with Him, and let all God’s angels worship Him. Cited in Hebrews 1:6
43 l Cited in Romans 15:10
43 m DSS and LXX; MT servants
43 n LXX and Vulgate; MT lacks and repay those who hate Him
44 o LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate; Hebrew Hoshea , a variant of Joshua
Deuteronomy 33
Moses Blesses the Twelve Tribes
1 This is the blessing that Moses the man of God pronounced upon the Israelites before his death. 2 He said:
“The LORD came from Sinai
and dawned upon us a from Seir;
He shone forth from Mount Paran
and came with myriads of holy ones,
with flaming fire at His right hand. b
3 Surely You love the people;
all the holy ones are in Your hand,
and they sit down at Your feet; c
each receives Your words—
4 the law that Moses gave us,
the possession of the assembly of Jacob.
5 So the LORD became King in Jeshurun d
when the leaders of the people gathered,
when the tribes of Israel came together.
6 Let Reuben live and not die,
nor e his men be few.”
7 And concerning Judah he said:
“O LORD, hear the cry of Judah
and bring him to his people.
With his own hands he defends his cause,
but may You be a help against his foes.”
8 Concerning Levi he said:
“Give Your Thummim to Levi
and Your Urim to Your godly one, f
whom You tested at Massah g
and contested at the waters of Meribah. h
9 He said of his father and mother,
‘I do not consider them.’
He disregarded his brothers
and did not know his own sons,
for he kept i Your word
and maintained Your covenant.
10 He will teach Your ordinances to Jacob
and Your law to Israel;
he will set incense before You
and whole burnt offerings on Your altar.
11 Bless his substance, O LORD,
and accept the work of his hands.
Smash the loins of those who rise against him,
and of his foes so they can rise no more.”
12 Concerning Benjamin he said:
“May the beloved of the LORD
rest secure in Him;
God shields j him all day long,
and upon His shoulders he rests.”
13 Concerning Joseph he said:
“May his land be blessed by the LORD
with the precious dew from heaven above
and the deep waters that lie beneath,
14 with the bountiful harvest from the sun
and the abundant yield of the seasons,
15 with the best of the ancient mountains
and the bounty of the everlasting hills,
16 with the choice gifts of the land and everything in it,
and with the favor of Him who dwelt in the burning bush.
May these rest on the head of Joseph
and crown the brow of the prince of his brothers.
17 His majesty is like a firstborn bull,
and his horns are like those of a wild ox.
With them he will gore the nations,
even to the ends of the earth.
Such are the myriads of Ephraim,
and such are the thousands of Manasseh.”
18 Concerning Zebulun he said:
“Rejoice, Zebulun, in your journeys,
and Issachar, in your tents.
19 They will call the peoples to a mountain;
there they will offer sacrifices of righteousness.
For they will feast on the abundance of the seas
and the hidden treasures of the sand.”
20 Concerning Gad he said:
“Blessed is he who enlarges
the domain of Gad!
He lies down like a lion
and tears off an arm or a head.
21 He chose the best land for himself,
because a ruler’s portion was reserved for him there.
He came with the leaders of the people;
he administered the LORD’s justice
and His ordinances for Israel.”
22 Concerning Dan he said:
“Dan is a lion’s cub,
leaping out of Bashan.”
23 Concerning Naphtali he said:
“Naphtali is abounding with favor,
full of the blessing of the LORD;
he shall take possession
of the sea k and the south.”
24 And concerning Asher he said:
“May Asher be the most blessed of sons;
may he be the most favored among his brothers
and dip his foot in oil.
25 May the bolts of your gate be iron and bronze,
and may your strength match your days.”
26 “There is none like the God of Jeshurun,
who rides the heavens to your aid,
and the clouds in His majesty.
27 The eternal God is your dwelling place,
and underneath are the everlasting arms.
He drives out the enemy before you,
giving the command, ‘Destroy him!’
28 So Israel dwells securely;
the fountain of Jacob lives untroubled
in a land of grain and new wine,
where even the heavens drip with dew.
29 Blessed are you, O Israel!
Who is like you, a people saved by the LORD?
He is the shield that protects you,
the sword in which you boast.
Your enemies will cower before you,
and you shall trample their high places.”
Footnotes:
2 a LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate; Hebrew upon them
2 b Or with myriads of holy ones from the south, from His mountain slopes
3 c Or they follow in Your steps
5 d Jeshurun means the upright one , a term of endearment for Israel; also in verse 26.
6 e Or but let
8 f DSS and LXX; MT does not include to Levi ; literally Let Your Perfections and Your Lights be to Your godly one .
8 g Massah means testing ; see Exodus 17:7.
8 h Meribah means quarreling ; see Exodus 17:7.
9 i Hebrew they kept , most likely referring to Levi in the plural; similarly twice in verse 10
12 j LXX; Hebrew He shields
23 k Or the west
Deuteronomy 34
The Death of Moses
1 Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which faces Jericho. And the LORD showed him the whole land—from Gilead as far as Dan, 2 all of Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Western Sea, a 3 the Negev, and the region from the Valley of Jericho (the City of Palms) all the way to Zoar.
4 And the LORD said to him, “This is the land that I swore to give Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob when I said, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I have let you see it with your own eyes, but you will not cross into it.”
5 So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, as the LORD had said. 6 And He buried him b in a valley in the land of Moab facing Beth-peor, and no one to this day knows the location of his grave.
7 Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died, yet his eyes were not weak, and his vitality had not diminished. 8 The Israelites grieved for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days, until the time of weeping and mourning for Moses came to an end.
9 Now Joshua son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom because Moses had laid his hands on him. So the Israelites obeyed him and did as the LORD had commanded Moses. 10 Since that time, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face— 11 no prophet who did all the signs and wonders that the LORD sent Moses to do in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh and to all his officials and all his land, 12 and no prophet who performed all the mighty acts of power and awesome deeds c that Moses did in the sight of all Israel.
Footnotes:
2 a That is, the Mediterranean Sea, also called the Great Sea
6 b SP and some LXX manuscripts they buried him
12 c Or terrifying deeds
Joshua
Joshua 1
God Instructs Joshua
(Deuteronomy 11:8–17)
1 Now after the death of His servant Moses, the LORD spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, saying, 2 “Moses My servant is dead. Now therefore arise, you and all these people, and cross over the Jordan into the land that I am giving to the children of Israel.
3 I have given you every place where the sole of your foot will tread, just as I promised to Moses. 4 Your territory shall extend from the wilderness and Lebanon to the great River Euphrates—all the land of the Hittites—and west as far as the Great Sea. a
5 No one shall stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so will I be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. b
6 Be strong and courageous, for you shall give these people the inheritance of the land that I swore to their fathers I would give them.
7 Above all, be strong and very courageous. Be careful to observe all the law that My servant Moses commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may prosper wherever you go. 8 This Book of the Law must not depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. For then you will prosper and succeed in all you do.
9 Have I not commanded you to be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”
Joshua Takes Charge
10 Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people: 11 “Go through the camp and tell the people, ‘Prepare your provisions, for within three days you will cross the Jordan to go in and take possession of the land that the LORD your God is giving you to possess.’ ”
12 But to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, Joshua said, 13 “Remember what Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you when he said, ‘The LORD your God will give you rest, and He will give you this land.’ 14 Your wives, your young children, and your livestock may remain in the land that Moses gave you on this side of the Jordan. But all your mighty men of valor must be armed for battle to cross over ahead of your brothers and help them, 15 until the LORD gives them rest as He has done for you, and your brothers also possess the land that the LORD your God is giving them. Then you may return to the land of your inheritance and take possession of that which Moses the servant of the LORD gave you on the east side of the Jordan.”
16 So they answered Joshua, “Everything you have commanded us we will do, and everywhere you send us we will go. 17 Just as we obeyed Moses in all things, so we will obey you. And may the LORD your God be with you, as He was with Moses. 18 Anyone who rebels against your order and does not obey your words, all that you command him, will be put to death. Above all, be strong and courageous!”
Footnotes:
4 a That is, the Mediterranean Sea
5 b Cited in Hebrews 13:5
Joshua 2
Rahab Welcomes the Spies
(Hebrews 11:30–31)
1 Then Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two spies from Shittim, a saying, “Go, inspect the land, especially Jericho.” So they went and entered the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there.
2 And it was reported to the king of Jericho: “Behold, some men of Israel have come here tonight to spy out the land.”
3 So the king of Jericho sent to Rahab and said, “Bring out the men who came to you and entered your house, for they have come to spy out the whole land.”
4 But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. So she said, “Yes, the men did come to me, but I did not know where they had come from. 5 At dusk, when the gate was about to close, the men went out, and I do not know which way they went. Pursue them quickly, and you may catch them!” 6 (But Rahab had taken them up to the roof and hidden them among the stalks of flax that she had laid out there.)
7 So the king’s men set out in pursuit of the spies along the road to the fords of the Jordan, and as soon as they had gone out, the gate was shut.
The Promise to Rahab
8 Before the spies lay down for the night, Rahab went up on the roof 9 and said to them, “I know that the LORD has given you this land and that the fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who dwell in the land are melting in fear of you. 10 For we have heard how the LORD dried up the waters of the Red Sea b before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites across the Jordan, whom you devoted to destruction. c 11 When we heard this, our hearts melted and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the LORD your God is God in the heavens above and on the earth below.
12 Now therefore, please swear to me by the LORD that you will indeed show kindness to my family, because I showed kindness to you. Give me a sure sign 13 that you will spare the lives of my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them, and that you will deliver us from death.”
14 “Our lives for your lives!” the men agreed. “If you do not report our mission, we will show you kindness and faithfulness when the LORD gives us the land.”
15 Then Rahab let them down by a rope through the window, since the house where she lived was built into the wall of the city. 16 “Go to the hill country,” she said, “so that your pursuers will not find you. Hide yourselves there for three days until they have returned; then go on your way.”
17 The men said to her, “We will not be bound by this oath you made us swear 18 unless, when we enter the land, you have tied this scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down, and unless you have brought your father and mother and brothers and all your family into your house. 19 If anyone goes out the door of your house into the street, his blood will be on his own head, and we will be innocent. But if a hand is laid on anyone with you in the house, his blood will be on our heads. 20 And if you report our mission, we will be released from the oath you made us swear.”
21 “Let it be as you say,” she replied, and she sent them away. And when they had gone, she tied the scarlet cord in the window.
22 So the spies went out into the hill country and stayed there three days, until their pursuers had returned without finding them, having searched all along the road. 23 Then the two men started back, came down from the hill country, and crossed the river. So they came to Joshua son of Nun and reported all that had happened to them.
24 “The LORD has surely delivered the entire land into our hands,” they said to Joshua. “Indeed, all who dwell in the land are melting in fear of us.”
Footnotes:
1 a Or Acacia Grove
10 b Or the Sea of Reeds
10 c Forms of the Hebrew cherem refer to the giving over of things or persons to the LORD, either by destroying them or by giving them as an offering.
Joshua 3
Crossing the Jordan
1 Early the next morning Joshua got up and left Shittim a with all the Israelites. They went as far as the Jordan, where they camped before crossing over.
2 After three days the officers went through the camp 3 and commanded the people: “When you see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God being carried by the Levitical priests, you are to set out from your positions and follow it. 4 But keep a distance of about two thousand cubits b between yourselves and the ark. Do not go near it, so that you can see the way to go, since you have never traveled this way before.”
5 Then Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do wonders among you.” 6 And he said to the priests, “Take the ark of the covenant and go on ahead of the people.” So they carried the ark of the covenant and went ahead of them.
7 Now the LORD said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, so they may know that I am with you just as I was with Moses. 8 Command the priests carrying the ark of the covenant: ‘When you reach the edge of the waters, stand in the Jordan.’ ”
9 So Joshua told the Israelites, “Come here and listen to the words of the LORD your God.” 10 He continued, “This is how you will know that the living God is among you and that He will surely drive out before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and Jebusites. 11 Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth will go ahead of you into the Jordan.
12 Now choose twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one from each tribe. 13 When the feet of the priests who carry the ark of the LORD—the Lord of all the earth—touch down in the waters of the Jordan, its flowing waters will be cut off and will stand up in a heap.”
14 So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carried the ark of the covenant ahead of them.
15 Now the Jordan overflows its banks throughout the harvest season. But as soon as the priests carrying the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge, 16 the flowing water stood still. It backed up as far upstream as Adam, a city in the area of Zarethan, while the water flowing toward the Sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea c) was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho. 17 The priests carrying the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan, while all Israel crossed over the dry ground, until the entire nation had crossed the Jordan.
Footnotes:
1 a Or Acacia Grove
4 b 2,000 cubits is approximately 3,000 feet or 914.4 meters.
16 c That is, the Dead Sea
Joshua 4
Twelve Stones from the Jordan
1 When the whole nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the LORD said to Joshua, 2 “Choose twelve men from among the people, one from each tribe, 3 and command them:‘Take up for yourselves twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan where the priests were standing, carry them with you, and set them down in the place where you spend the night.’ ”
4 So Joshua summoned the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe, 5 and said to them, “Cross over before the ark of the LORD your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take a stone upon his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of Israel, 6 to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’ 7 you are to tell them, ‘The waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters were cut off.’ Therefore these stones will be a memorial to the Israelites forever.”
8 Thus the Israelites did as Joshua had commanded them. They took up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, one for each tribe of Israel, just as the LORD had told Joshua; and they carried them to the camp, where they set them down.
9 Joshua also set up twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan, a in the place where the priests who carried the ark of the covenant stood. And the stones are there to this day.
10 Now the priests who carried the ark remained standing in the middle of the Jordan until the people had completed everything the LORD had commanded Joshua to tell them, just as Moses had directed Joshua. The people hurried across, 11 and after everyone had finished crossing, the priests with the ark of the LORD crossed in the sight of the people. 12 The Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh crossed over before the Israelites, armed for battle as Moses had instructed them. 13 About 40,000 troops armed for battle crossed over before the LORD into the plains of Jericho.
14 On that day the LORD exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel, and they revered him all the days of his life, just as they had revered Moses.
15 Then the LORD said to Joshua, 16 “Command the priests who carry the ark of the Testimony b to come up from the Jordan.”
17 So Joshua commanded the priests, “Come up from the Jordan.”
18 When the priests carrying the ark of the covenant of the LORD came up out of the Jordan and their feet touched the dry land, the waters of the Jordan returned to their course and overflowed all the banks as before.
The Camp at Gilgal
19 On the tenth day of the first month the people went up from the Jordan and camped at Gilgal on the eastern border of Jericho. 20 And there at Gilgal Joshua set up the twelve stones they had taken from the Jordan.
21 Then Joshua said to the Israelites, “In the future, when your children ask their fathers, ‘What is the meaning of these stones?’ 22 you are to tell them, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’ 23 For the LORD your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before you until you had crossed over, just as He did to the Red Sea, c which He dried up before us until we had crossed over. 24 He did this so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the LORD is mighty, and so that you may always fear the LORD your God.”
Footnotes:
9 a Some translators And Joshua set up the twelve stones that had been in the middle of the Jordan
16 b That is, the ark of the covenant
23 c Or the Sea of Reeds
Joshua 5
The Circumcision and Passover at Gilgal
1 Now when all the Amorite kings west of the Jordan and all the Canaanite kings along the coast a heard how the LORD had dried up the waters of the Jordan before the Israelites until they had crossed over, b their hearts melted and their spirits failed for fear of the Israelites.
2 At that time the LORD said to Joshua, “Make flint knives and circumcise the sons of Israel once again. c” 3 So Joshua made flint knives and circumcised the sons of Israel at Gibeath-haaraloth. d
4 Now this is why Joshua circumcised them: All those who came out of Egypt—all the men of war—had died on the journey in the wilderness after they had left Egypt. 5 Though all who had come out were circumcised, none of those born in the wilderness on the journey from Egypt had been circumcised.
6 For the Israelites had wandered in the wilderness forty years, until all the nation’s men of war who had come out of Egypt had died, since they did not obey the LORD. So the LORD vowed never to let them see the land He had sworn to their fathers to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey. 7 And Joshua raised up their sons in their place, and these were the ones he circumcised. Until this time they were still uncircumcised, since they had not been circumcised along the way.
8 And after all the nation had been circumcised, they stayed there in the camp until they were healed.
9 Then the LORD said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.” So that place has been called Gilgal e to this day.
10 On the evening of the fourteenth day of the month, while the Israelites were camped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, they kept the Passover. 11 The day after the Passover, on that very day, they ate unleavened bread and roasted grain from the produce of the land.
12 And the day after they had eaten from the produce of the land, the manna ceased. There was no more manna for the Israelites, so that year they began to eat the crops of the land of Canaan.
The Commander of the LORD’s Army
13 Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in His hand. Joshua approached Him and asked, “Are You for us or for our enemies?”
14 “Neither,” He replied. “I have now come as Commander of the LORD’s army.”
Then Joshua fell facedown in reverence f and asked Him, “What does my Lord have to say to His servant?”
15 The Commander of the LORD’s army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.”
And Joshua did so.
Footnotes:
1 a That is, along the Mediterranean coast; literally along the sea
1 b Or until we had crossed over
2 c Literally again the second time
3 d Gibeath-haaraloth means the hill of the foreskins .
9 e Gilgal sounds like the Hebrew for roll .
14 f Or and paid homage or and worshiped
Joshua 6
The Walls of Jericho
1 Now Jericho was tightly shut up because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in.
2 And the LORD said to Joshua, “Behold, I have delivered Jericho into your hand, along with its king and its mighty men of valor. 3 March around the city with all the men of war, circling the city one time. Do this for six days. 4 Have seven priests carry seven rams’ horns in front of the ark. Then on the seventh day, march around the city seven times, while the priests blow the horns. 5 And when there is a long blast of the ram’s horn and you hear its sound, have all the people give a mighty shout. Then the wall of the city will collapse a and all your people will charge straight into the city. b”
6 So Joshua son of Nun summoned the priests and said, “Take up the ark of the covenant and have seven priests carry seven rams’ horns in front of the ark of the LORD.”
7 And he told the people, “Advance and march around the city, with the armed troops going ahead of the ark of the LORD.”
8 After Joshua had spoken to the people, seven priests carrying seven rams’ horns before the LORD advanced and blew the horns, and the ark of the covenant of the LORD followed them. 9 While the horns continued to sound, the armed troops marched ahead of the priests who blew the horns, and the rear guard followed the ark.
10 But Joshua had commanded the people: “Do not give a battle cry or let your voice be heard; do not let one word come out of your mouth until the day I tell you to shout. Then you are to shout!” 11 So he had the ark of the LORD carried around the city, circling it once. And the people returned to the camp and spent the night there.
12 Joshua got up early the next morning, and the priests took the ark of the LORD. 13 And the seven priests carrying seven rams’ horns kept marching ahead of the ark of the LORD and blowing the horns. The armed troops went in front of them and the rear guard followed the ark of the LORD, while the horns kept sounding. 14 So on the second day they marched around the city once and returned to the camp. They did this for six days.
15 Then on the seventh day, they got up at dawn and marched around the city seven times in the same manner. That was the only day they circled the city seven times. 16 After the seventh time around, the priests blew the horns, and Joshua commanded the people, “Shout! For the LORD has given you the city! 17 Now the city and everything in it must be devoted to the LORD for destruction. c Only Rahab the prostitute and all those with her in her house will live, because she hid the spies we sent. 18 But keep away from the things devoted to destruction, lest you yourself be set apart for destruction. If you take any of these, you will set apart the camp of Israel for destruction and bring disaster upon it. 19 For all the silver and gold and all the articles of bronze and iron are holy to the LORD; they must go into His treasury.”
20 So when the rams’ horns sounded, the people shouted. When they heard the blast of the horn, the people gave a great shout, and the wall collapsed. Then all the people charged straight into the city and captured it. 21 At the edge of the sword they devoted to destruction everything in the city—man and woman, young and old, oxen, sheep, and donkeys.
22 Meanwhile, Joshua told the two men who had spied out the land, “Go into the house of the prostitute and bring out the woman and all who are with her, just as you promised her.” 23 So the young spies went in and brought out Rahab, her father and mother and brothers, and all who belonged to her. They brought out her whole family and settled them outside the camp of Israel.
24 Then the Israelites burned up the city and everything in it. However, they put the silver and gold and articles of bronze and iron into the treasury of the LORD’s house. 25 And Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, with her father’s household and all who belonged to her, because she hid the men Joshua had sent to spy out Jericho. So she has lived among the Israelites to this day.
26 At that time Joshua invoked this solemn oath:
“Cursed before the LORD is the man who rises up
and rebuilds this city, Jericho;
at the cost of his firstborn
he will lay its foundations;
at the cost of his youngest
he will set up its gates.” d
27 So the LORD was with Joshua, and his fame spread throughout the land.
Footnotes:
5 a Or fall under itself or fall flat ; similarly in verse 20
5 b Literally and the people will go up, every man straight ahead ; similarly in verse 20
17 c Forms of the Hebrew cherem refer to the giving over of things or persons to the LORD, either by destroying them or by giving them as an offering; also in verses 18 and 21.
26 d See 1 Kings 16:34.
Joshua 7
The Defeat at Ai
1 The Israelites, however, acted unfaithfully regarding the things devoted to destruction. a Achan b son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, c the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of what was set apart. So the anger of the LORD burned against the Israelites.
2 Meanwhile, Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is near Beth-aven to the east of Bethel, and told them, “Go up and spy out the land.” So the men went up and spied out Ai.
3 On returning to Joshua, they reported, “There is no need to send all the people;two or three thousand men are enough to go up and attack Ai. Since the people of Ai are so few, you need not wear out all our people there.”
4 So about three thousand men went up, but they fled before the men of Ai. 5 And the men of Ai struck down about thirty-six of them, chasing them from the gate as far as the quarries d and striking them down on the slopes. So the hearts of the people melted and became like water.
6 Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell facedown before the ark of the LORD until evening, as did the elders of Israel; and they all sprinkled dust on their heads.
7 “O, Lord GOD,” Joshua said, “why did You ever bring this people across the Jordan to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites to be destroyed? If only we had been content to stay on the other side of the Jordan! 8 O Lord, what can I say, now that Israel has turned its back and run from its enemies? 9 When the Canaanites and all who live in the land hear about this, they will surround us and wipe out our name from the earth. Then what will You do for Your great name?”
10 But the LORD said to Joshua, “Stand up! Why have you fallen on your face? 11 Israel has sinned;they have transgressed My covenant that I commanded them, and they have taken some of what was devoted to destruction. Indeed, they have stolen and lied, and they have put these things with their own possessions. 12 This is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies. They will turn their backs and run from their enemies, because they themselves have been set apart for destruction. I will no longer be with you unless you remove from among you whatever is devoted to destruction.
13 Get up and consecrate the people, saying, ‘Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, for this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: Among you, O Israel, there are things devoted to destruction. You cannot stand against your enemies until you remove them. 14 In the morning you must present yourselves tribe by tribe. The tribe that the LORD selects shall come forward clan by clan, and the clan that the LORD selects shall come forward family by family, and the family that the LORD selects shall come forward man by man. 15 The one who is caught with the things devoted to destruction must be burned, along with all that belongs to him, because he has transgressed the covenant of the LORD and committed an outrage in Israel.’ ”
The Sin of Achan
16 So Joshua arose early the next morning and had Israel come forward tribe by tribe, and the tribe of Judah was selected. 17 He had the clans of Judah come forward, and the clan of the Zerahites was selected. He had the clan of the Zerahites come forward, and the family of Zabdi was selected. 18 And he had the family of Zabdi come forward man by man, and Achan son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was selected.
19 So Joshua said to Achan, “My son, give glory to the LORD, the God of Israel, and make a confession to Him. I urge you to tell me what you have done; do not hide it from me.”
20 “It is true,” Achan replied, “I have sinned against the LORD, the God of Israel. This is what I did: 21 When I saw among the spoils a beautiful cloak from Shinar, e two hundred shekels of silver, f and a bar of gold weighing fifty shekels, g I coveted them and took them. They are hidden in the ground inside my tent, with the silver underneath.”
22 So Joshua sent messengers who ran to the tent, and there it all was, hidden in his tent, with the silver underneath. 23 They took the things from inside the tent, brought them to Joshua and all the Israelites, and spread them out before the LORD.
24 Then Joshua, together with all Israel, took Achan son of Zerah, the silver, the cloak, the bar of gold, his sons and daughters, his oxen and donkeys and sheep, his tent, and everything else he owned, and brought them to the Valley of Achor.
25 “Why have you brought this trouble upon us?” said Joshua. “Today the LORD will bring trouble upon you!” And all Israel stoned him to death. Then they stoned the others and burned their bodies. 26 And they heaped over Achan a large pile of rocks that remains to this day. So the LORD turned from His burning anger. Therefore that place is called the Valley of Achor h to this day.
Footnotes:
1 a Forms of the Hebrew cherem refer to the giving over of things or persons to the LORD, either by destroying them or by giving them as an offering; also in verses 11, 12, 13, and 15.
1 b Achan means troubler ; also called Achar in 1 Chronicles 2:7.
1 c Zabdi is a variant of Zimri ; also in verses 17 and 18; see LXX and 1 Chronicles 2:6.
5 d Or as far as Shebarim
21 e That is, Babylonia
21 f 200 shekels is approximately 5 pounds or 2.3 kilograms of silver.
21 g 50 shekels is approximately 1.26 pounds or 569.8 grams of gold.
26 h Achor means trouble .
Joshua 8
The Conquest of Ai
1 Then the LORD said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid or discouraged. Take the whole army with you, and go up and attack Ai. See, I have delivered into your hand the king of Ai, his people, his city, and his land. 2 And you shall do to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king, except that you may carry off their plunder and livestock for yourselves. Set up an ambush behind the city.”
3 So Joshua and the whole army set out to attack Ai. Joshua chose 30,000 mighty men of valor and sent them out at night 4 with these orders:“Pay attention. You are to lie in ambush behind the city, not too far from it. All of you must be ready. 5 Then I and all the troops with me will advance on the city. When they come out against us as they did the first time, we will flee from them. 6 They will pursue us until we have drawn them away from the city, for they will say, ‘The Israelites are running away from us as they did before.’ So as we flee from them, 7 you are to rise from the ambush and seize the city, for the LORD your God will deliver it into your hand. 8 And when you have taken the city, set it on fire. Do as the LORD has commanded! See, I have given you orders.”
9 So Joshua sent them out, and they went to the place of ambush and lay in wait between Bethel and Ai, to the west of Ai. But Joshua spent that night among the people.
10 Joshua got up early the next morning and mobilized his men, and he and the elders of Israel marched before them up to Ai. 11 Then all the troops who were with him marched up and approached the city. They arrived in front of Ai and camped to the north of it, with the valley between them and the city.
12 Now Joshua had taken about five thousand men and set up an ambush between Bethel and Ai, to the west of the city. 13 So the forces were stationed with the main camp to the north of the city and the rear guard to the west of the city. And that night Joshua went into the valley.
14 When the king of Ai saw the Israelites, he hurried out early in the morning with the men of the city to engage them in battle at an appointed place overlooking the Arabah. But he did not know that an ambush had been set up against him behind the city. 15 Joshua and all Israel let themselves be beaten back before them, and they fled toward the wilderness. 16 Then all the men of Ai were summoned to pursue them, and they followed Joshua and were drawn away from the city. 17 Not a man was left in Ai or Bethel who did not go out after Israel, leaving the city wide open while they pursued Israel.
18 Then the LORD said to Joshua, “Hold out your battle lance a toward Ai, for into your hand I will deliver the city.” So Joshua held out his battle lance toward Ai, 19 and as soon as he did so, the men in ambush rose quickly from their position. They rushed forward, entered the city, captured it, and immediately set it on fire.
20 When the men of Ai turned and looked back, the smoke of the city was rising into the sky. They could not escape in any direction, and the troops who had fled to the wilderness now became the pursuers. 21 When Joshua and all Israel saw that the men in ambush had captured the city and that smoke was rising from it, they turned around and struck down the men of Ai. 22 Meanwhile, those in the ambush came out of the city against them, and the men of Ai were trapped between the Israelite forces on both sides. So Israel struck them down until no survivor or fugitive remained. 23 But they took the king of Ai alive and brought him to Joshua.
24 When Israel had finished killing all the men of Ai who had pursued them into the field and wilderness, and when every last one of them had fallen by the sword, all the Israelites returned to Ai and put it to the sword as well. 25 A total of twelve thousand men and women fell that day—all the people of Ai. 26 Joshua did not draw back the hand that held his battle lance until he had devoted to destruction b all who lived in Ai. 27 Israel took for themselves only the cattle and plunder of that city, as the LORD had commanded Joshua.
28 So Joshua burned Ai c and made it a permanent heap of ruins, a desolation to this day. 29 He hung the king of Ai on a tree d until evening, and at sunset Joshua commanded that they take down the body from the tree and throw it down at the entrance of the city gate. And over it they raised a large pile of rocks, which remains to this day.
Joshua Renews the Covenant
(Deuteronomy 27:1–10)
30 At that time Joshua built an altar on Mount Ebal to the LORD, the God of Israel, 31 just as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded the Israelites. He built it according to what is written in the Book of the Law of Moses: “an altar of uncut stones on which no iron tool has been used.” e And on it they offered burnt offerings to the LORD, and they sacrificed peace offerings.
32 And there in the presence of the Israelites, Joshua inscribed on the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he had written. 33 All Israel, foreigners and citizens alike, with their elders, officers, and judges, stood on both sides of the ark of the covenant of the LORD facing the Levitical priests who carried it. Half of the people stood in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal, as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded earlier, to bless the people of Israel.
34 Afterward, Joshua read aloud all the words of the law—the blessings and the curses—according to all that is written in the Book of the Law. 35 There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded that Joshua failed to read before the whole assembly of Israel, including the women, the little ones, and the foreigners who lived among them.
Footnotes:
18 a Or javelin ; twice in this verse, and also in verse 26
26 b Forms of the Hebrew cherem refer to the giving over of things or persons to the LORD, either by destroying them or by giving them as an offering.
28 c Ai means ruin .
29 d Or He impaled the king of Ai on a pole
31 e Exodus 20:25;Deuteronomy 27:5
Joshua 9
The Deceit of the Gibeonites
1 Now when news of this reached all the kings west of the Jordan—those in the hill country, the foothills, a and all along the coast of the Great Sea b toward Lebanon (the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites)— 2 they came together to wage war against Joshua and Israel.
3 But the people of Gibeon, having heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai, 4 acted deceptively and set out as envoys, c carrying on their donkeys worn-out sacks and old wineskins, cracked and mended. 5 They put worn, patched sandals on their feet and threadbare clothing on their bodies, and their whole supply of bread was dry and moldy. 6 They went to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal and said to him and the men of Israel, “We have come from a distant land; please make a treaty d with us.”
7 But the men of Israel said to the Hivites, “Perhaps you dwell near us. How can we make a treaty with you?”
8 “We are your servants,” they said to Joshua.
Then Joshua asked them, “Who are you and where have you come from?”
9 “Your servants have come from a very distant land,” they replied, “because of the fame of the LORD your God. For we have heard the reports about Him: all that He did in Egypt, 10 and all that He did to the two kings of the Amorites beyond the Jordan—Sihon king of Heshbon and Og king of Bashan, who reigned in Ashtaroth. 11 So the elders and inhabitants of our land told us, ‘Take provisions for your journey; go to meet them and say to them: We are your servants. Please make a treaty with us.’
12 This bread of ours was warm when we packed it at home on the day we left to come to you. But take a look, it is now dry and moldy. 13 These wineskins were new when we filled them, but look, they are cracked. And these clothes and sandals are worn out from our very long journey.”
14 Then the men of Israel sampled their provisions, but did not seek the counsel of the LORD. 15 And Joshua made a treaty of peace with them to let them live, and the leaders of the congregation swore an oath to them.
16 Three days after they had made the treaty with the Gibeonites, the Israelites learned that they were neighbors, living among them. 17 So the Israelites set out and on the third day arrived at their cities—Gibeon, Chephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath-jearim. 18 But the Israelites did not attack them, because the leaders of the congregation had sworn an oath to them by the LORD, the God of Israel. And the whole congregation grumbled against the leaders.
19 All the leaders answered, “We have sworn an oath to them by the LORD, the God of Israel, and now we cannot touch them. 20 This is how we will treat them: We will let them live, so that no wrath will fall on us because of the oath we swore to them.” 21 They continued, “Let them live, but let them be woodcutters and water carriers for the whole congregation.” So the leaders kept their promise.
22 Then Joshua summoned the Gibeonites and said, “Why did you deceive us by telling us you live far away from us, when in fact you live among us? 23 Now therefore you are under a curse and will perpetually serve as woodcutters and water carriers for the house of my God.”
24 The Gibeonites answered, “Your servants were told clearly that the LORD your God had commanded His servant Moses to give you all the land and wipe out all its inhabitants before you. So we greatly feared for our lives because of you, and that is why we have done this. 25 Now we are in your hands. Do to us whatever seems good and right to you.”
26 So Joshua did this and delivered them from the hands of the Israelites, and they did not kill the Gibeonites. 27 On that day he made them woodcutters and water carriers, as they are to this day for the congregation of the LORD and for the altar at the place He would choose.
Footnotes:
1 a Hebrew Shephelah or lowlands ; that is, the western foothills of Judea
1 b That is, the Mediterranean Sea
4 c Or set out with provisions
6 d Forms of the Hebrew berit are translated in most passages as covenant ; also in verses 7, 11, 15, and 16.
Joshua 10
The Day the Sun Stood Still
1 Now Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem heard that Joshua had captured Ai and devoted it to destruction a —doing to Ai and its king as he had done to Jericho and its king—and that the people of Gibeon had made peace with Israel and were living near them. 2 So Adoni-zedek and his people were greatly alarmed, because Gibeon was a great city, like one of the royal cities; it was larger than Ai, and all its men were mighty.
3 Therefore Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem sent word to Hoham king of Hebron, Piram king of Jarmuth, Japhia king of Lachish, and Debir king of Eglon, saying, 4 “Come up and help me. We will attack Gibeon, because they have made peace with Joshua and the Israelites.”
5 So the five kings of the Amorites—the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon—joined forces and advanced with all their armies. They camped before Gibeon and made war against it.
6 Then the men of Gibeon sent word to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal: “Do not abandon your servants. Come quickly and save us! Help us, because all the kings of the Amorites from the hill country have joined forces against us.”
7 So Joshua and his whole army, including all the mighty men of valor, came from Gilgal.
8 The LORD said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid of them, for I have delivered them into your hand. Not one of them shall stand against you.”
9 After marching all night from Gilgal, Joshua caught them by surprise. 10 And the LORD threw them into confusion before Israel, who defeated them in a great slaughter at Gibeon, pursued them along the ascent to Beth-horon, and struck them down as far as Azekah and Makkedah. 11 As they fled before Israel along the descent from Beth-horon to Azekah, the LORD cast down on them large hailstones from the sky, and more of them were killed by the hailstones than by the swords of the Israelites.
12 On the day that the LORD gave the Amorites over to the Israelites, Joshua spoke to the LORD in the presence of Israel:
“O sun, stand still over Gibeon,
O moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.” b
13 So the sun stood still
and the moon stopped
until the nation took vengeance
upon its enemies. c
Is this not written in the Book of Jashar? d
“So the sun stopped
in the middle of the sky
and delayed going down
about a full day.” e
14 There has been no day like it before or since, when the LORD listened to the voice of a man, because the LORD fought for Israel.
15 Then Joshua returned with all Israel to the camp at Gilgal.
The Victory at Makkedah
16 Now the five kings had fled and hidden in the cave at Makkedah. 17 And Joshua was informed: “The five kings have been found; they are hiding in the cave at Makkedah.”
18 So Joshua said, “Roll large stones against the mouth of the cave, and post men there to guard them. 19 But you, do not stop there. Pursue your enemies and attack them from behind. Do not let them reach their cities, for the LORD your God has delivered them into your hand.”
20 So Joshua and the Israelites continued to inflict a terrible slaughter until they had finished them off, and the remaining survivors retreated to the fortified cities. 21 The whole army returned safely to Joshua in the camp at Makkedah, and no one dared to utter a word against the Israelites.
22 Then Joshua said, “Open the mouth of the cave and bring those five kings out to me.” 23 So they brought the five kings out of the cave—the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon.
24 When they had brought the kings to Joshua, he summoned all the men of Israel and said to the army commanders who had accompanied him, “Come here and put your feet on the necks of these kings.”
So the commanders came forward and put their feet on their necks.
25 “Do not be afraid or discouraged,” Joshua said. “Be strong and courageous, for the LORD will do this to all the enemies you fight.”
26 After this, Joshua struck down and killed the kings, and he hung their bodies on five trees f and left them there until evening. 27 At sunset Joshua ordered that they be taken down from the trees and thrown into the cave in which they had hidden. Then large stones were placed against the mouth of the cave, and the stones are there to this day.
28 On that day Joshua captured Makkedah and put it to the sword, along with its king. He devoted to destruction everyone in the city, leaving no survivors. So he did to the king of Makkedah as he had done to the king of Jericho.
Conquest of the Southern Cities
29 Then Joshua and all Israel with him moved on from Makkedah to Libnah and fought against Libnah. 30 And the LORD also delivered that city and its king into the hand of Israel, and Joshua put all the people to the sword, leaving no survivors. And he did to the king of Libnah as he had done to the king of Jericho.
31 And Joshua and all Israel with him moved on from Libnah to Lachish. They laid siege to it and fought against it. 32 And the LORD delivered Lachish into the hand of Israel, and Joshua captured it on the second day. He put all the people to the sword, just as he had done to Libnah.
33 At that time Horam king of Gezer went to help Lachish, but Joshua struck him down along with his people, leaving no survivors.
34 So Joshua moved on from Lachish to Eglon, and all Israel with him. They laid siege to it and fought against it. 35 That day they captured Eglon and put it to the sword, and Joshua devoted to destruction everyone in the city, just as he had done to Lachish.
36 Then Joshua and all Israel with him went up from Eglon to Hebron and fought against it. 37 They captured it and put to the sword its king, all its villages, and all the people. Joshua left no survivors, just as he had done at Eglon; he devoted to destruction Hebron and everyone in it.
38 Finally Joshua and all Israel with him turned toward Debir and fought against it. 39 And they captured Debir, its king, and all its villages. They put them to the sword and devoted to destruction everyone in the city, leaving no survivors. Joshua did to Debir and its king as he had done to Hebron and as he had done to Libnah and its king.
40 So Joshua conquered the whole region—the hill country, the Negev, the foothills, g and the slopes, together with all their kings—leaving no survivors. He devoted to destruction everything that breathed, just as the LORD, the God of Israel, had commanded. 41 Joshua conquered the area from Kadesh-barnea to Gaza, and the whole region of Goshen as far as Gibeon.
42 And because the LORD, the God of Israel, fought for Israel, Joshua captured all these kings and their land in one campaign. 43 Then Joshua returned with all Israel to the camp at Gilgal.
Footnotes:
1 a Forms of the Hebrew cherem refer to the giving over of things or persons to the LORD, either by destroying them or by giving them as an offering; also in verses 28, 35, 37, 39, and 40.
12 b See Jasher 88:63.
13 c Or triumphed over its enemies
13 d Or the Book of the Upright One , commonly cited as Jasher
13 e See Jasher 88:64.
26 f Or impaled their bodies on five poles ; similarly in verse 27
40 g Hebrew Shephelah or lowlands ; that is, the western foothills of Judea
Joshua 11
Conquest of the Northern Cities
1 Now when Jabin king of Hazor heard about these things, he sent word to Jobab king of Madon; to the kings of Shimron and Achshaph; 2 to the kings of the north in the mountains, in the Arabah south of Chinnereth, in the foothills, a and in Naphoth-dor b to the west; 3 to the Canaanites in the east and west; to the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, and Jebusites in the hill country; and to the Hivites at the foot of Hermon in the land of Mizpah.
4 So these kings came out with all their armies, a multitude as numerous as the sand on the seashore, along with a great number of horses and chariots. 5 All these kings joined forces and encamped at the waters of Merom to fight against Israel.
6 Then the LORD said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid of them, for by this time tomorrow I will deliver all of them slain before Israel. You are to hamstring their horses and burn up their chariots.”
7 So by the waters of Merom, Joshua and his whole army came upon them suddenly and attacked them, 8 and the LORD delivered them into the hand of Israel, who struck them down and pursued them all the way to Greater Sidon and Misrephoth-maim, and eastward as far as the Valley of Mizpeh. They struck them down, leaving no survivors. 9 Joshua treated them as the LORD had told him; he hamstrung their horses and burned up their chariots.
10 At that time Joshua turned back and captured Hazor and put its king to the sword, because Hazor was formerly the head of all these kingdoms. 11 The Israelites put everyone in Hazor to the sword, devoting them to destruction. c Nothing that breathed remained, and Joshua burned down Hazor itself.
12 Joshua captured all these kings and their cities and put them to the sword. He devoted them to destruction, as Moses the LORD’s servant had commanded. 13 Yet Israel did not burn any of the cities built on their mounds, except Hazor, which Joshua burned.
14 The Israelites took for themselves all the plunder and livestock of these cities, but they put all the people to the sword until they had completely destroyed them, not sparing anyone who breathed. 15 As the LORD had commanded His servant Moses, so Moses commanded Joshua. That is what Joshua did, leaving nothing undone of all that the LORD had commanded Moses.
Joshua Takes the Whole Land
16 So Joshua took this entire region: the hill country, all the Negev, all the land of Goshen, the western foothills, the Arabah, and the mountains of Israel and their foothills, 17 from Mount Halak, which rises toward Seir, as far as Baal-gad in the Valley of Lebanon at the foot of Mount Hermon. He captured all their kings and struck them down, putting them to death.
18 Joshua waged war against all these kings for a long period of time. 19 No city made peace with the Israelites except the Hivites living in Gibeon; all others were taken in battle. 20 For it was of the LORD to harden d their hearts to engage Israel in battle, so that they would be set apart for destruction and would receive no mercy, being annihilated as the LORD had commanded Moses.
21 At that time Joshua proceeded to eliminate the Anakim from the hill country of Hebron, Debir, and Anab, and from all the hill country of Judah and of Israel. Joshua devoted them to destruction, along with their cities. 22 No Anakim were left in the land of the Israelites; only in Gaza, Gath, and Ashdod did any survive.
23 So Joshua took the entire land, in keeping with all that the LORD had spoken to Moses. And Joshua gave it as an inheritance to Israel according to the allotments to their tribes. Then the land had rest from war.
Footnotes:
2 a Hebrew Shephelah or lowlands ; that is, the western foothills of Judea; also in verse 16
2 b Or in the heights of Dor ; Naphoth-dor is a variant of Naphath-dor ; see Joshua 12:23.
11 c Forms of the Hebrew cherem refer to the giving over of things or persons to the LORD, either by destroying them or by giving them as an offering; also in verses 12, 20, and 21.
20 d Or stiffen or strengthen
Joshua 12
The Kings Defeated East of the Jordan
1 Now these are the kings of the land whom the Israelites struck down and whose lands they took beyond the Jordan to the east, from the Arnon Valley to Mount Hermon, including all the Arabah eastward:
2 Sihon king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon. He ruled from Aroer on the rim of the Arnon Valley, along the middle of the valley, up to the Jabbok River (the border of the Ammonites), that is, half of Gilead, 3 as well as the Arabah east of the Sea of Chinnereth a to the Sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea b), eastward through Beth-jeshimoth, and southward below the slopes of Pisgah.
4 And Og king of Bashan, c one of the remnant of the Rephaim, who lived in Ashtaroth and Edrei. 5 He ruled over Mount Hermon, Salecah, all of Bashan up to the border of the Geshurites and Maacathites, and half of Gilead to the border of Sihon king of Heshbon.
6 Moses, the servant of the LORD, and the Israelites had struck them down and given their land as an inheritance to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh.
The Kings Defeated West of the Jordan
7 And these are the kings of the land that Joshua and the Israelites conquered beyond the Jordan to the west, from Baal-gad in the Valley of Lebanon to Mount Halak, which rises toward Seir (according to the allotments to the tribes of Israel, Joshua gave them as an inheritance 8 the hill country, the foothills, d the Arabah, the slopes, the wilderness, and the Negev—the lands of the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites):
9 the king of Jericho, one;
the king of Ai, which is near Bethel, one;
10 the king of Jerusalem, one;
the king of Hebron, one;
11 the king of Jarmuth, one;
the king of Lachish, one;
12 the king of Eglon, one;
the king of Gezer, one;
13 the king of Debir, one;
the king of Geder, one;
14 the king of Hormah, one;
the king of Arad, one;
15 the king of Libnah, one;
the king of Adullam, one;
16 the king of Makkedah, one;
the king of Bethel, one;
17 the king of Tappuah, one;
the king of Hepher, one;
18 the king of Aphek, one;
the king of Lasharon, one;
19 the king of Madon, one;
the king of Hazor, one;
20 the king of Shimron-meron, one;
the king of Achshaph, one;
21 the king of Taanach, one;
the king of Megiddo, one;
22 the king of Kedesh, one;
the king of Jokneam in Carmel, one;
23 the king of Dor in Naphath-dor, e one;
the king of Goiim in Gilgal, f one;
24 and the king of Tirzah, one.
So there were thirty-one kings in all.
Footnotes:
3 a That is, the Sea of Galilee
3 b That is, the Dead Sea
4 c LXX; Hebrew And the territory of Og king of Bashan
8 d Hebrew Shephelah or lowlands ; that is, the western foothills of Judea
23 e Or in the heights of Dor ; Naphath-dor is a variant of Naphoth-dor ; see Joshua 11:2.
23 f Hebrew; LXX Goyim in Galilee
Joshua 13
Lands Yet Unconquered
(Judges 1:1–7)
1 Now Joshua was old and well along in years, and the LORD said to him, “You are old and well along in years, but very much of the land remains to be possessed. 2 This is the land that remains:
All the territory of the Philistines and the Geshurites, 3 from the Shihor east of Egypt to the territory of Ekron on the north (considered to be Canaanite territory)—that of the five Philistine rulers of Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron, as well as that of the Avvites;
4 to the south, all the land of the Canaanites, from Mearah a of the Sidonians to Aphek, as far as the border of the Amorites;
5 the land of the Gebalites; b
and all Lebanon to the east, from Baal-gad below Mount Hermon to Lebo-hamath.
6 All the inhabitants of the hill country from Lebanon to Misrephoth-maim—all the Sidonians—I Myself will drive out before the Israelites. Be sure to divide it by lot as an inheritance to Israel, as I have commanded you. 7 Now therefore divide this land as an inheritance to the nine tribes and the half-tribe of Manasseh.”
The Inheritance East of the Jordan
(Numbers 32:1–42; Deuteronomy 3:12–22)
8 The other half of Manasseh, along with the Reubenites and Gadites, had received the inheritance Moses had given them beyond the Jordan to the east, just as Moses the servant of the LORD had assigned to them:
9 The area from Aroer on the rim of the Arnon Valley, along with the city in the middle of the valley, the whole plateau of Medeba as far as Dibon, 10 and all the cities of Sihon king of the Amorites who reigned in Heshbon, as far as the border of the Ammonites;
11 also Gilead and the territory of the Geshurites and Maacathites, all of Mount Hermon, and all Bashan as far as Salecah— 12 the whole kingdom of Og in Bashan, who had reigned in Ashtaroth and Edrei and had remained as a remnant of the Rephaim.
Moses had struck them down and dispossessed them, 13 but the Israelites did not drive out the Geshurites or the Maacathites. So Geshur and Maacath dwell among the Israelites to this day.
14 To the tribe of Levi, however, Moses had given no inheritance. The offerings made by fire to the LORD, the God of Israel, are their inheritance, just as He had promised them.
Reuben’s Inheritance
15 This is what Moses had given to the clans of the tribe of Reuben:
16 The territory from Aroer on the rim of the Arnon Valley, along with the city in the middle of the valley, to the whole plateau beyond Medeba, 17 to Heshbon and all its cities on the plateau, including Dibon, Bamoth-baal, Beth-baal-meon, 18 Jahaz, Kedemoth, Mephaath, 19 Kiriathaim, Sibmah, Zereth-shahar on the hill in the valley, 20 Beth-peor, the slopes of Pisgah, and Beth-jeshimoth— 21 all the cities of the plateau and all the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon until Moses killed him and the chiefs of Midian (Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba), the princes of Sihon who lived in the land.
22 The Israelites also killed the diviner Balaam son of Beor along with the others they put to the sword. 23 And the border of the Reubenites was the bank of the Jordan.
This was the inheritance of the clans of the Reubenites, including the cities and villages.
Gad’s Inheritance
24 This is what Moses had given to the clans of the tribe of Gad:
25 The territory of Jazer, all the cities of Gilead, and half the land of the Ammonites as far as Aroer, near Rabbah;
26 the territory from Heshbon to Ramath-mizpeh and Betonim, and from Mahanaim to the border of Debir; c
27 and in the valley, Beth-haram, Beth-nimrah, Succoth, and Zaphon, with the rest of the kingdom of Sihon king of Heshbon (the territory on the east side of the Jordan up to the edge of the Sea of Chinnereth d).
28 This was the inheritance of the clans of the Gadites, including the cities and villages.
Manasseh’s Eastern Inheritance
29 This is what Moses had given to the clans of the half-tribe of Manasseh, that is, to half the tribe of the descendants of Manasseh:
30 The territory from Mahanaim through all Bashan—all the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, including all the towns of Jair that are in Bashan, sixty cities; 31 half of Gilead; and Ashtaroth and Edrei, the royal cities of Og in Bashan.
All this was for the clans of the descendants of Machir son of Manasseh, that is, half of the descendants of Machir.
32 These were the portions Moses had given them on the plains of Moab beyond the Jordan, east of Jericho.
33 To the tribe of Levi, however, Moses had given no inheritance. The LORD, the God of Israel, is their inheritance, just as He had promised them.
Footnotes:
4 a Or Arah
5 b Or the area of Byblos
26 c LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate; Hebrew Li-debir , a variant of Lo-debar ; see 2 Samuel 9:4, 2 Samuel 17:27, and Amos 6:13.
27 d That is, the Sea of Galilee
Joshua 14
Land Division West of the Jordan
1 Now these are the portions that the Israelites inherited in the land of Canaan, as distributed by Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the heads of the families of the tribes of Israel. 2 Their inheritance was assigned by lot for the nine and a half tribes, as the LORD had commanded through Moses. 3 For Moses had given the inheritance east of the Jordan to the other two and a half tribes. But he granted no inheritance among them to the Levites.
4 The descendants of Joseph became two tribes, Manasseh and Ephraim. And no portion of the land was given to the Levites, except for cities in which to live, along with pasturelands for their flocks and herds.
5 So the Israelites did as the LORD had commanded Moses, and they divided the land.
Caleb Requests Hebron
6 Then the sons of Judah approached Joshua at Gilgal, and Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him, “You know what the LORD said to Moses the man of God at Kadesh-barnea about you and me. 7 I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the LORD sent me from Kadesh-barnea to spy out the land, and I brought back to him an honest report.
8 Although my brothers who went with me made the hearts of the people melt with fear, I remained loyal to the LORD my God. 9 On that day Moses swore to me, saying, ‘Surely the land on which you have set foot will be an inheritance to you and your children forever, because you have wholly followed the LORD my God.’
10 Now behold, as the LORD promised, He has kept me alive these forty-five years since He spoke this word to Moses, while Israel wandered in the wilderness. So here I am today, eighty-five years old, 11 still as strong today as I was the day Moses sent me out. As my strength was then, so it is now for war, for going out, and for coming in.
12 Now therefore give me this hill country that the LORD promised me on that day, for you yourself heard then that the Anakim were there, with great and fortified cities. Perhaps with the LORD’s help I will drive them out, as the LORD has spoken.”
13 Then Joshua blessed Caleb son of Jephunneh and gave him Hebron as his inheritance. 14 Therefore Hebron belongs to Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite as an inheritance to this day, because he wholly followed the LORD, the God of Israel. 15 (Hebron used to be called Kiriath-arba, after Arba, the greatest man among the Anakim.)
Then the land had rest from war.
Joshua 15
Judah’s Inheritance
1 Now the allotment for the clans of the tribe of Judah extended to the border of Edom, to the Wilderness of Zin at the extreme southern boundary:
2 Their southern border started at the bay on the southern tip of the Salt Sea, a 3 proceeded south of the Ascent of Akrabbim, b continued on to Zin, went over to the south of Kadesh-barnea, ran past Hezron up to Addar, and curved toward Karka. 4 It proceeded to Azmon, joined the Brook of Egypt, and ended at the Sea. c This was their d southern border.
5 The eastern border was the Salt Sea as far as the mouth of the Jordan.
The northern border started from the bay of the sea at the mouth of the Jordan, 6 went up to Beth-hoglah, proceeded north of Beth-arabah, and went up to the Stone of Bohan son of Reuben. 7 Then the border went up to Debir from the Valley of Achor, turning north to Gilgal, which faces the Ascent of Adummim south of the ravine. It continued along the waters of En-shemesh and came out at En-rogel. 8 From there the border went up the Valley of Hinnom along the southern slope of the Jebusites (that is, Jerusalem) and ascended to the top of the hill that faces the Valley of Hinnom on the west, at the northern end of the Valley of Rephaim. 9 From the hilltop the border curved to the spring of the Waters of Nephtoah, proceeded to the cities of Mount Ephron, and then bent around toward Baalah (that is, Kiriath-jearim). 10 The border curled westward from Baalah to Mount Seir, ran along the northern slope of Mount Jearim (that is, Chesalon), went down to Beth-shemesh, and crossed to Timnah. 11 Then it went out to the northern slope of Ekron, curved toward Shikkeron, proceeded to Mount Baalah, went on to Jabneel, and ended at the Sea.
12 And the western border was the coastline of the Great Sea.
These are the boundaries around the clans of the descendants of Judah.
Caleb’s Portion and Conquest
(Judges 1:8–26)
13 According to the LORD’s command to him, Joshua gave Caleb son of Jephunneh a portion among the sons of Judah—Kiriath-arba, that is, Hebron. (Arba was the forefather of Anak.) 14 And Caleb drove out from there the three sons of Anak—the descendants of Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai, the children of Anak.
15 From there he marched against the inhabitants of Debir (formerly known as Kiriath-sepher). 16 And Caleb said, “To the man who strikes down Kiriath-sepher and captures it, I will give my daughter Acsah in marriage.” 17 So Othniel son of Caleb’s brother Kenaz captured the city, and Caleb gave his daughter Acsah to him in marriage.
18 One day Acsah came to Othniel and urged him e to ask her father for a field. When she got off her donkey, Caleb asked her, “What do you desire?”
19 “Give me a blessing,” she answered. “Since you have given me land in the Negev, give me springs of water as well.”
So Caleb gave her both the upper and lower springs.
The Cities of Judah
20 This is the inheritance of the clans of the tribe of Judah. 21 These were the southernmost cities of the tribe of Judah in the Negev toward the border of Edom:
Kabzeel, Eder, Jagur, 22 Kinah, Dimonah, Adadah, 23 Kedesh, Hazor, Ithnan, 24 Ziph, Telem, Bealoth, 25 Hazor-hadattah, Kerioth-hezron (that is, Hazor), 26 Amam, Shema, Moladah, 27 Hazar-gaddah, Heshmon, Beth-pelet, 28 Hazar-shual, Beersheba, Biziothiah, 29 Baalah, Iim, Ezem, 30 Eltolad, Chesil, Hormah, 31 Ziklag, Madmannah, Sansannah, 32 Lebaoth, Shilhim, Ain, and Rimmon—twenty-nine cities in all, along with their villages.
33 These were in the foothills: f
Eshtaol, Zorah, Ashnah, 34 Zanoah, En-gannim, Tappuah, Enam, 35 Jarmuth, Adullam, Socoh, Azekah, 36 Shaaraim, Adithaim, and Gederah (or Gederothaim)—fourteen cities, along with their villages.
37 Zenan, Hadashah, Migdal-gad, 38 Dilan, Mizpeh, Joktheel, 39 Lachish, Bozkath, Eglon, 40 Cabbon, Lahmas, Chitlish, 41 Gederoth, Beth-dagon, Naamah, and Makkedah—sixteen cities, along with their villages.
42 Libnah, Ether, Ashan, 43 Iphtah, Ashnah, Nezib, 44 Keilah, Achzib, and Mareshah—nine cities, along with their villages.
45 Ekron, with its towns and villages; 46 from Ekron to the sea, all the cities near Ashdod, along with their villages; 47 Ashdod, with its towns and villages;Gaza, with its towns and villages, as far as the Brook of Egypt and the coastline of the Great Sea.
48 These were in the hill country:
Shamir, Jattir, Socoh, 49 Dannah, Kiriath-sannah (that is, Debir), 50 Anab, Eshtemoh, Anim, 51 Goshen, Holon, and Giloh—eleven cities, along with their villages.
52 Arab, Dumah, Eshan, 53 Janim, Beth-tappuah, Aphekah, 54 Humtah, Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), and Zior—nine cities, along with their villages.
55 Maon, Carmel, Ziph, Juttah, 56 Jezreel, Jokdeam, Zanoah, 57 Kain, Gibeah, and Timnah—ten cities, along with their villages.
58 Halhul, Beth-zur, Gedor, 59 Maarath, Beth-anoth, and Eltekon—six cities, along with their villages.
60 Kiriath-baal (that is, Kiriath-jearim), and Rabbah—two cities, along with their villages.
61 These were in the wilderness:
Beth-arabah, Middin, Secacah, 62 Nibshan, the City of Salt, and En-gedi—six cities, along with their villages.
63 But the descendants of Judah could not drive out the Jebusites living in Jerusalem. So to this day the Jebusites live there among the descendants of Judah.
Footnotes:
2 a That is, the Dead Sea; also in verse 5
3 b Or the Ascent of Scorpions or Scorpion Pass
4 c That is, the Mediterranean Sea, also called the Great Sea; also in verses 11, 12, and 47
4 d LXX; Hebrew your
18 e Hebrew and some LXX manuscripts; other LXX manuscripts and he urged her ; see Judges 1:14.
33 f Hebrew Shephelah or lowlands ; that is, the western foothills of Judea
Joshua 16
Ephraim’s Inheritance
1 The allotment for the descendants of Joseph extended from the Jordan at Jericho to the waters of Jericho on the east, through the wilderness that goes up from Jericho into the hill country of Bethel. 2 It went on from Bethel (that is, Luz) a and proceeded to the border of the Archites in Ataroth. 3 Then it descended westward to the border of the Japhletites as far as the border of Lower Beth-horon and on to Gezer, and it ended at the Sea. b
4 So Ephraim and Manasseh, the sons of Joseph, received their inheritance. 5 This was the territory of the descendants of Ephraim by their clans:
The border of their inheritance went from Ataroth-addar in the east to Upper Beth-horon 6 and out toward the Sea. From Michmethath on the north it turned eastward toward Taanath-shiloh and passed by it to Janoah on the east. 7 From Janoah it went down to Ataroth and Naarah, and then reached Jericho and came out at the Jordan. 8 From Tappuah the border went westward to the Brook of Kanah and ended at the Sea.
This was the inheritance of the clans of the tribe of Ephraim, 9 along with all the cities and villages set apart for the descendants of Ephraim within the inheritance of Manasseh. 10 But they did not drive out the Canaanites who lived in Gezer. So the Canaanites dwell among the Ephraimites to this day, but they are forced laborers.
Footnotes:
2 a LXX (See also Joshua 18:13); Hebrew from Bethel to Luz
3 b That is, the Mediterranean Sea, also called the Great Sea; also in verses 6 and 8
Joshua 17
Manasseh’s Western Inheritance
1 Now this was the allotment for the tribe of Manasseh as Joseph’s firstborn son, namely for Machir the firstborn of Manasseh and father of the Gileadites, who had received Gilead and Bashan because Machir was a man of war. 2 So this allotment was for the rest of the descendants of Manasseh—the clans of Abiezer, a Helek, Asriel, Shechem, Hepher, and Shemida. These are the other male descendants of the clans of Manasseh son of Joseph.
3 But Zelophehad son of Hepher (the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh) had no sons but only daughters. These are the names of his daughters:Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. 4 They approached Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the leaders, and said, “The LORD commanded Moses to give us an inheritance among our brothers.”
So Joshua gave them an inheritance among their father’s brothers, in keeping with the command of the LORD. 5 Thus ten shares fell to Manasseh, in addition to the land of Gilead and Bashan beyond the Jordan, 6 because the daughters of Manasseh received an inheritance among his sons. And the land of Gilead belonged to the rest of the sons of Manasseh.
7 Now the border of Manasseh went from Asher to Michmethath near Shechem, then southward to include the inhabitants of En-tappuah. 8 The region of Tappuah belonged to Manasseh, but Tappuah itself, on the border of Manasseh, belonged to Ephraim. 9 From there the border continued southward to the Brook of Kanah. There were cities belonging to Ephraim among the cities of Manasseh, but the border of Manasseh was on the north side of the brook and ended at the Sea. b 10 Ephraim’s territory was to the south, and Manasseh’s was to the north, having the Sea as its border and adjoining Asher on the north and Issachar on the east.
11 Within Issachar and Asher, Manasseh was assigned Beth-shean, Ibleam, Dor (that is, Naphath), Endor, Taanach, and Megiddo, each with their surrounding settlements.
12 But the descendants of Manasseh were unable to occupy these cities, because the Canaanites were determined to stay in this land. 13 However, when the Israelites grew stronger, they put the Canaanites to forced labor; but they failed to drive them out completely.
14 Then the sons of Joseph said to Joshua, “Why have you given us only one portion as an inheritance? We have many people, because the LORD has blessed us abundantly.”
15 Joshua answered them, “If you have so many people that the hill country of Ephraim is too small for you, go to the forest and clear for yourself an area in the land of the Perizzites and the Rephaim.”
16 “The hill country is not enough for us,” they replied, “and all the Canaanites who live in the valley have iron chariots, both in Beth-shean with its towns and in the Valley of Jezreel.”
17 So Joshua said to the house of Joseph—to Ephraim and Manasseh—“You have many people and great strength. You shall not have just one allotment, 18 because the hill country will be yours as well. It is a forest; clear it, and its farthest limits will be yours. Although the Canaanites have iron chariots and although they are strong, you can drive them out.”
Footnotes:
2 a Abiezer is a variant of Iezer ; see Numbers 26:30.
9 b That is, the Mediterranean Sea, also called the Great Sea; also in verse 10
Joshua 18
The Remainder Divided
1 Then the whole congregation of Israel assembled at Shiloh and set up the Tent of Meeting there. And though the land was subdued before them, 2 there were still seven tribes of Israel who had not yet received their inheritance.
3 So Joshua said to the Israelites, “How long will you put off entering and possessing the land that the LORD, the God of your fathers, has given you? 4 Appoint three men from each tribe, and I will send them out to survey the land and map it out, according to the inheritance of each. Then they will return to me 5 and divide the land into seven portions. Judah shall remain in their territory in the south, and the house of Joseph shall remain in their territory in the north. 6 When you have mapped out the seven portions of land and brought it to me, I will cast lots for you here in the presence of the LORD our God.
7 The Levites, however, have no portion among you, because their inheritance is the priesthood of the LORD. And Gad, Reuben, and half the tribe of Manasseh have already received the inheritance that Moses the servant of the LORD gave them beyond the Jordan to the east.”
8 As the men got up to go out, Joshua commanded them to map out the land, saying, “Go and survey the land, map it out, and return to me. Then I will cast lots for you here in Shiloh in the presence of the LORD.”
9 So the men departed and went throughout the land, mapping it city by city into seven portions. Then they returned with the document to Joshua at the camp in Shiloh.
10 And Joshua cast lots for them in the presence of the LORD at Shiloh, where he distributed the land to the Israelites according to their divisions.
Benjamin’s Inheritance
11 The first lot came up for the clans of the tribe of Benjamin. Their allotted territory lay between the tribes of Judah and Joseph:
12 On the north side their border began at the Jordan, went up past the northern slope of Jericho, headed west through the hill country, and came out at the wilderness of Beth-aven. 13 From there the border crossed over to the southern slope of Luz (that is, Bethel) and went down to Ataroth-addar on the hill south of Lower Beth-horon.
14 On the west side the border curved southward from the hill facing Beth-horon on the south and came out at Kiriath-baal (that is, Kiriath-jearim), a city of the sons of Judah. This was the western side.
15 On the south side the border began at the outskirts of Kiriath-jearim and extended westward to the spring at the Waters of Nephtoah. 16 Then it went down to the foot of the hill that faces the Valley of Hinnom at the northern end of the Valley of Rephaim and ran down the Valley of Hinnom toward the southern slope of the Jebusites and downward to En-rogel. 17 From there it curved northward and proceeded to En-shemesh and on to Geliloth facing the Ascent of Adummim, and continued down to the Stone of Bohan son of Reuben. 18 Then it went on to the northern slope of Beth-arabah a and went down into the valley. 19 The border continued to the northern slope of Beth-hoglah and came out at the northern bay of the Salt Sea, b at the mouth of the Jordan. This was the southern border.
20 On the east side the border was the Jordan.
These were the borders around the inheritance of the clans of the tribe of Benjamin.
21 These were the cities of the clans of the tribe of Benjamin:
Jericho, Beth-hoglah, Emek-keziz, 22 Beth-arabah, Zemaraim, Bethel, 23 Avvim, Parah, Ophrah, 24 Chephar-ammoni, Ophni, and Geba—twelve cities, along with their villages.
25 Gibeon, Ramah, Beeroth, 26 Mizpeh, Chephirah, Mozah, 27 Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah, 28 Zelah, Haeleph, Jebus c (that is, Jerusalem), Gibeah, d and Kiriath-jearim e—fourteen cities, along with their villages.
This was the inheritance of the clans of the tribe of Benjamin.
Footnotes:
18 a LXX; Hebrew slope facing the Arabah
19 b That is, the Dead Sea
28 c LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate; Hebrew the Jebusite
28 d Hebrew Gibeath
28 e LXX; Hebrew Kiriath
Joshua 19
Simeon’s Inheritance
1 The second lot came out for the clans of the tribe of Simeon:
Their inheritance lay within the territory of Judah 2 and included Beersheba (or Sheba), Moladah, 3 Hazar-shual, Balah, Ezem, 4 Eltolad, Bethul, Hormah, 5 Ziklag, Beth-marcaboth, Hazar-susah, 6 Beth-lebaoth, and Sharuhen—thirteen cities, along with their villages.
7 Ain, Rimmon, Ether, and Ashan—four cities, along with their villages, 8 and all the villages surrounding these cities as far as Baalath-beer (Ramah of the Negev).
This was the inheritance of the clans of the tribe of Simeon. 9 The inheritance of the Simeonites was taken from the territory of Judah, because the share for Judah’s descendants was too large for them. So the Simeonites received an inheritance within Judah’s portion.
Zebulun’s Inheritance
10 The third lot came up for the clans of the tribe of Zebulun:
The border of their inheritance stretched as far as Sarid. 11 It went up westward to Maralah, reached Dabbesheth, and met the brook east of Jokneam. 12 From Sarid it turned eastward along the border of Chisloth-tabor and went on to Daberath and up to Japhia. 13 From there it crossed eastward to Gath-hepher and to Eth-kazin; it extended to Rimmon and curved around toward Neah. 14 Then the border circled around the north side of Neah to Hannathon and ended at the Valley of Iphtah-el. 15 It also included Kattath, Nahalal, Shimron, Idalah, and Bethlehem. There were twelve cities, along with their villages.
16 This was the inheritance of the clans of the tribe of Zebulun, including these cities and their villages.
Issachar’s Inheritance
17 The fourth lot came out for the clans of the tribe of Issachar:
18 Their territory included Jezreel, Chesulloth, Shunem, 19 Hapharaim, Shion, Anaharath, 20 Rabbith, Kishion, Ebez, 21 Remeth, En-gannim, En-haddah, and Beth-pazzez. 22 The border reached Tabor, Shahazumah, and Beth-shemesh, and ended at the Jordan. There were sixteen cities, along with their villages.
23 This was the inheritance of the clans of the tribe of Issachar, including these cities and their villages.
Asher’s Inheritance
24 The fifth lot came out for the clans of the tribe of Asher:
25 Their territory included Helkath, Hali, Beten, Achshaph, 26 Allammelech, Amad, and Mishal. On the west the border touched Carmel and Shihor-libnath, 27 then turned eastward toward Beth-dagon, touched Zebulun and the Valley of Iphtah-el, and went north to Beth-emek and Neiel, passing Cabul on the left. 28 It went on to Ebron, a Rehob, Hammon, and Kanah, as far as Greater Sidon. 29 The border then turned back toward Ramah as far as the fortified city of Tyre, turned toward Hosah, and came out at the Sea b in the region of Achzib, 30 Ummah, Aphek, and Rehob. There were twenty-two cities, along with their villages.
31 This was the inheritance of the clans of the tribe of Asher, including these cities and their villages.
Naphtali’s Inheritance
32 The sixth lot came out for the clans of the tribe of Naphtali:
33 Their border started at Heleph and the great tree of Zaanannim, passing Adami-nekeb and Jabneel as far as Lakkum and ending at the Jordan. 34 Then the border turned westward to Aznoth-tabor and ran from there to Hukkok, touching Zebulun on the south side, Asher on the west, and Judah at the Jordan c on the east. 35 The fortified cities were Ziddim, Zer, Hammath, Rakkath, Chinnereth, 36 Adamah, Ramah, Hazor, 37 Kedesh, Edrei, En-hazor, 38 Iron, Migdal-el, Horem, Beth-anath, and Beth-shemesh. There were nineteen cities, along with their villages.
39 This was the inheritance of the clans of the tribe of Naphtali, including these cities and their villages.
Dan’s Inheritance
40 The seventh lot came out for the clans of the tribe of Dan:
41 The territory of their inheritance included Zorah, Eshtaol, Ir-shemesh, 42 Shaalabbin, Aijalon, Ithlah, 43 Elon, Timnah, Ekron, 44 Eltekeh, Gibbethon, Baalath, 45 Jehud, Bene-berak, Gath-rimmon, 46 Me-jarkon, and Rakkon, including the territory across from Joppa.
47 (Later, when the territory of the Danites was lost to them, they went up and fought against Leshem, captured it, and put it to the sword. So they took possession of Leshem, settled there, and renamed it after their father Dan.)
48 This was the inheritance of the clans of the tribe of Dan, including these cities and their villages.
Joshua’s Inheritance
49 When they had finished distributing the land into its territories, the Israelites gave Joshua son of Nun an inheritance among them, 50 as the LORD had commanded. They gave him the city of Timnath-serah d in the hill country of Ephraim, as he requested. He rebuilt the city and settled in it.
51 These are the inheritances that Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the heads of the families distributed by lot to the tribes of Israel at Shiloh before the LORD at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. So they finished dividing up the land.
Footnotes:
28 a Some Hebrew manuscripts Abdon ; see Joshua 21:30.
29 b That is, the Mediterranean Sea, also called the Great Sea
34 c Hebrew; LXX west, and the Jordan
50 d Timnath-serah is also known as Timnath-heres ; see Judges 2:9.
Joshua 20
Six Cities of Refuge
(Numbers 35:9–34; Deuteronomy 4:41–43; Deuteronomy 19:1–14)
1 Then the LORD said to Joshua, 2 “Tell the Israelites to designate the cities of refuge, as I instructed you through Moses, 3 so that anyone who kills another unintentionally or accidentally may flee there. These will be your refuge from the avenger of blood. 4 When someone flees to one of these cities, stands at the entrance of the city gate, and states his case before its elders, they are to bring him into the city and give him a place to live among them.
5 Now if the avenger of blood pursues him, they must not surrender the manslayer into his hand, because that man killed his neighbor accidentally without prior malice. 6 He is to stay in that city until he stands trial before the assembly and until the death of the high priest serving at that time. Then the manslayer may return to his own home in the city from which he fled.”
7 So they set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the hill country of Judah.
8 And beyond the Jordan, east of Jericho, they designated Bezer on the wilderness plateau from the tribe of Reuben, Ramoth in Gilead from the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan from the tribe of Manasseh.
9 These are the cities appointed for all the Israelites and foreigners among them, so that anyone who kills a person unintentionally may flee there and not die by the hand of the avenger of blood prior to standing trial before the assembly.
Joshua 21
Forty-Eight Cities for the Levites
(Numbers 35:1–8; 1 Chronicles 6:54–81)
1 Now the family heads of the Levites approached Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the heads of the other tribes of Israel 2 at Shiloh in the land of Canaan and said to them, “The LORD commanded through Moses that we be given cities in which to live, together with pasturelands for our livestock.”
3 So by the command of the LORD, the Israelites gave the Levites these cities and their pasturelands out of their own inheritance:
4 The first lot came out for the Kohathite clans. The Levites who were descendants of Aaron the priest received thirteen cities by lot from the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin.
5 The remaining descendants of Kohath received ten cities by lot from the tribes of Ephraim, Dan, and the half-tribe of Manasseh.
6 The descendants of Gershon received thirteen cities by lot from the tribes of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and the half-tribe of Manasseh in Bashan.
7 And the descendants of Merari received twelve cities from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun.
8 So the Israelites allotted to the Levites these cities, together with their pasturelands, as the LORD had commanded through Moses.
9 From the tribes of Judah and Simeon, they designated these cities by name 10 to the descendants of Aaron from the Kohathite clans of the Levites, because the first lot fell to them:
11 They gave them Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), with its surrounding pasturelands, in the hill country of Judah. (Arba was the father of Anak.) 12 But they had given the fields and villages around the city to Caleb son of Jephunneh as his possession.
13 So to the descendants of Aaron the priest they gave these cities, together with their pasturelands: Hebron, a city of refuge for the manslayer, Libnah, 14 Jattir, Eshtemoa, 15 Holon, Debir, 16 Ain, Juttah, and Beth-shemesh—nine cities from these two tribes, together with their pasturelands.
17 And from the tribe of Benjamin they gave them Gibeon, Geba, 18 Anathoth, and Almon—four cities, together with their pasturelands.
19 In all, thirteen cities, together with their pasturelands, were given to the priests, the descendants of Aaron.
20 The remaining Kohathite clans of the Levites were allotted these cities:
From the tribe of Ephraim 21 they were given Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim (a city of refuge for the manslayer), Gezer, 22 Kibzaim, and Beth-horon—four cities, together with their pasturelands.
23 From the tribe of Dan they were given Elteke, Gibbethon, 24 Aijalon, and Gath-rimmon—four cities, together with their pasturelands.
25 And from the half-tribe of Manasseh they were given Taanach and Gath-rimmon—two cities, together with their pasturelands.
26 In all, ten cities, together with their pasturelands, were given to the rest of the Kohathite clans.
27 This is what the Levite clans of the Gershonites were given:
From the half-tribe of Manasseh they were given Golan in Bashan, a city of refuge for the manslayer, and Beeshterah—two cities, together with their pasturelands.
28 From the tribe of Issachar they were given Kishion, Daberath, 29 Jarmuth, and En-gannim—four cities, together with their pasturelands.
30 From the tribe of Asher they were given Mishal, Abdon, 31 Helkath, and Rehob—four cities, together with their pasturelands.
32 And from the tribe of Naphtali they were given Kedesh in Galilee (a city of refuge for the manslayer), Hammoth-dor, and Kartan—three cities, together with their pasturelands.
33 In all, thirteen cities, together with their pasturelands, were given to the Gershonite clans.
34 This is what the Merarite clan (the rest of the Levites) were given:
From the tribe of Zebulun they were given Jokneam, Kartah, 35 Dimnah, and Nahalal—four cities, together with their pasturelands.
36 From the tribe of Reuben they were given Bezer, Jahaz, 37 Kedemoth, and Mephaath—four cities, together with their pasturelands.
38 And from the tribe of Gad they were given Ramoth in Gilead, a city of refuge for the manslayer, Mahanaim, 39 Heshbon, and Jazer—four cities in all, together with their pasturelands.
40 In all, twelve cities were allotted to the clans of Merari, the remaining Levite clans.
41 For the Levites, then, there were forty-eight cities in all, together with their pasturelands, within the territory of the Israelites. 42 Each of these cities had its own surrounding pasturelands; this was true for all the cities.
43 Thus the LORD gave Israel all the land He had sworn to give their fathers, and they took possession of it and settled in it.
44 And the LORD gave them rest on every side, just as He had sworn to their fathers. None of their enemies could stand against them, for the LORD delivered all their enemies into their hand.
45 Not one of all the LORD’s good promises to the house of Israel had failed;everything was fulfilled.
Joshua 22
The Eastern Tribes Return Home
1 Then Joshua summoned the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh 2 and told them, “You have done all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, and you have obeyed my voice in all that I commanded you. 3 All this time you have not deserted your brothers, up to this very day, but have kept the charge given you by the LORD your God.
4 And now that the LORD your God has given your brothers rest as He promised them, you may return to your homes in the land that Moses the servant of the LORD gave you across the Jordan. 5 But be very careful to observe the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the LORD gave you: to love the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways, to keep His commandments, to hold fast to Him, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul.”
6 So Joshua blessed them and sent them on their way, and they went to their homes. 7 (To the half-tribe of Manasseh Moses had given land in Bashan, and to the other half Joshua gave land on the west side of the Jordan among their brothers.) When Joshua sent them to their homes he blessed them, 8 saying, “Return to your homes with your great wealth, with immense herds of livestock, with silver, gold, bronze, iron, and very many clothes. Divide with your brothers the spoil of your enemies.”
The Altar of Witness
9 So the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh left the Israelites at Shiloh in the land of Canaan to return to their own land of Gilead, which they had acquired according to the command of the LORD through Moses. 10 And when they came to Geliloth a near the Jordan in the land of Canaan, the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh built an imposing altar there by the Jordan.
11 Then the Israelites received the report: “Behold, the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh have built an altar on the border of the land of Canaan, at Geliloth near the Jordan on the Israelite side.” 12 And when they heard this, the whole congregation of Israel assembled at Shiloh to go to war against them.
13 The Israelites sent Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest to the land of Gilead, to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh. 14 With him they sent ten chiefs—one family leader from each tribe of Israel, each the head of a family among the clans of Israel.
15 They went to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh in the land of Gilead and said to them, 16 “This is what the whole congregation of the LORD says: ‘What is this breach of faith you have committed today against the God of Israel by turning away from the LORD and building for yourselves an altar, that you might rebel against the LORD this day?
17 Was not the sin of Peor enough for us, from which we have not cleansed ourselves to this day? It even brought a plague upon the congregation of the LORD. 18 And now, would you turn away from the LORD? If you rebel today against the LORD, tomorrow He will be angry with the whole congregation of Israel.
19 If indeed the land of your inheritance is unclean, then cross over to the land of the LORD’s possession, where the LORD’s tabernacle stands, and take possession of it among us. But do not rebel against the LORD or against us by building for yourselves an altar other than the altar of the LORD our God.
20 Was not Achan b son of Zerah unfaithful regarding what was set apart for destruction, c bringing wrath upon the whole congregation of Israel? Yet it was not only Achan who perished because of his sin!’ ”
21 Then the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh answered the leaders of the clans of Israel: 22 “The LORD, the Mighty One, is God! The LORD, the Mighty One, is God! He knows, and may Israel also know. If this was in rebellion or breach of faith against the LORD, do not spare us today. 23 If we have built for ourselves an altar to turn away from Him and to offer burnt offerings and grain offerings on it, or to sacrifice fellowship offerings on it, may the LORD Himself hold us accountable.
24 But in fact we have done this for fear that in the future your descendants might say to ours, ‘What have you to do with the LORD, the God of Israel? 25 For the LORD has made the Jordan a border between us and you Reubenites and Gadites. You have no share in the LORD!’ So your descendants could cause ours to stop fearing the LORD.
26 That is why we said, ‘Let us take action and build an altar for ourselves, but not for burnt offerings or sacrifices. 27 Rather, let it be a witness between us and you and the generations to come, that we will worship the LORD in His presence with our burnt offerings, sacrifices, and peace offerings.’ Then in the future, your descendants cannot say to ours, ‘You have no share in the LORD!’
28 Therefore we said, ‘If they ever say this to us or to our descendants, we will answer:Look at the replica of the altar of the LORD that our fathers made, not for burnt offerings or sacrifices, but as a witness between us and you.’
29 Far be it from us to rebel against the LORD and turn away from Him today by building an altar for burnt offerings, grain offerings, or sacrifices, other than the altar of the LORD our God, which stands before His tabernacle.”
30 When Phinehas the priest and the chiefs of the congregation—the heads of Israel’s clans who were with him—heard what the descendants of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh had to say, they were satisfied. 31 Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest said to the descendants of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh, “Today we know that the LORD is among us, because you have not committed this breach of faith against Him. Consequently, you have delivered the Israelites from the hand of the LORD.”
32 Then Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest, together with the other leaders, returned to the Israelites in the land of Canaan and brought back a report regarding the Reubenites and Gadites in the land of Gilead. 33 The Israelites were satisfied with the report, and they blessed God and spoke no more about going to war against them to destroy the land where the Reubenites and Gadites lived. 34 So the Reubenites and Gadites named the altar Witness, for they said, d “It is a witness between us that the LORD is God.”
Footnotes:
10 a Or to the circle of stones or to the region ; similarly in verse 11
20 b Achan means troubler ; also called Achar in 1 Chronicles 2:7.
20 c Forms of the Hebrew cherem refer to the giving over of things or persons to the LORD, either by destroying them or by giving them as an offering.
34 d Literally named the altar, for
Joshua 23
Joshua’s Charge to Leaders
1 A long time after the LORD had given Israel rest from all the enemies around them, when Joshua was old and well along in years, 2 he summoned all Israel, including its elders, leaders, judges, and officers. “I am old and well along in years,” he said, 3 “and you have seen everything that the LORD your God has done to all these nations for your sake, because it was the LORD your God who fought for you.
4 See, I have allotted as an inheritance to your tribes these remaining nations, including all the nations I have already cut off, from the Jordan westward to the Great Sea. a 5 The LORD your God will push them out of your way and drive them out before you, so that you can take possession of their land, as the LORD your God promised you.
6 Be very strong, then, so that you can keep and obey all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, not turning aside from it to the right or to the left. 7 So you are not to associate with these nations that remain among you. You must not call on the names of their gods or swear by them, and you must not serve them or bow down to them. 8 Instead, you shall hold fast to the LORD your God, as you have done to this day.
9 The LORD has driven out great and powerful nations before you, and to this day no one can stand against you. 10 One of you can put a thousand to flight, because the LORD your God fights for you, just as He promised. 11 Therefore watch yourselves carefully, that you love the LORD your God. 12 For if you turn away and cling to the rest of these nations that remain among you, and if you intermarry and associate with them, 13 know for sure that the LORD your God will no longer drive out these nations before you. Instead, they will become for you a snare and a trap, a scourge in your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from this good land that the LORD your God has given you.
14 Now behold, today I am going the way of all the earth, and you know with all your heart and soul that not one of the good promises the LORD your God made to you has failed. Everything was fulfilled for you; not one promise has failed. 15 But just as every good thing the LORD your God promised you has come to pass, likewise the LORD will bring upon you the calamity He has threatened, until He has destroyed you from this good land He has given you. 16 If you transgress the covenant of the LORD your God, which He commanded you, and go and serve other gods and bow down to them, then the anger of the LORD will burn against you, and you will quickly perish from this good land He has given you.”
Footnotes:
4 a That is, the Mediterranean Sea
Joshua 24
Joshua Reviews Israel’s History
1 Then Joshua assembled all the tribes of Israel at Shechem. He summoned the elders, leaders, judges, and officers of Israel, and they presented themselves before God.
2 And Joshua said to all the people, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says:‘Long ago your fathers, including Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the Euphrates a and worshiped other gods. 3 But I took your father Abraham from beyond the Euphrates and led him through all the land of Canaan, and I multiplied his descendants. I gave him Isaac, 4 and to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. I gave Esau Mount Seir to possess, but Jacob and his sons went down to Egypt.
5 Then I sent Moses and Aaron, and I afflicted the Egyptians by what I did there, and afterward I brought you out. 6 When I brought your fathers out of Egypt and you reached the Red Sea, b the Egyptians pursued them with chariots and horsemen as far as the Red Sea. 7 So your fathers cried out to the LORD, and He put darkness between you and the Egyptians, over whom He brought the sea and engulfed them. Your very eyes saw what I did to the Egyptians. Then you lived in the wilderness for a long time.
8 Later, I brought you to the land of the Amorites who lived beyond the Jordan. They fought against you, but I delivered them into your hand, that you should possess their land when I destroyed them before you. 9 Then Balak son of Zippor, the king of Moab, set out to fight against Israel. He sent for Balaam son of Beor to curse you, 10 but I would not listen to Balaam. So he blessed you again and again, and I delivered you from his hand.
11 After this, you crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho. The people of Jericho fought against you, as did the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites, and Jebusites, and I delivered them into your hand. 12 I sent the hornet ahead of you, and it drove out the two Amorite kings before you, but not by your own sword or bow. 13 So I gave you a land on which you did not toil and cities that you did not build, and now you live in them and eat from vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant.’
Choose Whom You Will Serve
(Deuteronomy 10:12–22)
14 Now, therefore, fear the LORD and serve Him in sincerity and truth; cast aside the gods your fathers served beyond the Euphrates and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. 15 But if it is unpleasing in your sight to serve the LORD, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living. As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD!”
16 The people replied, “Far be it from us to forsake the LORD to serve other gods! 17 For the LORD our God brought us and our fathers out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, and performed these great signs before our eyes. He also protected us throughout our journey and among all the nations through which we traveled. 18 And the LORD drove out before us all the nations, including the Amorites who lived in the land. We too will serve the LORD, because He is our God!”
19 But Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the LORD, for He is a holy God; He is a jealous God; He will not forgive your rebellion or your sins. 20 If you forsake the LORD and serve foreign gods, He will turn and bring disaster on you and consume you, even after He has been good to you.”
21 “No!” replied the people. “We will serve the LORD!”
22 Then Joshua told them, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen to serve the LORD.”
“We are witnesses!” they said.
23 “Now, therefore,” he said, “get rid of the foreign gods among you and incline your hearts to the LORD, the God of Israel.”
24 So the people said to Joshua, “We will serve the LORD our God and obey His voice.”
25 On that day Joshua made a covenant for the people, and there at Shechem he established for them a statute and ordinance. 26 Joshua recorded these things in the Book of the Law of God. Then he took a large stone and set it up there under the oak c that was near the sanctuary of the LORD. 27 And Joshua said to all the people, “You see this stone. It will be a witness against us, for it has heard all the words the LORD has spoken to us, and it will be a witness against you if you ever deny your God.”
28 Then Joshua sent the people away, each to his own inheritance.
Joshua’s Death and Burial
(Judges 2:6–9)
29 Some time later, Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died at the age of 110. 30 And they buried him in the land of his inheritance, at Timnath-serah d in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash. 31 Israel had served the LORD throughout the days of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him and who had experienced all the works that the LORD had done for Israel.
32 And the bones of Joseph, which the Israelites had brought up out of Egypt, were buried at Shechem in the plot of land that Jacob had purchased from the sons of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for a hundred pieces of silver. e So it became an inheritance for Joseph’s descendants.
33 Eleazar son of Aaron also died, and they buried him at Gibeah, which had been given to his son Phinehas in the hill country of Ephraim.
Footnotes:
2 a Hebrew the River ; also in verses 3, 14, and 15
6 b Or the Sea of Reeds
26 c Or terebinth
30 d Timnath-serah is also known as Timnath-heres ; see Judges 2:9.
32 e Hebrew a hundred kesitahs ; the value or weight of the kesitah is no longer known.
Judges
Judges 1
The Conquest of Canaan Proceeds
(Joshua 13:1–7)
1 After the death of Joshua, the Israelites inquired of the LORD, “Who will be the first to go up and fight for us against the Canaanites?”
2 “Judah shall go up,” answered the LORD. “Indeed, I have delivered the land into their hands.”
3 Then the men of Judah said to their brothers the Simeonites, “Come up with us to our allotted territory, and let us fight against the Canaanites. And we likewise will go with you to your territory.” So the Simeonites went with them.
4 When Judah attacked, the LORD delivered the Canaanites and Perizzites into their hands, and they struck down ten thousand men at Bezek. 5 And there they found Adoni-bezek and fought against him, striking down the Canaanites and Perizzites.
6 As Adoni-bezek fled, they pursued him, seized him, and cut off his thumbs and big toes. 7 Then Adoni-bezek said, “Seventy kings with their thumbs and big toes cut off have gathered the scraps under my table. As I have done to them, so God has repaid me.” And they brought him to Jerusalem, where he died.
The Capture of Jerusalem and Hebron
(Joshua 15:13–19)
8 Then the men of Judah fought against Jerusalem and captured it. They put the city to the sword and set it on fire. 9 Afterward, the men of Judah marched down to fight against the Canaanites living in the hill country, in the Negev, and in the foothills. a
10 Judah also marched against the Canaanites who were living in Hebron (formerly known as Kiriath-arba), and they struck down Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai.
11 From there they marched against the inhabitants of Debir (formerly known as Kiriath-sepher). 12 And Caleb said, “To the man who strikes down Kiriath-sepher and captures it, I will give my daughter Acsah in marriage.” 13 So Othniel son of Caleb’s younger brother Kenaz captured the city, and Caleb gave his daughter Acsah to him in marriage.
14 One day Acsah came to Othniel and urged him b to ask her father for a field. When she got off her donkey, Caleb asked her, “What do you desire?”
15 “Give me a blessing,” she answered. “Since you have given me land in the Negev, give me springs of water as well.”
So Caleb gave her both the upper and lower springs.
16 Now the descendants of Moses’ father-in-law, the Kenite, went up with the men of Judah from the City of Palms c to the Wilderness of Judah in the Negev near Arad. They went to live among the people.
17 Then the men of Judah went with their brothers the Simeonites, attacked the Canaanites living in Zephath, and devoted the city to destruction. d So it was called Hormah. e 18 And Judah also captured f Gaza, Ashkelon, and Ekron—each with its territory. 19 The LORD was with Judah, and they took possession of the hill country; but they could not drive out the inhabitants of the plains because they had chariots of iron.
20 Just as Moses had promised, Judah gave Hebron to Caleb, who drove out the descendants of the three sons of Anak.
21 The Benjamites, however, failed to drive out the Jebusites living in Jerusalem. So to this day the Jebusites live there among the Benjamites.
22 The house of Joseph also attacked Bethel, and the LORD was with them. 23 They sent spies to Bethel (formerly known as Luz), 24 and when the spies saw a man coming out of the city, they said to him, “Please show us how to get into the city, and we will treat you kindly.”
25 So the man showed them the entrance to the city, and they put the city to the sword but released that man and all his family. 26 And the man went to the land of the Hittites, built a city, and called it Luz, which is its name to this day.
The Failure to Complete the Conquest
27 At that time Manasseh failed to drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shean, Taanach, Dor, Ibleam, Megiddo, and their villages; for the Canaanites were determined to dwell in that land. 28 When Israel became stronger, they pressed the Canaanites into forced labor, but they never drove them out completely.
29 Ephraim also failed to drive out the Canaanites living in Gezer; so the Canaanites continued to dwell among them in Gezer.
30 Zebulun failed to drive out the inhabitants of Kitron and Nahalol; so the Canaanites lived among them and served as forced laborers.
31 Asher failed to drive out the inhabitants of Acco, Sidon, Ahlab, Achzib, Helbah, Aphik, and Rehob. 32 So the Asherites lived among the Canaanite inhabitants of the land, because they did not drive them out.
33 Naphtali failed to drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh and Beth-anath. So the Naphtalites also lived among the Canaanite inhabitants of the land, but the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh and Beth-anath served them as forced laborers.
34 The Amorites forced the Danites into the hill country and did not allow them to come down into the plain. 35 And the Amorites were determined to dwell in Mount Heres, Aijalon, and Shaalbim. But when the house of Joseph grew in strength, they pressed the Amorites into forced labor. 36 And the border of the Amorites extended from the Ascent of Akrabbim g to Sela and beyond.
Footnotes:
9 a Hebrew Shephelah or lowlands ; that is, the western foothills of Judea
14 b Hebrew; LXX and Vulgate and he urged her ; see Joshua 15:18.
16 c That is, Jericho
17 d Forms of the Hebrew cherem refer to the giving over of things or persons to the LORD, either by destroying them or by giving them as an offering.
17 e Hormah means destruction .
18 f Hebrew; LXX But Judah did not capture
36 g Or the Ascent of Scorpions or Scorpion Pass
Judges 2
Israel Rebuked at Bochim
1 Now the angel a of the LORD went up from Gilgal to Bochim and said, “I brought you up out of Egypt and led you into the land that I had promised to your fathers, and I said, ‘I will never break My covenant with you, 2 and you are not to make a covenant with the people of this land, but you shall tear down their altars.’
Yet you have not obeyed My voice. What is this you have done? 3 So now I tell you that I will not drive out these people before you; they will be thorns in your sides, and their gods will be a snare to you.”
4 When the angel of the LORD had spoken these words to all the Israelites, the people lifted up their voices and wept. 5 So they called that place Bochim b and offered sacrifices there to the LORD.
Joshua’s Death and Burial
(Joshua 24:29–33)
6 After Joshua had dismissed the people, the Israelites went out to take possession of the land, each to his own inheritance. 7 And the people served the LORD throughout the days of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him, who had seen all the great works that the LORD had done for Israel.
8 And Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died at the age of 110. 9 They buried him in the land of his inheritance, at Timnath-heres c in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.
Israel’s Unfaithfulness
(Isaiah 43:22–28; Jeremiah 2:23–37)
10 After that whole generation had also been gathered to their fathers, another generation rose up who did not know the LORD or the works that He had done for Israel. 11 And the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD and served the Baals.
12 Thus they forsook the LORD, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt, and they followed after various gods of the peoples around them. They bowed down to them and provoked the LORD to anger, 13 for they forsook Him and served Baal and the Ashtoreths.
14 Then the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He delivered them into the hands of those who plundered them. d He sold them into the hands of their enemies all around, whom they were no longer able to resist. 15 Wherever Israel marched out, the hand of the LORD was against them to bring calamity, just as He had sworn to them. So they were greatly distressed.
Judges Raised Up
16 Then the LORD raised up judges, e who saved them from the hands of those who plundered them.
17 Israel, however, did not listen to their judges. Instead, they prostituted themselves with other gods and bowed down to them. They quickly turned from the way of their fathers, who had walked in obedience to the LORD’s commandments; they did not do as their fathers had done.
18 Whenever the LORD raised up a judge for the Israelites, He was with that judge and saved them from the hands of their enemies while the judge was still alive; for the LORD was moved to pity by their groaning under those who oppressed them and afflicted them. 19 But when the judge died, the Israelites became even more corrupt than their fathers, going after other gods to serve them and bow down to them. They would not give up their evil practices and stubborn ways.
20 So the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He said, “Because this nation has transgressed the covenant I laid down for their fathers and has not heeded My voice, 21 I will no longer drive out before them any of the nations Joshua left when he died. 22 In this way I will test whether Israel will keep the way of the LORD by walking in it as their fathers did.”
23 That is why the LORD had left those nations in place and had not driven them out immediately by delivering them into the hand of Joshua.
Footnotes:
1 a Or Angel ; also in verse 4
5 b Bochim means weepers .
9 c Timnath-heres is also known as Timnath-serah ; see Joshua 19:50 and Joshua 24:30.
14 d Literally of plunderers who plundered them
16 e Or governors or leaders ; here and throughout the book of Judges
Judges 3
Nations Left to Test Israel
1 These are the nations that the LORD left to test all the Israelites who had not known any of the wars in Canaan, 2 if only to teach warfare to the subsequent generations of Israel, especially to those who had not known it formerly: 3 the five rulers of the Philistines, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites who lived in the mountains of Lebanon from Mount Baal-hermon to Lebo-hamath.
4 These nations were left to test the Israelites, to find out whether they would keep the commandments of the LORD, which He had given their fathers through Moses. 5 Thus the Israelites continued to live among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. 6 And they took the daughters of these people in marriage, gave their own daughters to their sons, and served their gods.
Othniel
7 So the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD; they forgot the LORD their God and served the Baals and the Asherahs. 8 Then the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He sold them into the hand of Cushan-rishathaim king of Aram-naharaim, a and the Israelites served him eight years.
9 But when the Israelites cried out to the LORD, He raised up Othniel son of Caleb’s younger brother Kenaz as a deliverer to save them. 10 The Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he became Israel’s judge and went out to war. And the LORD delivered Cushan-rishathaim king of Aram into the hand of Othniel, who prevailed against him.
11 So the land had rest for forty years, until Othniel son of Kenaz died.
Ehud
12 Once again the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD. So He gave Eglon king of Moab power over Israel, because they had done evil in the sight of the LORD. 13 After enlisting the Ammonites and Amalekites to join forces with him, Eglon attacked and defeated Israel, taking possession of the City of Palms. b
14 The Israelites served Eglon king of Moab eighteen years. 15 And again they cried out to the LORD, and He raised up Ehud son of Gera, a left-handed Benjamite, as their deliverer. So they sent him with tribute to Eglon king of Moab.
16 Now Ehud had made for himself a double-edged sword a cubit long. c He strapped it to his right thigh under his cloak 17 and brought the tribute to Eglon king of Moab, who was an obese man.
18 After Ehud had finished presenting the tribute, he ushered out those who had carried it. 19 But upon reaching the idols near Gilgal, he himself turned back and said, “I have a secret message for you, O king.”
“Silence,” said the king, and all his attendants left him.
20 Then Ehud approached him while he was sitting alone in the coolness of his upper room. “I have a word from God for you,” Ehud said, and the king rose from his seat.
21 And Ehud reached with his left hand, pulled the sword from his right thigh, and plunged it into Eglon’s belly. 22 Even the handle sank in after the blade, and Eglon’s fat closed in over it, so that Ehud did not withdraw the sword from his belly. And Eglon’s bowels emptied. 23 Then Ehud went out through the porch, closing and locking the doors of the upper room behind him.
24 After Ehud was gone, Eglon’s servants came in and found the doors of the upper room locked. “He must be relieving himself in the cool room,” they said. 25 So they waited until they became worried and saw that he had still not opened the doors of the upper room. Then they took the key and opened the doors—and there was their lord lying dead on the floor.
26 Ehud, however, had escaped while the servants waited. He passed by the idols and escaped to Seirah.
27 On arriving in Seirah, he blew the ram’s horn throughout the hill country of Ephraim. The Israelites came down with him from the hills, and he became their leader. 28 “Follow me,” he told them, “for the LORD has delivered your enemies the Moabites into your hand.”
So they followed him down and seized the fords of the Jordan leading to Moab, and did not allow anyone to cross over. 29 At that time they struck down about ten thousand Moabites, all robust and valiant men. Not one of them escaped.
30 So Moab was subdued under the hand of Israel that day, and the land had rest for eighty years.
Shamgar
31 After Ehud came Shamgar son of Anath. And he too saved Israel, striking down six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad.
Footnotes:
8 a That is, Mesopotamia; Aram-naharaim means Aram of the two rivers , likely the region between the Euphrates and Balih Rivers in northwestern Mesopotamia.
13 b That is, Jericho
16 c A cubit is approximately 18 inches or 45.7 centimeters.
Judges 4
Deborah and Barak
1 After Ehud died, the Israelites again did evil in the sight of the LORD. 2 So the LORD sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor. The commander of his forces was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth-hagoyim. 3 Then the Israelites cried out to the LORD, because Jabin had nine hundred chariots of iron, and he had harshly oppressed the Israelites for twenty years.
4 Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel at that time. 5 And she would sit under the Palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, where the Israelites would go up to her for judgment.
6 She summoned Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali and said to him, “Surely the LORD, the God of Israel, is commanding you: ‘Go and march to Mount Tabor, taking with you ten thousand men of Naphtali and Zebulun. 7 And I will draw out Sisera the commander of Jabin’s army, his chariots, and his troops to the River Kishon, and I will deliver him into your hand.’ ”
8 Barak said to her, “If you will go with me, I will go; but if you will not go with me, I will not go.”
9 “I will certainly go with you,” Deborah replied, “but the road you are taking will bring you no honor, because the LORD will be selling Sisera into the hand of a woman.” So Deborah got up and went with Barak to Kedesh, 10 where he summoned Zebulun and Naphtali. Ten thousand men followed him, and Deborah also went with him.
11 Now Heber the Kenite had moved away from the Kenites, the descendants of Hobab the father-in-law a of Moses, and had pitched his tent by the great tree of Zaanannim, which was near Kedesh.
12 When Sisera was told that Barak son of Abinoam had gone up Mount Tabor, 13 he summoned all nine hundred of his iron chariots and all the men with him, from Harosheth-hagoyim to the River Kishon.
14 Then Deborah said to Barak, “Arise, for this is the day that the LORD has delivered Sisera into your hand. Has not the LORD gone before you?”
So Barak came down from Mount Tabor with ten thousand men following him. 15 And in front of him the LORD routed with the sword Sisera, all his charioteers, and all his army. Sisera abandoned his chariot and fled on foot.
16 Then Barak pursued the chariots and army as far as Harosheth-hagoyim, and the whole army of Sisera fell by the sword; not a single man was left.
Jael Kills Sisera
17 Meanwhile, Sisera had fled on foot to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, because there was peace between Jabin king of Hazor and the house of Heber the Kenite. 18 Jael went out to greet Sisera and said to him, “Come in, my lord. Come in with me. Do not be afraid.” So he entered her tent, and she covered him with a blanket.
19 Sisera said to her, “Please give me a little water to drink, for I am thirsty.” So she opened a container of milk, gave him a drink, and covered him again.
20 “Stand at the entrance to the tent,” he said, “and if anyone comes and asks you, ‘Is there a man here?’ say, ‘No.’ ”
21 But as he lay sleeping from exhaustion, Heber’s wife Jael took a tent peg, grabbed a hammer, and went silently to Sisera. She drove the peg through his temple and into the ground, and he died.
22 When Barak arrived in pursuit of Sisera, Jael went out to greet him and said to him, “Come, and I will show you the man you are seeking.” So he went in with her, and there lay Sisera dead, with a tent peg through his temple.
23 On that day God subdued Jabin king of Canaan before the Israelites. 24 And the hand of the Israelites grew stronger and stronger against Jabin king of Canaan until they destroyed him.
Footnotes:
11 a Or brother-in-law
Judges 5
The Song of Deborah and Barak
(Exodus 15:1–21)
1 On that day Deborah and Barak son of Abinoam sang this song:
2 “When the princes take the lead in Israel,
when the people volunteer,
bless the LORD.
3 Listen, O kings! Give ear, O princes!
I will sing to the LORD;
I will sing praise to the LORD,
the God of Israel.
4 O LORD, when You went out from Seir,
when You marched from the land of Edom,
the earth trembled, the heavens poured out rain,
and the clouds poured down water.
5 The mountains quaked before the LORD,
the One of Sinai,
before the LORD,
the God of Israel.
6 In the days of Shamgar son of Anath,
in the days of Jael,
the highways were deserted
and the travelers took the byways.
7 Life in the villages ceased;
it ended in Israel,
until I, Deborah, arose,
a mother in Israel.
8 When they chose new gods,
then war came to their gates.
Not a shield or spear was found
among forty thousand in Israel.
9 My heart is with the princes of Israel,
with the volunteers among the people.
Bless the LORD!
10 You who ride white donkeys,
who sit on saddle blankets,
and you who travel the road,
ponder 11 the voices of the singers a
at the watering places.
There they shall recount the righteous acts of the LORD,
the righteous deeds of His villagers b in Israel.
Then the people of the LORD
went down to the gates:
12 ‘Awake, awake, O Deborah!
Awake, awake, sing a song!
Arise, O Barak,
and take hold of your captives, O son of Abinoam!’
13 Then the survivors came down to the nobles;
the people of the LORD came down to me against the mighty.
14 Some came from Ephraim, with their roots in Amalek;
Benjamin came with your people after you.
The commanders came down from Machir,
the bearers of the marshal’s staff from Zebulun.
15 The princes of Issachar were with Deborah,
and Issachar was with Barak,
rushing into the valley at his heels.
In the clans of Reuben
there was great indecision. c
16 Why did you sit among the sheepfolds
to hear the whistling for the flocks?
In the clans of Reuben
there was great indecision.
17 Gilead remained beyond the Jordan.
Dan, why did you linger by the ships?
Asher stayed at the coast
and remained in his harbors.
18 Zebulun was a people who risked their lives;
Naphtali, too, on the heights of the battlefield.
19 Kings came and fought;
then the kings of Canaan fought at Taanach
by the waters of Megiddo,
but they took no plunder of silver.
20 From the heavens the stars fought;
from their courses they fought against Sisera.
21 The River Kishon swept them away,
the ancient river, the River Kishon.
March on, O my soul, in strength!
22 Then the hooves of horses thundered—
the mad galloping of his stallions.
23 ‘Curse Meroz,’ says the angel of the LORD.
‘Bitterly curse her inhabitants;
for they did not come to help the LORD,
to help the LORD against the mighty.’
24 Most blessed among women is Jael,
the wife of Heber the Kenite,
most blessed of tent-dwelling women.
25 He asked for water, and she gave him milk.
In a magnificent bowl she brought him curds.
26 She reached for the tent peg,
her right hand for the workman’s hammer.
She struck Sisera and crushed his skull;
she shattered and pierced his temple.
27 At her feet he collapsed, he fell,
there he lay still;
at her feet he collapsed, he fell;
where he collapsed, there he fell dead.
28 Sisera’s mother looked through the window;
she peered through the lattice and lamented:
‘Why is his chariot so long in coming?
What has delayed the clatter of his chariots?’
29 Her wisest ladies answer;
indeed she keeps telling herself,
30 ‘Are they not finding and dividing the spoil—
a girl or two for each warrior,
a plunder of dyed garments for Sisera,
the spoil of embroidered garments
for the neck of the looter?’
31 So may all Your enemies perish,
O LORD!
But may those who love You
shine like the sun at its brightest.”
And the land had rest for forty years.
Footnotes:
11 a Or archers or those who divide the sheep
11 b Or warriors
15 c Or much searching of heart ; also in verse 16
Judges 6
Midian Oppresses Israel
1 Again the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD; so He delivered them into the hand of Midian for seven years, 2 and the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel. Because of the Midianites, the Israelites prepared shelters for themselves in the mountains, caves, and strongholds.
3 Whenever the Israelites would plant their crops, the Midianites, Amalekites, and other people of the east would come up and invade them, 4 encamping against them as far as Gaza and destroying the produce of the land. They left Israel with no sustenance, neither sheep nor oxen nor donkeys. 5 For the Midianites came with their livestock and their tents like a great swarm of locusts. They and their camels were innumerable, and they entered the land to ravage it.
6 Israel was greatly impoverished by Midian, and the Israelites cried out to the LORD.
7 Now when the Israelites cried out to the LORD because of Midian, 8 He sent them a prophet, who told them, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: I brought you up out of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 9 I delivered you out of the hands of Egypt and all your oppressors. I drove them out before you and gave you their land. 10 And I said to you: ‘I am the LORD your God. You must not fear a the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell.’ But you did not obey Me.”
The Call of Gideon
11 Then the angel b of the LORD came and sat down under the oak c in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to hide it from the Midianites. 12 And the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon and said, “The LORD is with you, O mighty man of valor.”
13 “Please, my Lord,” Gideon replied, “if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us? And where are all His wonders of which our fathers told us, saying, ‘Has not the LORD brought us up out of Egypt?’ But now the LORD has forsaken us and delivered us into the hand of Midian.”
14 The LORD d turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel from the hand of Midian. Am I not sending you?”
15 “Please, my Lord,” Gideon replied, “how can I save Israel? Indeed, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my father’s house.”
16 “Surely I will be with you,” the LORD replied, “and you will strike down all the Midianites as one man.”
17 Gideon answered, “If I have found favor in Your sight, give me a sign that it is You speaking with me. 18 Please do not depart from this place until I return to You. Let me bring my offering and set it before You.”
And the LORD said, “I will stay until you return.”
19 So Gideon went in and prepared a young goat and unleavened bread and an ephah of flour. e He placed the meat in a basket and the broth in a pot and brought them out to present to Him under the oak.
20 And the angel of God said to him, “Take the meat and the unleavened bread, lay them on this rock, and pour out the broth.” And Gideon did so.
21 Then the angel of the LORD extended the tip of the staff that was in his hand and touched the meat and the unleavened bread. And fire flared from the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened bread. Then the angel of the LORD vanished from his sight.
22 When Gideon realized that it was the angel of the LORD, he said, “Oh no, Lord GOD! I have seen the angel of the LORD face to face!”
23 But the LORD said to him, “Peace be with you. Do not be afraid, for you will not die.”
24 So Gideon built an altar to the LORD there and called it The LORD Is Peace. f To this day it stands in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
Gideon Destroys Baal’s Altar
25 On that very night the LORD said to Gideon, “Take your father’s young bull and a second bull seven years old, tear down your father’s altar to Baal, and cut down the Asherah pole beside it. 26 Then build a proper altar to the LORD your God on the top of this stronghold. And with the wood of the Asherah pole you cut down, take the second bull and offer it as a burnt offering.”
27 So Gideon took ten of his servants and did as the LORD had told him. But because he was too afraid of his father’s household and the men of the city, he did it by night rather than in the daytime.
28 When the men of the city got up in the morning, there was Baal’s altar torn down, with the Asherah pole cut down beside it and the second bull offered up on the newly built altar. 29 “Who did this?” they said to one another.
And after they had investigated thoroughly, they were told, “Gideon son of Joash did it.”
30 Then the men of the city said to Joash, “Bring out your son. He must die, because he has torn down Baal’s altar and cut down the Asherah pole beside it.”
31 But Joash said to all who stood against him, “Are you contending for Baal? Are you trying to save him? Whoever pleads his case will be put to death by morning! If Baal is a god, let him contend for himself with the one who has torn down his altar.”
32 So on that day Gideon was called Jerubbaal, g that is to say, “Let Baal contend with him,” because he had torn down Baal’s altar.
The Sign of the Fleece
33 Then all the Midianites, Amalekites, and other people of the east gathered together, crossed over the Jordan, and camped in the Valley of Jezreel.
34 So the Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon, who blew the ram’s horn and rallied the Abiezrites behind him. 35 Calling them to arms, Gideon sent messengers throughout Manasseh, as well as Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, so that they came up to meet him.
36 Then Gideon said to God, “If You are going to save Israel by my hand, as You have said, 37 then behold, I will place a fleece of wool on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the fleece and all the ground is dry, then I will know that You are going to save Israel by my hand, as You have said.”
38 And that is what happened. When Gideon arose the next morning, he squeezed the fleece and wrung out the dew—a bowlful of water.
39 Then Gideon said to God, “Do not be angry with me; let me speak one more time. Please allow me one more test with the fleece. This time let it be dry, and the ground covered with dew.”
40 And that night God did so. Only the fleece was dry, and dew covered the ground.
Footnotes:
10 a Or worship
11 b Or Angel ; also in verses 12, 20, 21, and 22; corresponding pronouns may also be capitalized.
11 c Or terebinth or great tree ; also in verse 19
14 d LXX The angel of the LORD or The Angel of the LORD ; also in verse 16
19 e An ephah is approximately 20 dry quarts or 22 liters (probably about 25.5 pounds or 11.6 kilograms of flour).
24 f Hebrew YHWH Shalom
32 g Jerubbaal probably means let Baal contend .
Judges 7
Gideon’s Army of Three Hundred
1 Early in the morning Jerubbaal a (that is, Gideon) and all the men with him camped beside the spring of Harod. And the camp of Midian was north of them in the valley near the hill of Moreh.
2 Then the LORD said to Gideon, “You have too many people for Me to deliver Midian into their hands, lest Israel glorify themselves over Me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’ 3 Now, therefore, proclaim in the hearing of the people: ‘Whoever is fearful and trembling may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.’ ”
So twenty-two thousand of them turned back, but ten thousand remained.
4 Then the LORD said to Gideon, “There are still too many people. Take them down to the water, and I will sift them for you there. If I say to you, ‘This one shall go with you,’ he shall go. But if I say, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ he shall not go.”
5 So Gideon brought the people down to the water, and the LORD said to him, “Separate those who lap the water with their tongues like a dog from those who kneel to drink.” 6 And the number of those who lapped the water with their hands to their mouths was three hundred men; all the others knelt to drink.
7 Then the LORD said to Gideon, “With the three hundred men who lapped the water I will save you and deliver the Midianites into your hand. But all the others are to go home.”
8 So Gideon sent the rest of the Israelites to their tents but kept the three hundred men, who took charge of the provisions and rams’ horns of the others. And the camp of Midian lay below him in the valley.
The Sword of Gideon
9 That night the LORD said to Gideon, “Get up and go down against the camp, for I have delivered it into your hand. 10 But if you are afraid to do so, then go down to the camp with your servant Purah 11 and listen to what they are saying. Then your hands will be strengthened to attack the camp.” So he went with Purah his servant to the outposts where armed men were guarding the camp.
12 Now the Midianites, Amalekites, and all the other people of the east had settled in the valley like a swarm of locusts, and their camels were as countless as the sand on the seashore. 13 And as Gideon arrived, a man was telling his friend about a dream. “Behold, I had a dream,” he said, “and I saw a loaf of barley bread come tumbling into the Midianite camp. It struck the tent so hard that the tent overturned and collapsed.”
14 His friend replied: “This is nothing less than the sword of Gideon son of Joash, the Israelite. God has delivered Midian and the whole camp into his hand.”
Gideon Defeats Midian
15 When Gideon heard the dream and its interpretation, he bowed in worship. He returned to the camp of Israel and said, “Get up, for the LORD has delivered the camp of Midian into your hand.” 16 And he divided the three hundred men into three companies and gave each man a ram’s horn in one hand and a large jar in the other, containing a torch. b
17 “Watch me and do as I do,” Gideon said. “When I come to the outskirts of the camp, do exactly as I do. 18 When I and all who are with me blow our horns, then you are also to blow your horns from all around the camp and shout, ‘For the LORD and for Gideon!’ ”
19 Gideon and the hundred men with him reached the outskirts of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, just after the changing of the guard. They blew their horns and broke the jars that were in their hands. 20 The three companies blew their horns and shattered their jars. Holding the torches in their left hands and the horns in their right hands, they shouted, “A sword for the LORD and for Gideon!”
21 Each Israelite took his position around the camp, and the entire Midianite army fled, crying out as they ran. 22 And when the three hundred rams’ horns sounded, the LORD set all the men in the camp against one another with their swords. The army fled to Beth-shittah toward Zererah c as far as the border of Abel-meholah near Tabbath. 23 Then the men of Israel were called out from Naphtali, Asher, and all Manasseh, and they pursued the Midianites.
24 Gideon sent messengers throughout the hill country of Ephraim to say, “Come down against the Midianites and seize the waters of the Jordan ahead of them as far as Beth-barah.” So all the men of Ephraim were called out, and they captured the waters of the Jordan as far as Beth-barah. 25 They also captured Oreb and Zeeb, the two princes of Midian; and they killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb and Zeeb at the winepress of Zeeb. So they pursued the Midianites and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon on the other side of the Jordan.
Footnotes:
1 a Jerubbaal is another name for Gideon and probably means let Baal contend ; see Judges 6:32.
16 b Literally and put rams’ horns and empty jars—large jars with torches inside—into the hand of all
22 c Some Hebrew manuscripts Zeredah
Judges 8
Gideon Defeats Zebah and Zalmunna
1 Then the men of Ephraim said to Gideon, “Why have you done this to us? Why did you fail to call us when you went to fight against Midian?” And they contended with him violently.
2 But Gideon answered them, “Now what have I accomplished compared to you? Are not the gleanings of Ephraim better than the grape harvest of Abiezer? 3 God has delivered Oreb and Zeeb, the two princes of Midian, into your hand. What was I able to do compared to you?” When he had said this, their anger a against him subsided.
4 Then Gideon and his three hundred men came to the Jordan and crossed it, exhausted yet still in pursuit. 5 So Gideon said to the men of Succoth, “Please give my troops some bread, for they are exhausted, and I am still pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian.”
6 But the leaders of Succoth asked, “Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna already in your possession, that we should give bread to your army?”
7 “Very well,” Gideon replied, “when the LORD has delivered Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, I will tear your flesh with the thorns and briers of the wilderness!”
8 From there he went up to Penuel b and asked the same from them, but the men of Penuel gave the same response as the men of Succoth. 9 So Gideon told the men of Penuel, “When I return in triumph, I will tear down this tower!”
10 Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor with their army of about fifteen thousand men—all that were left of the armies of the people of the east. A hundred and twenty thousand swordsmen had already fallen. 11 And Gideon went up by way of the caravan route east of Nobah and Jogbehah, and he attacked their army, taking them by surprise. 12 When Zebah and Zalmunna fled, Gideon pursued and captured these two kings of Midian, routing their entire army.
13 After this, Gideon son of Joash returned from the battle along the Ascent of Heres. 14 There he captured a young man of Succoth and interrogated him. The young man wrote down for him the names of the seventy-seven leaders and elders of Succoth.
15 And Gideon went to the men of Succoth and said, “Here are Zebah and Zalmunna, about whom you taunted me, saying, ‘Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna already in your possession, that we should give bread to your weary men?’ ” 16 Then he took the elders of the city, and using the thorns and briers of the wilderness, he disciplined the men of Succoth. 17 He also pulled down the tower of Penuel and killed the men of the city.
18 Next, Gideon asked Zebah and Zalmunna, “What kind of men did you kill at Tabor?”
“Men like you,” they answered, “each one resembling the son of a king.”
19 “They were my brothers,” Gideon replied, “the sons of my mother! As surely as the LORD lives, if you had let them live, I would not kill you.”
20 So he said to Jether, his firstborn, “Get up and kill them.” But the young man did not draw his sword; he was fearful because he was still a youth.
21 Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, “Get up and kill us yourself, for as the man is, so is his strength.” So Gideon got up and killed Zebah and Zalmunna, and he took the crescent ornaments from the necks of their camels.
Gideon’s Ephod
22 Then the Israelites said to Gideon, “Rule over us—you and your son and grandson—for you have saved us from the hand of Midian.”
23 But Gideon replied, “I will not rule over you, nor will my son. The LORD shall rule over you.”
24 Then he added, “Let me make a request of you, that each of you give me an earring from his plunder.” (For the enemies had gold earrings because they were Ishmaelites.)
25 “We will give them gladly,” they replied.
So they spread out a garment, and each man threw an earring from his plunder onto it. 26 The weight of the gold earrings he had requested was 1,700 shekels, c in addition to the crescent ornaments, the pendants, the purple garments of the kings of Midian, and the chains from the necks of their camels.
27 From all this Gideon made an ephod, which he placed in Ophrah, his hometown. But soon all Israel prostituted themselves by worshiping it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and his household.
Forty Years of Peace
28 In this way Midian was subdued before the Israelites and did not raise its head again. So the land had rest for forty years in the days of Gideon, 29 and he—Jerubbaal d son of Joash—returned home and settled down.
30 Gideon had seventy sons of his own, e since he had many wives. 31 His concubine, who dwelt in Shechem, also bore him a son, and he named him Abimelech.
Gideon’s Death
32 Later, Gideon son of Joash died at a ripe old age and was buried in the tomb of his father Joash in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
33 And as soon as Gideon was dead, the Israelites turned and prostituted themselves with the Baals, and they set up Baal-berith as their god.
34 The Israelites failed to remember the LORD their God who had delivered them from the hands of all their enemies on every side. 35 They did not show kindness to the house of Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) for all the good things he had done for Israel.
Footnotes:
3 a Or their spirit
8 b Penuel is a variant of Peniel ; also in verses 9 and 17; see Genesis 32:30.
26 c 1,700 shekels is approximately 42.7 pounds or 19.4 kilograms.
29 d Jerubbaal is another name for Gideon and probably means let Baal contend ; also in verse 35; see Judges 6:32.
30 e Hebrew who came from his own loins
Judges 9
Abimelech’s Conspiracy
1 Now Abimelech son of Jerubbaal a went to his mother’s brothers at Shechem and said to them and to all the clan of his mother, 2 “Please ask all the leaders of Shechem, ‘Is it better for you that seventy men, all the sons of Jerubbaal, rule over you, or just one man?’ Remember that I am your own flesh and blood.”
3 And when his mother’s brothers spoke all these words about him in the presence of all the leaders of Shechem, their hearts were inclined to follow Abimelech, for they said, “He is our brother.” 4 So they gave him seventy shekels of silver b from the temple of Baal-berith, with which Abimelech hired some worthless and reckless men to follow him. 5 He went to his father’s house in Ophrah, and on one stone murdered his seventy brothers, the sons of Jerubbaal. But Jotham, the youngest son of Jerubbaal, survived, because he hid himself.
6 Then all the leaders of Shechem and Beth-millo gathered beside the oak c at the pillar in Shechem and proceeded to make Abimelech their king.
Jotham’s Parable
7 When this was reported to Jotham, he climbed to the top of Mount Gerizim, raised his voice, and cried out:
“Listen to me, O leaders of Shechem,
and may God listen to you.
8 One day the trees set out
to anoint a king for themselves.
They said to the olive tree,
‘Reign over us.’
9 But the olive tree replied,
‘Should I stop giving my oil
that honors both God and man,
to hold sway over the trees?’
10 Then the trees said to the fig tree,
‘Come and reign over us.’
11 But the fig tree replied,
‘Should I stop giving my sweetness
and my good fruit,
to hold sway over the trees?’
12 Then the trees said to the grapevine,
‘Come and reign over us.’
13 But the grapevine replied,
‘Should I stop giving my wine
that cheers both God and man,
to hold sway over the trees?’
14 Finally all the trees said to the thornbush,
‘Come and reign over us.’
15 But the thornbush replied,
‘If you really are anointing me as king over you,
come and find refuge in my shade.
But if not, may fire come out of the thornbush
and consume the cedars of Lebanon.’
16 Now if you have acted faithfully and honestly in making Abimelech king, if you have done well by Jerubbaal and his family, and if you have done to him as he deserves— 17 for my father fought for you and risked his life to deliver you from the hand of Midian, 18 but you have risen up against my father’s house this day and killed his seventy sons on a single stone, and you have made Abimelech, the son of his maidservant, king over the leaders of Shechem because he is your brother— 19 if you have acted faithfully and honestly toward Jerubbaal and his house this day, then may you rejoice in Abimelech, and he in you.
20 But if not, may fire come from Abimelech and consume the leaders of Shechem and Beth-millo, and may fire come from the leaders of Shechem and Beth-millo and consume Abimelech.”
21 Then Jotham ran away, escaping to Beer, and he lived there for fear of his brother Abimelech.
Gaal Conspires with the Shechemites
22 After Abimelech had reigned over Israel for three years, 23 God sent a spirit of animosity d between Abimelech and the leaders of Shechem and caused them to treat Abimelech deceitfully, 24 in order that the crime against the seventy sons of Jerubbaal might come to justice and their blood be avenged on their brother Abimelech and on the leaders of Shechem, who had helped him murder his brothers.
25 The leaders of Shechem set up an ambush against Abimelech on the hilltops, and they robbed all who passed by them on the road. So this was reported to Abimelech.
26 Meanwhile, Gaal son of Ebed came with his brothers and crossed into Shechem, and the leaders of Shechem put their confidence in him. 27 And after they had gone out into the fields, gathered grapes from their vineyards, and trodden them, they held a festival and went into the house of their god; and as they ate and drank, they cursed Abimelech.
28 Then Gaal son of Ebed said, “Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem, that we should serve him? Is he not the son of Jerubbaal, and is not Zebul his officer? You are to serve the men of Hamor, the father of Shechem. Why should we serve Abimelech? 29 If only this people were under my authority, I would remove Abimelech; I would say to him, ‘Muster your army and come out!’ ” e
The Fall of Shechem
30 When Zebul the governor of the city heard the words of Gaal son of Ebed, he burned with anger. 31 So he covertly sent messengers to Abimelech f to say, “Look, Gaal son of Ebed and his brothers have come to Shechem and are stirring up g the city against you. 32 Now then, tonight you and the people with you are to come and lie in wait in the fields. 33 And in the morning at sunrise, get up and advance against the city. When Gaal and his men come out against you, do to them whatever you are able.”
34 So Abimelech and all his troops set out by night and lay in wait against Shechem in four companies.
35 Now Gaal son of Ebed went out and stood at the entrance of the city gate just as Abimelech and his men came out from their hiding places.
36 When Gaal saw the people, he said to Zebul, “Look, people are coming down from the mountains!”
But Zebul replied, “The shadows of the mountains look like men to you.”
37 Then Gaal spoke up again, “Look, people are coming down from the center of the land, h and one company is coming by way of the Diviners’ Oak. i”
38 “Where is your gloating now?” Zebul replied. “You said, ‘Who is Abimelech that we should serve him?’ Are these not the people you ridiculed? Go out now and fight them!”
39 So Gaal went out before the leaders of Shechem and fought against Abimelech, 40 but Abimelech pursued him, and Gaal fled before him. And many Shechemites fell wounded all the way to the entrance of the gate. 41 Abimelech stayed in Arumah, and Zebul drove Gaal and his brothers out of Shechem.
42 The next day the people of Shechem went out into the fields, and this was reported to Abimelech. 43 So he took his men, divided them into three companies, and lay in wait in the fields. When he saw the people coming out of the city, he rose up against them and attacked them.
44 Then Abimelech and the companies with him rushed forward and took their stand at the entrance of the city gate. The other two companies rushed against all who were in the fields and struck them down. 45 And all that day Abimelech fought against the city until he had captured it and killed its people. Then he demolished the city and sowed it with salt.
46 On hearing of this, all the leaders in the tower of Shechem entered the inner chamber of the temple of El-berith. j 47 And when Abimelech was told that all the leaders in the tower of Shechem were gathered there, 48 he and all his men went up to Mount Zalmon. Abimelech took his axe in his hand and cut a branch from the trees, which he lifted to his shoulder, saying to his men, “Hurry and do what you have seen me do.”
49 So each man also cut his own branch and followed Abimelech. Then they piled the branches against the inner chamber and set it on fire above them, killing everyone in the tower of Shechem, about a thousand men and women.
Abimelech’s Punishment
50 Then Abimelech went to Thebez, encamped against it, and captured it. 51 But there was a strong tower inside the city, and all the men, women, and leaders of the city fled there. They locked themselves in and went up to the roof of the tower.
52 When Abimelech came to attack the tower, he approached its entrance to set it on fire. 53 But a woman dropped an upper millstone on Abimelech’s head, crushing his skull. 54 He quickly called his armor-bearer, saying, “Draw your sword and kill me, lest they say of me, ‘A woman killed him.’ ”
So Abimelech’s armor-bearer ran his sword through him, and he died. 55 And when the Israelites saw that Abimelech was dead, they all went home.
56 In this way God repaid the wickedness that Abimelech had done to his father in murdering his seventy brothers. 57 And God also brought all the wickedness of the men of Shechem back upon their own heads. So the curse of Jotham son of Jerubbaal came upon them.
Footnotes:
1 a Jerubbaal is another name for Gideon and probably means let Baal contend ; here and throughout this chapter; see Judges 6:32.
4 b 70 shekels is approximately 1.76 pounds or 797.8 grams of silver.
6 c Or terebinth or great tree
23 d Or a harmful spirit
29 e LXX; Hebrew I would remove Abimelech.” And he said to him, “Muster your army and come out!”
31 f Or he sent messengers to Abimelech in Arumah ; see verse 41.
31 g Or besieging or closing up
37 h Literally the navel of the earth
37 i Or the Diviners’ Terebinth or the diviners’ tree
46 j El-berith was another name for Baal-berith ; see verse 4.
Judges 10
Tola
1 After the time of Abimelech, a man of Issachar, Tola son of Puah, the son of Dodo, rose up to save Israel. He lived in Shamir, in the hill country of Ephraim.
2 Tola judged a Israel twenty-three years, and when he died, he was buried in Shamir.
Jair
3 Tola was followed by Jair the Gileadite, who judged Israel twenty-two years. 4 He had thirty sons who rode on thirty donkeys. And they had thirty towns in the land of Gilead, which to this day are called Havvoth-jair. b
5 When Jair died, he was buried in Kamon.
Oppression by the Philistines and Ammonites
6 And again the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD. They served the Baals, the Ashtoreths, the gods of Aram, Sidon, and Moab, and the gods of the Ammonites and Philistines. Thus they forsook the LORD and did not serve Him.
7 So the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He sold them into the hands of the Philistines and Ammonites, 8 who that very year harassed and oppressed the Israelites, and did so for eighteen years to all the Israelites on the other side of the Jordan in Gilead, the land of the Amorites.
9 The Ammonites also crossed the Jordan to fight against Judah, Benjamin, and the house of Ephraim, and Israel was in deep distress.
10 Then the Israelites cried out to the LORD, saying, “We have sinned against You, for we have indeed forsaken our God and served the Baals.”
11 The LORD replied, “When the Egyptians, Amorites, Ammonites, Philistines, 12 Sidonians, Amalekites, and Maonites c oppressed you and you cried out to Me, did I not save you from their hands? 13 But you have forsaken Me and served other gods, so I will no longer save you. 14 Go and cry out to the gods you have chosen. Let them save you in your time of trouble.”
15 “We have sinned,” the Israelites said to the LORD. “Deal with us as You see fit;but please deliver us today!” 16 So they put away the foreign gods from among them and served the LORD, and He could no longer bear the misery of Israel.
17 Then the Ammonites were called to arms and camped in Gilead, and the Israelites assembled and camped at Mizpah. 18 And the rulers of Gilead said to one another, “Whoever will launch the attack against the Ammonites will be the head of all who live in Gilead.”
Footnotes:
2 a Or governed or led ; here and throughout the book of Judges
4 b Or the villages of Jair
12 c Hebrew; some LXX manuscripts Midianites
Judges 11
Jephthah Delivers Israel
1 Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valor; he was the son of a prostitute, and Gilead was his father. 2 And Gilead’s wife bore him sons who grew up, drove Jephthah out, and said to him, “You shall have no inheritance in our father’s house, because you are the son of another woman.”
3 So Jephthah fled from his brothers and settled in the land of Tob, where worthless men gathered around him and traveled with him.
4 Some time later, when the Ammonites fought against Israel 5 and made war with them, the elders of Gilead went to get Jephthah from the land of Tob. 6 “Come,” they said, “be our commander, so that we can fight against the Ammonites.”
7 Jephthah replied to the elders of Gilead, “Did you not hate me and expel me from my father’s house? Why then have you come to me now, when you are in distress?”
8 They answered Jephthah, “This is why we now turn to you, that you may go with us, fight the Ammonites, and become leader over all of us who live in Gilead.”
9 But Jephthah asked them, “If you take me back to fight the Ammonites and the LORD gives them to me, will I really be your leader?”
10 And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “The LORD is our witness if we do not do as you say.”
11 So Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him their leader and commander. And Jephthah repeated all his terms in the presence of the LORD at Mizpah.
12 Then Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the Ammonites, saying, “What do you have against me that you have come to fight against my land?”
13 The king of the Ammonites answered Jephthah’s messengers, “When Israel came up out of Egypt, they seized my land, from the Arnon to the Jabbok and all the way to the Jordan. Now, therefore, restore it peaceably.”
14 Jephthah again sent messengers to the king of the Ammonites 15 to tell him, “This is what Jephthah says: Israel did not take away the land of Moab or of the Ammonites. 16 But when Israel came up out of Egypt, they traveled through the wilderness to the Red Sea a and came to Kadesh. 17 Then Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, ‘Please let us pass through your land,’ but the king of Edom would not listen. They also sent messengers to the king of Moab, but he would not consent. So Israel stayed in Kadesh.
18 Then Israel traveled through the wilderness and bypassed the lands of Edom and Moab. They came to the east side of the land of Moab and camped on the other side of the Arnon. But they did not enter the territory of Moab, since the Arnon was its border.
19 And Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, who ruled in Heshbon, and said to him, ‘Please let us pass through your land into our own place.’ 20 But Sihon would not trust Israel to pass through his territory. So he gathered all his people, encamped in Jahaz, and fought with Israel.
21 Then the LORD, the God of Israel, delivered Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel, who defeated them. So Israel took possession of all the land of the Amorites who inhabited that country, 22 seizing all the land from the Arnon to the Jabbok and from the wilderness to the Jordan.
23 Now since the LORD, the God of Israel, has driven out the Amorites from before His people Israel, should you now possess it? 24 Do you not possess whatever your god Chemosh grants you? So also, we possess whatever the LORD our God has granted us. 25 Are you now so much better than Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab? Did he ever contend with Israel or fight against them?
26 For three hundred years Israel has lived in Heshbon, Aroer, and their villages, as well as all the cities along the banks of the Arnon. Why did you not take them back during that time? 27 I have not sinned against you, but you have done me wrong by waging war against me. May the LORD, the Judge, decide today between the Israelites and the Ammonites.”
28 But the king of the Ammonites paid no heed to the message Jephthah sent him.
Jephthah’s Tragic Vow
29 Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah, and he passed through Gilead and Manasseh, then through Mizpah of Gilead. And from there he advanced against the Ammonites.
30 Jephthah made this vow to the LORD: “If indeed You will deliver the Ammonites into my hand, 31 then whatever comes out the door of my house to greet me on my triumphant return from the Ammonites will belong to the LORD, and I will offer it up as a burnt offering.”
32 So Jephthah crossed over to the Ammonites to fight against them, and the LORD delivered them into his hand. 33 With a great blow he devastated twenty cities from Aroer to the vicinity of Minnith, as far as Abel-keramim. So the Ammonites were subdued before the Israelites.
34 And when Jephthah returned home to Mizpah, there was his daughter coming out to meet him with tambourines and dancing! She was his only child; he had no son or daughter besides her.
35 As soon as Jephthah saw her, he tore his clothes and said, “No! Not my daughter! You have brought me to my knees! You have brought great misery upon me, for I have given my word to the LORD and cannot take it back.”
36 “My father,” she replied, “you have given your word to the LORD. Do to me as you have said, for the LORD has avenged you of your enemies, the Ammonites.” 37 She also said to her father, “Let me do this one thing: Let me wander for two months through the mountains with my friends and mourn my virginity.”
38 “Go,” he said. And he sent her away for two months.
So she left with her friends and mourned her virginity upon the mountains. 39 After two months, she returned to her father, and he did to her as he had vowed. And she had never had relations with a man.
So it has become a custom in Israel 40 that each year the young women of Israel go out for four days to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite.
Footnotes:
16 a Or the Sea of Reeds
Judges 12
Jephthah Defeats Ephraim
1 Then the men of Ephraim assembled and crossed the Jordan to Zaphon. They said to Jephthah, “Why have you crossed over to fight the Ammonites without calling us to go with you? We will burn your house down with you inside!”
2 But Jephthah replied, “My people and I had a serious conflict with the Ammonites, and when I called, you did not save me out of their hands. 3 When I saw that you would not save me, I risked my life and crossed over to the Ammonites, and the LORD delivered them into my hand. Why then have you come today to fight against me?”
4 Jephthah then gathered all the men of Gilead and fought against Ephraim. And the men of Gilead struck them down because the Ephraimites had said, “You Gileadites are fugitives in Ephraim, living in the territories of Ephraim and Manasseh.”
5 The Gileadites captured the fords of the Jordan leading to Ephraim, and whenever a fugitive from Ephraim would say, “Let me cross over,” the Gileadites would ask him, “Are you an Ephraimite?”
If he answered, “No,” 6 they told him, “Please say Shibboleth.”
If he said, “Sibboleth,” because he could not pronounce it correctly, they seized him and killed him at the fords of the Jordan. So at that time 42,000 Ephraimites were killed.
7 Jephthah judged Israel six years, and when he died, he was buried in one of the cities of Gilead. a
Ibzan, Elon, and Abdon
8 After Jephthah, Ibzan of Bethlehem judged Israel. 9 He had thirty sons, as well as thirty daughters whom he gave in marriage to men outside his clan;and for his sons he brought back thirty wives from elsewhere. Ibzan judged Israel seven years. 10 Then Ibzan died, and he was buried in Bethlehem.
11 After Ibzan, Elon the Zebulunite judged Israel ten years. 12 Then Elon the Zebulunite died, and he was buried in Aijalon in the land of Zebulun.
13 After Elon, Abdon son of Hillel, from Pirathon, judged Israel. 14 He had forty sons and thirty grandsons, who rode on seventy donkeys. And he judged Israel eight years. 15 Then Abdon son of Hillel, from Pirathon, died, and he was buried at Pirathon in Ephraim, in the hill country of the Amalekites.
Footnotes:
7 a LXX in his city in Gilead
Judges 13
The Birth of Samson
(Numbers 6:1–21)
1 Again the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD, so He delivered them into the hand of the Philistines for forty years.
2 Now there was a man from Zorah named Manoah, from the clan of the Danites, whose wife was barren and had no children. 3 The angel a of the LORD appeared to the woman and said to her, “It is true that you are barren and have no children; but you will conceive and give birth to a son. 4 Now please be careful not to drink wine or strong drink, and not to eat anything unclean. 5 For behold, you will conceive and give birth to a son. And no razor shall come over his head, because the boy will be a Nazirite b to God from the womb, and he will begin the deliverance of Israel from the hand of the Philistines.”
6 So the woman went and told her husband, “A man of God came to me. His appearance was like the angel of God, exceedingly awesome. I did not ask him where he came from, and he did not tell me his name. 7 But he said to me, ‘Behold, you will conceive and give birth to a son. Now, therefore, do not drink wine or strong drink, and do not eat anything unclean, because the boy will be a Nazirite to God from the womb until the day of his death.’ ”
8 Then Manoah prayed to the LORD, “Please, O Lord, let the man of God You sent us come to us again to teach us how to raise the boy who is to be born.”
9 And God listened to the voice of Manoah, and the angel of God returned to the woman as she was sitting in the field; but her husband Manoah was not with her. 10 The woman ran quickly to tell her husband, “Behold, the man who came to me the other day has reappeared!”
11 So Manoah got up and followed his wife. When he came to the man, he asked, “Are you the man who spoke to my wife?”
“I am,” he said.
12 Then Manoah asked, “When your words come to pass, what will be the boy’s rule of life and mission?”
13 So the angel of the LORD answered Manoah, “Your wife is to do everything I told her. 14 She must not eat anything that comes from the vine, nor drink any wine or strong drink, nor eat anything unclean. She must do everything I have commanded her.”
15 “Please stay here,” Manoah said to the angel of the LORD, “and we will prepare a young goat for you.”
16 And the angel of the LORD replied, “Even if I stay, I will not eat your food. But if you prepare a burnt offering, offer it to the LORD.” For Manoah did not know that it was the angel of the LORD.
17 Then Manoah said to the angel of the LORD, “What is your name, so that we may honor you when your word comes to pass?”
18 “Why do you ask my name,” said the angel of the LORD, “since it is beyond comprehension?”
19 Then Manoah took a young goat and a grain offering and offered them on a rock to the LORD. And as Manoah and his wife looked on, the LORD did a marvelous thing. 20 When the flame went up from the altar to the sky, the angel of the LORD ascended in the flame.
When Manoah and his wife saw this, they fell facedown to the ground. 21 And when the angel of the LORD did not appear again to Manoah and his wife, Manoah realized that it had been the angel of the LORD.
22 “We are going to die,” he said to his wife, “for we have seen God!”
23 But his wife replied, “If the LORD had intended to kill us, He would not have accepted the burnt offering and the grain offering from our hands, nor would He have shown us all these things or spoken to us this way.”
24 So the woman gave birth to a son and named him Samson. The boy grew, and the LORD blessed him. 25 And the Spirit of the LORD began to stir him at Mahaneh-dan, c between Zorah and Eshtaol.
Footnotes:
3 a Or Angel ; here and throughout chapter 13; corresponding pronouns may also be capitalized.
5 b Or set apart
25 c Mahaneh-dan means camp of Dan .
Judges 14
Samson’s Marriage
1 One day Samson went down to Timnah, where he saw a young Philistine woman. 2 So he returned and told his father and mother, “I have seen a daughter of the Philistines in Timnah. Now get her for me as a wife.”
3 But his father and mother replied, “Can’t you find a young woman among your relatives or among any of our people? Must you go to the uncircumcised Philistines to get a wife?”
But Samson told his father, “Get her for me, for she is pleasing to my eyes.” 4 (Now his father and mother did not know this was from the LORD, who was seeking an occasion to move against the Philistines; for at that time the Philistines were ruling over Israel.)
5 Then Samson went down to Timnah with his father and mother and came to the vineyards of Timnah. Suddenly a young lion came roaring at him, 6 and the Spirit of the LORD came powerfully upon him, and he tore the lion apart with his bare hands as one would tear a young goat. But he did not tell his father or mother what he had done. 7 Then Samson continued on his way down and spoke to the woman, because she was pleasing to his eyes.
Samson’s Riddle
8 When Samson returned later to take her, he left the road to see the lion’s carcass, and in it was a swarm of bees, along with their honey. 9 So he scooped some honey into his hands and ate it as he went along. And when he returned to his father and mother, he gave some to them and they ate it. But he did not tell them that he had taken the honey from the lion’s carcass.
10 Then his father went to visit the woman, and Samson prepared a feast there, as was customary for the bridegroom. 11 And when the Philistines saw him, a they selected thirty men to accompany him.
12 “Let me tell you a riddle,” Samson said to them. “If you can solve it for me within the seven days of the feast, I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty sets of clothes. 13 But if you cannot solve it, you must give me thirty linen garments and thirty sets of clothes.”
“Tell us your riddle,” they replied. “Let us hear it.”
14 So he said to them:
“Out of the eater came something to eat,
and out of the strong came something sweet.”
For three days they were unable to explain the riddle. 15 So on the fourth b day they said to Samson’s wife, “Entice your husband to explain the riddle to us, or we will burn you and your father’s household to death. Did you invite us here to rob us?”
16 Then Samson’s wife came to him, weeping, and said, “You hate me! You do not really love me! You have posed to my people a riddle, but have not explained it to me.”
“Look,” he said, “I have not even explained it to my father or mother, so why should I explain it to you?”
17 She wept the whole seven days of the feast, and finally on the seventh day, because she had pressed him so much, he told her the answer. And in turn she explained the riddle to her people.
18 Before sunset on the seventh day, the men of the city said to Samson:
“What is sweeter than honey?
And what is stronger than a lion?”
So he said to them:
“If you had not plowed with my heifer,
you would not have solved my riddle!”
19 Then the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon, killed thirty of their men, took their apparel, and gave their clothes to those who had solved the riddle. And burning with anger, Samson returned to his father’s house, 20 and his wife was given to one of the men who had accompanied him.
Footnotes:
11 a Or when the bride’s parents saw him ; literally when they saw him
15 b LXX and Syriac; Hebrew seventh
Judges 15
Samson’s Revenge
1 Later on, at the time of the wheat harvest, Samson took a young goat and went to visit his wife. “I want to go to my wife in her room,” he said. But her father would not let him enter.
2 “I was sure that you thoroughly hated her,” said her father, “so I gave her to one of the men who accompanied you. Is not her younger sister more beautiful than she? Please take her instead.”
3 Samson said to them, “This time I will be blameless in doing harm to the Philistines.”
4 Then Samson went out and caught three hundred foxes. And he took torches, turned the foxes tail-to-tail, and fastened a torch between each pair of tails. 5 Then he lit the torches and released the foxes into the standing grain of the Philistines, burning up the piles of grain and the standing grain, as well as the vineyards and olive groves.
6 “Who did this?” the Philistines demanded.
“It was Samson, the son-in-law of the Timnite,” they were told. “For his wife was given to his companion.”
So the Philistines went up and burned her and her father to death.
7 And Samson told them, “Because you have done this, I will not rest until I have taken vengeance upon you.” 8 And he struck them ruthlessly a with a great slaughter, and then went down and stayed in the cave at the rock of Etam.
9 Then the Philistines went up, camped in Judah, and deployed themselves near the town of Lehi. b
10 “Why have you attacked us?” said the men of Judah.
The Philistines replied, “We have come to arrest Samson and pay him back for what he has done to us.”
11 In response, three thousand men of Judah went to the cave at the rock of Etam, and they asked Samson, “Do you not realize that the Philistines rule over us? What have you done to us?”
“I have done to them what they did to me,” he replied.
12 But they said to him, “We have come down to arrest you and hand you over to the Philistines.”
Samson replied, “Swear to me that you will not kill me yourselves.”
13 “No,” they answered, “we will not kill you, but we will tie you up securely and hand you over to them.” So they bound him with two new ropes and led him up from the rock.
14 When Samson arrived in Lehi, the Philistines came out shouting against him. And the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him. The ropes on his arms became like burnt flax, and the bonds broke loose from his hands. 15 He found the fresh jawbone of a donkey, reached out his hand and took it, and struck down a thousand men. 16 Then Samson said:
“With the jawbone of a donkey
I have piled them into heaps. c
With the jawbone of a donkey
I have slain a thousand men.”
17 And when Samson had finished speaking, he cast the jawbone from his hand; and he named that place Ramath-lehi. d
18 And being very thirsty, Samson cried out to the LORD, “You have accomplished this great deliverance through Your servant. Must I now die of thirst and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?”
19 So God opened up the hollow place in Lehi, and water came out of it. When Samson drank, his strength returned, and he was revived. That is why he named it En-hakkore, e and it remains in Lehi to this day.
20 And Samson judged Israel for twenty years in the days of the Philistines.
Footnotes:
8 a Literally he struck them hip and thigh
9 b Literally and spread out in Lehi
16 c Or I have made them into donkeys
17 d Ramath-lehi means the hill of the jawbone .
19 e En-hakkore means the spring of him who calls .
Judges 16
Samson Escapes Gaza
1 One day Samson went to Gaza, where he saw a prostitute and went in to spend the night with her.
2 When the Gazites heard that Samson was there, they surrounded that place and lay in wait for him all night at the city gate. They were quiet throughout the night, saying, “Let us wait until dawn; then we will kill him.”
3 But Samson lay there only until midnight, when he got up, took hold of the doors of the city gate and both gateposts, and pulled them out, bar and all. Then he put them on his shoulders and took them to the top of the mountain overlooking Hebron.
Samson and Delilah
4 Some time later, Samson fell in love with a woman in the Valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah. 5 The lords of the Philistines went to her and said, “Entice him and find out the source of his great strength and how we can overpower him to tie him up and subdue him. Then each one of us will give you eleven hundred shekels of silver. a”
6 So Delilah said to Samson, “Please tell me the source of your great strength and how you can be tied up and subdued.”
7 Samson told her, “If they tie me up with seven fresh bowstrings that have not been dried, I will become as weak as any other man.”
8 So the lords of the Philistines brought her seven fresh bowstrings that had not been dried, and she tied him up with them. 9 While the men were hidden in her room, she called out, “Samson, the Philistines are here!”
But he snapped the bowstrings like a strand of yarn seared by a flame. So the source of his strength remained unknown.
10 Then Delilah said to Samson, “You have mocked me and lied to me! Now please tell me how you can be tied up.”
11 He replied, “If they tie me up with new ropes that have never been used, I will become as weak as any other man.”
12 So Delilah took new ropes, tied him up with them, and called out, “Samson, the Philistines are here!”
But while the men were hidden in her room, he snapped the ropes off his arms like they were threads.
13 Then Delilah said to Samson, “You have mocked me and lied to me all along! Tell me how you can be tied up.”
He told her, “If you weave the seven braids of my head into the web of a loom and tighten it with a pin, I will become as weak as any other man. b”
14 So while he slept, Delilah took the seven braids of his hair and wove them into the web. c Then she tightened it with a pin and called to him, “Samson, the Philistines are here!”
But he awoke from his sleep and pulled out the pin with the loom and the web.
Delilah Learns the Secret
15 “How can you say, ‘I love you,’ ” she asked, “when your heart is not with me? This is the third time you have mocked me and failed to reveal to me the source of your great strength!”
16 Finally, after she had pressed him daily with her words and pleaded until he was sick to death, 17 Samson told her all that was in his heart: “My hair has never been cut, because I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother’s womb. If I am shaved, my strength will leave me, and I will become as weak as any other man.”
18 When Delilah realized that he had revealed to her all that was in his heart, she sent this message to the lords of the Philistines: “Come up once more, for he has revealed to me all that is in his heart.”
Then the lords of the Philistines came to her, bringing the money in their hands.
19 And having lulled him to sleep on her lap, she called a man to shave off the seven braids of his head. In this way she began to subdue him, d and his strength left him. 20 Then she called out, “Samson, the Philistines are here!”
When Samson awoke from his sleep, he thought, “I will escape as I did before and shake myself free.” But he did not know that the LORD had departed from him.
21 Then the Philistines seized him, gouged out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza, where he was bound with bronze shackles and forced to grind grain in the prison.
22 However, the hair of his head began to grow back after it had been shaved.
Samson’s Vengeance and Death
23 Now the lords of the Philistines gathered together to offer a great sacrifice to their god Dagon. They rejoiced and said, “Our god has delivered Samson our enemy into our hands.”
24 And when the people saw him, they praised their god, saying:
“Our god has delivered into our hands
our enemy who destroyed our land
and multiplied our dead.”
25 And while their hearts were merry, they said, “Call for Samson to entertain us.” So they called Samson out of the prison to entertain them. And they stationed him between the pillars.
26 Samson said to the servant who held his hand, “Lead me where I can feel the pillars supporting the temple, so I can lean against them.”
27 Now the temple was full of men and women; all the lords of the Philistines were there, and about three thousand men and women were on the roof watching Samson entertain them.
28 Then Samson called out to the LORD: “O Lord GOD, please remember me. Strengthen me, O God, just once more, so that with one vengeful blow I may pay back the Philistines for my two eyes.”
29 And Samson reached out for the two central pillars supporting the temple. Bracing himself against them with his right hand on one pillar and his left hand on the other, 30 Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines.”
Then he pushed with all his might, and the temple fell on the lords and all the people in it. So in his death he killed more than he had killed in his life.
31 Then Samson’s brothers and his father’s family came down, carried him back, and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of his father Manoah. And he had judged Israel twenty years.
Footnotes:
5 a 1,100 shekels is approximately 27.6 pounds or 12.5 kilograms of silver.
13 b See LXX and Vulgate; Hebrew does not include and tighten it with a pin, I will become as weak as any other man.
14 c See LXX and Vulgate; Hebrew does not include So while he slept, Delilah took the seven braids of his hair and wove them into the web.
19 d Hebrew; some LXX manuscripts he began to grow weak
Judges 17
Micah’s Idolatry
1 Now a man named Micah from the hill country of Ephraim 2 said to his mother, “The eleven hundred shekels of silver a that were taken from you and about which I heard you utter a curse—I have the silver here with me; I took it.”
Then his mother said, “Blessed be my son by the LORD!”
3 And when he had returned the eleven hundred shekels of silver to his mother, she said, “I wholly dedicate the silver to the LORD for my son’s benefit, to make a graven image and a molten idol. Therefore I will now return it to you.”
4 So he returned the silver to his mother, and she took two hundred shekels of silver b and gave them to a silversmith, who made them into a graven image and a molten idol. And they were placed in the house of Micah.
5 Now this man Micah had a shrine, and he made an ephod and some household idols, and ordained c one of his sons as his priest. 6 In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
7 And there was a young Levite from Bethlehem in Judah who had been residing within the clan of Judah. 8 This man left the city of Bethlehem in Judah to settle where he could find a place. And as he traveled, he came to Micah’s house in the hill country of Ephraim.
9 “Where are you from?” Micah asked him.
“I am a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah,” he replied, “and I am on my way to settle wherever I can find a place.”
10 “Stay with me,” Micah said to him, “and be my father and priest, and I will give you ten shekels of silver d per year, a suit of clothes, and your provisions.”
So the Levite went in 11 and agreed to stay with him, and the young man became like a son to Micah.
12 Micah ordained the Levite, and the young man became his priest and lived in his house. 13 Then Micah said, “Now I know that the LORD will be good to me, because a Levite has become my priest.”
Footnotes:
2 a 1,100 shekels is approximately 27.6 pounds or 12.5 kilograms of silver; also in verse 3.
4 b 200 shekels is approximately 5 pounds or 2.3 kilograms of silver.
5 c Hebrew filled the hand of ; also in verse 12
10 d 10 shekels is approximately 4 ounces or 114 grams of silver.
Judges 18
The Danites Settle in Laish
1 In those days there was no king in Israel, and the tribe of the Danites was looking for territory to occupy. For up to that time they had not come into an inheritance among the tribes of Israel. 2 So the Danites sent out five men from their clans, men of valor from Zorah and Eshtaol, to spy out the land and explore it. “Go and explore the land,” they told them.
The men entered the hill country of Ephraim and came to the house of Micah, where they spent the night. 3 And while they were near Micah’s house, they recognized the voice of the young Levite; so they went over and asked him, “Who brought you here? What are you doing in this place? Why are you here?”
4 “Micah has done this and that for me,” he replied, “and he has hired me to be his priest.”
5 Then they said to him, “Please inquire of God to determine whether we will have a successful journey.”
6 And the priest told them, “Go in peace. The LORD is watching over your journey.”
7 So the five men departed and came to Laish, where they saw that the people were living securely, like the Sidonians, tranquil and unsuspecting. There was nothing lacking in the land and no oppressive ruler. And they were far away from the Sidonians and had no alliance with anyone.
8 When the men returned to Zorah and Eshtaol, their brothers asked them, “What did you find?”
9 They answered, “Come on, let us go up against them, for we have seen the land, and it is very good. Why would you fail to act? Do not hesitate to go there and take possession of the land! 10 When you enter, you will come to an unsuspecting people and a spacious land, for God has delivered it into your hand. It is a place where nothing on earth is lacking.”
11 So six hundred Danites departed from Zorah and Eshtaol, armed with weapons of war. 12 They went up and camped at Kiriath-jearim in Judah. That is why the place west of Kiriath-jearim is called Mahaneh-dan a to this day. 13 And from there they traveled to the hill country of Ephraim and came to Micah’s house.
The Danites Take Micah’s Idols
14 Then the five men who had gone to spy out the land of Laish said to their brothers, “Did you know that one of these houses has an ephod, household gods, a graven image, and a molten idol? Now think about what you should do.”
15 So they turned aside there and went to the home of the young Levite, the house of Micah, and greeted him.
16 The six hundred Danites stood at the entrance of the gate, armed with their weapons of war. 17 And the five men who had gone to spy out the land went inside and took the graven image, the ephod, the household idols, and the molten idol, while the priest stood at the entrance of the gate with the six hundred armed men.
18 When they entered Micah’s house and took the graven image, the ephod, the household idols, and the molten idol, the priest said to them, “What are you doing?”
19 “Be quiet,” they told him. “Put your hand over your mouth and come with us and be a father and a priest to us. Is it better for you to be a priest for the house of one person or a priest for a tribe and family in Israel?”
20 So the priest was glad and took the ephod, the household idols, and the graven image, and went with the people. 21 Putting their small children, their livestock, and their possessions in front of them, they turned and departed.
22 After they were some distance from Micah’s house, the men in the houses near Micah’s house mobilized and overtook the Danites. 23 When they called out after them, the Danites turned to face them and said to Micah, “What is the matter with you that you have called out such a company?”
24 He replied, “You took the gods I had made, and my priest, and went away. What else do I have? How can you say to me, ‘What is the matter with you?’ ”
25 The Danites said to him, “Do not raise your voice against us, or angry men will attack you, and you and your family will lose your lives.”
26 So the Danites went on their way, and Micah turned to go back home, because he saw that they were too strong for him.
27 After they had taken Micah’s idols and his priest, they went to Laish, to a tranquil and unsuspecting people, and they struck them with their swords and burned down the city. 28 There was no one to deliver them, because the city was far from Sidon and had no alliance with anyone; it was in a valley near Beth-rehob.
And the Danites rebuilt the city and lived there. 29 They named it Dan, after their forefather Dan, who was born to Israel—though the city was formerly named Laish.
30 The Danites set up idols for themselves, and Jonathan son of Gershom, the son of Moses, b and his sons were priests for the tribe of Dan until the day of the captivity of the land.
31 So they set up for themselves Micah’s graven image, and it was there the whole time the house of God was in Shiloh.
Footnotes:
12 a Mahaneh-dan means camp of Dan .
30 b Some Hebrew and LXX manuscripts and Vulgate; other Hebrew and LXX manuscripts the son of Manasseh
Judges 19
The Crime of the Benjamites
(Genesis 19:1–11)
1 Now in those days, when there was no king in Israel, a Levite who lived in the remote hill country of Ephraim took for himself a concubine from Bethlehem in Judah. 2 But she was unfaithful to him a and left him to return to her father’s house in Bethlehem in Judah.
After she had been there four months, 3 her husband got up and went after her to speak kindly to her and bring her back, taking his servant and a pair of donkeys. So the girl brought him into her father’s house, and when her father saw him, he gladly welcomed him. 4 His father-in-law, the girl’s father, persuaded him to stay, so he remained with him three days, eating, drinking, and lodging there.
5 On the fourth day, they got up early in the morning and prepared to depart, but the girl’s father said to his son-in-law, “Refresh your heart with a morsel of bread, and then you can go.” 6 So they sat down and the two of them ate and drank together. Then the girl’s father said to the man, “Please agree to stay overnight and let your heart be merry.” 7 The man got up to depart, but his father-in-law persuaded him, so he stayed there that night.
8 On the fifth day, he got up early in the morning to depart, but the girl’s father said, “Please refresh your heart.” So they waited until late afternoon and the two of them ate. 9 When the man got up to depart with his concubine and his servant, his father-in-law, the girl’s father, said to him, “Look, the day is drawing to a close. Please spend the night. See, the day is almost over. Spend the night here, that your heart may be merry. Then you can get up early tomorrow for your journey home.”
10 But the man was unwilling to spend the night. He got up and departed, and arrived opposite Jebus (that is, Jerusalem), with his two saddled donkeys and his concubine. 11 When they were near Jebus and the day was almost gone, the servant said to his master, “Please, let us stop at this Jebusite city and spend the night here.”
12 But his master replied, “We will not turn aside to the city of foreigners, where there are no Israelites. We will go on to Gibeah.” 13 He continued, “Come, let us try to reach one of these towns to spend the night in Gibeah or Ramah.”
14 So they continued on their journey, and the sun set as they neared Gibeah in Benjamin. 15 They stopped to go in and lodge in Gibeah. The Levite went in and sat down in the city square, but no one would take them into his home for the night.
16 That evening an old man from the hill country of Ephraim, who was residing in Gibeah (the men of that place were Benjamites), came in from his work in the field. 17 When he looked up and saw the traveler in the city square, the old man asked, “Where are you going, and where have you come from?”
18 The Levite replied, “We are traveling from Bethlehem in Judah to the remote hill country of Ephraim, where I am from. I went to Bethlehem in Judah, and now I am going to the house of the LORD; b but no one has taken me into his home, 19 even though there is both straw and feed for our donkeys, and bread and wine for me and the maidservant and young man with me. There is nothing that we, your servants, lack.”
20 “Peace to you,” said the old man. “Let me supply everything you need. Only do not spend the night in the square.” 21 So he brought him to his house and fed his donkeys. And they washed their feet and ate and drank.
22 While they were enjoying themselves, suddenly the wicked men of the city surrounded the house. Pounding on the door, they said to the old man who owned the house, “Bring out the man who came to your house, so we can have relations with him!”
23 The owner of the house went out and said to them, “No, my brothers, do not do this wicked thing! After all, this man is a guest in my house. Do not commit this outrage. 24 Look, let me bring out my virgin daughter and the man’s concubine, and you can use them and do with them as you wish. But do not do such a vile thing to this man.”
25 But the men would not listen to him. So the Levite took his concubine and sent her outside to them, and they raped her and abused her throughout the night, and at dawn they let her go. 26 Early that morning, the woman went back to the house where her master was staying, collapsed at the doorway, and lay there until it was light.
27 In the morning, when her master got up and opened the doors of the house to go out on his journey, there was his concubine, collapsed in the doorway of the house, with her hands on the threshold. 28 “Get up,” he told her. “Let us go.” But there was no response. So the man put her on his donkey and set out for home.
29 When he reached his house, he picked up a knife, took hold of his concubine, cut her limb by limb into twelve pieces, and sent her throughout the territory of Israel. 30 And everyone who saw it said, “Nothing like this has been seen or done from the day the Israelites came out of the land of Egypt until this day. Think it over, take counsel, and speak up!”
Footnotes:
2 a LXX became angry with him
18 b LXX I am going to my home ; see verse 29.
Judges 20
The Decree of the Assembly
1 Then all the Israelites from Dan to Beersheba and from the land of Gilead came out, and the congregation assembled as one man before the LORD at Mizpah. 2 The leaders of all the people and all the tribes of Israel presented themselves in the assembly of God’s people: 400,000 men on foot, armed with swords. 3 (Meanwhile the Benjamites heard that the Israelites had gone up to Mizpah.) And the Israelites asked, “Tell us, how did this wicked thing happen?”
4 So the Levite, the husband of the murdered woman, answered: “I and my concubine came to Gibeah in Benjamin to spend the night. 5 And during the night, the men of Gibeah rose up against me and surrounded the house. They intended to kill me, but they abused my concubine, and she died. 6 Then I took my concubine, cut her into pieces, and sent her throughout the land of Israel’s inheritance, because they had committed a lewd and disgraceful act in Israel. 7 Behold, all you Israelites, give your advice and verdict here and now.”
8 Then all the people stood as one man and said, “Not one of us will return to his tent or to his house. 9 Now this is what we will do to Gibeah:We will go against it as the lot dictates. 10 We will take ten men out of every hundred from all the tribes of Israel, and a hundred out of every thousand, and a thousand out of every ten thousand, to supply provisions for the army when they go to Gibeah a in Benjamin to punish them for the atrocity they have committed in Israel.”
11 So all the men of Israel gathered as one man, united against the city. 12 And the tribes of Israel sent men throughout the tribe of Benjamin, saying, “What is this wickedness that has occurred among you? 13 Hand over the wicked men of Gibeah so we can put them to death and purge Israel of this evil.”
But the Benjamites refused to heed the voice of their fellow Israelites. 14 And from their cities they came together at Gibeah to go out and fight against the Israelites. 15 On that day the Benjamites mobilized 26,000 swordsmen from their cities, in addition to the 700 select men of Gibeah. 16 Among all these soldiers there were 700 select left-handers, each of whom could sling a stone at a hair without missing.
17 The Israelites, apart from Benjamin, mobilized 400,000 swordsmen, each one an experienced warrior.
Civil War against Benjamin
18 The Israelites set out, went up to Bethel, and inquired of God, “Who of us shall go up first to fight against the Benjamites?”
“Judah will be first,” the LORD replied.
19 The next morning the Israelites set out and camped near Gibeah. 20 And the men of Israel went out to fight against Benjamin and took up their battle positions at Gibeah.
21 And the Benjamites came out of Gibeah and cut down 22,000 Israelites on the battlefield that day.
22 But the Israelite army took courage and again took their battle positions in the same place where they had arrayed themselves on the first day. 23 They went up and wept before the LORD until evening, inquiring of Him, “Should we again draw near for battle against our brothers the Benjamites?”
And the LORD answered, “Go up against them.”
24 On the second day the Israelites advanced against the Benjamites. 25 That same day the Benjamites came out against them from Gibeah and cut down another 18,000 Israelites, all of them armed with swords.
26 Then the Israelites, all the people, went up to Bethel, where they sat weeping before the LORD. That day they fasted until evening and presented burnt offerings and peace offerings to the LORD. 27 And the Israelites inquired of the LORD. (In those days the ark of the covenant of God was there, 28 and Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, served before it.) The Israelites asked, “Should we again go out to battle against our brothers the Benjamites, or should we stop?”
The LORD answered, “Fight, for tomorrow I will deliver them into your hand.”
29 So Israel set up an ambush around Gibeah. 30 On the third day the Israelites went up against the Benjamites and arrayed themselves against Gibeah as they had done before. 31 The Benjamites came out against them and were drawn away from the city. They began to attack the people as before, killing about thirty men of Israel in the fields and on the roads, one of which led up to Bethel and the other to Gibeah.
32 “We are defeating them as before,” said the Benjamites.
But the Israelites said, “Let us retreat and draw them away from the city onto the roads.”
33 So all the men of Israel got up from their places and arrayed themselves at Baal-tamar, and the Israelites in ambush charged from their positions west of Gibeah. b 34 Then 10,000 select men from all Israel made a frontal assault against Gibeah, and the battle was fierce. But the Benjamites did not realize that disaster was upon them. 35 The LORD defeated Benjamin in the presence of Israel, and on that day the Israelites slaughtered 25,100 Benjamites, all armed with swords. 36 Then the Benjamites realized they had been defeated.
Now the men of Israel had retreated before Benjamin because they were relying on the ambush they had set against Gibeah. 37 The men in ambush rushed suddenly against Gibeah; they advanced and put the whole city to the sword.
38 The men of Israel had arranged a signal with the men in ambush: When they sent up a great cloud of smoke from the city, 39 the men of Israel would turn in the battle.
When the Benjamites had begun to strike them down, killing about thirty men of Israel, they said, “They are defeated before us as in the first battle.” 40 But when the column of smoke began to go up from the city, the Benjamites looked behind them and saw the whole city going up in smoke.
41 Then the men of Israel turned back on them, and the men of Benjamin were terrified when they realized that disaster had come upon them. 42 So they fled before the men of Israel toward the wilderness, but the battle overtook them, and the men coming out of the cities struck them down there. 43 They surrounded the Benjamites, pursued them, and easily overtook them in the vicinity of Gibeah on the east. 44 And 18,000 Benjamites fell, all men of valor.
45 Then the Benjamites turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, and Israel cut down 5,000 men on the roads. And they overtook them at Gidom and struck down 2,000 more.
46 That day 25,000 Benjamite swordsmen fell, all men of valor. 47 But 600 men turned and fled into the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, where they stayed four months. 48 And the men of Israel turned back against the other Benjamites and put to the sword all the cities, including the animals and everything else they found. And they burned down all the cities in their path.
Footnotes:
10 a One Hebrew manuscript; most Hebrew manuscripts Geba , a variant of Gibeah
33 b Some LXX manuscripts and Vulgate;Hebrew charged from their positions in Maareh-geba or charged from their positions into the open space of Geba
Judges 21
Wives for the Benjamites
1 Now the men of Israel had sworn an oath at Mizpah, saying, “Not one of us will give his daughter in marriage to a Benjamite.”
2 So the people came to Bethel and sat there before God until evening, lifting up their voices and weeping bitterly. 3 “Why, O LORD God of Israel,” they cried out, “has this happened in Israel? Today in Israel one tribe is missing!”
4 The next day the people got up early, built an altar there, and presented burnt offerings and peace offerings. 5 The Israelites asked, “Who among all the tribes of Israel did not come to the assembly before the LORD?” For they had taken a solemn oath that anyone who failed to come up before the LORD at Mizpah would surely be put to death.
6 And the Israelites grieved for their brothers, the Benjamites, and said, “Today a tribe is cut off from Israel. 7 What should we do about wives for the survivors, since we have sworn by the LORD not to give them our daughters in marriage?”
8 So they asked, “Which one of the tribes of Israel failed to come up before the LORD at Mizpah?” And, in fact, no one from Jabesh-gilead had come to the camp for the assembly. 9 For when the people were counted, none of the residents of Jabesh-gilead were there.
10 So the congregation sent 12,000 of their most valiant men and commanded them: “Go and put to the sword those living in Jabesh-gilead, including women and children. 11 This is what you are to do: Devote to destruction a every male, as well as every female who has had relations with a man.”
12 So they found among the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead four hundred young women who had not had relations with a man, and they brought them to the camp at Shiloh in the land of Canaan.
13 Then the whole congregation sent a message of peace to the Benjamites who were at the rock of Rimmon. 14 And at that time the Benjamites returned and were given the women who were spared from Jabesh-gilead. But there were not enough women for all of them.
15 The people grieved for Benjamin, because the LORD had made a void in the tribes of Israel.
16 Then the elders of the congregation said, “What should we do about wives for those who remain, since the women of Benjamin have been destroyed?” 17 They added, “There must be heirs for the survivors of Benjamin, so that a tribe of Israel will not be wiped out. 18 But we cannot give them our daughters as wives.”
For the Israelites had sworn, “Cursed is he who gives a wife to a Benjamite.”
19 “But look,” they said, “there is a yearly feast to the LORD in Shiloh, which is north of Bethel east of the road that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and south of Lebonah.”
20 So they commanded the Benjamites: “Go, hide in the vineyards 21 and watch. When you see the daughters of Shiloh come out to perform their dances, each of you is to come out of the vineyards, catch for himself a wife from the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin. 22 When their fathers or brothers come to us to complain, we will tell them, ‘Do us a favor by helping them, since we did not get wives for each of them in the war. Since you did not actually give them your daughters, you have no guilt.’ ”
23 The Benjamites did as instructed and carried away the number of women they needed from the dancers they caught. They went back to their own inheritance, rebuilt their cities, and settled in them. 24 And at that time, each of the Israelites returned from there to his own tribe and clan, each to his own inheritance.
25 In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
Footnotes:
11 a Forms of the Hebrew cherem refer to the giving over of things or persons to the LORD, either by destroying them or by giving them as an offering.
Ruth
Ruth 1
Naomi Becomes a Widow
(1 Timothy 5:3–16)
1 In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land. And a certain man from Bethlehem in Judah, with his wife and two sons, went to reside in the land of Moab. 2 The man’s name was Elimelech, his wife’s name was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah, and they entered the land of Moab and settled there.
3 Then Naomi’s husband Elimelech died, and she was left with her two sons, 4 who took Moabite women as their wives, one named Orpah and the other named Ruth.
And after they had lived in Moab about ten years, 5 both Mahlon and Chilion also died, and Naomi was left without her two sons and without her husband.
Ruth’s Loyalty to Naomi
6 When Naomi heard in Moab that the LORD had attended to His people by providing them with food, she and her daughters-in-law prepared to leave the land of Moab. 7 Accompanied by her two daughters-in-law, she left the place where she had been living and set out on the road leading back to the land of Judah.
8 Then Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go back, each of you to your mother’s home. May the LORD show you loving devotion, a as you have shown to your dead and to me. 9 May the LORD enable each of you to find rest in the home of your new husband.”
And she kissed them as they wept aloud 10 and said, “Surely we will return with you to your people.”
11 But Naomi replied, “Return home, my daughters. Why would you go with me? Are there still sons in my womb to become your husbands? 12 Return home, my daughters. Go on, for I am too old to have another husband. Even if I thought there was hope for me to have a husband tonight and to bear sons, 13 would you wait for them to grow up? Would you refrain from having husbands? No, my daughters, it grieves me very much for your sakes that the hand of the LORD has gone out against me.”
14 Again they wept aloud, and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye, but Ruth clung to her.
15 “Look,” said Naomi, “your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and her gods;follow her back home.”
16 But Ruth replied:
“Do not urge me to leave you
or to turn from following you.
For wherever you go, I will go,
and wherever you live, I will live;
your people will be my people,
and your God will be my God.
17 Where you die, I will die,
and there I will be buried.
May the LORD punish me,
and ever so severely,
if anything but death
separates you and me.”
18 When Naomi saw that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped trying to persuade her.
The Return to Bethlehem
19 So Naomi and Ruth traveled until they came to Bethlehem. When they entered Bethlehem, the whole city was stirred because of them, and the women of the city exclaimed, “Can this be Naomi?”
20 “Do not call me Naomi, b” she replied. “Call me Mara, c because the Almighty d has dealt quite bitterly with me. 21 I went away full, but the LORD has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi? After all, the LORD has testified against me, and the Almighty has afflicted me.”
22 So Naomi returned from the land of Moab with her daughter-in-law Ruth the Moabitess. And they arrived in Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest.
Footnotes:
8 a Forms of the Hebrew chesed are translated here and in most cases throughout the Scriptures as loving devotion ; the range of meaning includes love , goodness , kindness , faithfulness , and mercy , as well as loyalty to a covenant .
20 b Naomi means pleasant .
20 c Mara means bitter .
20 d Hebrew Shaddai ; also in verse 21
Ruth 2
Boaz Meets Ruth
1 Now Naomi had a relative on her husband’s side, a prominent man of noble character from the clan of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz.
2 And Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, “Please let me go into the fields and glean heads of grain after someone in whose sight I may find favor.”
“Go ahead, my daughter,” Naomi replied.
3 So Ruth departed and went out into the field and gleaned after the harvesters. And she happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz, who was from the clan of Elimelech.
4 Just then Boaz arrived from Bethlehem and said to the harvesters, “The LORD be with you.”
“The LORD bless you,” they replied.
5 And Boaz asked the foreman of his harvesters, “Whose young woman is this?”
6 The foreman answered, “She is the Moabitess who returned with Naomi from the land of Moab. 7 She has said, ‘Please let me glean and gather among the sheaves after the harvesters.’ So she came out and has continued from morning until now, except that she rested a short time in the shelter.”
8 Then Boaz said to Ruth, “Listen, my daughter. Do not go and glean in another field, and do not go away from this place, but stay here close to my servant girls. 9 Let your eyes be on the field they are harvesting, and follow along after these girls. Indeed, I have ordered the young men not to touch you. And when you are thirsty, go and drink from the jars the young men have filled.”
10 At this, she fell on her face, bowing low to the ground, and said to him, “Why have I found such favor in your eyes that you should take notice of me, even though I am a foreigner?”
11 Boaz replied, “I have been made fully aware of all you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband, how you left your father and mother and the land of your birth, and how you came to a people you did not know before. 12 May the LORD repay your work, and may you receive a rich reward from the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have taken refuge.”
13 “My lord,” she said, “may I continue to find favor in your eyes, for you have comforted and spoken kindly to your maidservant, though I am not like one of your servant girls.”
14 At mealtime Boaz said to her, “Come over here; have some bread and dip it into the vinegar sauce.” So she sat down beside the harvesters, and he offered her roasted grain, and she ate and was satisfied and had some left over.
15 When Ruth got up to glean, Boaz ordered his young men, “Even if she gathers among the sheaves, do not insult her. 16 Rather, pull out for her some stalks from the bundles and leave them for her to gather. Do not rebuke her.”
17 So Ruth gathered grain in the field until evening. And when she beat out what she had gleaned, it was about an ephah of barley. a 18 She picked up the grain and went into the town, where her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned. And she brought out what she had saved from her meal and gave it to Naomi.
19 Then her mother-in-law asked her, “Where did you glean today, and where did you work? Blessed be the man who noticed you.”
So she told her mother-in-law where she had worked. “The name of the man I worked with today is Boaz,” she said.
20 Then Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “May he be blessed by the LORD, who has not withdrawn His kindness from the living or the dead.” Naomi continued, “The man is a close relative. He is one of our kinsman-redeemers. b”
21 Then Ruth the Moabitess said, “He also told me, ‘Stay with my young men until they have finished gathering all my harvest.’ ”
22 And Naomi said to her daughter-in-law Ruth, “My daughter, it is good for you to work with his young women, so that nothing will happen to you in another field.”
23 So Ruth stayed close to the servant girls of Boaz to glean grain until the barley and wheat harvests were finished. And she lived with her mother-in-law.
Footnotes:
17 a An ephah is approximately 20 dry quarts or 22 liters (probably about 29 pounds or 13.2 kilograms of barley).
20 b The Hebrew word for kinsman-redeemer or guardian-redeemer is a legal term for the kinsman who redeems or vindicates a relative; see Leviticus 25:25–55.
Ruth 3
Ruth’s Redemption Assured
1 One day Ruth’s mother-in-law Naomi said to her, “My daughter, should I not seek a resting place for you, that it may be well with you? 2 Now is not Boaz, with whose servant girls you have been working, a relative of ours? In fact, tonight he is winnowing barley on the threshing floor. 3 Therefore wash yourself, put on perfume, and wear your best clothes. Go down to the threshing floor, but do not let the man know you are there until he has finished eating and drinking. 4 When he lies down, note the place where he lies. Then go in and uncover his feet, and lie down, and he will explain to you what you should do.”
5 “I will do everything you say,” Ruth answered. 6 So she went down to the threshing floor and did everything her mother-in-law had instructed her to do.
7 After Boaz had finished eating and drinking and was in good spirits, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain. Then Ruth went in secretly, uncovered his feet, and lay down.
8 At midnight, Boaz was startled, turned over, and there lying at his feet was a woman!
9 “Who are you?” he asked.
“I am your servant Ruth,” she replied. “Spread the corner of your garment a over me, for you are a kinsman-redeemer. b”
10 Then Boaz said, “May the LORD bless you, my daughter. You have shown more kindness now than before, because you have not run after the younger men, whether rich or poor. 11 And now do not be afraid, my daughter. I will do for you whatever you request, since all my fellow townspeople know that you are a woman of noble character. 12 Yes, it is true that I am a kinsman-redeemer, but there is a redeemer nearer than I. c 13 Stay here tonight, and in the morning, if he wants to redeem you, good. Let him redeem you. But if he does not want to redeem you, as surely as the LORD lives, I will. Now lie here until morning.”
14 So she lay down at his feet until morning, but she got up before anyone else could recognize her.
Then Boaz said, “Do not let it be known that a woman came to the threshing floor.” 15 And he told her, “Bring the shawl you are wearing and hold it out.” When she did so, he shoveled six measures of barley d into her shawl. Then he went e into the city.
16 When Ruth returned to her mother-in-law, Naomi asked her, “How did it go, my daughter?”
Then Ruth told her all that Boaz had done for her. 17 And she said, “He gave me these six measures of barley, for he said, ‘Do not go back to your mother-in-law empty-handed.’ ”
18 “Wait, my daughter,” said Naomi, “until you find out how things go, for he will not rest unless he has resolved the matter today.”
Footnotes:
9 a Or Spread your wing ; the word for wing can also mean corner of a garment ; see Ruth 2:12.
9 b The Hebrew word for kinsman-redeemer or guardian-redeemer is a legal term for the kinsman who redeems or vindicates a relative; similarly in verses 12 and 13; see Leviticus 25:25–55.
12 c That is, more closely related
15 d Possibly six seahs (two ephahs), or approximately 39.6 dry quarts or 43.8 liters (about 58 pounds or 26.3 kilograms of barley)
15 e Most Hebrew manuscripts; many Hebrew manuscripts, Vulgate, and Syriac she went
Ruth 4
Boaz Redeems Ruth
1 Meanwhile, Boaz went to the gate and sat down there. Soon the kinsman-redeemer a of whom he had spoken came along, and Boaz said, “Come over here, my friend, and sit down.” So he went over and sat down.
2 Then Boaz took ten of the elders of the city and said, “Sit here,” and they did so.
3 And he said to the kinsman-redeemer, “Naomi, who has returned from the land of Moab, is selling the piece of land that belonged to our brother Elimelech. 4 I thought I should inform you that you may buy it back in the presence of those seated here and in the presence of the elders of my people. If you want to redeem it, do so. But if you b will not redeem it, tell me so I may know, because there is no one but you to redeem it, and I am next after you.”
“I will redeem it,” he replied.
5 Then Boaz said, “On the day you buy the land from Naomi and also from Ruth the Moabitess, you must also acquire the widow of the deceased in order to raise up the name of the deceased on his inheritance.”
6 The kinsman-redeemer replied, “I cannot redeem it myself, or I would jeopardize my own inheritance. Take my right of redemption, because I cannot redeem it.”
7 Now in former times in Israel, concerning the redemption or exchange of property, to make any matter legally binding a man would remove his sandal and give it to the other party, and this was a confirmation in Israel. 8 So the kinsman-redeemer removed his sandal and said to Boaz, “Buy it for yourself.”
9 At this, Boaz said to the elders and all the people, “You are witnesses today that I am buying from Naomi all that belonged to Elimelech, Chilion, and Mahlon. 10 Moreover, I have acquired Ruth the Moabitess, Mahlon’s widow, as my wife, to raise up the name of the deceased through his inheritance, so that his name will not disappear from among his brothers or from the gate of his home. You are witnesses today.”
11 “We are witnesses,” said the elders and all the people at the gate. “May the LORD make the woman entering your home like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the house of Israel. May you be prosperous in Ephrathah and famous in Bethlehem. 12 And may your house become like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah, because of the offspring the LORD will give you by this young woman.”
Boaz Marries Ruth
13 So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife. And when he had relations with her, the LORD enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son.
14 Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the LORD, who has not left you this day without a kinsman-redeemer. May his name become famous in Israel. 15 He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. For your daughter-in-law, who loves you and is better to you than seven sons, has given him birth.”
16 And Naomi took the child, placed him on her lap, and became a nurse to him. 17 The neighbor women said, “A son has been born to Naomi,” and they named him Obed. He became the father of Jesse, the father of David.
The Line of David
(Matthew 1:1–17; Luke 3:23–38)
18 Now these are the generations of Perez:
Perez was the father of Hezron,
19 Hezron was the father of Ram,
Ram was the father of Amminadab,
20 Amminadab was the father of Nahshon,
Nahshon was the father of Salmon, c
21 Salmon was the father of Boaz,
Boaz was the father of Obed,
22 Obed was the father of Jesse,
and Jesse was the father of David.
Footnotes:
1 a The Hebrew word for kinsman-redeemer or guardian-redeemer is a legal term for the kinsman who redeems or vindicates a relative; also in verses 3, 6, 8, and 14; see Leviticus 25:25–55.
4 b Many Hebrew manuscripts, LXX, Vulgate, and Syriac; most Hebrew manuscripts he
20 c A few Hebrew manuscripts, some LXX manuscripts, and Vulgate (see also verse 21 and LXX of 1 Chronicles 2:11); most Hebrew manuscripts Salma
1 Samuel
1 Samuel 1
Elkanah and His Wives
(Psalm 113:1–9)
1 Now there was a man named Elkanah who was from Ramathaim-zophim a in the hill country of Ephraim. He was the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, b the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite. 2 He had two wives, one named Hannah and the other Peninnah. And Peninnah had children, but Hannah had none.
3 Year after year Elkanah would go up from his city to worship and sacrifice to the LORD of Hosts at Shiloh, where Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were priests to the LORD. 4 And whenever the day came for Elkanah to present his sacrifice, he would give portions to his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters. 5 But to Hannah he would give a double portion, c for he loved her even though the LORD had closed her womb.
6 Because the LORD had closed Hannah’s womb, her rival would provoke her and taunt her viciously. 7 And this went on year after year. Whenever Hannah went up to the house of the LORD, her rival taunted her until she wept and would not eat.
8 “Hannah, why are you crying?” her husband Elkanah asked. “Why won’t you eat? Why is your heart so grieved? Am I not better to you than ten sons?”
Hannah Prays for a Son
9 So after they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh, Hannah stood up. Now Eli the priest was sitting on a chair by the doorpost of the temple of the LORD.
10 In her bitter distress, Hannah prayed to the LORD and wept with many tears. 11 And she made a vow, pleading, “O LORD of Hosts, if only You will look upon the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, not forgetting Your maidservant but giving her a son, then I will dedicate him to the LORD all the days of his life, and no razor shall ever come over his head.”
12 As Hannah kept on praying before the LORD, Eli watched her mouth. 13 Hannah was praying in her heart, and though her lips were moving, her voice could not be heard.
So Eli thought she was drunk 14 and said to her, “How long will you be drunk? Put away your wine!”
15 “No, my lord,” Hannah replied. “I am a woman oppressed in spirit. I have not had any wine or strong drink, but I have poured out my soul before the LORD. 16 Do not take your servant for a wicked woman; for all this time I have been praying out of the depth of my anguish and grief.”
17 “Go in peace,” Eli replied, “and may the God of Israel grant the petition you have asked of Him.”
18 “May your maidservant find favor with you,” said Hannah. Then she went on her way, and she began eating again, and her face was no longer downcast.
The Birth of Samuel
19 The next morning Elkanah and Hannah got up early to bow in worship before the LORD, and then returned home to Ramah.
And Elkanah had relations with his wife Hannah, and the LORD remembered her. 20 So in the course of time, Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, d saying, “Because I have asked for him from the LORD.”
21 Then Elkanah and all his house went up to make the annual sacrifice to the LORD and to fulfill his vow, 22 but Hannah did not go. “After the boy is weaned,” she said to her husband, “I will take him to appear before the LORD and to stay there permanently.” e
23 “Do what you think is best,” her husband Elkanah replied, “and stay here until you have weaned him. Only may the LORD confirm His word.” f
So Hannah stayed and nursed her son until she had weaned him.
24 Once she had weaned him, Hannah took the boy with her, along with a three-year-old bull, g an ephah of flour, h and a skin of wine. Though the boy was still young, she brought him to the house of the LORD at Shiloh. 25 And when they had slaughtered the bull, they brought the boy to Eli.
26 “Please, my lord,” said Hannah, “as surely as you live, my lord, I am the woman who stood here beside you praying to the LORD. 27 I prayed for this boy, and since the LORD has granted me what I asked of Him, 28 I now dedicate the boy to the LORD. For as long as he lives, he is dedicated to the LORD.”
So they worshiped i the LORD there.
Footnotes:
1 a Or from Ramathaim, a Zuphite ; see LXX and 1 Chronicles 6:26 and 35.
1 b Elihu is also called Eliab and Eliel ; see 1 Chronicles 6:27 and 34.
5 c Or a choice portion
20 d Samuel sounds like the Hebrew for heard of God .
22 e MT; DSS include I will offer him as a Nazirite for all time.
23 f MT; DSS, LXX, and Syriac your word
24 g DSS, LXX, and Syriac; MT three bulls
24 h An ephah is approximately 20 dry quarts or 22 liters (probably about 25.5 pounds or 11.6 kilograms of flour).
28 i One DSS manuscript; MT he worshiped
1 Samuel 2
Hannah’s Prayer of Thanksgiving
(Luke 1:46–56)
1 At that time Hannah prayed:
“My heart rejoices in the LORD
in whom my horn a is exalted.
My mouth speaks boldly against my enemies,
for I rejoice in Your salvation.
2 There is no one holy like the LORD.
Indeed, there is no one besides You!
And there is no Rock like our God.
3 Do not boast so proudly,
or let arrogance come from your mouth,
for the LORD is a God who knows,
and by Him actions are weighed.
4 The bows of the mighty are broken,
but the feeble are equipped with strength.
5 The well-fed hire themselves out for food,
but the starving hunger no more.
The barren woman gives birth to seven,
but she who has many sons pines away.
6 The LORD brings death and gives life;
He brings down to Sheol and raises up.
7 The LORD sends poverty and wealth;
He humbles and He exalts.
8 He raises the poor from the dust
and lifts the needy from the ash heap.
He seats them among princes
and bestows on them a throne of honor.
For the foundations of the earth are the LORD’s,
and upon them He has set the world.
9 He guards the steps of His faithful ones,
but the wicked perish in darkness;
for by his own strength shall no man prevail.
10 Those who oppose the LORD will be shattered.
He will thunder from heaven against them.
The LORD will judge the ends of the earth
and will give power to His king.
He will exalt the horn of His anointed.”
11 Then Elkanah went home to Ramah, but the boy began ministering to the LORD before Eli the priest.
Eli’s Wicked Sons
12 Now the sons of Eli were wicked men; they had no regard for the LORD 13 or for the custom of the priests with the people.
When any man offered a sacrifice, the servant of the priest would come with a three-pronged meat fork while the meat was boiling 14 and plunge it into the pan or kettle or cauldron or cooking pot. And the priest would claim for himself whatever the meat fork brought up. This is how they treated all the Israelites who came to Shiloh.
15 Even before the fat was burned, the servant of the priest would come and say to the man who was sacrificing, “Give the priest some meat to roast, because he will not accept boiled meat from you, but only raw.”
16 And if any man said to him, “The fat must be burned first; then you may take whatever you want,” the servant would reply, “No, you must give it to me right now. If you refuse, I will take it by force!”
17 Thus the sin of these young men was severe in the sight of the LORD, for they b were treating the LORD’s offering with contempt.
18 Now Samuel was ministering before the LORD—a boy wearing a linen ephod. 19 Each year his mother would make him a little robe and bring it to him when she went with her husband to offer the annual sacrifice. 20 And Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, saying, “May the LORD give you children by this woman in place of the one she dedicated to the LORD. c” Then they would go home.
21 So the LORD attended to Hannah, and she conceived and gave birth to three sons and two daughters.
Meanwhile, the boy Samuel grew up in the presence of the LORD.
22 Now Eli was very old, and he heard about everything his sons were doing to all Israel and how they were sleeping with the women who served at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.
23 “Why are you doing these things?” Eli said to his sons. “I hear about your wicked deeds from all these people. 24 No, my sons; it is not a good report I hear circulating among the LORD’s people. 25 If a man sins against another man, God d can intercede for him; but if a man sins against the LORD, who can intercede for him?”
But they would not listen to their father, since the LORD intended to put them to death.
26 And the boy Samuel continued to grow in stature and in favor with the LORD and with man.
A Prophecy against the House of Eli
27 Then a man of God came to Eli and told him, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Did I not clearly reveal Myself to your father’s house when they were in Egypt under Pharaoh’s house? 28 And out of all the tribes of Israel I selected your father to be My priest, to offer sacrifices on My altar, to burn incense, and to wear an ephod in My presence. I also gave to the house of your father all the offerings of the Israelites made by fire.
29 Why then do you kick at e My sacrifice and offering that I have prescribed for My dwelling place? You have honored your sons more than Me by fattening yourselves with the best of all the offerings of My people Israel.’
30 Therefore, the LORD, the God of Israel, declares:
‘I did indeed say that your house
and the house of your father
would walk before Me forever.
But now the LORD declares:
Far be it from Me!
For I will honor those who honor Me,
but those who despise Me will be disdained.
31 Behold, the days are coming when I will cut off your strength and the strength of your father’s house, so that no older man will be left in your house. 32 You will see distress in My dwelling place. Despite all that is good in Israel, no one in your house will ever again reach old age. 33 And every one of you that I do not cut off from My altar, your eyes will fail and your heart will grieve. f All your descendants g will die by the sword of men. h
34 And this sign shall come to you concerning your two sons Hophni and Phinehas: They will both die on the same day.
35 Then I will raise up for Myself a faithful priest. He will do whatever is in My heart and mind. And I will build for him an enduring house, and he will walk before My anointed one for all time.
36 And everyone left in your house will come and bow down to him for a piece of silver or a morsel of bread, pleading, “Please appoint me to some priestly office so that I can eat a piece of bread.” ’ ”
Footnotes:
1 a Or strength ; also in verse 10
17 b DSS and LXX; MT men
20 c DSS; MT in place of the one requested from the LORD
25 d Or the judges
29 e Or scorn
33 f Hebrew; LXX his eyes will fail and his heart will grieve
33 g Or increase
33 h DSS and LXX; MT will die as mortals or will die in the prime of life
1 Samuel 3
The LORD Calls Samuel
1 And the boy Samuel ministered to the LORD before Eli.
Now in those days the word of the LORD was rare and visions were scarce. 2 And at that time Eli, whose eyesight had grown so dim that he could not see, was lying in his room.
3 Before the lamp of God had gone out, Samuel was lying down in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was located.
4 Then the LORD called to Samuel, and he answered, “Here I am.”
5 He ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you have called me.”
“I did not call,” Eli replied. “Go back and lie down.”
So he went and lay down.
6 Once again the LORD called, “Samuel!”
So Samuel got up, went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you have called me.”
“My son, I did not call,” Eli replied. “Go back and lie down.”
7 Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, because the word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him. 8 Once again, for the third time, the LORD called to Samuel. He got up, went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you have called me.”
Then Eli realized that it was the LORD who was calling the boy. 9 “Go and lie down,” he said to Samuel, “and if He calls you, say, ‘Speak, LORD, for Your servant is listening.’ ”
So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
10 Then the LORD came and stood there, calling as before, “Samuel! Samuel!”
And Samuel answered, “Speak, for Your servant is listening.”
11 Then the LORD said to Samuel, “I am about to do something in Israel at which the ears of all who hear it will tingle. 12 On that day I will carry out against Eli everything I have spoken about his family, from beginning to end. 13 I told him that I would judge his house forever for the iniquity of which he knows, because his sons blasphemed God a and he did not restrain them. 14 Therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli, ‘The iniquity of Eli’s house shall never be atoned for by sacrifice or offering.’ ”
Samuel Shares the Vision
15 Samuel lay down until the morning; then he opened the doors of the house of the LORD. He was afraid to tell Eli the vision, 16 but Eli called to him and said, “Samuel, my son.”
“Here I am,” answered Samuel.
17 “What was the message He gave you?” Eli asked. “Do not hide it from me. May God punish you, and ever so severely, if you hide from me anything He said to you.”
18 So Samuel told him everything and did not hide a thing from him.
“He is the LORD,” replied Eli. “Let Him do what is good in His eyes.”
19 And Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him, and He let none of Samuel’s words fall to the ground.
20 So all Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel was confirmed as a prophet of the LORD. 21 And the LORD continued to appear at Shiloh, because there He revealed Himself to Samuel by His word.
Footnotes:
13 a LXX; Hebrew made themselves contemptible
1 Samuel 4
The Philistines Capture the Ark
1 Thus the word of Samuel came to all Israel.
Now the Israelites went out to meet the Philistines in battle and camped at Ebenezer, while the Philistines camped at Aphek. 2 The Philistines arrayed themselves against Israel, and as the battle spread, Israel was defeated by the Philistines, who struck down about four thousand men on the battlefield.
3 When the troops returned to the camp, the elders of Israel asked, “Why has the LORD brought defeat on us before the Philistines today? Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD from Shiloh, so that it may go a with us to save us from the hand of our enemies.”
4 So the people sent men to Shiloh, and they brought back the ark of the covenant of the LORD of Hosts, who sits enthroned between the cherubim. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.
5 When the ark of the covenant of the LORD entered the camp, all the Israelites raised such a great shout that it shook the ground.
6 On hearing the noise of the shout, the Philistines asked, “What is this loud shouting in the camp of the Hebrews?”
And when they realized that the ark of the LORD had entered the camp, 7 the Philistines were afraid. “The gods have entered b their camp!” they said. “Woe to us, for nothing like this has happened before. 8 Woe to us! Who will deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods? These are the gods who struck the Egyptians with all kinds of plagues in the wilderness. 9 Take courage and be men, O Philistines! Otherwise, you will serve the Hebrews just as they served you. Now be men and fight!”
10 So the Philistines fought, and Israel was defeated, and each man fled to his tent. The slaughter was very great—thirty thousand foot soldiers of Israel fell. 11 The ark of God was captured, and Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, died.
The Death of Eli
12 That same day a Benjamite ran from the battle line all the way to Shiloh, with his clothes torn and dirt on his head. 13 When he arrived, there was Eli, sitting on his chair beside the road and watching, because his heart trembled for the ark of God.
When the man entered the city to give a report, the whole city cried out.
14 Eli heard the outcry and asked, “Why this commotion?”
So the man hurried over and reported to Eli. 15 Now Eli was ninety-eight years old, and his gaze was fixed because he could not see.
16 “I have just come from the battle,” the man said to Eli. “I fled from there today.”
“What happened, my son?” Eli asked.
17 The messenger answered, “Israel has fled before the Philistines, and there has been a great slaughter among the people. Your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are both dead, and the ark of God has been captured.”
18 As soon as the ark of God was mentioned, Eli fell backward from his chair by the city gate, and being old and heavy, he broke his neck and died. And Eli had judged c Israel forty years.
19 Now Eli’s daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was pregnant and about to give birth. When she heard the news of the capture of God’s ark and the deaths of her father-in-law and her husband, she collapsed and gave birth, for her labor pains overtook her.
20 As she was dying, the women attending to her said, “Do not be afraid, for you have given birth to a son!”
But she did not respond or pay any heed. 21 And she named the boy Ichabod, d saying, “The glory has departed e from Israel,” because the ark of God had been captured and her father-in-law and her husband had been killed.
22 “The glory has departed from Israel,” she said, “for the ark of God has been captured.”
Footnotes:
3 a Or He may go
7 b Or A god has entered
18 c Or governed or led
21 d Ichabod means no glory .
21 e Or gone into exile ; also in verse 22
1 Samuel 5
The Ark Afflicts the Philistines
1 After the Philistines had captured the ark of God, they took it from Ebenezer to Ashdod, 2 carried it into the temple of Dagon, and set it beside his statue. a
3 When the people of Ashdod got up early the next morning, there was Dagon, fallen on his face before the ark of the LORD. So they took Dagon and returned him to his place.
4 But when they got up early the next morning, there was Dagon, fallen on his face before the ark of the LORD, with his head and his hands broken off and lying on the threshold. Only the torso remained. 5 That is why, to this day, the priests of Dagon and all who enter the temple of Dagon in Ashdod do not step on the threshold.
6 Now the hand of the LORD was heavy on the people of Ashdod and its vicinity, ravaging them and afflicting them with tumors. b 7 And when the men of Ashdod saw what was happening, they said, “The ark of the God of Israel must not stay here with us, because His hand is heavy upon us and upon our god Dagon.”
8 So they called together all the rulers of the Philistines and asked, “What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel?”
“It must be moved to Gath,” they replied. So they carried away the ark of the God of Israel.
9 But after they had moved the ark to Gath, the LORD’s hand was also against that city, throwing it into great confusion and afflicting the men of the city, both young and old, with an outbreak of tumors.
10 So they sent the ark of God to Ekron, but as it arrived, the Ekronites cried out, “They have brought us the ark of the God of Israel in order to kill us and our people!”
11 Then the Ekronites assembled all the rulers of the Philistines and said, “Send away the ark of the God of Israel. It must return to its place, so that it will not c kill us and our people!”
For a deadly confusion had pervaded the city; the hand of God was heavy upon it. 12 Those who did not die were afflicted with tumors, and the outcry of the city went up to heaven.
Footnotes:
2 a Literally set it beside Dagon
6 b Hebrew; LXX and Vulgate include And rats appeared in their land, and death and destruction were throughout the city.
11 c Or He will not
1 Samuel 6
The Ark Returned to Israel
1 When the ark of the LORD had been in the land of the Philistines seven months, 2 the Philistines summoned the priests and diviners, saying, “What shall we do with the ark of the LORD? Tell us how to send it back to its place.”
3 They replied, “If you return the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it away empty, but by all means return it to Him with a guilt offering. Then you will be healed, and you will understand why His hand has not been lifted from you.”
4 “What guilt offering should we send back to Him?” asked the Philistines.
“Five gold tumors and five gold rats,” they said, “according to the number of rulers of the Philistines, since the same plague has struck both you and your rulers. 5 Make images of your tumors and of the rats that are ravaging the land. Give glory to the God of Israel, and perhaps He will lift His hand from you and your gods and your land.
6 Why harden a your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened theirs? When He afflicted them, did they not send the people on their way as they departed?
7 Now, therefore, prepare one new cart with two milk cows that have never been yoked. Hitch the cows to the cart, but take their calves away and pen them up. 8 Take the ark of the LORD, set it on the cart, and in a chest beside it put the gold objects you are sending Him as a guilt offering.
Then send the ark on its way, 9 but keep watching it. If it goes up the road to its homeland, toward Beth-shemesh, it is the LORD who has brought on us this great disaster. But if it does not, then we will know that it was not His hand that punished us and that it happened by chance.”
10 So the men did as instructed. They took two milk cows, hitched them to the cart, and penned up their calves. 11 Then they put the ark of the LORD on the cart, along with the chest containing the gold rats and the images of the tumors.
12 And the cows headed straight up the road toward Beth-shemesh, staying on that one highway and lowing as they went, never straying to the right or to the left. The rulers of the Philistines followed behind them to the border of Beth-shemesh.
13 Now the people of Beth-shemesh were harvesting wheat in the valley, and when they looked up and saw the ark, they were overjoyed at the sight.
14 The cart came to the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh and stopped there near a large rock. The people chopped up the cart and offered the cows as a burnt offering to the LORD. 15 And the Levites took down the ark of the LORD and the chest containing the gold objects, and they placed them on the large rock. That day the men of Beth-shemesh offered burnt offerings and made sacrifices to the LORD.
16 And when the five rulers of the Philistines saw this, they returned to Ekron that same day.
17 As a guilt offering to the LORD, the Philistines had sent back one gold tumor for each city: Ashdod, Gaza, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron. 18 The number of gold rats also corresponded to the number of Philistine cities belonging to the five rulers—the fortified cities and their outlying villages. And the large rock b on which they placed the ark of the LORD stands to this day in the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh.
19 But God struck down some of the people of Beth-shemesh because they looked inside the ark of the LORD. He struck down seventy men, c and the people mourned because the LORD had struck them with a great slaughter.
20 The men of Beth-shemesh asked, “Who can stand in the presence of the LORD, this holy God? To whom should the ark go up from here?”
21 So they sent messengers to the people of Kiriath-jearim, saying, “The Philistines have returned the ark of the LORD. Come down and take it up with you.”
Footnotes:
6 a Or make heavy ; similarly again in this verse
18 b Or great meadow ; Hebrew Abel-haggedolah
19 c A few late Hebrew manuscripts and Josephus; most Hebrew manuscripts 70 men and 50,000 men ; LXX 70 men and 50,000 men of the people ; Syriac and Arabic 70 men and 5,000 men ;alternately, possibly 70 men and 50 oxen
1 Samuel 7
Samuel Subdues the Philistines
1 Then the men of Kiriath-jearim came for the ark of the LORD and took it into Abinadab’s house on the hill. And they consecrated his son Eleazar to guard the ark of the LORD.
2 And from that day a long time passed, twenty years in all, as the ark remained at Kiriath-jearim. And all the house of Israel mourned and sought after the LORD.
3 Then Samuel said to all the house of Israel, “If you are returning to the LORD with all your hearts, then rid yourselves of the foreign gods and Ashtoreths among you, prepare your hearts for the LORD, and serve Him only. And He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines.”
4 So the Israelites put away the Baals and Ashtoreths and served only the LORD.
5 Then Samuel said, “Gather all Israel to Mizpah, and I will pray to the LORD on your behalf.”
6 When they had gathered at Mizpah, they drew water and poured it out before the LORD. On that day they fasted, and there they confessed, “We have sinned against the LORD.” And Samuel judged a the Israelites at Mizpah.
7 When the Philistines heard that the Israelites had gathered at Mizpah, their rulers marched up toward Israel. And when the Israelites learned of this, they feared the Philistines 8 and said to Samuel, “Do not stop crying out to the LORD our God for us, that He may save us from the hand of the Philistines.”
9 Then Samuel took a suckling lamb and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the LORD. He cried out to the LORD on behalf of Israel, and the LORD answered him. 10 As the Philistines drew near to fight against Israel, Samuel was sacrificing the burnt offering. But that day the LORD thundered loudly against the Philistines and threw them into such confusion that they fled before Israel.
11 Then the men of Israel charged out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines, striking them down all the way to an area below Beth-car.
12 Afterward, Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. b He named it Ebenezer, c saying, “Thus far the LORD has helped us.”
13 So the Philistines were subdued, and they stopped invading the territory of Israel. And the hand of the LORD was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel. 14 The cities from Ekron to Gath, which the Philistines had taken, were restored to Israel, who also delivered the surrounding territory from the hand of the Philistines. And there was peace between the Israelites and the Amorites.
15 So Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. 16 Every year he would go on a circuit from Bethel to Gilgal to Mizpah, judging Israel in all these places. 17 Then he would return to Ramah because his home was there, and there he judged Israel and built an altar to the LORD.
Footnotes:
6 a Or governed or led ; similarly in verses 15, 16, and 17
12 b Hebrew; LXX and Syriac Jeshanah
12 c Ebenezer means stone of help .
1 Samuel 8
Israel Demands a King
(Deuteronomy 17:14–20)
1 When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as judges a over Israel. 2 The name of his firstborn son was Joel, and the name of his second was Abijah. They were judges in Beersheba. 3 But his sons did not walk in his ways; they turned aside toward dishonest gain, accepting bribes and perverting justice.
4 So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. 5 “Look,” they said, “you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint a king to judge us like all the other nations.”
6 But when they said, “Give us a king to judge us,” their demand was displeasing in the sight of Samuel; so he prayed to the LORD.
7 And the LORD said to Samuel, “Listen to the voice of the people in all that they say to you. For it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected Me as their king. 8 Just as they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking Me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you. 9 Now listen to them, but you must solemnly warn them and show them the manner of the king who will reign over them.”
Samuel’s Warning
10 So Samuel spoke all the words of the LORD to the people who were asking him for a king. 11 He said, “This will be the manner of the king who will reign over you: He will take your sons and appoint them to his own chariots and horses, to run in front of his chariots.
12 He will appoint some for himself as commanders of thousands and of fifties, and others to plow his ground, to reap his harvest, to make his weapons of war, and to equip his chariots.
13 And he will take your daughters to be perfumers, cooks, and bakers.
14 He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his servants. 15 He will take a tenth of your grain and grape harvest and give it to his officials and servants. 16 And he will take your menservants and maidservants and your best cattle b and donkeys and put them to his own use.
17 He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. 18 When that day comes, you will beg for relief from the king you have chosen, but the LORD will not answer you on that day.”
God Grants the Request
19 Nevertheless, the people refused to listen to Samuel. “No!” they said. “We must have a king over us. 20 Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to judge us, to go out before us, and to fight our battles.”
21 Samuel listened to all the words of the people and repeated them in the hearing of the LORD.
22 “Listen to their voice,” the LORD said to Samuel. “Appoint a king for them.”
Then Samuel told the men of Israel, “Everyone must go back to his city.”
Footnotes:
1 a Or governors or leaders ; similarly in verses 2, 5, 6, and 20
16 b LXX; Hebrew your best young men
1 Samuel 9
Saul Chosen as King
1 Now there was a Benjamite, a powerful man, whose name was Kish son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Becorath, the son of Aphiah of Benjamin. 2 And he had a son named Saul, choice and handsome, without equal among the Israelites—a head taller than any of the people.
3 One day the donkeys of Saul’s father Kish wandered off, and Kish said to his son Saul, “Take one of the servants and go look for the donkeys.”
4 So Saul passed through the hill country of Ephraim and then through the land of Shalishah, but did not find the donkeys. He and the servant went through the region of Shaalim, but they were not there. Then they went through the land of Benjamin, and still they did not find them.
5 When they reached the land of Zuph, Saul said to his servant, “Come, let us go back, or my father will stop worrying about the donkeys and start worrying about us.”
6 “Look,” said the servant, “in this city there is a man of God who is highly respected;everything he says surely comes to pass. Let us go there now. Perhaps he will tell us which way to go.”
7 “If we do go,” Saul replied, “what can we give the man? For the bread in our packs is gone, and there is no gift to take to the man of God. What do we have?”
8 The servant answered him again. “Look,” he said, “I have here in my hand a quarter shekel of silver. a I will give it to the man of God, and he will tell us our way.”
9 (Formerly in Israel, a man on his way to inquire of God would say, “Come, let us go to the seer.” For the prophet of today was formerly called the seer.)
10 “Good,” said Saul to his servant. “Come, let us go.” So they set out for the city where the man of God was. 11 And as they were climbing the hill to the city, they met some young women coming out to draw water and asked, “Is the seer here?”
12 “Yes, he is ahead of you,” they answered. “Hurry now, for today he has come to the city because the people have a sacrifice on the high place. 13 As soon as you enter the city, you will find him before he goes up to the high place to eat. The people will not eat until he comes, because he must bless the sacrifice; after that, the guests will eat. Go up at once; you will find him.”
14 So Saul and his servant went up toward the city, and as they were entering it, there was Samuel coming toward them on his way up to the high place.
15 Now on the day before Saul’s arrival, the LORD had revealed to Samuel, 16 “At this time tomorrow I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you are to anoint him leader over My people Israel; he will save them from the hand of the Philistines. For I have looked upon My people, because their cry has come to Me.”
17 When Samuel saw Saul, the LORD told him, “Here is the man of whom I spoke; he shall rule over My people.”
18 Saul approached Samuel in the gateway and asked, “Would you please tell me where the seer’s house is?”
19 “I am the seer,” Samuel replied. “Go up before me to the high place, for you shall eat with me today. And when I send you off in the morning, I will tell you all that is in your heart. 20 As for the donkeys you lost three days ago, do not worry about them, for they have been found. And upon whom is all the desire of Israel, if not upon you and all your father’s house?”
21 Saul replied, “Am I not a Benjamite from the smallest tribe of Israel, and is not my clan the least of all the clans of Benjamin? So why would you say such a thing to me?”
22 Then Samuel took Saul and his servant, brought them into the hall, and seated them in the place of honor among those who were invited—about thirty in all. 23 And Samuel said to the cook, “Bring the portion I gave you and told you to set aside.”
24 So the cook picked up the leg and what was attached to it and set it before Saul. Then Samuel said, “Here is what was kept back. It was set apart for you. Eat, for it has been kept for you for this occasion, from the time I said, ‘I have invited the people.’ ” So Saul dined with Samuel that day.
25 And after they had come down from the high place into the city, Samuel spoke with Saul on the roof of his house.
26 They got up early in the morning, and just before dawn Samuel called to Saul on the roof, “Get ready, and I will send you on your way!” So Saul arose, and both he and Samuel went outside together.
27 As they were going down to the edge of the city, Samuel said to Saul, “Tell the servant to go on ahead of us, but you stay for a while, and I will reveal to you the word of God.” So the servant went on.
Footnotes:
8 a A quarter shekel is approximately 0.1 ounces or 2.85 grams of silver.
1 Samuel 10
Samuel Anoints Saul
1 Then Samuel took a flask of oil, poured it on Saul’s head, kissed him, and said, “Has not the LORD anointed you ruler over His inheritance? a 2 When you leave me today, you will find two men at Rachel’s tomb in Zelzah on the border of Benjamin. They will say to you, ‘The donkeys you seek have been found, and now your father has stopped worrying about the donkeys and started worrying about you, asking, “What should I do about my son?” ’
3 Then you will go on from there until you come to the Oak b of Tabor. Three men going up to God at Bethel will meet you there, one carrying three young goats, another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a skin of wine. 4 They will greet you and give you two loaves of bread, which you will accept from their hands.
5 After that you will come to Gibeah of God, c where the Philistines have an outpost. As you approach the city, you will meet a group of prophets coming down from the high place, preceded by harps, tambourines, flutes, and lyres, and they will be prophesying.
6 Then the Spirit of the LORD will rush upon you, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be transformed into a different person.
7 When these signs have come, do as the occasion demands, for God is with you. 8 And you shall go before me to Gilgal, and surely I will come to you to offer burnt offerings and to sacrifice peace offerings. Wait seven days until I come to you and show you what you are to do.”
Samuel’s Signs Fulfilled
9 As Saul turned to leave Samuel, God changed Saul’s heart, and all the signs came to pass that day. 10 When Saul and his servant arrived at Gibeah, d a group of prophets met him. Then the Spirit of God rushed upon him, and he prophesied along with them.
11 All those who had formerly known Saul and saw him prophesying with the prophets asked one another, “What has happened to the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?”
12 Then a man who lived there replied, “And who is their father?” So the saying became a proverb: “Is Saul also among the prophets?”
13 And when Saul had finished prophesying, he went up to the high place.
14 Now Saul’s uncle asked him and his servant, “Where did you go?”
“To look for the donkeys,” Saul replied. “When we saw they were not to be found, we went to Samuel.”
15 “Tell me,” Saul’s uncle asked, “what did Samuel say to you?”
16 And Saul replied, “He assured us that the donkeys had been found.” But Saul did not tell his uncle what Samuel had said about the kingship.
Saul Proclaimed King
17 After this, Samuel summoned the people to the LORD at Mizpah 18 and said to the Israelites, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘I brought Israel up out of Egypt, and I rescued you from the hands of the Egyptians and of all the kingdoms that oppressed you.’
19 But today you have rejected your God, who saves you from all your troubles and afflictions, and you have said to Him, ‘No, set a king over us.’ Now therefore present yourselves before the LORD by your tribes and clans.”
20 Thus Samuel had all the tribes of Israel come forward, and the tribe of Benjamin was selected. 21 Then he had the tribe of Benjamin come forward by its clans, and the clan of Matri was selected. e Finally, Saul son of Kish was selected. But when they looked for him, they could not find him. 22 So again they inquired of the LORD, “Has the man come here yet?”
And the LORD replied, “Behold, he has hidden himself among the baggage.”
23 So they ran and brought Saul, and when he stood among the people, he was a head taller than any of the others. 24 Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see the one the LORD has chosen? There is no one like him among all the people.”
And all the people shouted, “Long live the king!”
25 Then Samuel explained to the people the rights of kingship. He wrote them on a scroll and laid it up before the LORD. And Samuel sent all the people away, each to his own home.
26 Saul also went to his home in Gibeah, and the men of valor whose hearts God had touched went with him.
27 But some worthless men said, “How can this man save us?” So they despised him and brought him no gifts; but Saul remained silent about it. f
Footnotes:
1 a Hebrew; LXX “Has not the LORD anointed you ruler over Israel? And you will rule over the LORD’s people and save them from their enemies around them. This will be the sign to you that the LORD has appointed you to be leader over His inheritance.
3 b Or Terebinth or Great Tree
5 c Hebrew Gibeath-Elohim , meaning the hill of God
10 d Gibeah means the hill .
21 e LXX includes And he brought the family of the Matrites near, man by man.
27 f MT and LXX; One DSS manuscript includes Nahash, king of the Ammonites, had viciously oppressed the people of Gad and Reuben, gouging out the right eye of each Israelite dwelling there. He would not allow anyone to rescue them, and there was no Israelite east of the Jordan whose right eye had not been gouged out. But 7,000 men had escaped from the Ammonites and settled in Jabesh-gilead.
1 Samuel 11
Saul Defeats the Ammonites
1 Soon Nahash a the Ammonite came up and laid siege to Jabesh-gilead. All the men of Jabesh said to him, “Make a treaty b with us, and we will serve you.”
2 But Nahash the Ammonite replied, “I will make a treaty with you on one condition, that I may put out everyone’s right eye and bring reproach upon all Israel.”
3 “Hold off for seven days,” replied the elders of Jabesh, “and let us send messengers throughout Israel. If there is no one to save us, we will surrender to you.”
4 When the messengers came to Gibeah of Saul and relayed these words in the hearing of the people, they all wept aloud.
5 Just then Saul was returning from the field, behind his oxen. “What troubles the people?” asked Saul. “Why are they weeping?” And they relayed to him the words of the men from Jabesh.
6 When Saul heard their words, the Spirit of God rushed upon him, and he burned with great anger. 7 He took a pair of oxen, cut them into pieces, and sent them by messengers throughout the land of Israel, proclaiming, “This is what will be done to the oxen of anyone who does not march behind Saul and Samuel.”
Then the terror of the LORD fell upon the people, and they turned out as one man. 8 And when Saul numbered them at Bezek, there were 300,000 Israelites and 30,000 c men of Judah. 9 So they said to the messengers who had come, “Tell the men of Jabesh-gilead: ‘Deliverance will be yours tomorrow by the time the sun is hot.’ ”
And when the messengers relayed this to the men of Jabesh, they rejoiced.
10 Then the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, “Tomorrow we will come out, and you can do with us whatever seems good to you.”
11 The next day Saul organized the troops into three divisions, and during the morning watch they invaded the camp of the Ammonites and slaughtered them, until the hottest part of the day. And the survivors were so scattered that no two of them were left together.
Saul Confirmed as King
12 Then the people said to Samuel, “Who said that Saul should not reign over us? Bring those men here so we can kill them!”
13 But Saul ordered, “No one shall be put to death this day, for today the LORD has worked salvation in Israel.”
14 Then Samuel said to the people, “Come, let us go to Gilgal and renew the kingship there.”
15 So all the people went to Gilgal and confirmed Saul as king in the presence of the LORD. There they sacrificed peace offerings before the LORD, and Saul and all the Israelites rejoiced greatly.
Footnotes:
1 a DSS and LXX About a month later Nahash
1 b Forms of the Hebrew berit are translated in most passages as covenant .
8 c DSS and LXX 70,000
1 Samuel 12
Samuel’s Farewell Address
1 Then Samuel said to all Israel, “I have listened to your voice in all that you have said to me, and I have set over you a king. 2 Now here is the king walking before you, and I am old and gray, and my sons are here with you. I have walked before you from my youth until this day.
3 Here I am. Bear witness against me before the LORD and before His anointed: Whose ox or donkey have I taken? Whom have I cheated or oppressed? From whose hand have I accepted a bribe and closed my eyes? Tell me, and I will restore it a to you.”
4 “You have not wronged us or oppressed us,” they replied, “nor have you taken anything from the hand of man.”
5 Samuel said to them, “The LORD is a witness against you, and His anointed is a witness today, that you have not found anything in my hand.”
“He is a witness,” they replied.
6 Then Samuel said to the people, “The LORD is the One who b appointed Moses and Aaron, and who brought your fathers up out of the land of Egypt. 7 Now present yourselves, so that I may confront you before the LORD with all the righteous acts He has done for you and your fathers.
8 When Jacob went to Egypt, c your fathers cried out to the LORD, and He sent them Moses and Aaron, who brought your fathers out of Egypt and settled them in this place. 9 But they forgot the LORD their God, and He sold them into the hand of Sisera the commander of the army of Hazor, d and into the hands of the Philistines and the king of Moab, who fought against them.
10 Then they cried out to the LORD and said, ‘We have sinned, for we have forsaken the LORD and served the Baals and Ashtoreths. Now deliver us from the hands of our enemies, that we may serve You.’
11 So the LORD sent Jerubbaal, e Barak, f Jephthah, and Samuel, g and He delivered you from the hands of your enemies on every side, and you dwelt securely. 12 But when you saw that Nahash king of the Ammonites was moving against you, you said to me, ‘No, we must have a king to rule over us’—even though the LORD your God was your king.
13 Now here is the king you have chosen, the one you requested. Behold, the LORD has placed a king over you.
14 If you fear the LORD and serve Him and obey His voice, and if you do not rebel against the command of the LORD, and if both you and the king who reigns over you follow the LORD your God, then all will be well. h 15 But if you disobey the LORD and rebel against His command, then the hand of the LORD will be against you as it was against your fathers. i
16 Now, therefore, stand and see this great thing that the LORD will do before your eyes. 17 Is it not the wheat harvest today? I will call on the LORD to send thunder and rain, so that you will know and see what a great evil you have committed in the sight of the LORD by asking for a king.”
18 So Samuel called to the LORD, and on that day the LORD sent thunder and rain.
As a result, all the people greatly feared the LORD and Samuel. 19 They pleaded with Samuel, “Pray to the LORD your God for your servants so that we will not die! For we have added to all our sins the evil of asking for a king.”
20 “Do not be afraid,” Samuel replied. “Even though you have committed all this evil, do not turn aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart. 21 Do not turn aside after worthless things that cannot profit you or deliver you, for they are empty. 22 Indeed, for the sake of His great name, the LORD will not abandon His people, because He was pleased to make you His own.
23 As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by ceasing to pray for you. And I will continue to teach you the good and right way.
24 Above all, fear the LORD and serve Him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things He has done for you. 25 But if you persist in doing evil, both you and your king will be swept away.”
Footnotes:
3 a Hebrew And I will restore it ; LXX Testify against me, and I will restore it
6 b Hebrew; LXX The LORD is the witness who
8 c Hebrew; LXX includes and the Egyptians oppressed them
9 d LXX the army of Jabin king of Hazor
11 e Jerubbaal is another name for Gideon and probably means let Baal contend ; see Judges 6:32.
11 f LXX and Syriac; Hebrew Bedan
11 g LXX and Syriac Samson
14 h then all will be well is implied;Literally If you fear the LORD and serve Him and obey His voice, and if you do not rebel against the command of the LORD, (then) both you and the king who reigns over you will follow the LORD your God.
15 i Hebrew; LXX against your king
1 Samuel 13
War with the Philistines
1 Saul was thirty years old a when he became king, and he reigned over Israel forty-two years. b 2 He chose for himself three thousand men of Israel: Two thousand were with Saul at Michmash and in the hill country of Bethel, and a thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin. And the rest of the troops he sent away, each to his own home.
3 Then Jonathan attacked the Philistine outpost at Geba, and the Philistines heard about it. So Saul blew the ram’s horn throughout the land, saying, “Let the Hebrews hear!”
4 And all Israel heard the news: “Saul has attacked an outpost of the Philistines, and now Israel has become a stench to the Philistines!” Then the people were summoned to join Saul at Gilgal.
5 Now the Philistines assembled to fight against Israel with three thousand c chariots, six thousand horsemen, and troops as numerous as the sand on the seashore. They went up and camped at Michmash, east of Beth-aven.
6 Seeing that they were in danger because their troops were hard-pressed, the men of Israel hid in caves and thickets, among the rocks, and in cellars and cisterns. 7 Some Hebrews even crossed the Jordan into the land of Gad and Gilead. Saul, however, remained at Gilgal, and all his troops were quaking in fear.
Saul’s Unlawful Sacrifice
8 And Saul waited seven days for the time appointed by Samuel, but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and the troops began to desert Saul. 9 So he said, “Bring me the burnt offering and the peace offerings.” And he offered up the burnt offering.
10 Just as he finished offering the burnt offering, Samuel arrived, and Saul went out to greet him.
11 “What have you done?” Samuel asked.
And Saul replied, “When I saw that the troops were deserting me, and that you did not come at the appointed time and the Philistines were gathering at Michmash, 12 I thought, ‘Now the Philistines will descend upon me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the favor of the LORD.’ So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering.”
13 “You have acted foolishly,” Samuel declared. “You have not kept the command that the LORD your God gave you; if you had, the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time. 14 But now your kingdom will not endure; the LORD has sought a man after His own heart and appointed him ruler over His people, because you have not kept the command of the LORD.”
15 Then Samuel set out from Gilgal and went up to Gibeah in Benjamin. d And Saul numbered the troops who were with him, about six hundred men.
Israel without Weapons
16 Now Saul and Jonathan his son and the troops with them were staying in Geba of Benjamin, while the Philistines camped at Michmash. 17 And raiders went out of the Philistine camp in three divisions. One headed toward Ophrah in the land of Shual, 18 another toward Beth-horon, and the third down the border road overlooking the Valley of Zeboim facing the wilderness.
19 And no blacksmith could be found in all the land of Israel, because the Philistines had said, “The Hebrews must not be allowed to make swords or spears.” 20 Instead, all the Israelites would go down to the Philistines to sharpen their plowshares, mattocks, axes, and sickles. e 21 The charge was a pim f for sharpening a plowshare or mattock, a third of a shekel for sharpening a pitchfork or an axe, and a third of a shekel for repointing an oxgoad. g
22 So on the day of battle not a sword or spear could be found in the hands of the troops with Saul and Jonathan; only Saul and his son Jonathan had weapons.
23 And a garrison of the Philistines had gone out to the pass at Michmash.
Footnotes:
1 a A few late LXX manuscripts; MT Saul was a son of a year
1 b Or over Israel forty years (see Acts 13:21); MT over Israel two years
5 c Some LXX manuscripts and Syriac;Hebrew thirty thousand
15 d LXX Then Samuel set out, and the rest of the people went up after Saul to meet the army; they went up from Gilgal to Gibeah of Benjamin.
20 e LXX; Hebrew and plowshares ; (so plowshare appears twice in the Hebrew).
21 f A pim possibly refers to a polished stone weighing approximately 0.25 ounces or 7 grams found in excavations. This is equivalent to about two-thirds of a shekel and likely refers to the price charged by the Philistines for the services listed.
21 g Hebrew does not include the currency unit of a shekel charged for sharpening a pitchfork, an axe, or an oxgoad; alternatively, possibly a third of a pim for each.
1 Samuel 14
Jonathan’s Victory over the Philistines
1 One day Jonathan son of Saul said to the young man bearing his armor, “Come, let us cross over to the Philistine outpost on the other side.” But Jonathan did not tell his father.
2 Meanwhile, Saul was staying under the pomegranate tree a in Migron on the outskirts of Gibeah. And the troops who were with him numbered about six hundred men, 3 including Ahijah, who was wearing an ephod. He was the son of Ichabod’s brother Ahitub son of Phinehas, the son of Eli the priest of the LORD in Shiloh. But the troops did not know that Jonathan had left.
4 Now there were cliffs on both sides of the pass that Jonathan intended to cross to reach the Philistine outpost. One was named Bozez and the other Seneh. 5 One cliff stood to the north toward Michmash, and the other to the south toward Geba.
6 Jonathan said to the young man bearing his armor, “Come, let us cross over to the outpost of these uncircumcised men. Perhaps the LORD will work on our behalf. Nothing can hinder the LORD from saving, whether by many or by few.”
7 His armor-bearer replied, “Do all that is in your heart. Go ahead; I am with you heart and soul.”
8 “Very well,” said Jonathan, “we will cross over toward these men and show ourselves to them. 9 If they say, ‘Wait until we come to you,’ then we will stay where we are and will not go up to them. 10 But if they say, ‘Come on up,’ then we will go up, because this will be our sign that the LORD has delivered them into our hands.”
11 So the two of them showed themselves to the outpost of the Philistines, who exclaimed, “Look, the Hebrews are coming out of the holes in which they were hiding!”
12 So the men of the outpost called out to Jonathan and his armor-bearer, “Come on up, and we will teach you a lesson!”
“Follow me,” Jonathan told his armor-bearer, “for the LORD has delivered them into the hand of Israel.”
13 So Jonathan climbed up on his hands and feet, with his armor-bearer behind him. And the Philistines fell before Jonathan, and his armor-bearer followed and finished them off. 14 In that first assault, Jonathan and his armor-bearer struck down about twenty men over half an acre b of land.
15 Then terror struck the Philistines in the camp, in the field, and among all the people. Even those in the outposts and raiding parties trembled. Indeed, the earth quaked and panic spread from God. c
16 Now when Saul’s watchmen at Gibeah in Benjamin looked and saw the troops melting away and scattering in every direction, d 17 Saul said to the troops who were with him, “Call the roll and see who has left us.”
And when they had called the roll, they saw that Jonathan and his armor-bearer were not there.
18 Then Saul said to Ahijah, “Bring the ark of God.” (For at that time it was with the Israelites.) e 19 While Saul was talking to the priest, the commotion in the Philistine camp continued to increase. So Saul said to the priest, “Withdraw your hand.”
20 Then Saul and all his troops assembled and marched to the battle, and they found the Philistines in total confusion, with each man wielding the sword against his neighbor. 21 And the Hebrews who had previously gone up into the surrounding camps of the Philistines now went over to the Israelites who were with Saul and Jonathan. 22 When all the Israelites who had been hiding in the hill country of Ephraim heard that the Philistines were fleeing, they also joined Saul and Jonathan in the battle.
23 So the LORD saved Israel that day, and the battle moved on beyond Beth-aven.
Jonathan Eats the Honey
24 Now the men of Israel were in distress that day, for Saul had placed the troops under an oath, saying, “Cursed is the man who eats any food before evening, before I have taken vengeance on my enemies.” So none of the troops tasted any food.
25 Then all the troops entered the forest, and there was honey on the ground. 26 And when they entered the forest and saw the flowing honey, not one of them put his hand to his mouth, because they feared the oath.
27 Jonathan, however, had not heard that his father had charged the people with the oath. So he reached out the end of the staff in his hand, dipped it into the honeycomb, and put his hand to his mouth; and his eyes brightened. f 28 Then one of the soldiers told him, “Your father bound the troops with a solemn oath, saying, ‘Cursed is the man who eats food today.’ That is why the people are faint.”
29 “My father has brought trouble to the land,” Jonathan replied. “Just look at how my eyes have brightened because I tasted a little of this honey. 30 How much better it would have been if the troops had eaten freely today from the plunder they took from their enemies! Would not the slaughter of the Philistines have been much greater?”
31 That day, after the Israelites had struck down the Philistines from Michmash to Aijalon, the people were very faint. 32 So they rushed greedily to the plunder, taking sheep, cattle, and calves. They slaughtered them on the ground and ate meat with the blood still in it.
33 Then someone reported to Saul: “Look, the troops are sinning against the LORD by eating meat with the blood still in it.”
“You have broken faith,” said Saul. “Roll a large stone over here at once.” 34 Then he said, “Go among the troops and tell them, ‘Each man must bring me his ox or his sheep, slaughter them in this place, and then eat. Do not sin against the LORD by eating meat with the blood still in it.’ ”
So that night everyone brought his ox and slaughtered it there. 35 Then Saul built an altar to the LORD; it was the first time he had built an altar to the LORD.
36 And Saul said, “Let us go down after the Philistines by night and plunder them until dawn, leaving no man alive!”
“Do what seems good to you,” the troops replied.
But the priest said, “We must consult God here.”
The People Save Jonathan
37 So Saul inquired of God, “Shall I go down after the Philistines? Will You give them into the hand of Israel?”
But God did not answer him that day.
38 Therefore Saul said, “Come here, all you leaders of the troops, and let us investigate how this sin has occurred today. 39 As surely as the LORD who saves Israel lives, even if it is my son Jonathan, he must die!”
But not one of the troops said a word.
40 Then Saul said to all Israel, “You stand on one side, and I and my son Jonathan will stand on the other side.”
“Do what seems good to you,” the troops replied.
41 So Saul said to the LORD, the God of Israel, “Why have You not answered Your servant this day? If the fault is with me or my son Jonathan, respond with Urim; but if the fault is with the men of Israel, respond with Thummim.” g And Jonathan and Saul were selected, but the people were cleared of the charge.
42 Then Saul said, “Cast the lot between me and my son Jonathan.” And Jonathan was selected.
43 “Tell me what you have done,” Saul commanded him.
So Jonathan told him, “I only tasted a little honey with the end of the staff that was in my hand. And now I must die?”
44 And Saul declared, “May God punish me, and ever so severely, if you, Jonathan, do not surely die!”
45 But the people said to Saul, “Must Jonathan die—he who accomplished such a great deliverance for Israel? Never! As surely as the LORD lives, not a hair of his head will fall to the ground, for with God’s help he has accomplished this today.”
So the people rescued Jonathan, and he did not die. 46 Then Saul gave up his pursuit of the Philistines, and the Philistines returned to their own land.
Saul’s Victories
47 After Saul had assumed the kingship over Israel, he fought against all his enemies on every side—the Moabites, the Ammonites, the Edomites, the kings h of Zobah, and the Philistines. Wherever he turned, he routed them. i 48 He fought valiantly and defeated the Amalekites, delivering Israel from the hands of its plunderers.
49 Now the sons of Saul were Jonathan, Ishvi, and Malchishua. His two daughters were named Merab (his firstborn) and Michal (his younger daughter). 50 His wife’s name was Ahinoam daughter of Ahimaaz. The name of the commander of his army was Abner, the son of Saul’s uncle Ner. 51 Saul’s father Kish and Abner’s father Ner were sons of Abiel.
52 And the war with the Philistines was fierce for all the days of Saul. So whenever he noticed any strong or brave man, Saul would enlist him.
Footnotes:
2 a Or around the rock of Rimmon or in the pomegranate cave ; see Judges 20:45, Judges 20:47, and Judges 21:13.
14 b Hebrew half a yoke . A yoke was the amount of land plowed by a pair of yoked oxen in one day.
15 c Or and a terrible panic spread
16 d Or melting away and going here and there
18 e Hebrew; LXX “Bring the ephod.” For at that time he wore the ephod before the Israelites.
27 f Or his strength was renewed ; similarly in verse 29
41 g LXX and Vulgate; MT contains only the short quotation, “Give a perfect (lot).”
47 h MT; DSS and LXX king
47 i Or he inflicted punishment on them from Hebrew;LXX he was victorious
1 Samuel 15
Saul’s Disobedience
1 Then Samuel said to Saul, “The LORD sent me to anoint you king over His people Israel. Now therefore, listen to the words of the LORD. 2 This is what the LORD of Hosts says: ‘I witnessed what the Amalekites did to the Israelites when they ambushed them on their way up from Egypt. 3 Now go and attack the Amalekites and devote to destruction a all that belongs to them. Do not spare them, but put to death men and women, children and infants, oxen and sheep, camels and donkeys.’ ”
4 So Saul summoned the troops and numbered them at Telaim—200,000 foot soldiers and 10,000 men of Judah. 5 Saul came to the city of Amalek and lay in wait in the valley. 6 And he warned the Kenites, “Since you showed kindness to all the Israelites when they came up out of Egypt, go on and get away from the Amalekites. Otherwise I will sweep you away with them.”
So the Kenites moved away from the Amalekites.
7 Then Saul struck down the Amalekites all the way from Havilah to Shur, which is east of Egypt. 8 He captured Agag king of Amalek alive, but devoted all the others to destruction with the sword.
9 Saul and his troops spared Agag, along with the best of the sheep and cattle, the fat calves b and lambs, and the best of everything else. They were unwilling to destroy them, but they devoted to destruction all that was despised and worthless.
Samuel Denounces Saul
10 Then the word of the LORD came to Samuel, saying, 11 “I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned away from following Me and has not carried out My instructions.”
And Samuel was distressed and cried out to the LORD all that night.
12 Early in the morning Samuel got up to confront Saul, but he was told, “Saul has gone to Carmel, and behold, he has set up a monument for himself and has turned and gone down to Gilgal.”
13 When Samuel reached him, Saul said to him, “May the LORD bless you. I have carried out the LORD’s instructions.”
14 But Samuel replied, “Then what is this bleating of sheep and lowing of cattle that I hear?”
15 Saul answered, “The troops brought them from the Amalekites; they spared the best sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the LORD your God, but the rest we devoted to destruction.”
16 “Stop!” exclaimed Samuel. “Let me tell you what the LORD said to me last night.”
“Tell me,” Saul replied.
17 And Samuel said, “Although you were once small in your own eyes, have you not become the head of the tribes of Israel? The LORD anointed you king over Israel 18 and sent you on a mission, saying, ‘Go and devote to destruction the sinful Amalekites. Fight against them until you have wiped them out.’ 19 So why did you not obey the LORD? Why did you rush upon the plunder and do evil in the sight of the LORD?”
20 “But I did obey the LORD,” Saul replied. “I went on the mission that the LORD gave me. I brought back Agag king of Amalek and devoted the Amalekites to destruction. 21 The troops took sheep and cattle from the plunder, the best of the things devoted to destruction, in order to sacrifice them to the LORD your God at Gilgal.”
22 But Samuel declared:
“Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices
as much as in obedience to His voice?
Behold, obedience is better than sacrifice,
and attentiveness is better than the fat of rams.
23 For rebellion is like the sin of divination,
and arrogance is like the wickedness of idolatry.
Because you have rejected the word of the LORD,
He has rejected you as king.”
Saul’s Confession
24 Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned; I have transgressed the LORD’s commandment and your instructions, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice. 25 Now therefore, please forgive my sin and return with me so I can worship the LORD.”
26 “I will not return with you,” Samuel replied. “For you have rejected the word of the LORD, and He has rejected you as king over Israel.”
27 As Samuel turned to go, Saul grabbed the hem of his robe, and it tore. 28 So Samuel said to him, “The LORD has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to your neighbor who is better than you. 29 Moreover, the Glory of Israel does not lie or change His mind, for He is not a man, that He should change His mind.”
30 “I have sinned,” Saul replied. “Please honor me now before the elders of my people and before Israel. Come back with me, so that I may worship the LORD your God.”
31 So Samuel went back with Saul, and Saul worshiped the LORD.
32 Then Samuel said, “Bring me Agag king of the Amalekites.”
Agag came to him cheerfully, c for he thought, “Surely the bitterness of death is past.” d
33 But Samuel declared:
“As your sword has made women childless,
so your mother will be childless among women.”
And Samuel hacked Agag to pieces before the LORD at Gilgal.
34 Then Samuel went to Ramah, but Saul went up to his home in Gibeah of Saul. 35 And to the day of his death, Samuel never again visited Saul. Samuel mourned for Saul, and the LORD regretted that He had made Saul king over Israel.
Footnotes:
3 a Forms of the Hebrew cherem refer to the giving over of things or persons to the LORD, either by destroying them or by giving them as an offering; also in verses 8, 9, 15, 18, 20, and 21.
9 b Or the grown bulls
32 c Or cautiously or in chains ; see DSS and LXX.
32 d Or “Surely this is the bitterness of death.” See DSS and LXX.
1 Samuel 16
Samuel Anoints David
1 Now the LORD said to Samuel, “How long are you going to mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go. I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem, for I have selected from his sons a king for Myself.”
2 “How can I go?” Samuel asked. “Saul will hear of it and kill me!”
The LORD answered, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.’ 3 Then invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you are to do. You are to anoint for Me the one I indicate.”
4 So Samuel did what the LORD had said and went to Bethlehem. When the elders of the town met him, they trembled and asked, “Do you come in peace?”
5 “In peace,” he replied. “I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. Consecrate yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.”
Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice. 6 When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and said, “Surely here before the LORD is His anointed.”
7 But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or height, for I have rejected him; the LORD does not see as man does. For man sees the outward appearance, but the LORD sees the heart.”
8 Then Jesse called Abinadab and presented him to Samuel, who said, “The LORD has not chosen this one either.”
9 Next Jesse presented Shammah, a but Samuel said, “The LORD has not chosen this one either.”
10 Thus Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel told him, “The LORD has not chosen any of these.”
11 And Samuel asked him, “Are these all the sons you have?”
“There is still the youngest,” Jesse replied, “but he is tending the sheep.”
“Send for him,” Samuel replied. “For we will not sit down to eat until he arrives.”
12 So Jesse sent for his youngest son and brought him in. He was ruddy, with beautiful eyes and a handsome appearance. And the LORD said, “Rise and anoint him, for he is the one.”
13 So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon David from that day forward. Then Samuel set out and went to Ramah.
David Serves Saul
14 After the Spirit of the LORD had departed from Saul, a spirit of distress b from the LORD began to torment him. 15 Saul’s servants said to him, “Surely a spirit of distress from God is tormenting you. 16 Let our lord command your servants here to seek out someone who can skillfully play the harp. Whenever the spirit of distress from God is upon you, he is to play it, and you will be well.”
17 And Saul commanded his servants, “Find me someone who plays well, and bring him to me.”
18 One of the servants answered, “I have seen a son of Jesse of Bethlehem who knows how to play the harp. He is a mighty man of valor, a warrior, eloquent and handsome, and the LORD is with him.”
19 So Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, “Send me your son David, who is with the sheep.”
20 And Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread, a skin of wine, and one young goat, and sent them to Saul with his son David. 21 When David came to Saul and entered his service, Saul admired him greatly, and David became his armor-bearer.
22 Then Saul sent word to Jesse, saying, “Let David remain in my service, for I am pleased with him.” 23 And whenever the spirit from God came upon Saul, David would pick up his harp and play, and Saul would become well, and the spirit of distress would depart from him.
Footnotes:
9 a Shammah is a variant of Shimeah , Shimea , and Shimei ; see 2 Samuel 13:3, 2 Samuel 21:21, and 1 Chronicles 2:13.
14 b Or a harmful spirit ; similarly in verses 15, 16, and 23
1 Samuel 17
Goliath’s Challenge
1 Now the Philistines gathered their forces for war at Socoh in Judah, and they camped between Socoh and Azekah in Ephes-dammim. 2 Saul and the men of Israel assembled and camped in the Valley of Elah, arraying themselves for battle against the Philistines.
3 The Philistines stood on one hill and the Israelites stood on another, with the valley between them.
4 Then a champion named Goliath, who was from Gath, came out from the Philistine camp. He was six cubits and a span in height, a 5 and he had a bronze helmet on his head. He wore a bronze coat of mail weighing five thousand shekels, b 6 and he had armor of bronze on his legs and a javelin of bronze slung between his shoulders. 7 The shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and its iron point weighed six hundred shekels. c In addition, his shield bearer went before him.
8 And Goliath stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, “Why do you come out and array yourselves for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not servants of Saul? Choose one of your men and have him come down against me. 9 If he is able to fight me and kill me, then we will be your servants. But if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and labor for us.”
10 Then the Philistine said, “I defy the ranks of Israel this day! Give me a man to fight!”
11 On hearing the words of the Philistine, Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and greatly afraid.
David Accepts the Challenge
12 Now David was the son of a man named Jesse, an Ephrathite from Bethlehem of Judah who had eight sons in the days of Saul. And Jesse was old and well along in years. d 13 The three older sons of Jesse had followed Saul into battle: The firstborn was Eliab, the second was Abinadab, and the third was Shammah. 14 And David was the youngest.
The three oldest had followed Saul, 15 but David went back and forth from Saul to tend his father’s sheep in Bethlehem.
16 For forty days the Philistine came forward every morning and evening to take his stand.
17 One day Jesse said to his son David, “Take this ephah of roasted grain e and these ten loaves of bread for your brothers and hurry to their camp. 18 Take also these ten portions of cheese to the commander of their unit. Check on the welfare of your brothers and bring back an assurance from them. f 19 They are with Saul and all the men of Israel in the Valley of Elah, fighting against the Philistines.”
20 So David got up early in the morning, left the flock with a keeper, loaded up, and set out as Jesse had instructed him. He reached the camp as the army was marching out to its position and shouting the battle cry. 21 And Israel and the Philistines arrayed in formation against each other.
22 Then David left his supplies in the care of the quartermaster and ran to the battle line. When he arrived, he asked his brothers how they were doing. 23 And as he was speaking with them, suddenly the champion named Goliath, the Philistine from Gath, came forward from the Philistines and shouted his usual words, which David also heard.
24 When all the men of Israel saw Goliath, they fled from him in great fear.
25 Now the men of Israel had been saying, “Do you see this man who keeps coming out to defy Israel? To the man who kills him the king will give great riches. And he will give him his daughter in marriage and exempt his father’s house from taxation in Israel.”
26 David asked the men who were standing with him, “What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Just who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?”
27 The people told him about the offer, saying, “That is what will be done for the man who kills him.”
28 Now when David’s oldest brother Eliab heard him speaking to the men, his anger burned against David. “Why have you come down here?” he asked. “And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your pride and wickedness of heart—you have come down to see the battle!”
29 “What have I done now?” said David. “Was it not just a question?” 30 Then he turned from him toward another and asked about the offer, and those people answered him just as the first ones had answered.
31 Now David’s words were overheard and reported to Saul, who called for him.
32 And David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail on account of this Philistine. Your servant will go and fight him!”
33 But Saul replied, “You cannot go out against this Philistine to fight him. You are just a boy, and he has been a warrior from his youth.”
34 David replied, “Your servant has been tending his father’s sheep, and whenever a lion or a bear came and carried off a lamb from the flock, 35 I went after it, struck it down, and delivered the lamb from its mouth. If it reared up against me, I would grab it by its fur, strike it down, and kill it. 36 Your servant has killed lions and bears; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.”
37 David added, “The LORD, who delivered me from the claws of the lion and the bear, will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.”
“Go,” said Saul, “and may the LORD be with you.”
David Slays Goliath
38 Then Saul clothed David in his own tunic, put a bronze helmet on his head, and dressed him in armor. 39 David strapped his sword over the tunic and tried to walk, but he was not accustomed to them.
“I cannot walk in these,” David said to Saul. “I am not accustomed to them.” So David took them off. 40 And David took his staff in his hand, selected five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in the pouch of his shepherd’s bag. And with his sling in hand, he approached the Philistine.
41 Now the Philistine came closer and closer to David, with his shield-bearer before him. 42 When the Philistine looked and saw David, he despised him because he was just a boy, ruddy and handsome. 43 “Am I a dog,” he said to David, “that you come at me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. 44 “Come here,” he called to David, “and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!”
45 But David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD of Hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand. This day I will strike you down, cut off your head, and give the carcasses of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the creatures of the earth. Then the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. 47 And all those assembled here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves;for the battle is the LORD’s, and He will give all of you into our hands.”
48 As the Philistine started forward to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. 49 Then David reached into his bag, took out a stone, and slung it, striking the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground.
50 Thus David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him. 51 David ran and stood over him. He grabbed the Philistine’s sword and pulled it from its sheath and killed him; and he cut off his head with the sword.
When the Philistines saw that their hero was dead, they turned and ran. 52 Then the men of Israel and Judah charged forward with a shout and pursued the Philistines to the entrance of Gath g and to the gates of Ekron. And the bodies of the Philistines were strewn along the Shaaraim road to Gath and Ekron.
53 When the Israelites returned from their pursuit of the Philistines, they plundered their camps. 54 David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem, and he put Goliath’s weapons in his own tent.
55 As Saul had watched David going out to confront the Philistine, he said to Abner the commander of the army, “Abner, whose son is this young man?”
“As surely as you live, O king,” Abner replied, “I do not know.”
56 “Find out whose son this young man is!” said the king.
57 So when David returned from killing the Philistine, still holding his head in his hand, Abner took him and brought him before Saul.
58 “Whose son are you, young man?” asked Saul.
“I am the son of your servant Jesse of Bethlehem,” David replied.
Footnotes:
4 a Goliath was approximately 9 feet 9 inches or 297 centimeters tall; LXX, DSS, and Josephus four cubits and a span in height (approximately 6 feet 9 inches or 206 centimeters tall).
5 b 5,000 shekels is approximately 125.6 pounds or 57 kilograms.
7 c 600 shekels is approximately 15.1 pounds or 6.8 kilograms.
12 d LXX and Syriac; Hebrew He had become advanced among men
17 e An ephah is approximately 20 dry quarts or 22 liters of roasted grain.
18 f Or some token from them or some pledge from them
52 g LXX; Hebrew of Gai ; that is, of the valley
1 Samuel 18
Jonathan Befriends David
1 After David had finished speaking with Saul, the souls of Jonathan and David were knit together, and Jonathan loved him as himself. 2 And from that day Saul kept David with him and did not let him return to his father’s house.
3 Then Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself. 4 And Jonathan removed the robe he was wearing and gave it to David, along with his tunic, his sword, his bow, and his belt.
Saul Envies David
5 So David marched out and prospered in everything Saul sent him to do, and Saul set him over the men of war. And this was pleasing in the sight of all the people, and of Saul’s officers as well.
6 As the troops were returning home after David had killed the Philistine, the women came out of all the cities of Israel to meet King Saul with singing and dancing, with joyful songs, and with tambourines and other instruments. a 7 And as the women danced, they sang out:
“Saul has slain his thousands,
and David his tens of thousands.”
8 And Saul was furious and resented this song. “They have ascribed tens of thousands to David,” he said, “but only thousands to me. What more can he have but the kingdom?” 9 And from that day forward Saul kept a jealous eye on David.
10 The next day a spirit of distress b sent from God came upon Saul, and he prophesied inside the house while David played the harp as usual. Now Saul was holding a spear, 11 and he hurled it, thinking, “I will pin David to the wall.” But David eluded him twice.
12 So Saul was afraid of David, because the LORD was with David but had departed from Saul. 13 Therefore Saul sent David away and gave him command of a thousand men. David led the troops out to battle and back, 14 and he continued to prosper in all his ways, because the LORD was with him.
15 When Saul saw that David was very successful, he was afraid of him. 16 But all Israel and Judah loved David, because he was leading them out to battle and back.
David Marries Michal
17 Then Saul said to David, “Here is my older daughter Merab. I will give her to you in marriage. Only be valiant for me and fight the LORD’s battles.” But Saul was thinking, “I need not raise my hand against him; let the hand of the Philistines be against him.”
18 And David said to Saul, “Who am I, and what is my family or my father’s clan in Israel, that I should become the son-in-law of the king?” 19 So when it was time c to give Saul’s daughter Merab to David, she was given in marriage to Adriel of Meholah.
20 Now Saul’s daughter Michal loved David, and when this was reported to Saul, it pleased him. 21 “I will give her to David,” Saul thought, “so that she may be a snare to him, and the hand of the Philistines may be against him.” So Saul said to David, “For a second time now you can be my son-in-law.”
22 Then Saul ordered his servants, “Speak to David privately and tell him, ‘Behold, the king is pleased with you, and all his servants love you. Now therefore, become his son-in-law.’ ”
23 But when Saul’s servants relayed these words to David, he replied, “Does it seem trivial in your sight to be the son-in-law of the king? I am a poor man and lightly esteemed.”
24 And the servants told Saul what David had said.
25 Saul replied, “Say to David, ‘The king desires no other dowry but a hundred Philistine foreskins as revenge on his enemies.’ ” But Saul intended to cause David’s death at the hands of the Philistines.
26 When the servants reported these terms to David, he was pleased to become the king’s son-in-law. Before the wedding day arrived, 27 David and his men went out and killed two hundred Philistines. He brought their foreskins and presented them as payment in full to become the king’s son-in-law. Then Saul gave his daughter Michal to David in marriage.
28 When Saul realized that the LORD was with David and that his daughter Michal loved David, 29 he grew even more afraid of David. So from then on Saul was David’s enemy.
30 Every time the Philistine commanders came out for battle, David was more successful than all of Saul’s officers, so that his name was highly esteemed.
Footnotes:
6 a Possibly three-stringed instruments or cymbals or lutes or lyres
10 b Or a harmful spirit
19 c Or But when it was time
1 Samuel 19
Saul Tries to Kill David
(Psalm 59:1–17)
1 Then Saul ordered his son Jonathan and all his servants to kill David.
But Jonathan delighted greatly in David, 2 so he warned David, saying, “My father Saul intends to kill you. Be on your guard in the morning;find a secret place and hide there. 3 I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where you are, so I can ask about you. And if I find out anything, I will tell you.”
4 Then Jonathan spoke well of David to his father Saul and said to him, “The king should not sin against his servant David; he has not sinned against you. In fact, his actions have been highly beneficial to you. 5 He took his life in his hands when he struck down the Philistine, and the LORD worked a great salvation for all Israel. You saw it and rejoiced, so why would you sin against innocent blood by killing David for no reason?”
6 Saul listened to the voice of Jonathan and swore an oath: “As surely as the LORD lives, David will not be put to death.”
7 So Jonathan summoned David and told him all these things. Then Jonathan brought David to Saul to serve him as he had before.
8 When war broke out again, David went out and fought the Philistines and struck them with such a mighty blow that they fled before him.
9 But as Saul was sitting in his house with his spear in his hand, a spirit of distress a from the LORD came upon him. While David was playing the harp, 10 Saul tried to pin him to the wall with his spear. But the spear struck the wall and David eluded him, ran away, and escaped that night.
11 Then Saul sent messengers to David’s house to watch him and kill him in the morning. But David’s wife Michal warned him, “If you do not run for your life tonight, tomorrow you will be dead!” 12 So Michal lowered David from the window, and he ran away and escaped.
13 Then Michal took a household idol b and laid it in the bed, placed some goat hair on its head, and covered it with a garment. 14 When Saul sent the messengers to seize David, Michal said, “He is ill.”
15 But Saul sent the messengers back to see David and told them, “Bring him up to me in his bed so I can kill him.” 16 And when the messengers entered, there was the idol in the bed with the quilt of goats’ hair on its head.
17 And Saul said to Michal, “Why did you deceive me like this? You sent my enemy away and he has escaped!”
Michal replied, “He said to me, ‘Help me get away, or I will kill you!’ ”
18 So David ran away and escaped. And he went to Samuel at Ramah and told him all that Saul had done to him. Then he and Samuel went to Naioth and stayed there.
19 When Saul was told that David was at Naioth in Ramah, 20 he sent messengers to capture him. But when they saw the group of prophets prophesying, with Samuel leading them, the Spirit of God came upon them, and Saul’s messengers also began to prophesy.
21 When this was reported to Saul, he sent more messengers, but they began to prophesy as well.
So Saul tried again and sent messengers a third time, and even they began to prophesy.
22 Finally, Saul himself left for Ramah and came to the large cistern at Secu, where he asked, “Where are Samuel and David?”
“At Naioth in Ramah,” he was told.
23 So Saul went to Naioth in Ramah. But the Spirit of God came upon even Saul, and he walked along prophesying until he came to Naioth in Ramah. 24 Then Saul stripped off his robes and also prophesied before Samuel. And he collapsed and lay naked all that day and night. That is why it is said, “Is Saul also among the prophets?”
Footnotes:
9 a Or a harmful spirit
13 b Or a household god ; Hebrew teraphim ; also in verse 16
1 Samuel 20
Jonathan Helps David
1 Then David fled from Naioth in Ramah. He came to Jonathan and asked, “What have I done? What is my iniquity? How have I sinned against your father, that he wants to take my life?”
2 “Far from it!” Jonathan replied. “You will not die. Indeed, my father does nothing, great or small, without telling me. So why would he hide this matter from me? This cannot be true!”
3 But David again vowed, “Your father knows very well that I have found favor in your eyes, and he has said, ‘Jonathan must not know of this, or he will be grieved.’ As surely as the LORD lives and as you yourself live, there is but a step between me and death.”
4 Then Jonathan said to David, “Whatever you desire, I will do for you.”
5 So David told him, “Look, tomorrow is the New Moon, a and I am supposed to dine with the king. Instead, let me go and hide in the field until the third evening from now. 6 If your father misses me at all, tell him, ‘David urgently requested my permission to hurry to Bethlehem, his hometown, because there is an annual sacrifice for his whole clan.’ 7 If he says, ‘Good,’ then your servant is safe, but if he is enraged, you will know he has evil intentions. 8 Therefore deal faithfully with your servant, for you have brought me into a covenant with you before the LORD. If there is iniquity in me, then kill me yourself; why should you bring me to your father?”
9 “Never!” Jonathan replied. “If I ever found out that my father had evil intentions against you, would I not tell you?”
Jonathan and David Renew Their Covenant
10 Then David asked Jonathan, “Who will tell me if your father answers you harshly?”
11 “Come,” he replied, “let us go out to the field.”
So the two of them went out into the field, 12 and Jonathan said, “By the LORD, the God of Israel, I will sound out my father by this time tomorrow or the next day. If he is favorable toward you, will I not send for you and tell you? 13 But if my father intends to bring evil on you, then may the LORD punish me, and ever so severely, if I do not tell you and send you on your way in safety. May the LORD be with you, just as He has been with my father. 14 And as long as I live, treat me with the LORD’s loving devotion, b that I may not die, 15 and do not ever cut off your loving devotion from my household—not even when the LORD cuts off every one of David’s enemies from the face of the earth.”
16 So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, “May the LORD hold David’s enemies accountable.” 17 And Jonathan had David reaffirm his vow out of love for him, for Jonathan loved David as he loved himself.
18 Then Jonathan said to David, “Tomorrow is the New Moon, and you will be missed if your seat is empty. 19 When you have stayed three days, hurry down to the place you hid on the day this trouble began, and remain beside the stone Ezel. c 20 I will shoot three arrows to the side of it, as if I were aiming at a target. 21 Then I will send a boy and say, ‘Go, find the arrows!’ Now, if I expressly say to him, ‘Look, the arrows are on this side of you; bring them,’ then come, because as surely as the LORD lives, it is safe for you and there is no danger. 22 But if I say to the young man, ‘Look, the arrows are beyond you,’ then you must go, for the LORD has sent you away. 23 And as for the matter you and I have discussed, the LORD is a witness between you and me forever.”
24 So David hid in the field, and when the New Moon had come, the king sat down to eat. 25 He sat in his usual place by the wall, opposite Jonathan and beside Abner, d but David’s place was empty. 26 Saul said nothing that day because he thought, “Something has happened to David to make him ceremonially unclean—surely he is unclean.”
27 But on the day after the New Moon, the second day, David’s place was still empty, and Saul asked his son Jonathan, “Why hasn’t the son of Jesse come to the meal either yesterday or today?”
28 Jonathan answered, “David urgently requested my permission to go to Bethlehem, 29 saying, ‘Please let me go, because our clan is holding a sacrifice in the city, and my brother has told me to be there. So now, if I have found favor in your eyes, please let me go and see my brothers.’ That is why he did not come to the king’s table.”
Saul Seeks to Kill Jonathan
30 Then Saul’s anger burned against Jonathan, and he said to him, “You son of a perverse and rebellious woman! Do I not know that you have chosen the son of Jesse to your own shame and to the disgrace of the mother who bore you? 31 For as long as the son of Jesse lives on this earth, neither you nor your kingship shall be established. Now send for him and bring him to me, for he must surely die!”
32 “Why must he be put to death?” Jonathan replied. “What has he done?”
33 Then Saul hurled his spear at Jonathan to kill him; so Jonathan knew that his father was determined to kill David. 34 Jonathan got up from the table in fierce anger and did not eat any food that second day of the month, for he was grieved by his father’s shameful treatment of David.
35 In the morning Jonathan went out to the field for the appointment with David, and a small boy was with him. 36 He said to the boy, “Run and find the arrows I shoot.” And as the boy ran, Jonathan shot an arrow beyond him.
37 When the boy reached the place where Jonathan’s arrow had fallen, Jonathan called to him, “Isn’t the arrow beyond you?” 38 Then Jonathan cried out, “Hurry! Make haste! Do not delay!” So the boy picked up the arrow and returned to his master.
39 But the boy did not know anything; only Jonathan and David knew the arrangement. 40 Then Jonathan gave his equipment to the boy and said, “Go, take it back to the city.”
41 When the young man had gone, David got up from the south side of the stone, e fell facedown, and bowed three times. Then he and Jonathan kissed each other and wept together—though David wept more.
42 And Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, for the two of us have sworn in the name of the LORD, saying, ‘May the LORD be a witness between you and me, and between your descendants and mine forever.’ ” Then David got up and departed, and Jonathan went back into the city.
Footnotes:
5 a That is, the New Moon feast; also in verses 18, 24, and 27
14 b Forms of the Hebrew chesed are translated here and in most cases throughout the Scriptures as loving devotion ; the range of meaning includes love , goodness , kindness , faithfulness , and mercy , as well as loyalty to a covenant .
19 c Ezel means departure .
25 d LXX; Hebrew by the wall. Jonathan arose and Abner sat down by Saul’s side,
41 e Hebrew from the south side ; LXX from beside the stone
1 Samuel 21
David Takes the Consecrated Bread
(Matthew 12:1–8; Mark 2:23–28; Luke 6:1–5)
1 Then David came to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest. And when Ahimelech met David, he trembled and asked him, “Why are you alone? Why is no one with you?”
2 “The king has given me a mission,” David replied. “He told me no one is to know about the mission or charge. And I have directed my young men to meet me at a certain place. 3 Now then, what do you have on hand? Give me five loaves of bread, or whatever can be found.”
4 “There is no common bread on hand,” the priest replied, “but there is some consecrated bread—provided that the young men have kept themselves from women.”
5 David answered, “Women have indeed been kept from us, as is usual when I set out. And the equipment of the young men is holy, as it is even on common missions, and all the more at this time.”
6 So the priest gave him the consecrated bread, since there was no bread there but the Bread of the Presence, which had been removed from before the LORD and replaced with hot bread on the day it was taken away.
7 Now one of Saul’s servants was there that day, detained before the LORD. And his name was Doeg the Edomite, the chief shepherd for Saul.
David Flees to Gath
(Psalm 34:1–22; Psalm 56:1–13)
8 Then David asked Ahimelech, “Is there not a spear or sword on hand here? For I have brought neither my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king’s business was urgent.”
9 The priest replied, “The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the Valley of Elah, is here; it is wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you want, you may take it. For there is no other but this one.”
And David said, “There is none like it; give it to me.”
10 That day David fled from Saul and went to Achish king of Gath. 11 But the servants of Achish said to him, “Is this not David, the king of the land? Did they not sing about him in their dances, saying:
‘Saul has slain his thousands,
and David his tens of thousands’?”
12 Now David took these words to heart and was very much afraid of Achish the king of Gath. 13 So he changed his behavior before them and feigned madness in their hands; he scratched on the doors of the gate and let his saliva run down his beard.
14 Then Achish said to his servants, “Look, you can see that the man is insane! Why have you brought him to me? 15 Am I in need of madmen, that you have brought this man to rave in my presence? Must this man come into my house?”
1 Samuel 22
David Flees to Adullam and Mizpeh
(Psalm 57:1–11; Psalm 142:1–7)
1 So David left Gath and took refuge in the cave of Adullam. When his brothers and the rest of his father’s household heard about it, they went down to him there. 2 And all who were distressed or indebted or discontented rallied around him, and he became their leader. About four hundred men were with him.
3 From there David went to Mizpeh of Moab, where he said to the king of Moab, “Please let my father and mother stay a with you until I learn what God will do for me.” 4 So he left them in the care of the king of Moab, and they stayed with him the whole time David was in the stronghold.
5 Then the prophet Gad said to David, “Do not stay in the stronghold. Depart and go into the land of Judah.” So David left and went to the forest of Hereth.
Saul Slays the Priests of Nob
(Psalm 52:1–9)
6 Soon Saul learned that David and his men had been discovered. At that time Saul was in Gibeah, sitting under the tamarisk tree on the hill at Gibeah, with his spear in hand and all his servants standing around him.
7 Then Saul said to his servants, “Listen, men of Benjamin! Is the son of Jesse giving all of you fields and vineyards and making you commanders of thousands or hundreds? 8 Is that why all of you have conspired against me? Not one of you told me that my own son had made a covenant with the son of Jesse. Not one of you has shown concern for me or revealed to me that my son has stirred up my own servant to lie in wait against me, as is the case today.”
9 But Doeg the Edomite, who had stationed himself with Saul’s servants, answered: “I saw the son of Jesse come to Ahimelech son of Ahitub at Nob. 10 Ahimelech inquired of the LORD for him and gave him provisions. He also gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.”
11 Then the king sent messengers to summon Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, and his father’s whole family, who were priests at Nob. And all of them came to the king. 12 “Listen now, son of Ahitub,” said Saul.
“Here I am, my lord,” he replied.
13 And Saul asked him, “Why have you and the son of Jesse conspired against me? You gave him bread and a sword and inquired of God for him so that he could rise up against me to lie in wait, as he is doing today.”
14 Ahimelech answered the king, “Who among all your servants is as faithful as David, the king’s son-in-law, the captain of your bodyguard who is honored in your house? 15 Was that day the first time I inquired of God for him? Far be it from me! Let not the king accuse your servant or any of my father’s household, for your servant knew nothing of this whole affair—not in part or in whole.”
16 But the king replied, “You will surely die, Ahimelech, you and all your father’s house!”
17 Then the king ordered the guards at his side, “Turn and kill the priests of the LORD, because they too sided with David. For they knew he was fleeing, but they did not tell me.”
But the king’s servants would not lift a hand to strike the priests of the LORD.
18 So the king ordered Doeg, “You turn and strike down the priests!”
And Doeg the Edomite turned and struck down the priests himself. On that day he killed eighty-five men who wore the linen ephod. 19 He also put to the sword Nob, the city of the priests, with its men and women, children and infants, oxen, donkeys, and sheep.
20 But one of the sons of Ahimelech son of Ahitub escaped. His name was Abiathar, and he fled to David. 21 And Abiathar told David that Saul had killed the priests of the LORD.
22 Then David said to Abiathar, “I knew that Doeg the Edomite was there that day, and that he was sure to tell Saul. I myself am responsible for the lives of everyone in your father’s house. 23 Stay with me; do not be afraid, for he who seeks your life is seeking mine as well. You will be safe with me.”
Footnotes:
3 a Syriac and Vulgate; Hebrew go forth
1 Samuel 23
David Delivers Keilah
1 Now it was reported to David, “Look, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah and looting the threshing floors.”
2 So David inquired of the LORD, “Should I go and attack these Philistines?”
And the LORD said to David, “Go and attack the Philistines and save Keilah.”
3 But David’s men said to him, “Look, we are afraid here in Judah; how much more if we go to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines?”
4 Once again, David inquired of the LORD, and the LORD answered him: “Go at once to Keilah, for I will deliver the Philistines into your hand.”
5 Then David and his men went to Keilah, fought against the Philistines, and carried off their livestock, striking them with a mighty blow. So David saved the people of Keilah.
6 (Now Abiathar son of Ahimelech had brought the ephod with him when he fled to David at Keilah.)
Saul Pursues David
(Psalm 54:1–7)
7 When Saul was told that David had gone to Keilah, he said, “God has delivered him into my hand, for he has trapped himself by entering a town with gates and bars.”
8 Then Saul summoned all his troops to go to war at Keilah and besiege David and his men.
9 When David learned that Saul was plotting evil against him, he said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring the ephod.”
10 And David said, “O LORD, God of Israel, Your servant has heard that Saul intends to come to Keilah and destroy the city on my account. 11 Will the citizens of Keilah surrender me into his hand? a Will Saul come down, as Your servant has heard? O LORD, God of Israel, please tell Your servant.”
“He will,” said the LORD.
12 So David asked, “Will the citizens of Keilah surrender me and my men into the hand of Saul?”
“They will,” said the LORD.
13 Then David and his men, about six hundred strong, set out and departed from Keilah, moving from place to place. When Saul was told that David had escaped from Keilah, he declined to go forth.
14 And David stayed in the wilderness strongholds and in the hill country of the Wilderness of Ziph. Day after day Saul searched for him, but God would not deliver David into his hand.
15 While David was in Horesh in the Wilderness of Ziph, he saw that Saul had come out to take his life. 16 And Saul’s son Jonathan came to David in Horesh and strengthened his hand in God, 17 saying, “Do not be afraid, for my father Saul will never lay a hand on you. And you will be king over Israel, and I will be your second-in-command. Even my father Saul knows this is true.”
18 So the two of them made a covenant before the LORD. And David remained in Horesh, while Jonathan went home.
19 Then the Ziphites came up to Saul at Gibeah and said, “Is not David hiding among us in the strongholds at Horesh, on the hill of Hachilah south of Jeshimon? 20 Now, O king, come down whenever your soul desires, and we will be responsible for delivering him into your hand.”
21 “May you be blessed by the LORD,” replied Saul, “for you have had compassion on me. 22 Please go and prepare further. Investigate and watch carefully where he goes and who has seen him there, for I am told that he is extremely cunning. 23 Observe and find out all the places where he hides. Then come back to me with certainty, and I will go with you. If he is in the land, I will search him out among all the clans of Judah.”
24 So they set out and went to Ziph ahead of Saul. Now David and his men were in the Wilderness of Maon in the Arabah south of Jeshimon, 25 and Saul and his men went to seek him. When David was told about it, he went down to the rock and stayed in the Wilderness of Maon. And when Saul heard of this, he pursued David there.
26 Saul was proceeding along one side of the mountain, and David and his men along the other side. Even though David was hurrying to get away, Saul and his men were closing in on David and his men to capture them.
27 Then a messenger came to Saul, saying, “Come quickly, for the Philistines have raided the land!” 28 So Saul broke off his pursuit of David and went to meet the Philistines. That is why that place is called Sela-hammahlekoth. b 29 And David went up from there and lived in the strongholds of En-gedi.
Footnotes:
11 a Some manuscripts omit this question.
28 b Sela-hammahlekoth means Rock of Escape .
1 Samuel 24
David Spares Saul
1 After Saul had returned from pursuing the Philistines, he was told, “David is in the wilderness of En-gedi.” 2 So Saul took three thousand chosen men from all Israel and went to look for David and his men in the region of the Rocks of the Wild Goats.
3 Soon Saul came to the sheepfolds along the road, where there was a cave, and he went in to relieve himself. a And David and his men were hiding in the recesses of the cave. 4 So David’s men said to him, “This is the day about which the LORD said to you, ‘Behold, I will deliver your enemy into your hand, that you may do with him as you wish.’ ”
Then David crept up secretly and cut off a corner of Saul’s robe.
5 Afterward, David’s conscience was stricken because he had cut off the corner of Saul’s robe. 6 So he said to his men, “The LORD forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, the LORD’s anointed. May I never lift my hand against him, since he is the LORD’s anointed.”
7 With these words David restrained his men, and he did not let them rise up against Saul. Then Saul left the cave and went on his way.
8 After that, David got up, went out of the cave, and called out to Saul, “My lord the king!”
When Saul looked behind him, David bowed facedown in reverence 9 and said to Saul, “Why do you listen to the words of men who say, ‘Look, David intends to harm you’? 10 Behold, this day you have seen with your own eyes that the LORD delivered you into my hand in the cave. I was told to kill you, but I spared you and said, ‘I will not lift my hand against my lord, since he is the LORD’s anointed.’
11 See, my father, look at the corner of your robe in my hand. For I cut it off, but I did not kill you. See and know that there is no evil or rebellion in my hands. I have not sinned against you, even though you are hunting me down to take my life.
12 May the LORD judge between you and me, and may the LORD take vengeance on you, but my hand will never be against you. 13 As the old proverb says, ‘Wickedness proceeds from the wicked.’ But my hand will never be against you.
14 Against whom has the king of Israel come out? Whom are you pursuing? A dead dog? A flea? 15 May the LORD be our judge and decide between you and me. May He take notice and plead my case and deliver me from your hand.”
David’s Oath to Saul
16 When David had finished saying these things, Saul called back, “Is that your voice, David my son?”
Then Saul wept aloud 17 and said to David, “You are more righteous than I, for you have rewarded me with good, though I have rewarded you with evil. 18 And you have shown this day how well you have dealt with me; for when the LORD delivered me into your hand, you did not kill me. 19 When a man finds his enemy, does he let him go away unharmed? May the LORD reward you with good for what you have done for me this day.
20 Now I know for sure that you will be king, and that the kingdom of Israel will be established in your hands. 21 So now, swear to me by the LORD that you will not cut off my descendants or wipe out my name from my father’s house.”
22 So David gave his oath to Saul. Then Saul returned home, but David and his men went up to the stronghold.
Footnotes:
3 a Literally cover his feet , a euphemism for relieving oneself
1 Samuel 25
The Death of Samuel
1 When Samuel died, all Israel gathered to mourn for him; and they buried him at his home in Ramah.
Then David set out and went down to the Wilderness of Paran. a
David, Nabal, and Abigail
2 Now there was a man in Maon whose business was in Carmel. He was a very wealthy man with a thousand goats and three thousand sheep, which he was shearing in Carmel. 3 His name was Nabal, and his wife’s name was Abigail. She was an intelligent and beautiful woman, but her husband, a Calebite, was harsh and evil in his dealings.
4 While David was in the wilderness, he heard that Nabal was shearing sheep. 5 So David sent ten young men and instructed them, “Go up to Nabal at Carmel. Greet him in my name 6 and say to him, ‘Long life to you, and peace to you and your house and to all that belongs to you. 7 Now I hear that it is time for shearing. When your shepherds were with us, we did not harass them, and nothing of theirs was missing the whole time they were in Carmel. 8 Ask your young men, and they will tell you. So let my young men find favor with you, for we have come on the day of a feast. Please give whatever you can afford to your servants and to your son David.’ ”
9 When David’s young men arrived, they relayed all these words to Nabal on behalf of David. Then they waited.
10 But Nabal asked them, “Who is David? Who is this son of Jesse? Many servants these days are breaking away from their masters. 11 Why should I take my bread and water and the meat I have slaughtered for my shearers, and give them to these men whose origin I do not know?”
12 So David’s men turned around and went back, and they relayed to him all these words.
13 And David said to his men, “Strap on your swords!” So David and all his men put on their swords, and about four hundred men followed David, while two hundred stayed with the supplies.
14 Meanwhile, one of Nabal’s young men informed Nabal’s wife Abigail, “Look, David sent messengers from the wilderness to greet our master, but he scolded them. 15 Yet these men were very good to us. When we were in the field, we were not harassed, and nothing of ours went missing the whole time we lived among them. 16 They were a wall around us, both day and night, the whole time we were herding our sheep near them. 17 Now consider carefully what you must do, because disaster looms over our master and all his household. For he is such a scoundrel that nobody can speak to him!”
Abigail Intercedes for Nabal
18 Then Abigail hurried and took two hundred loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five butchered sheep, five seahs of roasted grain, b a hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs. She loaded them on donkeys 19 and said to her young men, “Go ahead of me. I will be right behind you.” But she did not tell her husband Nabal.
20 As Abigail came riding her donkey into a mountain ravine, she saw David and his men coming down toward her, and she met them.
21 Now David had just finished saying, “In vain I have protected all that belonged to this man in the wilderness. Nothing that belongs to him has gone missing, yet he has paid me back evil for good. 22 May God punish David, c and ever so severely, if I let one of Nabal’s men survive until morning.”
23 When Abigail saw David, she quickly got off the donkey, fell facedown, and bowed before him. 24 She fell at his feet and said, “My lord, may the blame be on me alone, but please let your servant speak to you; hear the words of your servant. 25 My lord should pay no attention to this scoundrel Nabal, d for he lives up to his name:His name means Fool, and folly accompanies him. I, your servant, did not see my lord’s young men whom you sent.
26 Now, my lord, as surely as the LORD lives and you yourself live, the LORD has held you back from coming to bloodshed and avenging yourself with your own hand. May your enemies and those who seek harm for my lord be like Nabal.
27 Now let this gift your servant has brought to my lord be given to the young men who follow you. 28 Please forgive your servant’s offense, for the LORD will surely make a lasting dynasty for my lord, because he fights the LORD’s battles. May no evil be found in you as long as you live.
29 And should someone pursue you and seek your life, then the life of my lord will be bound securely by the LORD your God in the bundle of the living. But He shall fling away the lives of your enemies like stones from a sling. e
30 When the LORD has done for my lord all the good He promised, and when He has appointed you ruler over Israel, 31 then my lord will have no remorse or guilt of conscience over needless bloodshed and revenge. And when the LORD has dealt well with my lord, may you remember your maidservant.”
32 Then David said to Abigail, “Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who sent you to meet me this day! 33 Blessed is your discernment, and blessed are you, because today you kept me from bloodshed and from avenging myself by my own hand. 34 Otherwise, as surely as the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, who has restrained me from harming you, if you had not come quickly to meet me, then surely no male belonging to Nabal would have been left alive by morning light.”
35 Then David accepted from her hand what she had brought him, and he said to her, “Go home in peace. See, I have heeded your voice and granted your request.”
36 When Abigail returned to Nabal, there he was in the house, holding a feast fit for a king, in high spirits and very drunk. So she told him nothing until morning light.
37 In the morning when Nabal was sober, his wife told him about these events, and his heart failed within him and he became like a stone. 38 About ten days later, the LORD struck Nabal dead.
David Marries Abigail
39 On hearing that Nabal was dead, David said, “Blessed be the LORD, who has upheld my cause against the reproach of Nabal and has restrained His servant from evil. For the LORD has brought the wickedness of Nabal down upon his own head.”
Then David sent word to Abigail, asking for her in marriage. 40 When his servants came to Abigail at Carmel, they said, “David has sent us to take you as his wife.”
41 She arose, then bowed facedown and said, “Here is your maidservant, ready to serve and to wash the feet of my lord’s servants.”
42 So Abigail hurried and got on a donkey, and attended by five of her maidens, she followed David’s messengers and became his wife.
43 David had also married Ahinoam of Jezreel. So she and Abigail were both his wives. 44 But Saul had given his daughter Michal, David’s wife, to Palti f son of Laish, who was from Gallim.
Footnotes:
1 a Hebrew and some LXX manuscripts; other LXX manuscripts Maon
18 b 5 seahs is approximately 33 dry quarts or 36.5 liters of roasted grain.
22 c Some LXX manuscripts; MT David’s enemies
25 d Nabal means fool .
29 e Literally fling away the souls of your enemies as from the pocket of a sling
44 f Palti is a variant of Paltiel ; see 2 Samuel 3:15.
1 Samuel 26
David Again Spares Saul
1 Then the Ziphites came to Saul at Gibeah and said, “Is not David hiding on the hill of Hachilah, opposite Jeshimon?” 2 So Saul, accompanied by three thousand chosen men of Israel, went down to the Wilderness of Ziph to search for David there.
3 Saul camped beside the road at the hill of Hachilah opposite Jeshimon, but David was living in the wilderness. When he realized that Saul had followed him there, 4 David sent out spies to verify that Saul had arrived.
5 Then David set out and went to the place where Saul had camped. He saw the place where Saul and Abner son of Ner, the general of his army, had lain down. Saul was lying inside the inner circle of the camp, with the troops camped around him. 6 And David asked Ahimelech the Hittite and Abishai son of Zeruiah, Joab’s brother, “Who will go down with me to Saul in the camp?”
“I will go with you,” answered Abishai.
7 That night David and Abishai came to the troops, and Saul was lying there asleep in the inner circle of the camp, with his spear stuck in the ground by his head. And Abner and the troops were lying around him.
8 Abishai said to David, “Today God has delivered your enemy into your hand. Now, therefore, please let me thrust the spear through him into the ground with one stroke. I will not need to strike him twice!”
9 But David said to Abishai, “Do not destroy him, for who can lift a hand against the LORD’s anointed and be guiltless?” 10 David added, “As surely as the LORD lives, the LORD Himself will strike him down; either his day will come and he will die, or he will go into battle and perish. 11 But the LORD forbid that I should stretch out my hand against the LORD’s anointed. Instead, take the spear and water jug by his head, and let us go.”
12 So David took the spear and water jug by Saul’s head, and they departed. No one saw them or knew about it, nor did anyone wake up; they all remained asleep, because a deep sleep from the LORD had fallen on them.
David Reproves Abner
13 Then David crossed to the other side and stood atop the mountain at a distance;there was a wide gulf between them. 14 And David shouted to the troops and to Abner son of Ner, “Will you not answer me, Abner?”
“Who calls to the king?” Abner replied.
15 So David said to Abner, “You are a man, aren’t you? And who in Israel is your equal? Why then did you not protect your lord the king when one of the people came to destroy him? 16 This thing you have done is not good. As surely as the LORD lives, all of you deserve to die, since you did not protect your lord, the LORD’s anointed. Now look around. Where are the king’s spear and water jug that were by his head?”
17 Then Saul recognized David’s voice and asked, “Is that your voice, David my son?”
“It is my voice, my lord and king,” David said.
18 And he continued, “Why is my lord pursuing his servant? What have I done? What evil is in my hand? 19 Now please, may my lord the king hear the words of his servant: If the LORD has stirred you up against me, then may He accept an offering. But if men have done it, may they be cursed in the presence of the LORD! For today they have driven me away from sharing in the inheritance of the LORD, saying, ‘Go, serve other gods.’ 20 So do not let my blood fall to the ground far from the presence of the LORD. For the king of Israel has come out to look for a flea, like one who hunts a partridge in the mountains.”
Saul Acknowledges His Sin
21 Then Saul replied, “I have sinned. Come back, David my son. I will never harm you again, because today you considered my life precious. I have played the fool and have committed a grave error!”
22 “Here is the king’s spear,” David answered. “Let one of the young men come over and get it. 23 May the LORD repay every man for his righteousness and faithfulness. For the LORD delivered you into my hand today, but I would not stretch out my hand against the LORD’s anointed. 24 As surely as I valued your life today, so may the LORD value my life and rescue me from all trouble.”
25 Saul said to him, “May you be blessed, David my son. You will accomplish great things and will surely prevail.”
So David went on his way, and Saul returned home.
1 Samuel 27
David and the Philistines
1 David, however, said to himself, “One of these days now I will be swept away by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than to escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will stop searching for me all over Israel, and I will slip out of his hand.”
2 So David set out with his six hundred men and went to Achish son of Maoch, a the king of Gath. 3 David and his men settled in Gath with Achish. Each man had his family with him, and David had his two wives: Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail of Carmel, the widow of Nabal. 4 And when Saul learned that David had fled to Gath, he no longer searched for him.
5 Then David said to Achish, “If I have found favor in your eyes, let me be assigned a place in one of the outlying towns, so I can live there. For why should your servant live in the royal city with you?”
6 That day Achish gave him Ziklag, and to this day it still belongs to the kings of Judah. 7 And the time that David lived in Philistine territory amounted to a year and four months.
8 Now David and his men went up and raided the Geshurites, the Girzites, and the Amalekites. (From ancient times these people had inhabited the land extending to Shur and Egypt.) 9 Whenever David attacked a territory, he did not leave a man or woman alive, but he took the flocks and herds, the donkeys, camels, and clothing.
Then he would return to Achish, 10 who would ask him, “What have you raided today?”
And David would reply, “The Negev of Judah,” or “The Negev of Jerahmeel,” or “The Negev of the Kenites.”
11 David did not leave a man or woman alive to be brought to Gath, for he said, “Otherwise they will report us, saying, ‘This is what David did.’ ” And this was David’s custom the whole time he lived in Philistine territory.
12 So Achish trusted David, thinking, “Since he has made himself an utter stench to his people Israel, he will be my servant forever.”
Footnotes:
2 a Maoch is a variant of Maacah ; see 1 Kings 2:39.
1 Samuel 28
The Philistines Gather against Israel
1 Now in those days the Philistines gathered their forces for warfare against Israel. So Achish said to David, “You must understand that you and your men are to go out to battle with me.”
2 David replied, “Then you will come to know what your servant can do.”
“Very well,” said Achish. “I will make you my bodyguard for life.”
3 Now by this time Samuel had died, and all Israel had mourned for him and buried him in Ramah, his own city. And Saul had removed the mediums and spiritists from the land.
4 The Philistines came together and camped at Shunem, while Saul gathered all Israel and camped at Gilboa. 5 When Saul saw the Philistine army, he was afraid and trembled violently. 6 He inquired of the LORD, but the LORD did not answer him by dreams or Urim a or prophets.
Saul and the Medium of Endor
7 Then Saul said to his servants, “Find me a woman who is a medium, so I can go and consult her.”
“There is a medium at Endor,” his servants replied.
8 So Saul disguised himself by putting on different clothes, and he set out with two of his men. They came to the woman at night, and Saul said, “Consult a spirit for me. Bring up for me the one I name.”
9 But the woman replied, “Surely you know what Saul has done, how he has killed the mediums and spiritists in the land. Why have you set a trap to get me killed?”
10 Then Saul swore to her by the LORD: “As surely as the LORD lives, no punishment shall come upon you for this.”
11 “Whom shall I bring up for you?” the woman asked.
“Bring up Samuel,” he replied.
12 But when the woman saw Samuel, she cried out in a loud voice and said to Saul, “Why have you deceived me? You are Saul!”
13 “Do not be afraid,” the king replied. “What do you see?”
“I see a god b coming up out of the earth,” the woman answered.
14 “What does he look like?” asked Saul.
“An old man is coming up,” she replied. “And he is wearing a robe.”
So Saul knew that it was Samuel, and he bowed facedown in reverence.
15 Then Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?”
“I am deeply distressed,” replied Saul. “The Philistines are fighting against me, and God has turned away from me. He no longer answers me, either by prophets or by dreams. So I have called on you to tell me what to do.”
16 “Why do you consult me,” asked Samuel, “since the LORD has turned away from you and become your enemy? 17 He has done exactly what He spoke through me: The LORD has torn the kingship out of your hand and given it to your neighbor David. 18 Because you did not obey the LORD or carry out His burning anger against Amalek, the LORD has done this to you today. 19 Moreover, the LORD will deliver Israel with you into the hand of the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. And the LORD will deliver the army of Israel into the hand of the Philistines.”
20 Immediately Saul fell flat on the ground, terrified by the words of Samuel. And his strength was gone, because he had not eaten anything all that day and night.
21 When the woman came to Saul and saw how distraught he was, she said to him, “Look, your maidservant has obeyed your voice. I took my life in my hands and did as you told me. 22 Now please listen to your servant and let me set a morsel of bread before you so you may eat and have the strength to go on your way.”
23 Saul refused, saying, “I will not eat.” But his servants joined the woman in urging him, and he heeded their voice. He got up from the ground and sat on the bed.
24 The woman had a fattened calf at her house, and she quickly slaughtered it. She also took flour, kneaded it, and baked unleavened bread. 25 She served it to Saul and his servants, and they ate. And that night they got up and left.
Footnotes:
6 a Literally Lights
13 b Or I see a spirit or I see a divine being
1 Samuel 29
The Philistines Reject David
1 Now the Philistines brought all their forces together at Aphek, while Israel camped by the spring in Jezreel. 2 As the Philistine leaders marched out their units of hundreds and thousands, David and his men marched behind them with Achish.
3 Then the commanders of the Philistines asked, “What about these Hebrews?”
Achish replied, “Is this not David, the servant of King Saul of Israel? He has been with me all these days, even years, and from the day he defected until today I have found no fault in him.”
4 But the commanders of the Philistines were angry with Achish and told him, “Send that man back and let him return to the place you assigned him. He must not go down with us into battle only to become our adversary during the war. What better way for him to regain the favor of his master than with the heads of our men? 5 Is this not the David about whom they sing in their dances:
‘Saul has slain his thousands,
and David his tens of thousands’?”
6 So Achish summoned David and told him, “As surely as the LORD lives, you have been upright in my sight, and it seems right that you should march in and out with me in the army, because I have found no fault in you from the day you came to me until this day. But you have no favor in the sight of the leaders. 7 Therefore turn back now and go in peace, so that you will not do anything to displease the leaders of the Philistines.”
8 “But what have I done?” David replied. “What have you found against your servant, from the day I came to you until today, to keep me from going along to fight against the enemies of my lord the king?”
9 Achish replied, “I know that you are as pleasing in my sight as an angel of God. But the commanders of the Philistines have said, ‘He must not go into battle with us.’ 10 Now then, get up early in the morning, along with your master’s servants who came with you, and go as soon as it is light.”
11 So David and his men got up early in the morning to return to the land of the Philistines. And the Philistines went up to Jezreel.
1 Samuel 30
The Amalekites Raid Ziklag
1 On the third day David and his men arrived in Ziklag, and the Amalekites had raided the Negev, attacked Ziklag, and burned it down. 2 They had taken captive the women and all a who were there, both young and old. They had not killed anyone, but had carried them off as they went on their way.
3 When David and his men came to the city, they found it burned down and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive. 4 So David and the troops with him lifted up their voices and wept until they had no strength left to weep.
5 David’s two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel, had been taken captive. 6 And David was greatly distressed because the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of every man grieved for his sons and daughters. But David found strength in the LORD his God.
David Destroys the Amalekites
7 Then David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, “Bring me the ephod.”
So Abiathar brought it to him, 8 and David inquired of the LORD: “Should I pursue these raiders? Will I overtake them?”
“Pursue them,” the LORD replied, “for you will surely overtake them and rescue the captives.”
9 So David and his six hundred men went to the Brook of Besor, where some stayed behind 10 because two hundred men were too exhausted to cross the brook. But David and four hundred men continued in pursuit.
11 Now his men found an Egyptian in the field and brought him to David. They gave the man water to drink and food to eat— 12 a piece of a fig cake and two clusters of raisins. So he ate and was revived, for he had not had any food or water for three days and three nights.
13 Then David asked him, “To whom do you belong, and where are you from?”
“I am an Egyptian,” he replied, “the slave of an Amalekite. My master abandoned me three days ago when I fell ill. 14 We raided the Negev of the Cherethites, the territory of Judah, and the Negev of Caleb, and we burned down Ziklag.”
15 “Will you lead me to these raiders?” David asked.
And the man replied, “Swear to me by God that you will not kill me or deliver me into the hand of my master, and I will lead you to them.”
16 So he led David down, and there were the Amalekites spread out over all the land, eating, drinking, and celebrating the great amount of plunder they had taken from the land of the Philistines and the land of Judah. 17 And David struck them down from twilight until the evening of the next day. Not a man escaped, except four hundred young men who fled, riding off on camels.
18 So David recovered everything the Amalekites had taken, including his two wives. 19 Nothing was missing, young or old, son or daughter, or any of the plunder the Amalekites had taken. David brought everything back. 20 And he recovered all the flocks and herds, which his men drove ahead of the other livestock, calling out, “This is David’s plunder!”
The Spoils Are Divided
21 When David came to the two hundred men who had been too exhausted to follow him from the Brook of Besor, they came out to meet him and the troops with him. As David approached the men, he greeted them, 22 but all the wicked and worthless men among those who had gone with David said, “Because they did not go with us, we will not share with them the plunder we recovered, except for each man’s wife and children. They may take them and go.”
23 But David said, “My brothers, you must not do this with what the LORD has given us. He has protected us and delivered into our hands the raiders who came against us. 24 Who will listen to your proposal? The share of the one who went to battle will match the share of the one who stayed with the supplies. They will share alike.”
25 And so it has been from that day forward. David established this statute as an ordinance for Israel to this very day.
26 When David arrived in Ziklag, he sent some of the plunder to his friends, the elders of Judah, saying, “Here is a gift for you from the plunder of the LORD’s enemies.” 27 He sent gifts to those in Bethel, Ramoth Negev, and Jattir; 28 to those in Aroer, Siphmoth, and Eshtemoa; 29 to those in Racal and in the cities of the Jerahmeelites and Kenites; 30 to those in Hormah, Bor-ashan, and Athach; 31 and to those in Hebron and in all the places where David and his men had roamed.
Footnotes:
2 a LXX; Hebrew does not include and all .
1 Samuel 31
Saul’s Overthrow and Death
(2 Samuel 1:1–16; 1 Chronicles 10:1–6)
1 Now the Philistines fought against Israel, and the men of Israel fled before them, and many fell slain on Mount Gilboa.
2 The Philistines followed hard after Saul and his sons, and they killed Saul’s sons Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua. 3 When the battle intensified against Saul, the archers overtook him and wounded him critically.
4 Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword and run it through me, or these uncircumcised men will come and run me through and torture me!”
But his armor-bearer was terrified and refused to do it. So Saul took his own sword and fell on it.
5 When his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he too fell on his own sword and died with him.
6 So Saul, his three sons, his armor-bearer, and all his men died together that same day.
The Philistines Possess the Towns
(1 Chronicles 10:7–10)
7 When the Israelites along the valley and those on the other side of the Jordan saw that the army of Israel had fled and that Saul and his sons had died, they abandoned their cities and ran away. So the Philistines came and occupied their cities.
8 The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the dead, they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. 9 They cut off Saul’s head, stripped off his armor, and sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines to proclaim the news in the temples of their idols and among their people. 10 They put his armor in the temple of the Ashtoreths and hung his body on the wall of Beth-shan.
Jabesh-gilead’s Tribute to Saul
(1 Chronicles 10:11–14)
11 When the people of Jabesh-gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, 12 all their men of valor set out, journeyed all night, and retrieved the bodies of Saul and his sons from the wall of Beth-shan.
When they arrived at Jabesh, they burned the bodies there. 13 Then they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh, and they fasted seven days.
2 Samuel
2 Samuel 1
Saul’s Death Reported to David
(1 Samuel 31:1–6; 1 Chronicles 10:1–6)
1 After the death of Saul, David returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites and stayed in Ziklag two days. 2 On the third day a man with torn clothes and dust on his head arrived from Saul’s camp. When he came to David, he fell to the ground to pay him homage.
3 “Where have you come from?” David asked.
“I have escaped from the Israelite camp,” he replied.
4 “What was the outcome?” David asked. “Please tell me.”
“The troops fled from the battle,” he replied. “Many of them fell and died. And Saul and his son Jonathan are also dead.”
5 Then David asked the young man who had brought him the report, “How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?”
6 “I happened to be on Mount Gilboa,” he replied, “and there was Saul, leaning on his spear, with the chariots and the cavalry closing in on him. 7 When he turned around and saw me, he called out and I answered, ‘Here I am!’
8 ‘Who are you?’ he asked.
So I told him, ‘I am an Amalekite.’
9 Then he begged me, ‘Stand over me and kill me, for agony has seized me, but my life still lingers.’
10 So I stood over him and killed him, because I knew that after he had fallen he could not survive. And I took the crown that was on his head and the band that was on his arm, and I have brought them here to my lord.”
11 Then David took hold of his own clothes and tore them, and all the men who were with him did the same. 12 They mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul and his son Jonathan, and for the people of the LORD and the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.
13 And David inquired of the young man who had brought him the report, “Where are you from?”
“I am the son of a foreigner,” he answered. “I am an Amalekite.”
14 So David asked him, “Why were you not afraid to lift your hand to destroy the LORD’s anointed?” 15 Then David summoned one of the young men and said, “Go, execute him!” So the young man struck him down, and he died. 16 For David had said to the Amalekite, “Your blood be on your own head because your own mouth has testified against you, saying, ‘I killed the LORD’s anointed.’ ”
David’s Song for Saul and Jonathan
17 Then David took up this lament for Saul and his son Jonathan, 18 and he ordered that the sons of Judah be taught the Song of the Bow. a It is written in the Book of Jashar: b
19 “Your glory, O Israel, lies slain on your heights.
How the mighty have fallen!
20 Tell it not in Gath;
proclaim it not in the streets of Ashkelon,
lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice,
and the daughters of the uncircumcised exult.
21 O mountains of Gilboa,
may you have no dew or rain,
no fields yielding offerings of grain. c
For there the shield of the mighty was defiled,
the shield of Saul, no longer anointed with oil.
22 From the blood of the slain,
from the fat of the mighty,
the bow of Jonathan did not retreat,
and the sword of Saul did not return empty.
23 Saul and Jonathan, beloved and delightful in life,
were not divided in death.
They were swifter than eagles,
they were stronger than lions.
24 O daughters of Israel,
weep for Saul,
who clothed you in scarlet and luxury,
who decked your garments with ornaments of gold.
25 How the mighty have fallen in the thick of battle!
Jonathan lies slain on your heights.
26 I grieve for you, Jonathan, my brother.
You were delightful to me;
your love to me was extraordinary,
surpassing the love of women.
27 How the mighty have fallen
and the weapons of war have perished!”
Footnotes:
18 a Or be taught the use of the bow ; literally be taught the bow
18 b Or the Book of the Upright One , commonly cited as Jasher ; note that the Song of the Bow that follows is not found in known manuscripts attributed to Jasher.
21 c Or no showers falling on your terraced fields ; LXX no fields of firstfruits ; Hebrew no fields of offerings
2 Samuel 2
David Anointed King of Judah
1 Some time later, David inquired of the LORD, “Should I go up to one of the towns of Judah?”
“Go up,” the LORD answered.
Then David asked, “Where should I go?”
“To Hebron,” replied the LORD.
2 So David went there with his two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel. 3 David also took the men who were with him, each with his household, and they settled in the towns near Hebron.
4 Then the men of Judah came to Hebron, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah. And they told David, “It was the men of Jabesh-gilead who buried Saul.”
5 So David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh-gilead to tell them, “The LORD bless you, because you showed this kindness to Saul your lord when you buried him. 6 Now may the LORD show you loving devotion a and faithfulness, and I will also show you the same favor because you have done this. 7 Now then, be strong and courageous, for though Saul your lord is dead, the house of Judah has anointed me as their king.”
Ish-bosheth Made King of Israel
8 Meanwhile, Abner son of Ner, the commander of Saul’s army, took Saul’s son Ish-bosheth, b moved him to Mahanaim, 9 and made him king over Gilead, Asher, Jezreel, Ephraim, and Benjamin—over all Israel.
10 Saul’s son Ish-bosheth was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and he reigned for two years.
The house of Judah, however, followed David. 11 And the length of time that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months.
The Battle of Gibeon
12 One day Abner son of Ner and the servants of Ish-bosheth son of Saul marched out from Mahanaim to Gibeon. 13 So Joab son of Zeruiah, along with the servants of David, marched out and met them by the pool of Gibeon. And the two camps took up positions on opposite sides of the pool.
14 Then Abner said to Joab, “Let us have the young men get up and compete before us.”
“Let them get up,” Joab replied.
15 So they got up and were counted off—twelve for Benjamin and Ish-bosheth son of Saul, and twelve for David. 16 Then each man grabbed his opponent by the head and thrust his sword into his opponent’s side, and they all fell together. So this place, which is in Gibeon, is called Helkath-hazzurim. c
17 The battle that day was intense, and Abner and the men of Israel were defeated by the servants of David.
18 The three sons of Zeruiah were there: Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. Now Asahel was fleet of foot like a wild gazelle, 19 and he chased Abner, not turning to the right or to the left in his pursuit. 20 And Abner glanced back and said, “Is that you, Asahel?”
“It is,” Asahel replied.
21 So Abner told him, “Turn to your right or to your left, seize one of the young men, and take his equipment for yourself.”
But Asahel would not stop chasing him.
22 Once again, Abner warned Asahel, “Stop chasing me. Why should I strike you to the ground? How could I show my face to your brother Joab?”
23 But Asahel refused to turn away; so Abner thrust the butt of his spear into his stomach, and it came out his back, and he fell dead on the spot. And every man paused when he came to the place where Asahel had fallen and died. 24 But Joab and Abishai pursued Abner. By sunset, they had gone as far as the hill of Ammah opposite Giah on the way to the wilderness of Gibeon.
25 The Benjamites rallied to Abner, formed a single unit, and took their stand atop a hill. 26 Then Abner called out to Joab: “Must the sword devour forever? Do you not realize that this will only end in bitterness? How long before you tell the troops to stop pursuing their brothers?”
27 “As surely as God lives,” Joab replied, “if you had not spoken up, the troops would have continued pursuing their brothers until morning.”
28 So Joab blew the ram’s horn, and all the troops stopped; they no longer pursued Israel or continued to fight. 29 And all that night Abner and his men marched through the Arabah. They crossed the Jordan, marched all morning, d and arrived at Mahanaim.
30 When Joab returned from pursuing Abner, he gathered all the troops.
In addition to Asahel, nineteen of David’s servants were missing, 31 but they had struck down 360 Benjamites who were with Abner. 32 Later, they took Asahel and buried him in his father’s tomb in Bethlehem. Then Joab and his men marched all night and reached Hebron at daybreak.
Footnotes:
6 a Forms of the Hebrew chesed are translated here and in most cases throughout the Scriptures as loving devotion ; the range of meaning includes love , goodness , kindness , faithfulness , and mercy , as well as loyalty to a covenant .
8 b Ish-bosheth is also called Esh-baal ; see 1 Chronicles 8:33.
16 c Helkath-hazzurim means the Field of Swords .
29 d See LXX; Hebrew marched all through Bithron
2 Samuel 3
The House of David Strengthened
(1 Chronicles 3:1–9)
1 Now the war between the house of Saul and the house of David was protracted. And David grew stronger and stronger, while the house of Saul grew weaker and weaker.
2 And sons were born to David in Hebron:
His firstborn was Amnon, by Ahinoam of Jezreel;
3 his second was Chileab, a by Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel;
his third was Absalom, the son of Maacah daughter of King Talmai of Geshur;
4 his fourth was Adonijah, the son of Haggith;
his fifth was Shephatiah, the son of Abital;
5 and his sixth was Ithream, by David’s wife Eglah.
These sons were born to David in Hebron.
Abner Joins David
6 During the war between the house of Saul and the house of David, Abner had continued to strengthen his position in the house of Saul. 7 Meanwhile, Saul had a concubine named Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah. So Ish-bosheth questioned Abner, “Why did you sleep with my father’s concubine?”
8 Abner was furious over Ish-bosheth’s accusation. “Am I the head of a dog that belongs to Judah?” he asked. “All this time I have been loyal to the house of your father Saul, to his brothers, and to his friends. I have not delivered you into the hand of David, but now you accuse me of wrongdoing with this woman! 9 May God punish Abner, and ever so severely, if I do not do for David what the LORD has sworn to him: 10 to transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul and to establish the throne of David over Israel and Judah, from Dan to Beersheba.”
11 And for fear of Abner, Ish-bosheth did not dare to say another word to him.
12 Then Abner sent messengers in his place to say to David, “To whom does the land belong? Make your covenant with me, and surely my hand will be with you to bring all Israel over to you.”
13 “Good,” replied David, “I will make a covenant with you. But there is one thing I require of you: Do not appear before me unless you bring Saul’s daughter Michal when you come to see me.”
14 Then David sent messengers to say to Ish-bosheth son of Saul, “Give me back my wife, Michal, whom I betrothed to myself for a hundred Philistine foreskins.”
15 So Ish-bosheth sent and took Michal from her husband Paltiel b son of Laish. 16 Her husband followed her, weeping all the way to Bahurim. Then Abner said to him, “Go back.” So he returned home.
17 Now Abner conferred with the elders of Israel and said, “In the past you sought David as your king. 18 Now take action, because the LORD has said to David, ‘Through My servant David I will save My people Israel from the hands of the Philistines and of all their enemies.’ ”
19 Abner also spoke to the Benjamites and went to Hebron to tell David all that seemed good to Israel and to the whole house of Benjamin. 20 When Abner and twenty of his men came to David at Hebron, David held a feast for them.
21 Then Abner said to David, “Let me go at once, and I will gather all Israel to my lord the king, that they may make a covenant with you, and that you may rule over all that your heart desires.”
So David dismissed Abner, and he went in peace.
Joab Murders Abner
22 Just then David’s soldiers and Joab returned from a raid, bringing with them a great plunder. But Abner was not with David in Hebron because David had sent him on his way in peace. 23 When Joab and all his troops arrived, he was informed, “Abner son of Ner came to see the king, who sent him on his way in peace.”
24 So Joab went to the king and said, “What have you done? Look, Abner came to you. Why did you dismiss him? Now he is getting away! 25 Surely you realize that Abner son of Ner came to deceive you and to track your movements and all that you are doing.”
26 As soon as Joab had left David, he sent messengers after Abner, who brought him back from the well of Sirah; but David was unaware of it.
27 When Abner returned to Hebron, Joab pulled him aside into the gateway, as if to speak to him privately, and there Joab stabbed him in the stomach. So Abner died on account of the blood of Joab’s brother Asahel.
28 Afterward, David heard about this and said, “I and my kingdom are forever guiltless before the LORD concerning the blood of Abner son of Ner. 29 May it whirl over the heads of Joab and the entire house of his father, and may the house of Joab never be without one having a discharge or skin disease, or one who leans on a staff or falls by the sword or lacks food.”
30 (Joab and his brother Abishai murdered Abner because he had killed their brother Asahel in the battle at Gibeon.)
David Mourns for Abner
31 Then David ordered Joab and all the people with him, “Tear your clothes, put on sackcloth, and mourn before Abner.” And King David himself walked behind the funeral bier.
32 When they buried Abner in Hebron, the king wept aloud at Abner’s tomb, and all the people wept. 33 And the king sang this lament for Abner:
“Should Abner die
the death of a fool?
34 Your hands were not bound,
your feet were not fettered.
As a man falls before the wicked,
so also you fell.”
And all the people wept over him even more.
35 Then all the people came and urged David to eat something while it was still day, but David took an oath, saying, “May God punish me, and ever so severely, if I taste bread or anything else before the sun sets!”
36 All the people took note and were pleased. In fact, everything the king did pleased them. 37 So on that day all the troops and all Israel were convinced that the king had no part in the murder of Abner son of Ner.
38 Then the king said to his servants, “Do you not realize that a great prince has fallen today in Israel? 39 And I am weak this day, though anointed as king, and these men, the sons of Zeruiah, are too fierce for me. May the LORD repay the evildoer according to his evil!”
Footnotes:
3 a LXX Daluia ; some translators Daniel ; see 1 Chronicles 3:1.
15 b Paltiel is a variant of Palti ; see 1 Samuel 25:44.
2 Samuel 4
The Murder of Ish-bosheth
1 Now when Ish-bosheth son of Saul heard that Abner had died in Hebron, he lost courage, and all Israel was dismayed. 2 Saul’s son had two men who were leaders of raiding parties. One was named Baanah and the other Rechab; they were sons of Rimmon the Beerothite of the tribe of Benjamin—Beeroth is considered part of Benjamin, 3 because the Beerothites fled to Gittaim and have lived there as foreigners to this day.
4 And Jonathan son of Saul had a son who was lame in his feet. He was five years old when the report about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel. His nurse picked him up and fled, but as she was hurrying to escape, he fell and became lame. His name was Mephibosheth.
5 Now Rechab and Baanah, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, set out and arrived at the house of Ish-bosheth in the heat of the day, while the king was taking his midday nap. 6 They entered the interior of the house as if to get some wheat, and they stabbed him in the stomach. Then Rechab and his brother Baanah slipped away.
7 They had entered the house while Ish-bosheth was lying on his bed, and having stabbed and killed him, they beheaded him, took his head, and traveled all night by way of the Arabah. 8 They brought the head of Ish-bosheth to David at Hebron and said to the king, “Here is the head of Ish-bosheth son of Saul, your enemy who sought your life. Today the LORD has granted vengeance to my lord the king against Saul and his offspring.”
The Execution of Rechab and Baanah
9 But David answered Rechab and his brother Baanah, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, “As surely as the LORD lives, who has redeemed my life from all distress, 10 when someone told me, ‘Look, Saul is dead,’ and thought he was a bearer of good news, I seized him and put him to death at Ziklag. That was his reward for his news! 11 How much more, when wicked men kill a righteous man in his own house and on his own bed, shall I not now require his blood from your hands and remove you from the earth!”
12 So David commanded his young men, and they killed Rechab and Baanah. They cut off their hands and feet and hung their bodies by the pool in Hebron, but they took the head of Ish-bosheth and buried it in Abner’s tomb in Hebron.
2 Samuel 5
David Anointed King of All Israel
(1 Chronicles 11:1–3)
1 Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, “Here we are, your own flesh and blood. 2 Even in times past, while Saul was king over us, you were the one who led Israel out and brought them back. And to you the LORD said, ‘You will shepherd My people Israel, and you will be ruler over them.’ ”
3 So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, where King David made with them a covenant before the LORD. And they anointed him king over Israel.
4 David was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned forty years. 5 In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty-three years over all Israel and Judah.
David Conquers Jerusalem
(1 Chronicles 11:4–9)
6 Now the king and his men marched to Jerusalem against the Jebusites who inhabited the land. The Jebusites said to David: “You will never get in here. Even the blind and lame can repel you.” For they thought, “David cannot get in here.”
7 Nevertheless, David captured the fortress of Zion (that is, the City of David). 8 On that day he said, “Whoever attacks the Jebusites must use the water shaft to reach the lame and blind who are despised by David. a” That is why it is said, “The blind and the lame will never enter the palace.”
9 So David took up residence in the fortress and called it the City of David. He built it up all the way around, from the supporting terraces b inward. 10 And David became greater and greater, for the LORD God of Hosts was with him.
11 Now Hiram king of Tyre sent envoys to David, along with cedar logs, carpenters, and stonemasons, and they built a palace for David.
David’s Family Grows
(1 Chronicles 14:1–7)
12 And David realized that the LORD had established him as king over Israel and had exalted his kingdom for the sake of His people Israel.
13 After he had arrived from Hebron, David took more concubines and wives from Jerusalem, and more sons and daughters were born to him. 14 These are the names of the children born to him in Jerusalem: Shammua, c Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, 15 Ibhar, Elishua, Nepheg, Japhia, 16 Elishama, Eliada, and Eliphelet.
Two Victories over the Philistines
(1 Chronicles 14:8–17)
17 When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over Israel, they all went in search of him; but David learned of this and went down to the stronghold.
18 Now the Philistines had come and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim. 19 So David inquired of the LORD, “Should I go up against the Philistines? Will You deliver them into my hand?”
“Go,” replied the LORD, “for I will surely deliver the Philistines into your hand.”
20 So David went to Baal-perazim, where he defeated the Philistines and said, “Like a bursting flood, the LORD has burst out against my enemies before me.” So he called that place Baal-perazim. d 21 There the Philistines abandoned their idols, and David and his men carried them away.
22 Once again the Philistines came up and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim. 23 So David inquired of the LORD, who answered, “Do not march straight up, but circle around behind them and attack them in front of the balsam trees. e 24 As soon as you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, move quickly, because this will mean that the LORD has marched out before you to strike the camp of the Philistines.”
25 So David did as the LORD had commanded him, and he struck down the Philistines all the way from Gibeon f to Gezer.
Footnotes:
8 a Or who are enemies of David
9 b Hebrew the Millo
14 c Shammua is a variant of Shimea ; see 1 Chronicles 3:5.
20 d Baal-perazim means The Lord Bursts Out .
23 e Or aspen trees or poplar trees ; also in verse 24
25 f LXX (see also 1 Chronicles 14:16); Hebrew Geba
2 Samuel 6
David Fetches the Ark
(1 Chronicles 13:1–7)
1 David again assembled the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand in all. 2 And he and all his troops set out for Baale of Judah a to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the Name— b the name of the LORD of Hosts, who is enthroned between the cherubim that are on it.
3 They set the ark of God on a new cart and brought it from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, were guiding the new cart, 4 bringing with it the ark of God. c And Ahio was walking in front of the ark.
Uzzah Touches the Ark
(1 Chronicles 13:8–14)
5 David and all the house of Israel were celebrating before the LORD with all kinds of wood instruments, d harps, stringed instruments, tambourines, sistrums, and cymbals.
6 When they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, e Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark of God, because the oxen had stumbled. 7 And the anger of the LORD burned against Uzzah, and God struck him down on the spot for his irreverence, f and he died there beside the ark of God.
8 Then David became angry because the LORD had burst forth against Uzzah; so he named that place Perez-uzzah, g as it is called to this day.
9 That day David feared the LORD and asked, “How can the ark of the LORD ever come to me?” 10 So he was unwilling to move the ark of the LORD to the City of David; instead, he took it aside to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite. 11 Thus the ark of the LORD remained in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite for three months, and the LORD blessed him and all his household.
The Ark Brought to Jerusalem
(1 Chronicles 15:1–28)
12 Now it was reported to King David, “The LORD has blessed the house of Obed-edom and all that belongs to him, because of the ark of God.”
So David went and had the ark of God brought up from the house of Obed-edom into the City of David with rejoicing. 13 When those carrying the ark of the LORD had advanced six paces, he sacrificed an ox and a fattened calf.
14 And David, wearing a linen ephod, danced with all his might before the LORD, 15 while he and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouting and the sounding of the ram’s horn.
Michal’s Contempt for David
(1 Chronicles 15:29–16:3)
16 As the ark of the LORD was entering the City of David, Saul’s daughter Michal looked down from a window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the LORD, and she despised him in her heart.
17 So they brought the ark of the LORD and set it in its place inside the tent that David had pitched for it. Then David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD.
18 When David had finished sacrificing the burnt offerings and peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD of Hosts. 19 Then he distributed to every man and woman among the multitude of Israel a loaf of bread, a date cake, h and a raisin cake. And all the people departed, each for his own home.
20 As soon as David returned home to bless his own household, Saul’s daughter Michal came out to meet him. “How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today!” she said. “He has uncovered himself today in the sight of the maidservants of his subjects, like a vulgar person would do.”
21 But David said to Michal, “I was dancing before the LORD, who chose me over your father and all his house when He appointed me ruler over the LORD’s people Israel. I will celebrate before the LORD, 22 and I will humiliate and humble myself even more than this. Yet I will be honored by the maidservants of whom you have spoken.”
23 And Michal the daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death.
Footnotes:
2 a That is, Kiriath-jearim; see 1 Chronicles 13:6.
2 b Hebrew; LXX and Vulgate do not include the Name—
4 c DSS and some LXX manuscripts; MT includes from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill .
5 d Literally before the LORD with all woods of cypress ; LXX playing before the Lord on well-tuned instruments mightily, and with songs ; some of the instruments in this verse are uncertain; see 1 Chronicles 13:8.
6 e Nacon is a variant of Chidon ; see 1 Chronicles 13:9.
7 f MT; DSS for this
8 g Perez-uzzah means outbreak against Uzzah .
19 h Or a portion of meat
2 Samuel 7
God’s Covenant with David
(1 Chronicles 17:1–15)
1 After the king had settled into his palace and the LORD had given him rest from all his enemies around him, 2 he said to Nathan the prophet, “Here I am, living in a house of cedar, while the ark of God remains in a tent.”
3 And Nathan replied to the king, “Go and do all that is in your heart, for the LORD is with you.”
4 But that night the word of the LORD came to Nathan, saying, 5 “Go and tell My servant David that this is what the LORD says: Are you the one to build for Me a house to dwell in? 6 For I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought the Israelites up out of Egypt until this day, but I have moved about with a tent as My dwelling. 7 In all My journeys with all the Israelites, have I ever asked any of the leaders a I appointed to shepherd My people Israel, ‘Why haven’t you built Me a house of cedar?’
8 Now then, you are to tell My servant David that this is what the LORD of Hosts says: I took you from the pasture, from following the flock, to be the ruler over My people Israel. 9 I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you. Now I will make for you a name like the greatest in the land.
10 And I will provide a place for My people Israel and will plant them so that they may dwell in a place of their own and be disturbed no more. No longer will the sons of wickedness oppress them as they did at the beginning 11 and have done since the day I appointed judges over My people Israel. I will give you rest from all your enemies.
The LORD declares to you that He Himself will establish a house for you. 12 And when your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He will build a house for My Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 I will be his Father, and he will be My son. b When he does wrong, I will discipline him with the rod of men and with the blows of the sons of men.
15 But My loving devotion will never be removed from him as I removed it from Saul, whom I moved out of your way. 16 Your house and kingdom will endure forever before Me, c and your throne will be established forever.”
17 So Nathan relayed to David all the words of this entire vision.
David’s Prayer of Thanksgiving
(1 Chronicles 17:16–27)
18 Then King David went in, sat before the LORD, and said, “Who am I, O Lord GOD, and what is my house, that You have brought me this far? 19 And as if this was a small thing in Your eyes, O Lord GOD, You have also spoken about the future of the house of Your servant. Is this Your custom with man, O Lord GOD? d 20 What more can David say to You? For You know Your servant, O Lord GOD. 21 For the sake of Your word and according to Your own heart, You have accomplished this great thing and revealed it to Your servant.
22 How great You are, O Lord GOD! For there is none like You, and there is no God but You, according to everything we have heard with our own ears. 23 And who is like Your people Israel—the one nation on earth whom God went out to redeem as a people for Himself and to make a name for Himself? You performed great and awesome wonders by driving out nations and their gods from before Your people, whom You redeemed for Yourself from Egypt. e 24 For You have established Your people Israel as Your very own forever, and You, O LORD, have become their God.
25 And now, O LORD God, confirm forever the word You have spoken concerning Your servant and his house. Do as You have promised, 26 so that Your name will be magnified forever when it is said, ‘The LORD of Hosts is God over Israel.’ And the house of Your servant David will be established before You. 27 For You, O LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, have revealed this to Your servant when You said, ‘I will build a house for you.’ Therefore Your servant has found the courage to offer this prayer to You.
28 And now, O Lord GOD, You are God! Your words are true, and You have promised this goodness to Your servant. 29 Now therefore, may it please You to bless the house of Your servant, that it may continue forever before You. For You, O Lord GOD, have spoken, and with Your blessing the house of Your servant will be blessed forever.”
Footnotes:
7 a Or tribes
14 b Cited in Hebrews 1:5
16 c Some Hebrew manuscripts and LXX; most Hebrew manuscripts you
19 d Or And this is Your instruction for mankind, O Lord GOD.
23 e See LXX and 1 Chronicles 17:21; Hebrew You performed for Yourself great and awesome wonders for Your land, before Your people, whom You have redeemed for Yourself from Egypt, from nations and their gods.
2 Samuel 8
David’s Triumphs
(1 Chronicles 18:1–13; Psalm 60:1–12)
1 Some time later, David defeated the Philistines, subdued them, and took Metheg-ammah a from the hand of the Philistines.
2 David also defeated the Moabites, made them lie down on the ground, and measured them off with a cord. He measured off with two lengths those to be put to death, and with one length those to be spared. So the Moabites became subject to David and brought him tribute.
3 David also defeated Hadadezer son of Rehob, king of Zobah, who had marched out to restore his dominion along the Euphrates River. b 4 David captured from him a thousand chariots, seven thousand charioteers, c and twenty thousand foot soldiers, and he hamstrung all the horses except a hundred he kept for the chariots.
5 When the Arameans of Damascus came to help King Hadadezer of Zobah, David struck down twenty-two thousand men. 6 Then he placed garrisons in Aram of Damascus, and the Arameans became subject to David and brought him tribute. So the LORD made David victorious wherever he went.
7 And David took the gold shields that belonged to the officers of Hadadezer and brought them to Jerusalem. 8 And from Betah d and Berothai, cities of Hadadezer, King David took a large amount of bronze.
9 When King Toi e of Hamath heard that David had defeated the entire army of Hadadezer, 10 he sent his son Joram f to greet King David and bless him for fighting and defeating Hadadezer, who had been at war with Toi. Joram brought with him articles of silver and gold and bronze, 11 and King David dedicated these to the LORD, along with the silver and gold he had dedicated from all the nations he had subdued— 12 from Edom g and Moab, from the Ammonites and Philistines and Amalekites, and from the spoil of Hadadezer son of Rehob, king of Zobah.
13 And David made a name for himself when he returned from striking down eighteen thousand Edomites h in the Valley of Salt. 14 He placed garrisons throughout Edom, and all the Edomites were subject to David. So the LORD made David victorious wherever he went.
David’s Officers
(1 Chronicles 18:14–17)
15 Thus David reigned over all Israel and administered justice and righteousness for all his people:
16 Joab son of Zeruiah was over the army;
Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was the recorder;
17 Zadok son of Ahitub and Ahimelech son of Abiathar were priests;
Seraiah i was the scribe;
18 Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and Pelethites;
and David’s sons were priestly leaders. j
Footnotes:
1 a Metheg-ammah means bridle of the mother city .
3 b LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate (see also 1 Chronicles 18:3); Hebrew along the River , or an alternate reading along the Euphrates
4 c LXX (see also DSS and 1 Chronicles 18:4); MT captured from him seventeen hundred charioteers
8 d Hebrew; some LXX manuscripts Tebah ; see 1 Chronicles 18:8.
9 e Toi is a variant of Tou ; also in verse 10; see 1 Chronicles 18:9.
10 f Joram is a variant of Hadoram ; see 1 Chronicles 18:10.
12 g Some Hebrew manuscripts, LXX, and Syriac (see also verse 14 and 1 Chronicles 18:11); most Hebrew manuscripts Aram
13 h A few Hebrew manuscripts, LXX, and Syriac (see also verse 14 and 1 Chronicles 18:12); most Hebrew manuscripts Arameans
17 i Seraiah is also called Sheva , Shisha , and Shavsha ; see 2 Samuel 20:25, 1 Kings 4:3, and 1 Chronicles 18:16.
18 j Literally priests , or possibly chief officials ; see LXX, Targum Yonaton, and 1 Chronicles 18:17.
2 Samuel 9
David and Mephibosheth
1 Then David asked, “Is there anyone left from the house of Saul to whom I can show kindness for the sake of Jonathan?”
2 And there was a servant of Saul’s family named Ziba. They summoned him to David, and the king inquired, “Are you Ziba?”
“I am your servant,” he replied.
3 So the king asked, “Is there anyone left of Saul’s family to whom I can show the kindness of God?”
Ziba answered, “There is still Jonathan’s son, who is lame in both feet.”
4 “Where is he?” replied the king.
And Ziba said, “Indeed, he is in Lo-debar at the house of Machir son of Ammiel.”
5 So King David had him brought from the house of Machir son of Ammiel in Lo-debar. 6 And when Mephibosheth a son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came to David, he fell facedown in reverence.
Then David said, “Mephibosheth!”
“I am your servant,” he replied.
7 “Do not be afraid,” said David, “for surely I will show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land of your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table.”
8 Mephibosheth bowed down and said, “What is your servant, that you should show regard for a dead dog like me?”
9 Then the king summoned Saul’s servant Ziba and said to him, “I have given to your master’s grandson all that belonged to Saul and to all his house. 10 You and your sons and servants are to work the ground for him and bring in the harvest, so that your master’s grandson may have food to eat. But Mephibosheth, your master’s grandson, is always to eat at my table.”
Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants. 11 And Ziba said to the king, “Your servant will do all that my lord the king has commanded.”
So Mephibosheth ate at David’s table b like one of the king’s own sons. 12 And Mephibosheth had a young son named Mica, c and all who dwelt in the house of Ziba were servants of Mephibosheth. 13 So Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, because he always ate at the king’s table, and he was lame in both feet.
Footnotes:
6 a Mephibosheth is also called Merib-baal ; see 1 Chronicles 8:34.
11 b LXX; Hebrew my table
12 c Mica is a variant of Micah ; see 1 Chronicles 8:34.
2 Samuel 10
David’s Messengers Disgraced
(1 Chronicles 19:1–9)
1 Some time later, the king of the Ammonites died and was succeeded by his son Hanun. 2 And David said, “I will show kindness to Hanun son of Nahash, just as his father showed kindness to me.”
So David sent some of his servants to console Hanun concerning his father. But when they arrived in the land of the Ammonites, 3 the princes of the Ammonites said to Hanun their lord, “Just because David has sent you comforters, do you really believe he is showing respect for your father? Has not David instead sent his servants to explore the city, spy it out, and overthrow it?”
4 So Hanun took David’s servants, shaved off half of each man’s beard, cut off their garments at the hips, and sent them away.
5 When this was reported to David, he sent messengers to meet the men, since they had been thoroughly humiliated. The king told them, “Stay in Jericho until your beards have grown back, and then return.”
6 When the Ammonites realized that they had become a stench to David, they hired twenty thousand Aramean foot soldiers from Beth-rehob and Zoba, as well as a thousand men from the king of Maacah and twelve thousand men from Tob.
7 On hearing this, David sent Joab and the entire army of mighty men. 8 The Ammonites marched out and arrayed themselves for battle at the entrance of the city gate, while the Arameans of Zobah and Rehob and the men of Tob and Maacah were by themselves in the open country.
David Defeats Ammon and Aram
(1 Chronicles 19:10–19)
9 When Joab saw the battle lines before him and behind him, he selected some of the best men of Israel and arrayed them against the Arameans. 10 And he placed the rest of the forces under the command of his brother Abishai, who arrayed them against the Ammonites.
11 “If the Arameans are too strong for me,” said Joab, “then you will come to my rescue. And if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will come to your rescue. 12 Be strong and let us fight bravely for our people and for the cities of our God. May the LORD do what is good in His sight.”
13 So Joab and his troops advanced to fight the Arameans, who fled before him. 14 When the Ammonites saw that the Arameans had fled, they too fled before Abishai, and they entered the city. So Joab returned from fighting against the Ammonites and came to Jerusalem.
15 When the Arameans saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they regrouped. 16 Hadadezer sent messengers to bring more Arameans from beyond the Euphrates, a and they came to Helam with Shobach b the commander of Hadadezer’s army leading them.
17 When this was reported to David, he gathered all Israel, crossed the Jordan, and went to Helam. Then the Arameans arrayed themselves against David and fought against him. 18 But the Arameans fled before Israel, and David killed seven hundred charioteers and forty thousand foot soldiers. c He also struck down Shobach the commander of their army, who died there.
19 When all the kings who were subject to Hadadezer saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they made peace with Israel and became subject to them. So the Arameans were afraid to help the Ammonites anymore.
Footnotes:
16 a Hebrew the River
16 b Shobach is a variant of Shophach ; see 1 Chronicles 19:16.
18 c Some LXX manuscripts (see also 1 Chronicles 19:18); Hebrew horsemen
2 Samuel 11
David and Bathsheba
1 In the spring, a at the time when kings march out to war, David sent out Joab and his servants with the whole army of Israel. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah, but David remained in Jerusalem.
2 One evening David got up from his bed and strolled around on the roof of the palace. And from the roof he saw a woman bathing—a very beautiful woman. 3 So David sent and inquired about the woman, and he was told, “This is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam b and the wife of Uriah the Hittite.”
4 Then David sent messengers to get her, and when she came to him, he slept with her. (Now she had just purified herself from her uncleanness.) Then she returned home. 5 And the woman conceived and sent word to David, saying, “I am pregnant.”
6 At this, David sent orders to Joab: “Send me Uriah the Hittite.” So Joab sent him to David.
7 When Uriah came to him, David asked how Joab and the troops were doing with the war. 8 Then he said to Uriah, “Go down to your house and wash your feet.”
So Uriah left the palace, and a gift from the king followed him. 9 But Uriah slept at the door of the palace with all his master’s servants; he did not go down to his house.
10 And David was told, “Uriah did not go home.”
“Haven’t you just arrived from a journey?” David asked Uriah. “Why didn’t you go home?”
11 Uriah answered, “The ark and Israel and Judah are dwelling in tents, c and my master Joab and his soldiers are camped in the open field. How can I go to my house to eat and drink and sleep with my wife? As surely as you live, and as your soul lives, I will not do such a thing!”
12 “Stay here one more day,” David said to Uriah, “and tomorrow I will send you back.” So Uriah stayed in Jerusalem that day and the next.
13 Then David invited Uriah to eat and drink with him, and he got Uriah drunk. And in the evening Uriah went out to lie down on his cot with his master’s servants, but he did not go home.
David Arranges Uriah’s Death
14 The next morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it with Uriah. 15 In the letter he wrote: “Put Uriah at the front of the fiercest battle; then withdraw from him, so that he may be struck down and killed.”
16 So as Joab besieged the city, he assigned Uriah to a place where he saw the strongest enemy soldiers. 17 And when the men of the city came out and fought against Joab, some of David’s servants fell, and Uriah the Hittite also died.
18 Joab sent to David a full account of the battle 19 and instructed the messenger, “When you have finished giving the king all the details of the battle, 20 if the king’s anger flares, he may ask you, ‘Why did you get so close to the city to fight? Did you not realize they would shoot from atop the wall? 21 Who was the one to strike Abimelech son of Jerubbesheth d? Was it not a woman who dropped an upper millstone on him from the wall, so that he died in Thebez? Why did you get so close to the wall?’
If so, then you are to say, ‘Your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead as well.’ ”
22 So the messenger set out and reported to David all that Joab had sent him to say. 23 The messenger said to David, “The men overpowered us and came out against us in the field, but we drove them back to the entrance of the gate. 24 Then the archers shot at your servants from the wall, and some of the king’s servants were killed. And your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead as well.”
25 Then David told the messenger, “Say this to Joab: ‘Do not let this matter upset you, for the sword devours one as well as another. Strengthen your attack against the city and demolish it.’ Encourage him with these words.”
David Marries Bathsheba
26 When Uriah’s wife heard that her husband was dead, she mourned for him. 27 And when the time of mourning was over, David had her brought to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son.
But the thing that David had done was evil in the sight of the LORD.
Footnotes:
1 a Literally At the turn of the year
3 b Eliam is a variant of Ammiel ; see 1 Chronicles 3:5.
11 c Or staying at Sukkoth
21 d Jerubbesheth is also known as Jerubbaal , that is, Gideon.
2 Samuel 12
Nathan Rebukes David
(Psalm 51:1–19)
1 Then the LORD sent Nathan to David, and when he arrived, he said, “There were two men in a certain city, one rich and the other poor. 2 The rich man had a great number of sheep and cattle, 3 but the poor man had nothing except one small ewe lamb that he had bought. He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children. It shared his food and drank from his cup; it slept in his arms a and was like a daughter to him.
4 Now a traveler came to the rich man, who refrained from taking one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare for the traveler who had come to him. Instead, he took the poor man’s lamb and prepared it for his guest.”
5 David burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan: “As surely as the LORD lives, the man who did this deserves to die! 6 Because he has done this thing and has shown no pity, he must pay for the lamb four times over.”
7 Then Nathan said to David, “You are that man! This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. 8 I gave your master’s house to you and your master’s wives into your arms. I gave you the house of Israel and Judah, and if that was not enough, I would have given you even more.
9 Why then have you despised the command of the LORD by doing evil in His sight? You put Uriah the Hittite to the sword and took his wife as your own, for you have slain him with the sword of the Ammonites. 10 Now, therefore, the sword will never depart from your house, because you have despised Me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own.’
11 This is what the LORD says: ‘I will raise up adversity against you from your own house. Before your very eyes I will take your wives and give them to another, and he will lie with them in broad daylight. 12 You have acted in secret, but I will do this thing in broad daylight before all Israel.’ ”
David’s Loss and Repentance
13 Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.”
“The LORD has taken away your sin,” Nathan replied. “You will not die. 14 Nevertheless, because by this deed you have shown utter contempt for the word of the LORD, b the son born to you will surely die.”
15 After Nathan had gone home, the LORD struck the child that Uriah’s wife had borne to David, and he became ill. 16 David pleaded with God for the boy. He fasted and went into his house and spent the night lying in sackcloth c on the ground. 17 The elders of his household stood beside him to help him up from the ground, but he was unwilling and would not eat anything with them.
18 On the seventh day the child died. But David’s servants were afraid to tell him that the child was dead, for they said, “Look, while the child was alive, we spoke to him, and he would not listen to us. So how can we tell him the child is dead? He may even harm himself.”
19 When David saw that his servants were whispering to one another, he perceived that the child was dead. So he asked his servants, “Is the child dead?”
“He is dead,” they replied.
20 Then David got up from the ground, washed and anointed himself, changed his clothes, and went into the house of the LORD and worshiped. Then he went to his own house, and at his request they set food before him, and he ate.
21 “What is this you have done?” his servants asked. “While the child was alive, you fasted and wept, but when he died, you got up and ate.”
22 David answered, “While the child was alive, I fasted and wept, for I said, ‘Who knows? The LORD may be gracious to me and let him live.’ 23 But now that he is dead, why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me.”
Solomon’s Birth
24 Then David comforted his wife Bathsheba, and he went to her and lay with her. So she gave birth to a son, and they d named him Solomon.
Now the LORD loved the child 25 and sent word through Nathan the prophet to name him Jedidiah because the LORD loved him. e
The Capture of Rabbah
(1 Chronicles 20:1–3)
26 Meanwhile, Joab fought against Rabbah of the Ammonites and captured the royal fortress. 27 Then Joab sent messengers to David to say, “I have fought against Rabbah and have captured the water supply of the city. f 28 Now, therefore, assemble the rest of the troops, lay siege to the city, and capture it. Otherwise I will capture the city, and it will be named after me.”
29 So David assembled all the troops and went to Rabbah; and he fought against it and captured it. 30 Then he took the crown from the head of their king. g It weighed a talent of gold h and was set with precious stones, and it was placed on David’s head. And David took a great amount of plunder from the city.
31 David brought out the people who were there and put them to work with saws, i iron picks, and axes, and he made them work at the brick kilns. j He did the same to all the Ammonite cities. Then David and all his troops returned to Jerusalem.
Footnotes:
3 a Hebrew in his bosom ; also in verse 8
14 b DSS; MT you have brought utter contempt from the enemies of the LORD
16 c DSS and LXX; MT does not include in sackcloth .
24 d Or she or he
25 e Literally to name him Jedidiah because of the LORD ; Jedidiah means beloved of the LORD
27 f Or and have captured the city of waters
30 g Or from the head of Milcom . Milcom, also called Molech, was god of the Ammonites; see Leviticus 18:21 and 1 Kings 11:7.
30 h A talent is approximately 75.4 pounds or 34.2 kilograms of gold.
31 i Literally put them under saws
31 j Literally and he made them pass through the brick kilns.
2 Samuel 13
Amnon and Tamar
1 After some time, David’s son Amnon fell in love with Tamar, the beautiful sister of David’s son Absalom. 2 Amnon was sick with frustration over his sister Tamar, for she was a virgin, and it seemed implausible for him to do anything to her.
3 Now Amnon had a friend named Jonadab, the son of David’s brother Shimeah. a Jonadab was a very shrewd man, 4 so he asked Amnon, “Why are you, the son of the king, so depressed morning after morning? Won’t you tell me?”
Amnon replied, “I am in love with Tamar, my brother Absalom’s sister.”
5 Jonadab told him, “Lie down on your bed and pretend you are ill. When your father comes to see you, say to him, ‘Please let my sister Tamar come and give me something to eat. Let her prepare it in my sight so I may watch her and eat it from her hand.’ ”
6 So Amnon lay down and feigned illness. When the king came to see him, Amnon said, “Please let my sister Tamar come and make a couple of cakes in my sight, so that I may eat from her hand.”
7 Then David sent word to Tamar at the palace: “Please go to the house of Amnon your brother and prepare a meal for him.”
8 So Tamar went to the house of her brother Amnon, who was lying down. She took some dough, kneaded it, made cakes in his sight, and baked them. 9 Then she brought the pan and set it down before him, but he refused to eat. “Send everyone away!” said Amnon. And everyone went out.
10 Then Amnon said to Tamar, “Bring the food into the bedroom, so that I may eat it from your hand.”
Tamar took the cakes she had made and went to her brother Amnon’s bedroom. 11 And when she had brought them to him to eat, he took hold of her and said, “Come lie with me, my sister!”
12 “No, my brother!” she cried. “Do not humiliate me, for such a thing should never be done in Israel. Do not do this disgraceful thing! 13 Where could I ever take my shame? And you would be like one of the fools in Israel! Please speak to the king, for he will not withhold me from you.”
14 But Amnon refused to listen to her, and being stronger, he violated her and lay with her.
15 Then Amnon hated Tamar with such intensity that his hatred was greater than the love he previously had. “Get up!” he said to her. “Be gone!”
16 “No,” she replied, “sending me away is worse than this great wrong you have already done to me!”
But he refused to listen to her. 17 Instead, he called to his attendant and said, “Throw this woman out and bolt the door behind her!”
18 So Amnon’s attendant threw her out and bolted the door behind her. Now Tamar was wearing a robe of many colors, b because this is what the king’s virgin daughters wore. 19 And Tamar put ashes on her head and tore her robe. And putting her hand on her head, she went away crying bitterly.
20 Her brother Absalom said to her, “Has your brother Amnon been with you? Be quiet for now, my sister. He is your brother. Do not take this thing to heart.”
So Tamar lived as a desolate woman in the house of her brother Absalom.
21 When King David heard all this, he was furious. c 22 And Absalom never said a word to Amnon, either good or bad, because he hated Amnon for disgracing his sister Tamar.
Absalom’s Revenge on Amnon
23 Two years later, when Absalom’s sheepshearers were at Baal-hazor near Ephraim, he invited all the sons of the king. 24 And he went to the king and said, “Your servant has just hired shearers. Will the king and his servants please come with me?”
25 “No, my son,” the king replied, “we should not all go, or we would be a burden to you.” Although Absalom urged him, he was not willing to go, but gave him his blessing.
26 “If not,” said Absalom, “please let my brother Amnon go with us.”
“Why should he go with you?” the king asked.
27 But Absalom urged him, so the king sent Amnon and the rest of his sons. d
28 Now Absalom had ordered his young men, “Watch Amnon until his heart is merry with wine, and when I order you to strike Amnon down, you are to kill him. Do not be afraid. Have I not commanded you? Be courageous and valiant!”
29 So Absalom’s young men did to Amnon just as Absalom had ordered. Then all the other sons of the king got up, and each one fled on his mule.
30 While they were on the way, a report reached David: “Absalom has struck down all the sons of the king; not one of them is left!”
31 Then the king stood up, tore his clothes, and lay down on the ground; and all his servants stood by with their clothes torn.
32 But Jonadab, the son of David’s brother Shimeah, spoke up: “My lord must not think they have killed all the sons of the king, for only Amnon is dead. In fact, Absalom has planned this since the day Amnon violated his sister Tamar. 33 So now, my lord the king, do not take to heart the report that all the sons of the king are dead. Only Amnon is dead.”
Absalom Flees to Geshur
34 Meanwhile, Absalom had fled. When the young man standing watch looked up, he saw many people coming down the road west of him, e along the side of the hill. And the watchman went and reported to the king, “I see men coming from the direction of Horonaim, along the side of the hill.” f
35 So Jonadab said to the king, “Look, the sons of the king have arrived! It is just as your servant said.”
36 And as he finished speaking, the sons of the king came in, wailing loudly. Then the king and all his servants also wept very bitterly.
37 Now Absalom fled and went to Talmai son of Ammihud, the king of Geshur. But David mourned for his son every day.
38 After Absalom had fled and gone to Geshur, he stayed there three years. 39 And King David g longed to go to Absalom, h for he had been consoled over Amnon’s death.
Footnotes:
3 a Shimeah is a variant of Shammah , Shimea , and Shimei ; see 1 Samuel 16:9, 2 Samuel 21:21, and 1 Chronicles 2:13.
18 b Or a robe with long sleeves ; see also Genesis 37:3.
21 c DSS and LXX include But he would not punish his son Amnon, because he loved him, since he was his firstborn.
27 d LXX and Vulgate include And Absalom prepared a feast fit for a king.
34 e Or behind him
34 f LXX; Hebrew does not include And the watchman... .
39 g MT; DSS and LXX And the spirit of the king
39 h Or ceased to go out after Absalom
2 Samuel 14
Absalom’s Return to Jerusalem
1 Now Joab son of Zeruiah perceived that the king’s heart longed for Absalom. 2 So Joab sent to Tekoa to bring a wise woman from there. He told her, “Please pretend to be a mourner;put on clothes for mourning and do not anoint yourself with oil. Act like a woman who has mourned for the dead a long time. 3 Then go to the king and speak these words to him.” And Joab put the words in her mouth.
4 When the woman from Tekoa went to the king, she fell facedown in homage and said, “Help me, O king!”
5 “What troubles you?” the king asked her.
“Indeed,” she said, “I am a widow, for my husband is dead. 6 And your maidservant had two sons who were fighting in the field with no one to separate them, and one struck the other and killed him. 7 Now the whole clan has risen up against your maidservant and said, ‘Hand over the one who struck down his brother, that we may put him to death for the life of the brother whom he killed. Then we will cut off the heir as well!’ So they would extinguish my one remaining ember by not preserving my husband’s name or posterity on the earth.”
8 “Go home,” the king said to the woman, “and I will give orders on your behalf.”
9 But the woman of Tekoa said to the king, “My lord the king, may any blame be on me and on my father’s house, and may the king and his throne be guiltless.”
10 “If anyone speaks to you,” said the king, “bring him to me, and he will not trouble you again!”
11 “Please,” she replied, “may the king invoke the LORD your God to prevent the avenger of blood from increasing the devastation, so that my son may not be destroyed!”
“As surely as the LORD lives,” he vowed, “not a hair of your son’s head will fall to the ground.”
12 Then the woman said, “Please, may your servant speak a word to my lord the king?”
“Speak,” he replied.
13 The woman asked, “Why have you devised a thing like this against the people of God? When the king says this, does he not convict himself, since he has not brought back his own banished son? 14 For surely we will die and be like water poured out on the ground, which cannot be recovered. Yet God does not take away a life; but He devises ways that the banished one may not be cast out from Him.
15 Now therefore, I have come to present this matter to my lord the king because the people have made me afraid. Your servant thought, ‘I will speak to the king. Perhaps he will grant the request of his maidservant. 16 For the king will hear and deliver his maidservant from the hand of the man who would cut off both me and my son from God’s inheritance.’
17 And now your servant says, ‘May the word of my lord the king bring me rest, for my lord the king is able to discern good and evil, just like the angel a of God. May the LORD your God be with you.’ ”
18 Then the king said to the woman, “I am going to ask you something; do not conceal it from me!”
“Let my lord the king speak,” she replied.
19 So the king asked, “Is the hand of Joab behind all this?”
The woman answered, “As surely as you live, my lord the king, no one can turn to the right or to the left from anything that my lord the king says. Yes, your servant Joab is the one who gave me orders; he told your maidservant exactly what to say. 20 Joab your servant has done this to bring about this change of affairs, but my lord has wisdom like the wisdom of the angel of God, to know everything that happens in the land.”
21 Then the king said to Joab, “I hereby grant this request. Go, bring back the young man Absalom.”
22 Joab fell facedown in homage and blessed the king. “Today,” said Joab, “your servant knows that he has found favor with you, my lord the king, because the king has granted his request.”
23 So Joab got up, went to Geshur, and brought Absalom to Jerusalem. 24 But the king added, “He may return to his house, but he must not see my face.” So Absalom returned to his own house, but he did not see the king.
25 Now there was not a man in all Israel as handsome and highly praised as Absalom. From the sole of his foot to the top of his head, he did not have a single flaw. 26 And when he cut the hair of his head—he shaved it every year because his hair got so heavy—he would weigh it out to be two hundred shekels, b according to the royal standard.
27 Three sons were born to Absalom, and a daughter named Tamar, who was a beautiful woman.
Absalom Reconciled to David
28 Now Absalom lived in Jerusalem two years without seeing the face of the king. 29 Then he sent for Joab to send him to the king, but Joab refused to come to him.
So Absalom sent a second time, but Joab still would not come.
30 Then Absalom said to his servants, “Look, Joab’s field is next to mine, and he has barley there. Go and set it on fire!”
And Absalom’s servants set the field on fire. c
31 Then Joab came to Absalom’s house and demanded, “Why did your servants set my field on fire?”
32 “Look,” said Absalom, “I sent for you and said, ‘Come here. I want to send you to the king to ask: Why have I come back from Geshur? It would be better for me if I were still there.’ So now, let me see the king’s face, and if there is iniquity in me, let him kill me.”
33 So Joab went and told the king, and David summoned Absalom, who came to him and bowed facedown before him. Then the king kissed Absalom.
Footnotes:
17 a Or Angel ; also in verse 20
26 b 200 shekels is approximately 5 pounds or 2.3 kilograms of hair.
30 c LXX includes So the servants of Joab came to him with their clothes torn and said to him, “The servants of Absalom have set your field on fire.”
2 Samuel 15
Absalom’s Conspiracy
1 Some time later, Absalom provided for himself a chariot with horses and fifty men to run ahead of him. 2 He would get up early and stand beside the road leading to the city gate.
Whenever anyone had a grievance to bring before the king for a decision, Absalom would call out and ask, “What city are you from?” And if he replied, “Your servant is from one of the tribes of Israel,” 3 Absalom would say, “Look, your claims are good and right, but the king has no deputy to hear you.”
4 And he would add, “If only someone would appoint me judge in the land, then everyone with a grievance or dispute could come to me, and I would give him justice.”
5 Also, when anyone approached to bow down to him, Absalom would reach out his hand, take hold of him, and kiss him. 6 Absalom did this to all the Israelites who came to the king for justice. In this way he stole the hearts of the men of Israel.
7 After four a years had passed, Absalom said to the king, “Please let me go to Hebron to fulfill a vow I have made to the LORD. 8 For your servant made a vow while dwelling in Geshur of Aram, saying: ‘If indeed the LORD brings me back to Jerusalem, I will worship the LORD in Hebron.’ b”
9 “Go in peace,” said the king. So Absalom got up and went to Hebron.
10 Then Absalom sent spies throughout the tribes of Israel with this message: “When you hear the sound of the horn, you are to say, ‘Absalom reigns in Hebron!’ ”
11 Two hundred men from Jerusalem accompanied Absalom. They had been invited as guests and they went along innocently, for they knew nothing about the matter. 12 While Absalom was offering the sacrifices, he sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David’s counselor, to come from his hometown of Giloh.
So the conspiracy gained strength, and Absalom’s following kept increasing.
David Flees Jerusalem
(Psalm 3:1–8)
13 Then a messenger came to David and reported, “The hearts of the men of Israel are with Absalom.”
14 And David said to all the servants with him in Jerusalem, “Arise and let us flee, or we will not escape from Absalom! We must leave quickly, or he will soon overtake us, heap disaster on us, and put the city to the sword.”
15 The king’s servants replied, “Whatever our lord the king decides, we are your servants.”
16 Then the king set out, and his entire household followed him. But he left behind ten concubines to take care of the palace.
17 So the king set out with all the people following him. He stopped at the last house, 18 and all his servants marched past him—all the Cherethites and Pelethites, and six hundred Gittites who had followed him from Gath.
19 Then the king said to Ittai the Gittite, “Why should you also go with us? Go back and stay with the new king, since you are both a foreigner and an exile from your homeland. 20 In fact, you arrived only yesterday; should I make you wander around with us today while I do not know where I am going? Go back and take your brothers with you. May the LORD show you loving devotion and faithfulness. c”
21 But Ittai answered the king, “As surely as the LORD lives, and as my lord the king lives, wherever my lord the king may be, whether it means life or death, there will your servant be!”
22 “March on then,” said David to Ittai. So Ittai the Gittite marched past with all his men and all the little ones who were with him.
23 Everyone in the countryside was weeping loudly as all the people passed by. And as the king crossed the Kidron Valley, all the people also passed toward the way of the wilderness.
24 Zadok was also there, and all the Levites with him were carrying the ark of the covenant of God. And they set down the ark of God, and Abiathar offered sacrifices d until the people had passed out of the city.
25 Then the king said to Zadok, “Return the ark of God to the city. If I find favor in the eyes of the LORD, He will bring me back and let me see both it and His dwelling place again. 26 But if He should say, ‘I do not delight in you,’ then here I am; let Him do to me whatever seems good to Him.”
27 The king also said to Zadok the priest, “Are you not a seer? e Return to the city in peace—you with your son Ahimaaz, and Abiathar with his son Jonathan. f 28 See, I will wait at the fords of the wilderness until word comes from you to inform me.”
29 So Zadok and Abiathar returned the ark of God to Jerusalem and stayed there.
David Weeps at the Mount of Olives
(Psalm 63:1–11)
30 But David continued up the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went up. His head was covered, and he was walking barefoot. And all the people with him covered their heads and went up, weeping as they went.
31 Now someone told David: “Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom.”
So David pleaded, “O LORD, please turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness!”
32 When David came to the summit, where he used to worship God, Hushai the Archite was there to meet him with his robe torn and dust on his head.
33 David said to him, “If you go on with me, you will be a burden to me. 34 But you can thwart the counsel of Ahithophel for me if you return to the city and say to Absalom:‘I will be your servant, my king; in the past I was your father’s servant, but now I will be your servant.’
35 Will not Zadok and Abiathar the priests be there with you? Report to them everything you hear from the king’s palace. 36 Indeed, their two sons, Ahimaaz son of Zadok and Jonathan son of Abiathar, are there with them. Send them to me with everything you hear.”
37 So David’s friend Hushai arrived in Jerusalem just as Absalom was entering the city.
Footnotes:
7 a Syriac and some LXX manuscripts;Hebrew forty
8 b Some LXX manuscripts; Hebrew does not include in Hebron .
20 c LXX; Hebrew May loving devotion and faithfulness be with you.
24 d Or Abiathar went up
27 e Hebrew; LXX Behold,
27 f Literally your son Ahimaaz and Jonathan son of Abiathar, your two sons with you
2 Samuel 16
David and Ziba
1 When David had gone a little beyond the summit, Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth was there to meet him. He had a pair of saddled donkeys loaded with two hundred loaves of bread, a hundred clusters of raisins, a hundred summer fruits, and a skin of wine.
2 “Why do you have these?” asked the king.
Ziba replied, “The donkeys are for the king’s household to ride, the bread and summer fruit are for the young men to eat, and the wine is to refresh those who become exhausted in the wilderness.”
3 “Where is your master’s grandson?” asked the king.
And Ziba answered, “Indeed, he is staying in Jerusalem, for he has said, ‘Today, the house of Israel will restore to me the kingdom of my grandfather.’ ”
4 So the king said to Ziba, “All that belongs to Mephibosheth is now yours!”
“I humbly bow before you,” said Ziba. “May I find favor in your eyes, my lord the king!”
Shimei Curses David
5 As King David approached Bahurim, a man from the family of the house of Saul was just coming out. His name was Shimei son of Gera, and as he approached, he kept yelling out curses. 6 He threw stones at David and at all the servants of the king, though the troops and all the mighty men were on David’s right and left.
7 And as he yelled curses, Shimei said, “Get out, get out, you worthless man of bloodshed! 8 The LORD has paid you back for all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose place you have reigned, and the LORD has delivered the kingdom into the hand of your son Absalom. See, you have come to ruin because you are a man of bloodshed!”
9 Then Abishai son of Zeruiah said to the king, “Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Let me go over and cut off his head!”
10 But the king replied, “What have I to do with you, O sons of Zeruiah? If he curses me because the LORD told him, ‘Curse David,’ who can ask, ‘Why did you do this?’ ”
11 Then David said to Abishai and to all his servants, “Behold, my own son, my own flesh and blood, seeks my life. How much more, then, this Benjamite! Leave him alone and let him curse me, for the LORD has told him so. 12 Perhaps the LORD will see my affliction and repay me with good for the cursing I receive today.”
13 So David and his men proceeded along the road as Shimei went along the ridge of the hill opposite him. As Shimei went, he yelled curses, threw stones, and flung dust at David. 14 Finally, the king and all the people with him arrived, a exhausted. And there he refreshed himself.
The Counsel of Ahithophel and Hushai
15 Then Absalom and all the men of Israel came to Jerusalem, and Ahithophel was with him. 16 And David’s friend Hushai the Archite went to Absalom and said to him, “Long live the king! Long live the king!”
17 “Is this the loyalty you show your friend?” Absalom replied. “Why did you not go with your friend?”
18 “Not at all,” Hushai answered. “For the one chosen by the LORD, by the people, and by all the men of Israel—his I will be, and with him I will remain. 19 Furthermore, whom should I serve if not the son? As I served in your father’s presence, so also I will serve in yours.”
20 Then Absalom said to Ahithophel, “Give me counsel. What should we do?”
21 Ahithophel replied, “Sleep with your father’s concubines, whom he has left to keep the palace. When all Israel hears that you have become a stench to your father, then the hands of all who are with you will be strengthened.”
22 So they pitched a tent for Absalom on the roof, and he slept with his father’s concubines in the sight of all Israel.
23 Now in those days the advice of Ahithophel was like the consultation of the word of God. Such was the regard that both David and Absalom had for Ahithophel’s advice.
Footnotes:
14 a Some LXX manuscripts arrived at the Jordan
2 Samuel 17
Hushai Counters Ahithophel’s Advice
1 Furthermore, Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Let me choose twelve thousand men and set out tonight in pursuit of David. 2 I will attack him while he is weak and weary; I will throw him into a panic, and all the people with him will flee; I will strike down only the king 3 and bring all the people back to you as a bride returning to her husband. You seek the life of only one man; a then all the people will be at peace.”
4 This proposal seemed good to Absalom and all the elders of Israel.
5 Then Absalom said, “Summon Hushai the Archite as well, and let us hear what he too has to say.”
6 So Hushai came to Absalom, who told him, “Ahithophel has spoken this proposal. Should we carry it out? If not, what do you say?”
7 Hushai replied, “This time the advice of Ahithophel is not sound.”
8 He continued, “You know your father and his men. They are mighty men, and as fierce as a wild bear robbed of her cubs. Moreover, your father is a man of war who will not spend the night with the troops. 9 Surely by now he is hiding in a cave or some other location. If some of your troops fall first, b whoever hears of it will say, ‘There has been a slaughter among the troops who follow Absalom.’ 10 Then even the most valiant soldier with the heart of a lion will melt with fear, because all Israel knows that your father is a mighty man who has valiant men with him.
11 Instead, I advise that all Israel from Dan to Beersheba—a multitude like the sand on the seashore—be gathered to you, and that you yourself lead them into battle. 12 Then we will attack David wherever we find him, and we will descend on him like dew on the ground. And of all the men with him, not even one will remain.
13 If he retreats to a city, all Israel will bring ropes to that city, and we will drag it down to the valley until not even a pebble can be found.”
14 Then Absalom and all the men of Israel said, “The advice of Hushai the Archite is better than that of Ahithophel.” For the LORD had purposed to thwart the good counsel of Ahithophel in order to bring disaster on Absalom.
Hushai’s Warning Saves David
(Psalm 55:1–23)
15 So Hushai told Zadok and Abiathar, the priests, “This is what Ahithophel has advised Absalom and the elders of Israel, and this is what I have advised. 16 Now send quickly and tell David, ‘Do not spend the night at the fords of the wilderness, but be sure to cross over. Otherwise the king and all the people with him will be swallowed up.’ ”
17 Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz were staying at En-rogel, where a servant girl would come and pass along information to them. They in turn would go and inform King David, for they dared not be seen entering the city. 18 But a young man did see them and told Absalom. So the two left quickly and came to the house of a man in Bahurim. He had a well in his courtyard, and they climbed down into it. 19 Then the man’s wife took a covering and spread it over the mouth of the well, scattering grain over it so nobody would know a thing.
20 When Absalom’s servants came to the woman at the house, they asked, “Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?”
“They have crossed over the brook,” she replied. The men searched but did not find them, so they returned to Jerusalem.
21 After the men had gone, Ahimaaz and Jonathan climbed up out of the well and went to inform King David, saying, “Get up and cross over the river at once, for Ahithophel has given this advice against you.”
22 So David and all the people with him got up and crossed the Jordan. By daybreak, there was no one left who had not crossed the Jordan.
23 When Ahithophel saw that his advice had not been followed, he saddled his donkey and set out for his house in his hometown. He put his affairs in order and hanged himself. So he died and was buried in his father’s tomb.
24 Then David went to Mahanaim, and Absalom crossed the Jordan with all the men of Israel. 25 Absalom had appointed Amasa over the army in place of Joab. Amasa was the son of a man named Ithra, c the Ishmaelite d who had married Abigail, e the daughter of Nahash f and sister of Zeruiah the mother of Joab. 26 So the Israelites and Absalom camped in the land of Gilead.
27 When David came to Mahanaim, he was met by Shobi son of Nahash from Rabbah of the Ammonites, Machir son of Ammiel from Lo-debar, and Barzillai the Gileadite from Rogelim. 28 They brought beds, basins, and earthen vessels, as well as wheat, barley, flour, roasted grain, beans, lentils, g 29 honey, curds, sheep, and cheese from the herd for David and his people to eat. For they said, “The people have become hungry, exhausted, and thirsty in the wilderness.”
Footnotes:
3 a LXX; see also DSS; MT and bring all the people back to you. When everyone returns except the man you seek,
9 b Or If he should attack your troops first
25 c Ithra is a variant of Jether ; see 1 Kings 2:5.
25 d Some LXX manuscripts (see also 1 Chronicles 2:17); MT and other LXX manuscripts Israelite
25 e Or Abigal , a variant of Abigail
25 f Or of Jesse ; see DSS and 1 Chronicles 2:13–16
28 g Most LXX manuscripts and Syriac;Hebrew includes roasted seeds .
2 Samuel 18
Absalom Killed
1 Then David reviewed his troops and appointed over them commanders of hundreds and of thousands. 2 He sent out the troops, a third under Joab, a third under Joab’s brother Abishai son of Zeruiah, and a third under Ittai the Gittite. And the king said to the troops, “I will surely march out with you as well.”
3 But the people pleaded, “You must not go out! For if we have to flee, they will pay no attention to us. Even if half of us die, they will not care; but you are worth ten thousand of us. a It is better for now if you support us from the city.”
4 “I will do whatever seems best to you,” the king replied. So he stood beside the gate, while all the troops marched out by hundreds and by thousands.
5 Now the king had commanded Joab, Abishai, and Ittai, “Treat the young man Absalom gently for my sake.” And all the people heard the king’s orders to each of the commanders regarding Absalom.
6 So David’s army marched into the field to engage Israel in the battle, which took place in the forest of Ephraim. 7 There the people of Israel were defeated by David’s servants, and the slaughter was great that day—twenty thousand men. 8 The battle spread over the whole countryside, and that day the forest devoured more people than the sword.
9 Now Absalom was riding on his mule when he met the servants of David, and as the mule went under the thick branches of a large oak, b Absalom’s head was caught fast in the tree. The mule under him kept going, so that he was suspended in midair. 10 When one of the men saw this, he told Joab, “I just saw Absalom hanging in an oak tree!”
11 “You just saw him!” Joab exclaimed. “Why did you not strike him to the ground right there? I would have given you ten shekels of silver c and a warrior’s belt!”
12 The man replied, “Even if a thousand shekels of silver d were weighed out into my hands, I would not raise my hand against the son of the king. For we heard the king command you and Abishai and Ittai, ‘Protect the young man Absalom for my sake. e’ 13 If I had jeopardized my own life f—and nothing is hidden from the king—you would have abandoned me.”
14 But Joab declared, “I am not going to wait like this with you!” And he took three spears in his hand and thrust them through the heart of Absalom while he was still alive in the oak tree. 15 And ten young men who carried Joab’s armor surrounded Absalom, struck him, and killed him.
16 Then Joab blew the ram’s horn, and the troops broke off their pursuit of Israel because Joab had restrained them. 17 They took Absalom, cast him into a large pit in the forest, and piled a huge mound of stones over him. Meanwhile, all the Israelites fled, each to his home.
18 During his lifetime, Absalom had set up for himself a pillar in the King’s Valley, for he had said, “I have no son to preserve the memory of my name.” So he gave the pillar his name, and to this day it is called Absalom’s Monument.
David Mourns for Absalom
19 Then Ahimaaz son of Zadok said, “Please let me run and tell the king the good news that the LORD has avenged him of his enemies.”
20 But Joab replied, “You are not the man to take good news today. You may do it another day, but you must not do so today, because the king’s son is dead.”
21 So Joab said to a Cushite, “Go, tell the king what you have seen.” The Cushite bowed to Joab and took off running.
22 Ahimaaz son of Zadok, however, persisted and said to Joab, “Regardless of whatever may happen, please let me also run behind the Cushite!”
“My son,” Joab replied, “why do you want to run, since you will not receive a reward?”
23 “No matter what, I want to run!” he replied.
“Then run!” Joab told him.
So Ahimaaz ran by way of the plain g and outran the Cushite.
24 Now David was sitting between the two gates when the watchman went up to the roof of the gateway by the wall, looked out, and saw a man running alone. 25 So he called out and told the king.
“If he is alone,” the king replied, “he bears good news.”
As the first runner drew near, 26 the watchman saw another man running, and he called out to the gatekeeper, “Look! Another man is running alone!”
“This one also brings good news,” said the king.
27 The watchman said, “The first man appears to me to be running like Ahimaaz son of Zadok.”
“This is a good man,” said the king. “He comes with good news.”
28 Then Ahimaaz called out to the king, “All is well!” And he bowed facedown before the king.
He continued, “Blessed be the LORD your God! He has delivered up the men who raised their hands against my lord the king.”
29 The king asked, “Is the young man Absalom all right?”
And Ahimaaz replied, “When Joab sent the king’s servant and your servant, I saw a great tumult, but I do not know what it was.”
30 “Move aside,” said the king, “and stand here.”
So he stepped aside.
31 Just then the Cushite came and said, “May my lord the king hear the good news: Today the LORD has avenged you of all who rose up against you!”
32 The king asked the Cushite, “Is the young man Absalom all right?”
And the Cushite replied, “May what has become of the young man happen to the enemies of my lord the king and to all who rise up against you to harm you.”
33 The king was shaken and went up to the gate chamber and wept. And as he walked, he cried out, “O my son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!”
Footnotes:
3 a Two Hebrew manuscripts, some LXX manuscripts, and Vulgate; most Hebrew manuscripts care; for now there are ten thousand like us
9 b Or large terebinth or very great tree ; similarly in verses 10 and 14
11 c 10 shekels is approximately 4 ounces or 114 grams of silver.
12 d 1,000 shekels is approximately 25.1 pounds or 11.4 kilograms of silver.
12 e A few Hebrew manuscripts, LXX, Vulgate, and Syriac; most Hebrew manuscripts Whoever you may be, protect the young man Absalom. or Let no one touch the young man Absalom.
13 f Or If I had dealt treacherously against his life
23 g That is, the plain of the Jordan
2 Samuel 19
Joab Reproves David
1 Then it was reported to Joab, “The king is weeping and mourning over Absalom.” 2 And that day’s victory was turned into mourning for all the people, because on that day they were told, “The king is grieving over his son.”
3 So they returned to the city quietly that day, as people steal away in humiliation after fleeing a battle. 4 But the king covered his face and cried out at the top of his voice, “O my son Absalom! O Absalom, my son, my son!”
5 Then Joab went into the house and said to the king, “Today you have disgraced all your servants who have saved your life and the lives of your sons and daughters, of your wives, and of your concubines. 6 You love those who hate you and hate those who love you! For you have made it clear today that the commanders and soldiers mean nothing to you. I know today that if Absalom were alive and all of us were dead, it would have pleased you!
7 Now therefore get up! Go out and speak comfort to your servants, for I swear by the LORD that if you do not go out, not a man will remain with you tonight. This will be worse for you than all the adversity that has befallen you from your youth until now!”
David Restored as King
8 So the king got up and sat in the gate, and all the people were told: “Behold, the king is sitting in the gate.” So they all came before the king.
Meanwhile, the Israelites had fled, each man to his home. 9 And all the people throughout the tribes of Israel were arguing, “The king rescued us from the hand of our enemies and delivered us from the hand of the Philistines, but now he has fled the land because of Absalom. 10 But Absalom, the man we anointed over us, has died in battle. So why do you say nothing about restoring the king?”
11 Then King David sent this message to Zadok and Abiathar, the priests: “Say to the elders of Judah, ‘Why should you be the last to restore the king to his palace, since the talk of all Israel has reached the king at his quarters? 12 You are my brothers, my own flesh and blood. So why should you be the last to restore the king?’ 13 And say to Amasa, ‘Aren’t you my flesh and blood? May God punish me, and ever so severely, if from this time you are not the commander of my army in place of Joab!’ ”
14 So he swayed the hearts of all the men of Judah as though they were one man, and they sent word to the king: “Return, you and all your servants.”
15 So the king returned, and when he arrived at the Jordan, the men of Judah came to Gilgal to meet him and escort him across the Jordan.
Shimei Pardoned
16 Then Shimei son of Gera, a Benjamite from Bahurim, hurried down with the men of Judah to meet King David, 17 along with a thousand men of Benjamin, as well as Ziba the steward of the house of Saul and his fifteen sons and twenty servants.
They rushed down to the Jordan before the king 18 and crossed at the ford to carry over the king’s household and to do what was good in his sight.
When Shimei son of Gera crossed the Jordan, he fell down before the king 19 and said, “My lord, do not hold me guilty, and do not remember your servant’s wrongdoing on the day my lord the king left Jerusalem. May the king not take it to heart. 20 For your servant knows that I have sinned, so here I am today as the first of all the house of Joseph to come down to meet my lord the king.”
21 But Abishai son of Zeruiah said, “Shouldn’t Shimei be put to death for this, because he cursed the LORD’s anointed?”
22 And David replied, “Sons of Zeruiah, what have I to do with you, that you should be my adversaries today? Should any man be put to death in Israel today? Am I not indeed aware that today I am king over Israel?”
23 So the king said to Shimei, “You shall not die.” And the king swore an oath to him.
Mephibosheth Excused
24 Then Mephibosheth, Saul’s grandson, went down to meet the king. He had not cared for his feet or trimmed his mustache or washed his clothes from the day the king had left until the day he returned safely. 25 And he came from Jerusalem to meet the king, who asked him, “Mephibosheth, why did you not go with me?”
26 “My lord the king,” he replied, “because I am lame, I said, ‘I will have my donkey saddled a so that I may ride on it and go with the king.’ But my servant Ziba deceived me, 27 and he has slandered your servant to my lord the king.
Yet my lord the king is like the angel b of God, so do what is good in your eyes. 28 For all the house of my grandfather deserves death from my lord the king, yet you have set your servant among those who eat at your table. What further right, then, do I have to keep appealing to the king?”
29 The king replied, “Why say any more? I hereby declare that you and Ziba are to divide the land.”
30 And Mephibosheth said to the king, “Instead, since my lord the king has safely come to his own house, let Ziba take it all!”
David’s Kindness to Barzillai
31 Now Barzillai the Gileadite had come down from Rogelim to cross the Jordan with the king and send him on his way from there. 32 Barzillai was quite old, eighty years of age, and since he was a very wealthy man, he had provided for the king while he stayed in Mahanaim.
33 The king said to Barzillai, “Cross over with me, and I will provide for you at my side in Jerusalem.”
34 But Barzillai replied, “How many years of my life remain, that I should go up to Jerusalem with the king? 35 I am now eighty years old. Can I discern what is good and what is not? Can your servant taste what he eats or drinks? Can I still hear the voice of singing men and women? Why should your servant be an added burden to my lord the king?
36 Your servant could go with the king only a short distance past the Jordan; why should the king repay me with such a reward? 37 Please let your servant return, that I may die in my own city near the tomb of my father and mother. But here is your servant Chimham. Let him cross over with my lord the king, and do for him what is good in your sight.”
38 The king replied, “Chimham will cross over with me, and I will do for him what seems good in your sight, and I will do for you whatever you desire of me.”
39 So all the people crossed the Jordan, and then the king crossed over. The king kissed Barzillai and blessed him, and Barzillai returned home.
40 Then the king went on to Gilgal, and Chimham crossed over with him. All the troops of Judah and half the troops of Israel escorted the king.
Contention over the King
41 Soon all the men of Israel came to the king and asked, “Why did our brothers, the men of Judah, take you away secretly and bring the king and his household across the Jordan, together with all of David’s men?”
42 And all the men of Judah replied to the men of Israel, “We did this because the king is our relative. Why does this anger you? Have we ever eaten at the king’s expense or received anything for ourselves?”
43 “We have ten shares in the king,” answered the men of Israel, “so we have more claim to David than you. Why then do you despise us? Were we not the first to speak of restoring our king?”
But the men of Judah pressed even harder than the men of Israel.
Footnotes:
26 a LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate Saddle a donkey for me ; Hebrew I will saddle a donkey for myself
27 b Or Angel
2 Samuel 20
Sheba’s Rebellion
1 Now a worthless man named Sheba son of Bichri, a Benjamite, happened to be there, and he blew the ram’s horn and shouted:
“We have no share in David,
no inheritance in Jesse’s son.
Every man to his tent,
O Israel!”
2 So all the men of Israel deserted David to follow Sheba son of Bichri. But the men of Judah stayed by their king all the way from the Jordan to Jerusalem.
3 When David returned to his palace in Jerusalem, he took the ten concubines he had left to care for the palace, and he placed them in a house under guard. He provided for them, but he no longer slept with them. They were confined until the day of their death, living as widows.
4 Then the king said to Amasa, “Summon the men of Judah to come to me within three days, and be here yourself.”
5 So Amasa went to summon Judah, but he took longer than the time allotted him.
6 And David said to Abishai, “Now Sheba the son of Bichri will do us more harm than Absalom. Take your lord’s servants and pursue him, or he will find fortified cities and elude us. a”
7 So Joab’s men, along with the Cherethites, the Pelethites, and all the mighty men, marched out of Jerusalem in pursuit of Sheba son of Bichri. 8 And while they were at the great stone in Gibeon, Amasa joined them.
Now Joab was dressed in military attire, with a dagger strapped to his belt. And as he stepped forward, he slipped the dagger from its sheath. b 9 “Are you well, my brother?” Joab asked Amasa. And with his right hand Joab grabbed Amasa by the beard to kiss him.
10 Amasa was not on guard against the dagger in Joab’s hand, and Joab stabbed him in the stomach and spilled out his intestines on the ground. And Joab did not need to strike him again, for Amasa was dead. Then Joab and his brother Abishai pursued Sheba son of Bichri.
11 One of Joab’s young men stood near Amasa and said, “Whoever favors Joab, and whoever is for David, let him follow Joab!” 12 But Amasa wallowed in his blood in the middle of the road, and when the man saw that all the troops were stopping there, he dragged the body off the road into a field and threw a garment over it. 13 As soon as Amasa’s body was removed from the road, all the men went on with Joab to pursue Sheba son of Bichri.
14 Sheba passed through all the tribes of Israel to Abel-beth-maacah c and through the entire region of the Berites, d who gathered together and followed him.
15 And Joab’s troops came and besieged Sheba in Abel-beth-maacah and built a siege ramp against the outer rampart of the city.
As all the troops with Joab were battering the wall to topple it, 16 a wise woman called out from the city, “Listen! Listen! Please tell Joab to come here so that I may speak with him.”
17 When he had come near to her, the woman asked, “Are you Joab?”
“I am,” he replied.
“Listen to the words of your servant,” she said.
“I am listening,” he answered.
18 Then the woman said, “Long ago they used to say, ‘Seek counsel at Abel,’ and that is how disputes were settled. 19 I am among the peaceable and faithful in Israel, but you are trying to destroy a city that is a mother in Israel. Why would you swallow up the LORD’s inheritance?”
20 “Far be it!” Joab declared. “Far be it from me to swallow up or destroy! 21 That is not the case. But a man named Sheba son of Bichri, from the hill country of Ephraim, has lifted up his hand against the king, against David. Deliver him alone, and I will depart from the city.”
“Look,” the woman replied, “his head will be thrown to you over the wall.”
22 Then the woman went to all the people with her wise counsel, and they cut off the head of Sheba son of Bichri and threw it to Joab. So he blew the ram’s horn and his men dispersed from the city, each to his own home. And Joab returned to the king in Jerusalem.
23 Now Joab was over the whole army of Israel; Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and Pelethites; 24 Adoram e was in charge of the forced labor; Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was the recorder; 25 Sheva f was the scribe; Zadok and Abiathar were priests; 26 and Ira the Jairite g was David’s priest.
Footnotes:
6 a Or and snatch away our eyes or and do us serious harm
8 b Literally Now Joab was dressed in military attire, and over it was a belt around his waist with a dagger in its sheath. And as he stepped forward, it fell out.
14 c Hebrew to Abel and Beth-maacah ; see verse 15.
14 d Hebrew; LXX and Vulgate Bicrites
24 e Adoram is a variant of Adoniram and Hadoram ; see 1 Kings 4:6 and 2 Chronicles 10:18.
25 f Sheva is also called Seraiah , Shisha , and Shavsha ; see 2 Samuel 8:17, 1 Kings 4:3, and 1 Chronicles 18:16.
26 g Hebrew; some LXX manuscripts and Syriac Ithrite ; see 2 Samuel 23:38.
2 Samuel 21
David Avenges the Gibeonites
1 During the reign of David there was a famine for three successive years, and David sought the face of the LORD.
And the LORD said, “It is because of the blood shed by Saul and his family, because he killed the Gibeonites.”
2 At this, David summoned the Gibeonites and spoke to them. (Now the Gibeonites were not Israelites, but a remnant of the Amorites. The Israelites had taken an oath concerning them, but in his zeal for Israel and Judah, Saul had sought to kill them.)
3 So David asked the Gibeonites, “What shall I do for you? How can I make amends so that you may bless the inheritance of the LORD?”
4 The Gibeonites said to him, “We need no silver or gold from Saul or his house, nor should you put to death anyone in Israel for us.”
“Whatever you ask, I will do for you,” he replied.
5 And they answered the king, “As for the man who consumed us and plotted against us to exterminate us from existing within any border of Israel, 6 let seven of his male descendants be delivered to us so that we may hang them a before the LORD at Gibeah of Saul, the chosen of the LORD.”
“I will give them to you,” said the king.
7 Now the king spared Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, because of the oath before the LORD between David and Jonathan son of Saul. 8 But the king took Armoni and Mephibosheth, the two sons whom Rizpah daughter of Aiah had borne to Saul, as well as the five sons whom Merab b daughter of Saul had borne to Adriel son of Barzillai the Meholathite. 9 And he delivered them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they hanged them on the hill before the LORD. So all seven of them fell together; they were put to death in the first days of the harvest, at the beginning of the barley harvest.
10 And Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it out for herself on a rock. From the beginning of the harvest until the rain from heaven poured down on the bodies, she did not allow the birds of the air to rest on them by day, nor the beasts of the field by night.
11 When David was told what Saul’s concubine Rizpah, daughter of Aiah, had done, 12 he went and took the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan from the men of Jabesh-gilead, who had stolen them from the public square of Beth-shan where the Philistines had hung the bodies after they had struck down Saul at Gilboa.
13 So David had the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan brought from there, along with the bones of those who had been hanged. 14 And they buried the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan in Zela in the land of Benjamin, in the tomb of Saul’s father Kish.
After they had done everything the king had commanded, God answered their prayers for the land.
Four Battles against the Philistines
(1 Chronicles 20:4–8)
15 Once again the Philistines waged war against Israel, and David and his servants went down and fought against the Philistines; but David became exhausted.
16 Then Ishbi-benob, a descendant of Rapha, c whose bronze spear weighed three hundred shekels d and who was bearing a new sword, resolved to kill David. 17 But Abishai son of Zeruiah came to his aid, struck the Philistine, and killed him.
Then David’s men swore to him, “You must never again go out with us to battle, so that the lamp of Israel may not be extinguished.”
18 Some time later at Gob, there was another battle with the Philistines. At that time Sibbecai the Hushathite killed Saph, e one of the descendants of Rapha.
19 Once again there was a battle with the Philistines at Gob, and Elhanan son of Jair f the Bethlehemite killed the brother of Goliath g the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver’s beam.
20 And there was still another battle at Gath, where there was a man of great stature with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot—twenty-four in all. He too was descended from Rapha, 21 and when he taunted Israel, Jonathan the son of David’s brother Shimei h killed him.
22 So these four descendants of Rapha in Gath fell at the hands of David and his servants.
Footnotes:
6 a Or expose them or execute them ; similarly in verse 9
8 b Two Hebrew manuscripts, some LXX manuscripts, and Syriac (see also 1 Samuel 18:19); most Hebrew and LXX manuscripts Michal
16 c Or the giant ; also in verses 18, 20, and 22
16 d 300 shekels is approximately 7.5 pounds or 3.4 kilograms.
18 e Saph is a variant of Sippai ; see 1 Chronicles 20:4.
19 f See 1 Chronicles 20:5; Hebrew Jaare-oregim
19 g See 1 Chronicles 20:5; Hebrew does not include the brother of .
21 h Shimei is a variant of Shammah , Shimeah , and Shimea ; see 1 Samuel 16:9, 2 Samuel 13:3, and 1 Chronicles 2:13.
2 Samuel 22
David’s Song of Deliverance
(Psalm 18:1–50)
1 And David sang this song to the LORD on the day the LORD had delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. 2 He said:
“The LORD is my rock,
my fortress, and my deliverer.
3 My God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield, and the horn of my salvation.
My stronghold, my refuge, and my Savior,
You save me from violence.
4 I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised;
so shall I be saved from my enemies.
5 For the waves of death engulfed me;
the torrents of chaos overwhelmed me.
6 The cords of Sheol entangled me;
the snares of death confronted me.
7 In my distress I called upon the LORD;
I cried out to my God.
And from His temple He heard my voice,
and my cry for help reached His ears.
8 Then the earth shook and quaked;
the foundations of the heavens a trembled;
they were shaken because He burned with anger.
9 Smoke rose from His nostrils,
and consuming fire came from His mouth;
glowing coals blazed forth.
10 He parted the heavens and came down
with dark clouds beneath His feet.
11 He mounted a cherub and flew;
He soared b on the wings of the wind.
12 He made darkness a canopy around Him,
a gathering of water and thick clouds.
13 From the brightness of His presence
coals of fire c blazed forth.
14 The LORD thundered from heaven;
the voice of the Most High resounded.
15 He shot His arrows and scattered the foes;
He hurled lightning and routed them.
16 The channels of the sea appeared,
and the foundations of the world were exposed
at the rebuke of the LORD,
at the blast of the breath of His nostrils.
17 He reached down from on high and took hold of me;
He drew me out of deep waters.
18 He rescued me from my powerful enemy,
from foes too mighty for me.
19 They confronted me in my day of calamity,
but the LORD was my support.
20 He brought me out into the open;
He rescued me because He delighted in me.
21 The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness;
He has repaid me according to the cleanness of my hands.
22 For I have kept the ways of the LORD
and have not wickedly departed from my God.
23 For all His ordinances are before me;
I have not disregarded His statutes.
24 And I have been blameless before Him
and kept myself from iniquity.
25 So the LORD has repaid me according to my righteousness,
according to my cleanness in His sight. d
26 To the faithful You show Yourself faithful,
to the blameless You show Yourself blameless;
27 to the pure You show Yourself pure,
but to the crooked You show Yourself shrewd.
28 You save an afflicted people,
but Your eyes are on the haughty to bring them down.
29 For You, O LORD, are my lamp;
the LORD lights up my darkness.
30 For in You I can charge an army;
with my God I can scale a wall.
31 As for God, His way is perfect;
the word of the LORD is flawless.
He is a shield to all
who take refuge in Him.
32 For who is God besides the LORD?
And who is the Rock except our God?
33 God is my strong fortress
and He makes my way clear.
34 He makes my feet like those of a deer
and stations me upon the heights.
35 He trains my hands for battle;
my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
36 You have given me Your shield of salvation,
and Your gentleness exalts me. e
37 You broaden the path beneath me
so that my ankles do not give way.
38 I pursued my enemies and destroyed them;
I did not turn back until they were consumed.
39 I devoured and crushed them so they could not rise;
they have fallen under my feet.
40 You have armed me with strength for battle;
You have subdued my foes beneath me.
41 You have made my enemies retreat before me;
I put an end to those who hated me.
42 They looked, but there was no one to save them—
to the LORD, but He did not answer.
43 I ground them as the dust of the earth;
I crushed and trampled them like mud in the streets.
44 You have delivered me from the strife of my people;
You have preserved me as the head of nations;
a people I had not known shall serve me.
45 Foreigners cower before me;
when they hear me, they obey me.
46 Foreigners lose heart
and come trembling f from their strongholds.
47 The LORD lives, and blessed be my Rock!
And may God, the Rock of my salvation, be exalted—
48 the God who avenges me
and brings down nations beneath me,
49 who frees me from my enemies.
You exalt me above my foes;
You rescue me from violent men.
50 Therefore I will praise You, O LORD, among the nations;
I will sing praises to Your name. g
51 Great salvation He brings to His king.
He shows loving devotion to His anointed,
to David and his descendants forever.”
Footnotes:
8 a Most Hebrew sources; Vulgate, Syriac, and two Hebrew manuscripts (see also Psalm 18:7) mountains
11 b Many Hebrew manuscripts (see also Psalm 18:10); most Hebrew manuscripts He was seen
13 c Or bolts of lightning
25 d Hebrew; LXX and Vulgate (see also Psalm 18:24) according to the cleanness of my hands
36 e Or and Your help exalts me or and You stoop down to make me great
46 f Some LXX manuscripts and Vulgate (see also Psalm 18:45); MT and arm themselves
50 g Cited in Romans 15:9
2 Samuel 23
David’s Last Song
1 These are the last words of David:
“The oracle of David son of Jesse,
the oracle of the man raised on high,
the one anointed by the God of Jacob,
and the sweet psalmist of Israel: a
2 The Spirit of the LORD spoke through me;
His word was on my tongue.
3 The God of Israel spoke;
the Rock of Israel said to me,
‘He who rules the people with justice,
who rules in the fear of God,
4 is like the light of the morning
at sunrise of a cloudless dawn,
the glistening after the rain
on the sprouting grass of the earth.’
5 Is not my house right with God?
For He has established with me
an everlasting covenant,
ordered and secured in every part.
Will He not bring about my full salvation
and my every desire?
6 But the worthless are all like thorns raked aside,
for they can never be gathered by hand.
7 The man who touches them must be armed with iron
or with the shaft of a spear.
The fire burns them to ashes
David’s Mighty Men
(1 Chronicles 11:10–47)
8 These are the names of David’s mighty men:
Josheb-basshebeth the Tahchemonite b was chief of the Three. c He wielded his spear against d eight hundred men, whom he killed at one time.
9 Next in command was Eleazar son of Dodo e the Ahohite. As one of the three mighty men, he went with David to taunt the Philistines who had gathered for battle at Pas-dammim. The men of Israel retreated, 10 but Eleazar stood his ground and struck the Philistines until his hand grew weary and stuck to his sword. The LORD brought about a great victory that day. Then the troops returned to him, but only to plunder the dead.
11 And after him was Shammah son of Agee the Hararite. When the Philistines had banded together near a field full of lentils, Israel’s troops fled from them. 12 But Shammah took his stand in the middle of the field, defended it, and struck down the Philistines. So the LORD brought about a great victory.
13 At harvest time, three of the thirty chief men went down to David at the cave of Adullam, while a company of Philistines was encamped in the Valley of Rephaim. 14 At that time David was in the stronghold, and the garrison of the Philistines was at Bethlehem. 15 David longed for water and said, “Oh, that someone would get me a drink of water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem!”
16 So the three mighty men broke through the Philistine camp, drew water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem, and brought it back to David. But he refused to drink it; instead, he poured it out to the LORD, 17 saying, “Far be it from me, O LORD, to do this! Is this not the blood of the men who risked their lives?” So he refused to drink it.
Such were the exploits of the three mighty men.
18 Now Abishai, the brother of Joab and son of Zeruiah, was chief of the Three, f and he lifted his spear against three hundred men, killed them, and won a name along with the Three. 19 Was he not more honored than the Three? g And he became their commander, even though he was not included among the Three.
20 And Benaiah son of Jehoiada was a man of valor h from Kabzeel, a man of many exploits. He struck down two champions i of Moab, and on a snowy day he went down into a pit and killed a lion. 21 He also killed an Egyptian, a huge man. Although the Egyptian had a spear in his hand, Benaiah went against him with a club, snatched the spear from his hand, and killed the Egyptian with his own spear. 22 These were the exploits of Benaiah son of Jehoiada, who won a name alongside the three mighty men. 23 He was most honored among the Thirty, but he did not become one of the Three. And David appointed him over his guard.
24 Now these were members of the Thirty: j
Asahel the brother of Joab,
Elhanan son of Dodo of Bethlehem,
25 Shammah the Harodite,
Elika the Harodite,
26 Helez the Paltite,
Ira son of Ikkesh the Tekoite,
27 Abiezer the Anathothite,
Mebunnai k the Hushathite,
28 Zalmon the Ahohite,
29 Heled l son of Baanah the Netophathite,
Ittai m son of Ribai from Gibeah of the Benjamites,
30 Benaiah the Pirathonite,
Hiddai n from the brooks o of Gaash,
31 Abi-albon the Arbathite,
32 Eliahba the Shaalbonite,
the sons of Jashen, p
Jonathan 33 son of Shammah q the Hararite,
Ahiam son of Sharar r the Hararite,
34 Eliphelet son of Ahasbai the Maacathite,
Eliam son of Ahithophel the Gilonite,
35 Hezro the Carmelite,
Paarai the Arbite,
36 Igal son of Nathan of Zobah,
Bani the Gadite,
37 Zelek the Ammonite,
Naharai the Beerothite, the armor-bearer of Joab son of Zeruiah,
38 Ira the Ithrite,
Gareb the Ithrite,
39 and Uriah the Hittite.
There were thirty-seven in all.
Footnotes:
1 a Or the hero of the songs of Israel or the favorite of the Strong One of Israel
8 b Tahchemonite is probably a variant of Hachmonite ; see 1 Chronicles 11:11.
8 c Or chief among the captains
8 d Some LXX manuscripts (see also 1 Chronicles 11:11); Hebrew He was called Adino the Eznite because of
9 e Dodo is a variant of Dodai ; see 1 Chronicles 27:4.
18 f Most Hebrew manuscripts (see also 1 Chronicles 11:20); two Hebrew manuscripts and Syriac the Thirty
19 g Hebrew; Syriac the Thirty
20 h Or Benaiah son of Jehoiada was the son of Ishhai
20 i Or two sons of Ariel
24 j Literally In the Thirty (were):
27 k Hebrew; some LXX manuscripts Sibbecai ; see 2 Samuel 21:18 and 1 Chronicles 11:29.
29 l Some Hebrew manuscripts and Vulgate (see also 1 Chronicles 11:30); most MT manuscripts Heleb
29 m Ittai is a variant of Ithai ; see 1 Chronicles 11:31.
30 n Hiddai is a variant of Hurai ; see 1 Chronicles 11:32.
30 o Or from the ravines
32 p Jashen is a variant of Hashem ; see 1 Chronicles 11:34.
33 q Some LXX manuscripts (see also 1 Chronicles 11:34); Hebrew Jonathan, 33Shammah
33 r Hebrew; some LXX manuscripts Sachar ; see 1 Chronicles 11:35.
2 Samuel 24
David’s Military Census
(Exodus 30:11–16; 1 Chronicles 21:1–6)
1 Again the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He stirred up David against them, saying, “Go and take a census of Israel and Judah.”
2 So the king said to Joab the commander of his army, who was with him, a “Go now throughout the tribes of Israel from Dan to Beersheba and register the troops, so that I may know their number.”
3 But Joab replied to the king, “May the LORD your God multiply the troops a hundred times over, and may the eyes of my lord the king see it. But why does my lord the king want to do such a thing?”
4 Nevertheless, the king’s word prevailed against Joab and against the commanders of the army. So Joab and the commanders of the army departed from the presence of the king to count the troops of Israel.
5 They crossed the Jordan and camped near Aroer, south of the town in the middle of the valley, and proceeded toward Gad and Jazer. 6 Then they went to Gilead and the land of Tahtim-hodshi, b and on to Dan-jaan and around to Sidon. 7 They went toward the fortress of Tyre and all the cities of the Hivites and Canaanites. Finally, they went on to the Negev of Judah, c to Beersheba.
8 At the end of nine months and twenty days, having gone through the whole land, they returned to Jerusalem. 9 And Joab reported to the king the total number of the troops. In Israel there were 800,000 men of valor who drew the sword, and in Judah there were 500,000.
Judgment for David’s Sin
(1 Chronicles 21:7–13)
10 After David had numbered the troops, his conscience was stricken and he said to the LORD, “I have sinned greatly in what I have done. Now, O LORD, I beg You to take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have acted very foolishly.”
11 When David got up in the morning, a revelation from the LORD had come to Gad the prophet, David’s seer: 12 “Go and tell David that this is what the LORD says: ‘I am offering you three options. Choose one of them, and I will carry it out against you.’ ”
13 So Gad went and said to David, “Do you choose to endure three d years of famine in your land, three months of fleeing the pursuit of your enemies, or three days of plague upon your land? Now then, think it over and decide how I should reply to Him who sent me.”
14 David answered Gad, “I am deeply distressed. Please, let us fall into the hand of the LORD, for His mercies are great; but do not let me fall into the hands of men.”
A Plague on Israel
(1 Chronicles 21:14–17)
15 So the LORD sent a plague upon Israel from that morning until the appointed time, and seventy thousand of the people from Dan to Beersheba died. e
16 But when the angel stretched out his hand to destroy Jerusalem, the LORD relented from the calamity and said to the angel who was destroying the people, “Enough! Withdraw your hand now!” At that time the angel of the LORD was by the threshing floor of Araunah f the Jebusite.
17 When David saw the angel striking down the people, he said to the LORD, “Surely I, the shepherd, g have sinned and acted wickedly. But these sheep, what have they done? Please, let Your hand fall upon me and my father’s house.”
David Builds an Altar
(1 Chronicles 21:18–30)
18 And that day Gad came to David and said to him, “Go up and build an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.” 19 So David went up at the word of Gad, just as the LORD had commanded.
20 When Araunah looked out and saw the king and his servants coming toward him, he went out and bowed facedown before the king. 21 “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?” Araunah said.
“To buy your threshing floor,” David replied, “that I may build an altar to the LORD, so that the plague upon the people may be halted.”
22 Araunah said to David, “My lord the king may take whatever seems good and offer it up. Here are the oxen for a burnt offering and the threshing sledges and ox yokes for the wood. 23 O king, Araunah gives all these to the king.” He also said to the king, “May the LORD your God accept you.”
24 “No,” replied the king, “I insist on paying a price, for I will not offer to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.”
So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. h 25 And there he built an altar to the LORD and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings.
Then the LORD answered the prayers on behalf of the land, and the plague upon Israel was halted.
Footnotes:
2 a LXX to Joab and the army commanders with him
6 b Hebrew; some LXX manuscripts to Gilead and to the land of the Hittites
7 c Or to the south of Judah
13 d LXX (see also 1 Chronicles 21:12); Hebrew seven
15 e Literally and of the people from Dan to Beersheba, seventy thousand men died
16 f Araunah is a variant of Ornan ; see 1 Chronicles 21:15 and 2 Chronicles 3:1.
17 g DSS and LXX; MT does not include the shepherd .
24 h 50 shekels is approximately 1.26 pounds or 569.8 grams of silver.
1 Kings
1 Kings 1
Abishag Cares for David
1 Now King David was old and well along in years, and though they covered him with blankets, he could not keep warm. 2 So his servants said to him, “Let us search for a young virgin for our lord the king, to attend to him and care for him and lie by his side to keep him warm.”
3 Then they searched throughout Israel for a beautiful girl, and they found Abishag the Shunammite and brought her to the king. 4 The girl was unsurpassed in beauty; she cared for the king and served him, but he had no relations with her.
Adonijah Usurps the Kingdom
5 At that time Adonijah, David’s son by Haggith, began to exalt himself, saying, “I will be king!” And he acquired chariots and horsemen and fifty men to run ahead of him.
6 (His father had never once reprimanded him by saying, “Why do you act this way?” Adonijah was also very handsome, born next after Absalom.)
7 So Adonijah conferred with Joab son of Zeruiah and with Abiathar the priest, who supported him. 8 But Zadok the priest, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei, Rei, and David’s mighty men would not join Adonijah.
9 And Adonijah sacrificed sheep, oxen, and fattened calves near the stone of Zoheleth, a which is next to En-rogel. He invited all his royal brothers and all the men of Judah who were servants of the king. 10 But he did not invite Nathan the prophet, Benaiah, the mighty men, or his brother Solomon.
Nathan and Bathsheba before David
11 Then Nathan said to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, “Have you not heard that Adonijah son of Haggith has become king, and our lord David does not know it? 12 Now please, come and let me advise you. Save your own life and the life of your son Solomon. 13 Go at once to King David and say, ‘My lord the king, did you not swear to your maidservant, “Surely your son Solomon will reign after me, and he will sit on my throne”? Why then has Adonijah become king?’ 14 Then, while you are still there speaking with the king, I will come in after you and confirm your words.”
15 So Bathsheba went to see the king in his bedroom. Since the king was very old, Abishag the Shunammite was serving him. 16 And Bathsheba bowed down in homage to the king, who asked, “What is your desire?”
17 “My lord,” she replied, “you yourself swore to your maidservant by the LORD your God: ‘Surely your son Solomon will reign after me, and he will sit on my throne.’ 18 But now, behold, Adonijah has become king, and you, my lord the king, did not know it. 19 And he has sacrificed an abundance of oxen, fattened calves, and sheep, and has invited all the other sons of the king, as well as Abiathar the priest and Joab the commander of the army. But he did not invite your servant Solomon. 20 And as for you, my lord the king, the eyes of all Israel are upon you to tell them who will sit on the throne of my lord the king after him. 21 Otherwise, when my lord the king rests with his fathers, I and my son Solomon will be counted as criminals.”
22 And just then, while Bathsheba was still speaking with the king, Nathan the prophet arrived. 23 So the king was told, “Nathan the prophet is here.” And Nathan went in and bowed facedown before the king.
24 “My lord the king,” said Nathan, “did you say, ‘Adonijah will reign after me, and he will sit on my throne’? 25 For today he has gone down and sacrificed an abundance of oxen, fattened calves, and sheep, and has invited all the sons of the king, the commanders b of the army, and Abiathar the priest. And behold, they are eating and drinking before him, saying, ‘Long live King Adonijah!’ 26 But me your servant he did not invite, nor Zadok the priest, nor Benaiah son of Jehoiada, nor your servant Solomon. 27 Has my lord the king let this happen without informing your servant who should sit on the throne after my lord the king?”
David Renews His Oath to Bathsheba
28 Then King David said, “Call in Bathsheba for me.” So she came into the king’s presence and stood before him.
29 And the king swore an oath, saying, “As surely as the LORD lives, who has redeemed my life from all distress, 30 I will carry out this very day exactly what I swore to you by the LORD, the God of Israel: Surely your son Solomon will reign after me, and he will sit on my throne in my place.”
31 Bathsheba bowed facedown in homage to the king and said, “May my lord King David live forever!”
Solomon Anointed King
(1 Chronicles 29:21–25)
32 Then King David said, “Call in for me Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada.” So they came before the king.
33 “Take my servants with you,” said the king. “Set my son Solomon on my own mule and take him down to Gihon. 34 There Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet are to anoint him king over Israel. You are to blow the ram’s horn and declare, ‘Long live King Solomon!’ 35 Then you shall go up with him, and he is to come and sit on my throne and reign in my place. For I have appointed him ruler over Israel and Judah.”
36 “Amen,” replied Benaiah son of Jehoiada. “May the LORD, the God of my lord the king, so declare it. 37 Just as the LORD was with my lord the king, so may He be with Solomon and make his throne even greater than that of my lord King David.”
38 Then Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada, along with the Cherethites and Pelethites, went down and set Solomon on King David’s mule, and they escorted him to Gihon. 39 Zadok the priest took the horn of oil from the tabernacle and anointed Solomon. Then they blew the ram’s horn, and all the people proclaimed, “Long live King Solomon!”
40 All the people followed him, playing flutes and rejoicing with such a great joy that the earth was split by the sound.
Adonijah Learns of Solomon’s Kingship
41 Now Adonijah and all his guests were finishing their feast when they heard the sound of the ram’s horn. “Why is the city in such a loud uproar?” asked Joab.
42 As he was speaking, suddenly Jonathan the son of Abiathar the priest arrived. “Come in,” said Adonijah, “for you are a man of valor. You must be bringing good news.”
43 “Not at all,” Jonathan replied. “Our lord King David has made Solomon king. 44 And with Solomon, the king has sent Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada, along with the Cherethites and Pelethites, and they have set him on the king’s mule. 45 Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king at Gihon, and they have gone up from there with rejoicing that rings out in the city. That is the noise you hear.
46 Moreover, Solomon has taken his seat on the royal throne.
47 The king’s servants have also gone to congratulate our lord King David, saying, ‘May your God make the name of Solomon more famous than your own name, and may He make his throne greater than your throne.’
And the king has bowed in worship on his bed, 48 saying, ‘Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel! Today He has provided one c to sit on my throne, and my eyes have seen it.’ ”
49 At this, all the guests of Adonijah arose in terror and scattered. 50 But Adonijah, in fear of Solomon, got up and went to take hold of the horns of the altar.
51 It was reported to Solomon: “Behold, Adonijah fears King Solomon, and he has taken hold of the horns of the altar, saying, ‘Let King Solomon first swear to me not to put his servant to the sword.’ ”
52 And Solomon replied, “If he is a man of character, not a single hair of his will fall to the ground. But if evil is found in him, he will die.”
53 So King Solomon summoned Adonijah down from the altar, and he came and bowed down before King Solomon, who said to him, “Go to your home.”
Footnotes:
9 a Or the Serpent’s Stone
25 b Hebrew; LXX Joab the commander
48 c LXX one of my offspring
1 Kings 2
David Instructs Solomon
(Psalm 37:1–40)
1 As the time drew near for David to die, he charged his son Solomon, 2 “I am about to go the way of all the earth. So be strong and prove yourself a man. 3 And keep the charge of the LORD your God to walk in His ways and to keep His statutes, commandments, ordinances, and decrees, as is written in the Law of Moses, so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you turn, 4 and so that the LORD may fulfill His promise to me: ‘If your descendants take heed to walk faithfully before Me with all their heart and soul, you will never fail to have a man on the throne of Israel.’
5 Moreover, you know what Joab son of Zeruiah did to me—what he did to Abner son of Ner and Amasa son of Jether, a the two commanders of the armies of Israel. He killed them in peacetime to avenge the blood of war. He stained with the blood of war the belt around his waist and the sandals on his feet. b 6 So act according to your wisdom, and do not let his gray head go down to Sheol in peace.
7 But show loving devotion c to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them be among those who eat at your table, because they stood by me when I fled from your brother Absalom.
8 Keep an eye on Shimei the son of Gera, the Benjamite from Bahurim who is with you. He called down bitter curses against me on the day I went to Mahanaim, but when he came down to meet me at the Jordan, I swore to him by the LORD: ‘I will never put you to the sword.’ 9 Now therefore, do not hold him guiltless, for you are a wise man. You know what you ought to do to him to bring his gray head down to Sheol in blood.”
David’s Reign and Death
(1 Chronicles 29:26–30)
10 Then David rested with his fathers and was buried in the City of David. 11 The length of David’s reign over Israel was forty years—seven years in Hebron and thirty-three years in Jerusalem.
12 So Solomon sat on the throne of his father David, and his kingdom was firmly established.
The Execution of Adonijah
13 Now Adonijah son of Haggith went to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, and she asked, “Do you come in peace?”
“Yes, in peace,” he replied. 14 Then he said, “I have something to tell you.”
“Say it,” she answered.
15 “You know that the kingship was mine,” he said. “All Israel expected that I should reign, but the kingship has turned to my brother, for it has come to him from the LORD. 16 So now I have just one request of you; do not deny me.”
“State your request,” she told him.
17 Adonijah replied, “Please speak to King Solomon, since he will not turn you down. Let him give me Abishag the Shunammite as my wife.”
18 “Very well,” Bathsheba replied. “I will speak to the king for you.”
19 So Bathsheba went to King Solomon to speak to him for Adonijah. The king stood up to greet her, bowed to her, and sat down on his throne. Then the king had a throne brought for his mother, who sat down at his right hand.
20 “I have just one small request of you,” she said. “Do not deny me.”
“Make your request, my mother,” the king replied, “for I will not deny you.”
21 So Bathsheba said, “Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to your brother Adonijah as his wife.”
22 King Solomon answered his mother, “Why do you request Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Since he is my older brother, you might as well request the kingdom for him and for Abiathar the priest and for Joab son of Zeruiah!”
23 Then King Solomon swore by the LORD: “May God punish me, and ever so severely, if Adonijah has not made this request at the expense of his life. 24 And now, as surely as the LORD lives—the One who established me, who set me on the throne of my father David, and who founded for me a dynasty as He promised—surely Adonijah shall be put to death today!”
25 So King Solomon sent the order to Benaiah son of Jehoiada, who struck down Adonijah, and he died.
26 Then the king said to Abiathar the priest, “Go back to your fields in Anathoth. Even though you deserve to die, I will not put you to death at this time, since you carried the ark of the Lord GOD before my father David, and you suffered through all that my father suffered.” 27 So Solomon banished Abiathar from the priesthood of the LORD and thus fulfilled the word that the LORD had spoken at Shiloh against the house of Eli.
The Execution of Joab
28 When the news reached Joab, who had conspired with Adonijah but not with Absalom, he fled to the tent of the LORD and took hold of the horns of the altar.
29 It was reported to King Solomon: “Joab has fled to the tent of the LORD and is now beside the altar.”
So Solomon sent Benaiah son of Jehoiada, saying, “Go, strike him down!”
30 And Benaiah entered the tent of the LORD and said to Joab, “The king says, ‘Come out!’ ”
But Joab replied, “No, I will die here.”
So Benaiah relayed the message to the king, saying, “This is how Joab answered me.”
31 And the king replied, “Do just as he says. Strike him down and bury him, and so remove from me and from the house of my father the innocent blood that Joab shed. 32 The LORD will bring his bloodshed back upon his own head, for without the knowledge of my father David he struck down two men more righteous and better than he when he put to the sword Abner son of Ner, commander of Israel’s army, and Amasa son of Jether, commander of Judah’s army. 33 Their blood will come back upon the heads of Joab and his descendants forever; but for David, his descendants, his house, and his throne, there shall be peace from the LORD forever.”
34 So Benaiah son of Jehoiada went up, struck down Joab, and killed him. He was buried at his own home in the wilderness. 35 And the king appointed Benaiah son of Jehoiada in Joab’s place over the army, and he appointed Zadok the priest in Abiathar’s place.
The Execution of Shimei
36 Then the king summoned Shimei and said to him, “Build a house for yourself in Jerusalem and live there, but do not go anywhere else. 37 On the day you go out and cross the Kidron Valley, know for sure that you will die; your blood will be on your own head.”
38 “The sentence is fair,” Shimei replied. “Your servant will do as my lord the king has spoken.” And Shimei lived in Jerusalem for a long time.
39 After three years, however, two of Shimei’s slaves ran away to Achish son of Maacah, d king of Gath. And Shimei was told, “Look, your slaves are in Gath.”
40 So Shimei saddled his donkey and set out to Achish at Gath in search of his slaves, and he brought them back from Gath.
41 When Solomon was told that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath and had returned, 42 the king summoned Shimei and said to him, “Did I not make you swear by the LORD and warn you, ‘On the day you leave and go elsewhere, know for sure that you will die’? And you told me, ‘The sentence is fair; I will comply.’ 43 So why have you not kept your oath to the LORD and the command that I gave you?”
44 The king also said, “You know in your heart all the evil that you did to my father David. Therefore the LORD will bring your evil back upon your head. 45 But King Solomon will be blessed and David’s throne will remain secure before the LORD forever.”
46 Then the king commanded Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and he went out and struck Shimei down, and he died. Thus the kingdom was firmly established in the hand of Solomon.
Footnotes:
5 a Jether is a variant of Ithra ; also in verse 32; see 2 Samuel 17:25.
5 b Hebrew; LXX He stained with innocent blood the belt around my waist and the sandals on my feet.
7 c Forms of the Hebrew chesed are translated here and in most cases throughout the Scriptures as loving devotion ; the range of meaning includes love , goodness , kindness , faithfulness , and mercy , as well as loyalty to a covenant .
39 d Maacah is a variant of Maoch ; see 1 Samuel 27:2.
1 Kings 3
Solomon’s Prayer for Wisdom
(2 Chronicles 1:1–13; Psalm 45:1–17; Psalm 72:1–20)
1 Later, Solomon formed an alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt by marrying his daughter. Solomon brought her to the City of David until he had finished building his palace and the house of the LORD, as well as the wall around Jerusalem.
2 The people, however, were still sacrificing on the high places because a house for the Name of the LORD had not yet been built. 3 And Solomon loved the LORD and walked in the statutes of his father David, except that he sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.
4 Now the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for it was the great high place. Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on the altar there.
5 One night at Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream, and God said, “Ask, and I will give it to you!”
6 Solomon replied, “You have shown much loving devotion to Your servant, my father David, because he walked before You in faithfulness, righteousness, and uprightness of heart. And You have maintained this loving devotion by giving him a son to sit on his throne this very day.
7 And now, O LORD my God, You have made Your servant king in my father David’s place. But I am only a little child, not knowing how to go out or come in. 8 Your servant is here among the people You have chosen, a people too numerous to count or number.
9 Therefore give Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people and to discern between good and evil. For who is able to govern this great people of Yours?”
10 Now it pleased the Lord a that Solomon had made this request. 11 So God said to him, “Since you have asked for this instead of requesting long life or wealth for yourself or death for your enemies—but you have asked for discernment to administer justice— 12 behold, I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there has never been nor will ever be another like you.
13 Moreover, I will give you what you did not request—both riches and honor—so that during all your days no man in any kingdom will be your equal. 14 So if you walk in My ways and keep My statutes and commandments, just as your father David did, I will prolong your days.”
15 Then Solomon awoke, and indeed it had been a dream. So he returned to Jerusalem, stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. Then he held a feast for all his servants.
Solomon Judges Wisely
16 At that time two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him.
17 One woman said, “Please, my lord, this woman and I live in the same house, and I gave birth while she was in the house. 18 On the third day after I gave birth, this woman also had a baby. We were alone, with no one in the house but the two of us. 19 During the night this woman’s son died because she rolled over on him. 20 So she got up in the middle of the night and took my son from my side while I was asleep. She laid him in her bosom and put her dead son at my bosom. 21 The next morning, when I got up to nurse my son, I discovered he was dead. But when I examined him, I realized that he was not the son I had borne.”
22 “No,” said the other woman, “the living one is my son and the dead one is your son.”
But the first woman insisted, “No, the dead one is yours and the living one is mine.” So they argued before the king.
23 Then the king replied, “This woman says, ‘My son is alive and yours is dead,’ but that woman says, ‘No, your son is dead and mine is alive.’ ”
24 The king continued, “Bring me a sword.” So they brought him a sword, 25 and the king declared, “Cut the living child in two and give half to one and half to the other.”
26 Then the woman whose son was alive spoke to the king because she yearned with compassion for her son. “Please, my lord,” she said, “give her the living baby. Do not kill him!”
But the other woman said, “He will be neither mine nor yours. Cut him in two!”
27 Then the king gave his ruling: “Give the living baby to the first woman. By no means should you kill him; she is his mother.”
28 When all Israel heard of the judgment the king had given, they stood in awe of him, for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to administer justice.
Footnotes:
10 a Hebrew Adonai ; also in verse 15
1 Kings 4
Solomon’s Princes
1 So King Solomon ruled over Israel, 2 and these were his chief officials:
Azariah son of Zadok was the priest;
3 Elihoreph and Ahijah, the sons of Shisha, a were secretaries;
Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was the recorder;
4 Benaiah son of Jehoiada was in charge of the army;
Zadok and Abiathar were priests;
5 Azariah son of Nathan was in charge of the governors;
Zabud son of Nathan was a priest and adviser to the king;
6 Ahishar was in charge of the palace;
and Adoniram b son of Abda was in charge of the forced labor.
Solomon’s Twelve Officers
7 Solomon had twelve governors over all Israel to provide food for the king and his household. Each one would arrange provisions for one month of the year, 8 and these were their names:
Ben-hur in the hill country of Ephraim;
9 Ben-deker in Makaz, in Shaalbim, in Beth-shemesh, and in Elon-beth-hanan;
10 Ben-hesed in Arubboth (Socoh and all the land of Hepher belonged to him);
11 Ben-abinadab in Naphath-dor c (Taphath, a daughter of Solomon, was his wife);
12 Baana son of Ahilud in Taanach, in Megiddo, and in all of Beth-shean next to Zarethan below Jezreel, from Beth-shean to Abel-meholah and on past Jokmeam;
13 Ben-geber in Ramoth-gilead (the villages of Jair son of Manasseh in Gilead belonged to him, as well as the region of Argob in Bashan with its sixty great cities with walls and bronze bars);
14 Ahinadab son of Iddo in Mahanaim;
15 Ahimaaz in Naphtali (he had married Basemath, a daughter of Solomon);
16 Baana son of Hushai in Asher and in Aloth;
17 Jehoshaphat son of Paruah in Issachar;
18 Shimei son of Ela in Benjamin;
19 Geber son of Uri in the land of Gilead, including the territories of Sihon king of the Amorites and of Og king of Bashan.
There was also one governor in the land of Judah. d
Solomon’s Prosperity
20 The people of Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand on the seashore, and they were eating and drinking and rejoicing. 21 And Solomon reigned over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates e to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt. These kingdoms offered tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life.
22 Solomon’s provisions for a single day were thirty cors of fine flour, f sixty cors of meal, g 23 ten fat oxen, twenty range oxen, and a hundred sheep, as well as deer, gazelles, roebucks, and fattened poultry. 24 For Solomon had dominion over everything west of the Euphrates h —over all the kingdoms from Tiphsah to Gaza—and he had peace on all sides. 25 Throughout the days of Solomon, Judah and Israel dwelt securely from Dan to Beersheba, each man under his own vine and his own fig tree.
26 Solomon had 4,000 i stalls for his chariot horses and 12,000 horses. j 27 Each month the governors in turn provided food for King Solomon and all who came to his table. They saw to it that nothing was lacking. 28 Each one also brought to the required place their quotas of barley and straw for the chariot horses and other horses.
Solomon’s Wisdom
29 And God gave Solomon wisdom, exceedingly deep insight, and understanding beyond measure, like the sand on the seashore. 30 Solomon’s wisdom was greater than that of all the men of the East, greater than all the wisdom of Egypt. 31 He was wiser than all men—wiser than Ethan the Ezrahite, and wiser than Heman, Calcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol. And his fame spread throughout the surrounding nations.
32 Solomon composed three thousand proverbs, and his songs numbered a thousand and five. 33 He spoke of trees, from the cedar in Lebanon to the hyssop growing in the wall, and he taught about animals, birds, reptiles, and fish.
34 So men of all nations came to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, sent by all the kings of the earth, who had heard of his wisdom.
Footnotes:
3 a Shisha is also called Seraiah , Sheva , and Shavsha ; see 2 Samuel 8:17, 2 Samuel 20:25, and 1 Chronicles 18:16.
6 b Adoniram is a variant of Adoram and Hadoram ; see 2 Samuel 20:24 and 2 Chronicles 10:18.
11 c Or in all the heights of Dor ; Naphath-dor is a variant of Naphoth-dor ; see Joshua 11:2.
19 d Some LXX manuscripts; Hebrew And he was the one governor in the land.
21 e Hebrew the River ; also in verse 24
22 f 30 cors is approximately 187 bushels or 6,600 liters (probably about 5.5 tons or 5 metric tons of flour).
22 g 60 cors is approximately 375 bushels or 13,200 liters (probably about 11 tons or 10 metric tons of meal).
24 h Or beyond the River
26 i Some LXX manuscripts (see also 2 Chronicles 9:25); Hebrew 40,000
26 j Or horsemen or charioteers
1 Kings 5
Preparations for the Temple
(2 Chronicles 2:1–10)
1 Now when Hiram king of Tyre heard that Solomon had been anointed king in his father’s place, he sent envoys to Solomon; for Hiram had always been a friend of David.
2 And Solomon relayed this message to Hiram:
3 “As you are well aware, due to the wars waged on all sides against my father David, he could not build a house for the Name of the LORD his God until the LORD had put his enemies under his feet. 4 But now the LORD my God has given me rest on every side, and there is no adversary or crisis.
5 So behold, I plan to build a house for the Name of the LORD my God, according to what the LORD said to my father David: ‘I will put your son on your throne in your place, and he will build the house for My Name.’
6 Now therefore, order that cedars of Lebanon be cut down for me. My servants will be with your servants, and I will pay your servants whatever wages you set, for you know that there are none among us as skilled in logging as the Sidonians.”
Hiram’s Reply to Solomon
(2 Chronicles 2:11–18)
7 When Hiram received Solomon’s message, he rejoiced greatly and said, “Blessed be the LORD this day! He has given David a wise son over this great people!” 8 Then Hiram sent a reply to Solomon, saying:
“I have received your message; I will do all you desire regarding the cedar and cypress a timber. 9 My servants will haul the logs from Lebanon to the Sea, b and I will float them as rafts by sea to the place you specify. There I will separate the logs, and you can take them away. And in exchange, you can meet my needs by providing my household with food.”
10 So Hiram provided Solomon with all the cedar and cypress timber he wanted, 11 and year after year Solomon would provide Hiram with 20,000 cors of wheat c as food for his household, as well as 20,000 baths of pure olive oil. d
12 And the LORD gave Solomon wisdom, as He had promised him. There was peace between Hiram and Solomon, and the two of them made a treaty. e
Solomon’s Labor Force
13 Then King Solomon conscripted a labor force of 30,000 men from all Israel. 14 He sent them to Lebanon in monthly shifts of 10,000 men, so that they would spend one month in Lebanon and two months at home. And Adoniram was in charge of the forced labor.
15 Solomon had 70,000 porters and 80,000 stonecutters in the mountains, 16 not including his 3,300 f foremen who supervised the workers.
17 And the king commanded them to quarry large, costly stones to lay the foundation of the temple with dressed stones. 18 So Solomon’s and Hiram’s builders, along with the Gebalites, quarried the stone and prepared the timber and stone for the construction of the temple.
Footnotes:
8 a Or pine or juniper or fir ; also in verse 10
9 b That is, the Mediterranean Sea, also called the Great Sea
11 c 20,000 cors is approximately 124,800 bushels or 4.4 million liters (probably about 3,800 tons or 3,400 metric tons of wheat).
11 d LXX (see also 2 Chronicles 2:10); 20,000 baths is approximately 116,000 gallons or 440,000 liters of olive oil; Hebrew twenty cors of pure oil or twenty cors of pressed oil
12 e Forms of the Hebrew berit are translated in most passages as covenant .
16 f Hebrew; some LXX manuscripts 3,600 ; see 2 Chronicles 2:18.
1 Kings 6
Temple Construction Begins
(2 Chronicles 3:1–2)
1 In the four hundred and eightieth a year after the Israelites had come out of the land of Egypt, in the month of Ziv, b the second month of the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, he began to build the house of the LORD.
2 The house that King Solomon built for the LORD was sixty cubits long, twenty cubits wide, and thirty cubits high. c 3 The portico at the front of the main hall of the temple was twenty cubits d long, extending across the width of the temple and projecting out ten cubits e in front of the temple.
4 He also had narrow windows framed high in the temple.
The Chambers
5 Against the walls of the temple and the inner sanctuary, Solomon built a chambered structure around the temple, in which he constructed the side rooms. 6 The bottom floor was five cubits wide, f the middle floor six cubits, g and the third floor seven cubits. h He also placed offset ledges around the outside of the temple, so that nothing would be inserted into its walls.
7 The temple was constructed using finished stones cut at the quarry, so that no hammer or chisel or any other iron tool was heard in the temple while it was being built.
8 The entrance to the bottom i floor was on the south side of the temple. A stairway led up to the middle level, and from there to the third floor.
9 So Solomon built the temple and finished it, roofing it with beams and planks of cedar. 10 He built chambers all along the temple, each five cubits high and attached to the temple with beams of cedar.
God’s Promise to Solomon
11 Then the word of the LORD came to Solomon, saying: 12 “As for this temple you are building, if you walk in My statutes, carry out My ordinances, and keep all My commandments by walking in them, I will fulfill through you the promise I made to your father David. 13 And I will dwell among the Israelites and will not abandon My people Israel.”
The Temple’s Interior
(2 Chronicles 3:5–9)
14 So Solomon built the temple and finished it. 15 He lined the interior walls with cedar paneling from the floor of the temple to the ceiling, and he covered the floor with cypress j boards.
16 He partitioned off the twenty cubits at the rear of the temple with cedar boards from floor to ceiling to form within the temple an inner sanctuary, the Most Holy Place. k 17 And the main hall in front of this room was forty cubits long. l
18 The cedar paneling inside the temple was carved with gourds and open flowers. Everything was cedar; not a stone could be seen.
19 Solomon also prepared the inner sanctuary within the temple to set the ark of the covenant of the LORD there. 20 The inner sanctuary was twenty cubits long, twenty cubits wide, and twenty cubits high. He overlaid the inside with pure gold, and he also overlaid the altar of cedar. m
21 So Solomon overlaid the inside of the temple with pure gold, and he extended gold chains n across the front of the inner sanctuary, which was overlaid with gold. 22 So he overlaid with gold the whole interior of the temple, until everything was completely finished. He also overlaid with gold the entire altar that belonged to the inner sanctuary.
The Cherubim
(2 Chronicles 3:10–13)
23 In the inner sanctuary he made two cherubim, each ten cubits high, out of olive wood. 24 One wing of the first cherub was five cubits long, and the other wing was five cubits long as well. So the full wingspan was ten cubits. 25 The second cherub also measured ten cubits; both cherubim had the same size and shape, 26 and the height of each cherub was ten cubits.
27 And he placed the cherubim inside the innermost room of the temple. Since their wings were spread out, the wing of the first cherub touched one wall, while the wing of the second cherub touched the other wall, and in the middle of the room their wingtips touched. 28 He also overlaid the cherubim with gold.
29 Then he carved the walls all around the temple, in both the inner and outer sanctuaries, with carved engravings of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers. 30 And he overlaid the temple floor with gold in both the inner and outer sanctuaries.
The Doors
31 For the entrance to the inner sanctuary, Solomon constructed doors of olive wood with five-sided doorposts. 32 The double doors were made of olive wood, and he carved into them cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers and overlaid the cherubim and palm trees with hammered gold.
33 In the same way he made four-sided doorposts of olive wood for the sanctuary entrance. 34 The two doors were made of cypress wood, and each had two folding panels. 35 He carved into them cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers; and he overlaid them with gold, hammered evenly over the carvings.
The Courtyard
36 Solomon built the inner courtyard with three rows of dressed stone and one row of trimmed cedar beams.
37 The foundation of the house of the LORD was laid in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign, in the month of Ziv. 38 In his eleventh year and eighth month, the month of Bul, o the temple was finished in every detail and according to every specification. So he built the temple in seven years.
Footnotes:
1 a Hebrew; LXX four hundred and fortieth
1 b Ziv was the second month of the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar, usually occurring within the months of April and May; also in verse 37.
2 c The house was approximately 90 feet long, 30 feet wide, and 45 feet high (27.4 meters long, 9.1 meters wide, and 13.7 meters high).
3 d 20 cubits is approximately 30 feet or 9.1 meters; also in verses 16 and 20.
3 e 10 cubits is approximately 15 feet or 4.6 meters; also in verses 23–26.
6 f 5 cubits is approximately 7.5 feet or 2.3 meters; also in verses 10 and 24.
6 g 6 cubits is approximately 9 feet or 2.7 meters.
6 h 7 cubits is approximately 10.5 feet or 3.2 meters.
8 i LXX and Targum; Hebrew middle
15 j Or pine or juniper or fir ; also in verse 34
16 k Or the Holy of Holies
17 l 40 cubits is approximately 60 feet or 18.3 meters.
20 m Or with cedar
21 n Or made gold chains to draw (the curtains)
38 o Bul was the eighth month of the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar, usually occurring within the months of October and November.
1 Kings 7
Solomon’s Palace Complex
1 Solomon, however, took thirteen years to complete the construction of his entire palace.
2 He built the House of the Forest of Lebanon a hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide, and thirty cubits high, a with four rows of cedar pillars supporting the cedar beams.
3 The house was roofed with cedar above the beams that rested on the pillars—forty-five beams, fifteen per row. 4 There were three rows of high windows facing one another in three tiers. 5 All the doorways b had rectangular frames, with the openings facing one another in three tiers.
6 Solomon made his colonnade fifty cubits long and thirty cubits wide, c with a portico in front of it and a canopy with pillars in front of the portico.
7 In addition, he built a hall for the throne, the Hall of Justice, where he was to judge. It was paneled with cedar from floor to ceiling. d
8 And the palace where Solomon would live, set further back, was of similar construction. He also made a palace like this hall for Pharaoh’s daughter, whom he had married.
9 All these buildings were constructed with costly stones, cut to size and trimmed with saws inside and out from the foundation to the eaves, and from the outside to the great courtyard. 10 The foundations were laid with large, costly stones, some ten cubits long e and some eight cubits long. f 11 Above these were high-grade stones, cut to size, and cedar beams.
12 The great courtyard was surrounded by three rows of dressed stone and a row of trimmed cedar beams, as were the inner courtyard and portico of the house of the LORD.
The Pillars and Capitals
(2 Chronicles 3:14–17)
13 Now King Solomon sent to bring Huram g from Tyre. 14 He was the son of a widow from the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a craftsman in bronze. Huram had great skill, understanding, and knowledge for every kind of bronze work. So he came to King Solomon and carried out all his work.
15 He cast two pillars of bronze, each eighteen cubits high and twelve cubits in circumference. h 16 He also made two capitals of cast bronze to set on top of the pillars, each capital five cubits high. i 17 For the capitals on top of the pillars he made a network of lattice, with wreaths of chainwork, seven for each capital. j
18 Likewise, he made the pillars with two rows of pomegranates around each grating to cover each capital atop the pillars. 19 And the capitals atop the pillars in the portico were shaped like lilies, four cubits high. k 20 On the capitals of both pillars, just above the rounded projection next to the network, were the two hundred pomegranates in rows encircling each capital.
21 Thus he set up the pillars at the portico of the temple. The pillar to the south he named Jachin, l and the pillar to the north he named Boaz. m 22 And the tops of the pillars were shaped like lilies. So the work of the pillars was completed.
The Molten Sea
(2 Chronicles 4:1–5)
23 He also made the Sea of cast metal. It was circular in shape, measuring ten cubits from rim to rim, five cubits in height, and thirty cubits in circumference. n 24 Below the rim, ornamental buds encircled it, ten per cubit all the way around the Sea, cast in two rows as a part of the Sea.
25 The Sea stood on twelve oxen, three facing north, three facing west, three facing south, and three facing east. The Sea rested on them, with all their hindquarters toward the center. 26 It was a handbreadth thick, o and its rim was fashioned like the brim of a cup, like a lily blossom. It could hold two thousand baths. p
The Ten Bronze Stands
27 In addition, he made ten movable stands of bronze, each four cubits long, four cubits wide, and three cubits high. q
28 This was the design of the stands: They had side panels attached to uprights, 29 and on the panels between the uprights were lions, oxen, and cherubim. On the uprights was a pedestal above, and below the lions and oxen were wreaths of beveled work.
30 Each stand had four bronze wheels with bronze axles and a basin resting on four supports, with wreaths at each side. 31 The opening to each stand inside the crown at the top was one cubit deep, r with a round opening like the design of a pedestal, a cubit and a half wide. s And around its opening were engravings, but the panels of the stands were square, not round.
32 There were four wheels under the panels, and the axles of the wheels were attached to the stand; each wheel was a cubit and a half in diameter. 33 The wheels were made like chariot wheels; their axles, rims, spokes, and hubs were all of cast metal.
34 Each stand had four handles, one for each corner, projecting from the stand. 35 At the top of each stand was a circular band half a cubit high. t The supports and panels were cast as a unit with the top of the stand.
36 He engraved cherubim, lions, and palm trees on the surfaces of the supports and panels, wherever each had space, with wreaths all around. 37 In this way he made the ten stands, each with the same casting, dimensions, and shape.
The Ten Bronze Basins
(2 Chronicles 4:6–8)
38 He also made ten bronze basins, each holding forty baths u and measuring four cubits across, one basin for each of the ten stands.
39 He set five stands on the south side of the temple and five on the north, and he put the Sea on the south side, at the southeast corner of the temple.
Completion of the Bronze Works
(2 Chronicles 4:11–18)
40 Additionally, Huram made the pots, v shovels, and sprinkling bowls.
So Huram finished all the work that he had undertaken for King Solomon in the house of the LORD:
41 the two pillars;
the two bowl-shaped capitals atop the pillars;
the two sets of network covering both bowls of the capitals atop the pillars;
42 the four hundred pomegranates for the two sets of network (two rows of pomegranates for each network covering both the bowl-shaped capitals atop the pillars);
43 the ten stands;
the ten basins on the stands;
44 the Sea;
the twelve oxen underneath the Sea;
45 and the pots, shovels, and sprinkling bowls.
All the articles that Huram made for King Solomon in the house of the LORD were made of burnished bronze. 46 The king had them cast in clay molds in the plain of the Jordan between Succoth and Zarethan. w 47 Solomon left all these articles unweighed, because there were so many. The weight of the bronze could not be determined.
Completion of the Gold Furnishings
(2 Chronicles 4:19–22)
48 Solomon also made all the furnishings for the house of the LORD:
the golden altar;
the golden table on which was placed the Bread of the Presence;
49 the lampstands of pure gold in front of the inner sanctuary, five on the right side and five on the left;
the gold flowers, lamps, and tongs;
50 the pure gold basins, wick trimmers, sprinkling bowls, ladles, and censers;
and the gold hinges for the doors of the inner temple (that is, the Most Holy Place x) as well as for the doors of the main hall of the temple.
51 So all the work that King Solomon had performed for the house of the LORD was completed.
Then Solomon brought in the items his father David had dedicated—the silver, the gold, and the furnishings—and he placed them in the treasuries of the house of the LORD.
Footnotes:
2 a The house was approximately 150 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high (45.7 meters long, 22.9 meters wide, and 13.7 meters high).
5 b Literally doorways and doorposts
6 c The colonnade was approximately 75 feet long and 45 feet wide (22.9 meters long and 13.7 meters wide).
7 d Syriac and Vulgate; Hebrew from floor to floor
10 e 10 cubits is approximately 15 feet or 4.6 meters.
10 f 8 cubits is approximately 12 feet or 3.7 meters.
13 g Hebrew Hiram , a variant of Huram ; also in verses 40 and 45; see 2 Chronicles 4:11. Note that this is not Hiram king of Tyre mentioned in 1 Kings 5:1.
15 h Each pillar was approximately 27 feet high and 18 feet in circumference (8.2 meters high and 5.5 meters in circumference).
16 i 5 cubits is approximately 7.5 feet or 2.3 meters.
17 j Hebrew; LXX one for each capital
19 k 4 cubits is approximately 6 feet or 1.8 meters; also in verse 38.
21 l Jachin probably means He establishes .
21 m Boaz probably means in Him is strength .
23 n The Sea was approximately 15 feet from rim to rim, 7.5 feet in height, and 45 feet in circumference (4.6 meters from rim to rim, 2.3 meters in height, and 13.7 meters in circumference).
26 o A handbreadth is approximately 2.9 inches or 7.4 centimeters.
26 p 2,000 baths is approximately 11,600 gallons or 44,000 liters; LXX does not include this sentence.
27 q The stands were approximately 6 feet in length and width, and 4.5 feet high (1.8 meters in length and width, and 1.4 meters high).
31 r One cubit is approximately 18 inches or 45.7 centimeters.
31 s A cubit and a half is approximately 2.25 feet or 68.6 centimeters wide; similarly in verse 32.
35 t Half a cubit is approximately 9 inches or 22.9 centimeters high.
38 u 40 baths is approximately 232 gallons or 880 liters.
40 v Many Hebrew manuscripts, LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate (see also verse 45 and 2 Chronicles 4:11); many other Hebrew manuscripts basins
46 w Zarethan is a variant of Zeredah ; see 2 Chronicles 4:17.
50 x Or the Holy of Holies
1 Kings 8
The Ark Enters the Temple
(2 Chronicles 5:1–14)
1 At that time Solomon assembled before him in Jerusalem the elders of Israel—all the tribal heads and family leaders of the Israelites—to bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD from Zion, the City of David. 2 And all the men of Israel came together to King Solomon at the feast in the seventh month, a the month of Ethanim. b
3 When all the elders of Israel had arrived, the priests took up the ark, 4 and they brought up the ark of the LORD and the Tent of Meeting with all its sacred furnishings. So the priests and Levites carried them up.
5 There, before the ark, King Solomon and the whole congregation of Israel who had assembled with him sacrificed so many sheep and oxen that they could not be counted or numbered.
6 Then the priests brought the ark of the covenant of the LORD to its place in the inner sanctuary of the temple, the Most Holy Place, c beneath the wings of the cherubim. 7 For the cherubim spread their wings over the place of the ark and overshadowed the ark and its poles.
8 The poles extended far enough that their ends were visible from the Holy Place in front of the inner sanctuary, but not from outside the Holy Place; d and they are there to this day.
9 There was nothing in the ark except the two stone tablets that Moses had placed in it at Horeb, e where the LORD had made a covenant with the Israelites after they had come out of the land of Egypt.
10 And when the priests came out of the Holy Place, the cloud filled the house of the LORD 11 so that the priests could not stand there to minister because of the cloud; for the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD.
Solomon Blesses the LORD
(2 Chronicles 6:1–11)
12 Then Solomon declared:
“The LORD f has said that He would dwell
in the thick cloud.
13 I have indeed built You an exalted house,
a place for You to dwell forever.”
14 And as the whole assembly of Israel stood there, the king turned around and blessed them all 15 and said:
“Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who has fulfilled with His own hand what He spoke with His mouth to my father David, saying, 16 ‘Since the day I brought My people Israel out of Egypt, I have not chosen a city from any tribe of Israel in which to build a house so that My Name would be there. But I have chosen David to be over My people Israel.’
17 Now it was in the heart of my father David to build a house for the Name of the LORD, the God of Israel. 18 But the LORD said to my father David, ‘Since it was in your heart to build a house for My Name, you have done well to have this in your heart. 19 Nevertheless, you are not the one to build it; but your son, your own offspring, will build the house for My Name.’
20 Now the LORD has fulfilled the word that He spoke. I have succeeded my father David, and I sit on the throne of Israel, as the LORD promised. I have built the house for the Name of the LORD, the God of Israel. 21 And there I have provided a place for the ark, which contains the covenant of the LORD that He made with our fathers when He brought them out of the land of Egypt.”
Solomon’s Prayer of Dedication
(2 Chronicles 6:12–42)
22 Then Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in front of the whole assembly of Israel, spread out his hands toward heaven, 23 and said:
“O LORD, God of Israel, there is no God like You in heaven above or on earth below, keeping Your covenant of loving devotion with Your servants who walk before You with all their hearts. 24 You have kept Your promise to Your servant, my father David. What You spoke with Your mouth You have fulfilled with Your hand this day.
25 Therefore now, O LORD, God of Israel, keep for Your servant, my father David, what You promised when You said: ‘You will never fail to have a man to sit before Me on the throne of Israel, if only your descendants guard their way to walk before Me as you have done.’ 26 And now, O God of Israel, please confirm what You promised to Your servant, my father David.
27 But will God indeed dwell upon the earth? Even heaven, the highest heaven, cannot contain You, much less this temple I have built. 28 Yet regard the prayer and plea of Your servant, O LORD my God, so that You may hear the cry and the prayer that Your servant is praying before You today.
29 May Your eyes be open toward this temple night and day, toward the place of which You said, ‘My Name shall be there,’ so that You may hear the prayer that Your servant prays toward this place. 30 Hear the plea of Your servant and of Your people Israel when they pray toward this place. May You hear from heaven, Your dwelling place. May You hear and forgive.
31 When a man sins against his neighbor and is required to take an oath, and he comes to take an oath before Your altar in this temple, 32 then may You hear from heaven and act. May You judge Your servants, condemning the wicked man by bringing down on his own head what he has done, and justifying the righteous man by rewarding him according to his righteousness.
33 When Your people Israel are defeated before an enemy because they have sinned against You, and they return to You and confess Your name, praying and pleading with You in this temple, 34 then may You hear from heaven and forgive the sin of Your people Israel. May You restore them to the land You gave to their fathers.
35 When the skies are shut and there is no rain because Your people have sinned against You, and they pray toward this place and confess Your name, and they turn from their sins because You have afflicted them, 36 then may You hear from heaven and forgive the sin of Your servants, Your people Israel, so that You may teach them the good way in which they should walk. May You send rain on the land that You gave Your people as an inheritance.
37 When famine or plague comes upon the land, or blight or mildew or locusts or grasshoppers, or when their enemy besieges them in their cities, whatever plague or sickness may come, 38 then may whatever prayer or petition Your people Israel make—each knowing his own afflictions and spreading out his hands toward this temple— 39 be heard by You from heaven, Your dwelling place. And may You forgive and act, and repay each man according to all his ways, since You know his heart—for You alone know the hearts of all men— 40 so that they may fear You all the days they live in the land that You gave to our fathers.
41 And as for the foreigner who is not of Your people Israel but has come from a distant land because of Your name— 42 for they will hear of Your great name and mighty hand and outstretched arm—when he comes and prays toward this temple, 43 then may You hear from heaven, Your dwelling place, and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to You. Then all the peoples of the earth will know Your name and fear You, as do Your people Israel, and they will know that this house I have built is called by Your Name.
44 When Your people go to war against their enemies, wherever You send them, and when they pray to the LORD in the direction of the city You have chosen and the house I have built for Your Name, 45 then may You hear from heaven their prayer and their plea, and may You uphold their cause.
46 When they sin against You—for there is no one who does not sin—and You become angry with them and deliver them to an enemy who takes them as captives to his own land, whether far or near, 47 and when they come to their senses in the land to which they were taken, and they repent and plead with You in the land of their captors, saying, ‘We have sinned and done wrong; we have acted wickedly,’ 48 and when they return to You with all their heart and soul in the land of the enemies who took them captive, and when they pray to You in the direction of the land that You gave to their fathers, the city You have chosen, and the house I have built for Your Name, 49 then may You hear from heaven, Your dwelling place, their prayer and petition, and may You uphold their cause. 50 May You forgive Your people who have sinned against You and all the transgressions they have committed against You, and may You grant them compassion in the eyes of their captors to show them mercy.
51 For they are Your people and Your inheritance; You brought them out of Egypt, out of the furnace for iron. 52 May Your eyes be open to the pleas of Your servant and of Your people Israel, and may You listen to them whenever they call to You. 53 For You, O Lord GOD, as Your inheritance, have set them apart from all the peoples of the earth, as You spoke through Your servant Moses when You brought our fathers out of Egypt.”
Solomon’s Benediction
54 Now when Solomon had finished praying this entire prayer and petition to the LORD, he got up before the altar of the LORD, where he had been kneeling with his hands spread out toward heaven. 55 And he stood and blessed the whole assembly of Israel in a loud voice, saying:
56 “Blessed be the LORD, who has given rest to His people Israel according to all that He promised. Not one word has failed of all the good promises He made through His servant Moses.
57 May the LORD our God be with us, as He was with our fathers. May He never leave us nor forsake us. 58 May He incline our hearts to Himself, to walk in all His ways and to keep the commandments and statutes and ordinances He commanded our fathers.
59 And may these words with which I have made my petition before the LORD be near to the LORD our God day and night, so that He may uphold the cause of His servant and of His people Israel as each day requires, 60 so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the LORD is God. There is no other!
61 So let your heart be fully devoted to the LORD our God, as it is this day, to walk in His statutes and to keep His commandments.”
Sacrifices of Dedication
(2 Chronicles 7:4–10)
62 Then the king and all Israel with him offered sacrifices before the LORD. 63 And Solomon offered as peace offerings to the LORD 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep. So the king and all the Israelites dedicated the house of the LORD.
64 On that same day the king consecrated the middle of the courtyard in front of the house of the LORD, and there he offered the burnt offerings, the grain offerings, and the fat of the peace offerings, since the bronze altar before the LORD was too small to contain all these offerings.
65 So at that time Solomon and all Israel with him—a great assembly of people from Lebo-hamath to the Brook of Egypt—kept the feast before the LORD our God for seven days and seven more days—fourteen days in all.
66 On the fifteenth day g Solomon sent the people away. So they blessed the king and went home, joyful and glad in heart for all the good things that the LORD had done for His servant David and for His people Israel.
Footnotes:
2 a That is, the Feast of Tabernacles (or Booths or Shelters); similarly in verse 65; see Leviticus 23:33–36.
2 b Ethanim was the seventh month of the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar, usually occurring within the months of September and October.
6 c Or the Holy of Holies
8 d Literally not from outside
9 e That is, Mount Sinai, or possibly a mountain in the range containing Mount Sinai
12 f Some LXX manuscripts The Lord has set the sun in the heavens, but
66 g Hebrew On the eighth day , probably referring to the day following the seven-day feast; see 2 Chronicles 7:9–10.
1 Kings 9
The LORD’s Response to Solomon
(2 Chronicles 7:11–22)
1 Now when Solomon had finished building the house of the LORD and the royal palace, and had achieved all that he had desired to do, 2 the LORD appeared to him a second time, as He had appeared to him at Gibeon. 3 And the LORD said to him:
“I have heard your prayer and petition before Me. I have consecrated this temple you have built by putting My Name there forever; My eyes and My heart will be there for all time.
4 And as for you, if you walk before Me as your father David walked, with a heart of integrity and uprightness, doing all I have commanded you, and if you keep My statutes and ordinances, 5 then I will establish your royal throne over Israel forever, as I promised your father David when I said, ‘You will never fail to have a man on the throne of Israel.’
6 But if indeed you or your sons turn away from following Me and do not keep the commandments and statutes I have set before you, and if you go off to serve and worship other gods, 7 then I will cut off Israel from the land that I have given them, and I will banish from My presence this temple I have sanctified for My Name. Then Israel will become an object of scorn and ridicule among all peoples.
8 And when this temple has become a heap of rubble, a all who pass by it will be appalled and will hiss and say, ‘Why has the LORD done such a thing to this land and to this temple?’ 9 And others will answer, ‘Because they have forsaken the LORD their God who brought their fathers out of the land of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, worshiping and serving them—because of this, the LORD has brought all this disaster upon them.’ ”
Solomon’s Additional Achievements
(2 Chronicles 8:1–18)
10 Now at the end of the twenty years during which Solomon built these two houses, the house of the LORD and the royal palace, 11 King Solomon gave twenty towns in the land of Galilee to Hiram king of Tyre, who had supplied him with cedar and cypress b logs and gold for his every desire. 12 So Hiram went out from Tyre to inspect the towns that Solomon had given him, but he was not pleased with them.
13 “What are these towns you have given me, my brother?” asked Hiram, and he called them the Land of Cabul, c as they are called to this day.
14 And Hiram had sent the king 120 talents of gold. d
15 This is the account of the forced labor that King Solomon imposed to build the house of the LORD, his own palace, the supporting terraces, e and the wall of Jerusalem, as well as Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer.
16 Pharaoh king of Egypt had attacked and captured Gezer. He had set it on fire, killed the Canaanites who lived in the city, and given it as a dowry to his daughter, Solomon’s wife. 17 So Solomon rebuilt Gezer, Lower Beth-horon, 18 Baalath, and Tamar f in the Wilderness of Judah, g 19 as well as all the store cities that Solomon had for his chariots and horses h —whatever he desired to build in Jerusalem, Lebanon, and throughout the land of his dominion.
20 As for all the people who remained of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites (the people who were not Israelites)— 21 their descendants who remained in the land, those whom the Israelites were unable to devote to destruction i—Solomon conscripted these people to be forced laborers, as they are to this day.
22 But Solomon did not consign any of the Israelites to slavery, because they were his men of war, his servants, his officers, his captains, and the commanders of his chariots and cavalry. 23 They were also the chief officers over Solomon’s projects: 550 supervisors over the people who did the work.
24 As soon as Pharaoh’s daughter had come up from the City of David to the palace that Solomon had built for her, he built the supporting terraces.
25 Three times a year Solomon offered burnt offerings and peace offerings on the altar he had built for the LORD, burning incense with them before the LORD. So he completed the temple.
26 King Solomon also assembled a fleet of ships at Ezion-geber, which is near Eloth j in Edom, on the shore of the Red Sea. k 27 And Hiram sent his servants, men who knew the sea, to serve in the fleet with Solomon’s servants. 28 They sailed to Ophir and imported gold from there—420 talents l—and delivered it to Solomon.
Footnotes:
8 a Some LXX manuscripts, Syriac, and Arabic; Hebrew And though this temple is now exalted ; see also 2 Chronicles 7:21.
11 b Or pine or juniper or fir
13 c Cabul sounds like the Hebrew for good-for-nothing .
14 d 120 talents is approximately 4.52 tons or 4.1 metric tons of gold.
15 e Hebrew the Millo ; also in verse 24
18 f Alternate MT reading; the other alternate reads Tadmor
18 g Hebrew in the wilderness in the land
19 h Or horsemen or charioteers
21 i Forms of the Hebrew cherem refer to the giving over of things or persons to the LORD, either by destroying them or by giving them as an offering.
26 j Eloth is a variant of Elath ; see LXX, 2 Kings 14:22, and 2 Kings 16:6.
26 k Or the Sea of Reeds
28 l 420 talents is approximately 15.8 tons or 14.4 metric tons of gold.
1 Kings 10
The Queen of Sheba
(2 Chronicles 9:1–12)
1 Now when the queen of Sheba heard about the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the LORD, she came to test him with difficult questions. 2 She arrived in Jerusalem with a very large caravan—with camels bearing spices, gold in great abundance, and precious stones.
So she came to Solomon and spoke to him all that was on her mind. 3 And Solomon answered all her questions; nothing was too difficult for the king to explain.
4 When the queen of Sheba saw all the wisdom of Solomon, the palace he had built, 5 the food at his table, the seating of his servants, the service and attire of his attendants and cupbearers, and the burnt offerings he presented at the house of the LORD, it took her breath away.
6 She said to the king, “The report I heard in my own country about your words and wisdom is true. 7 But I did not believe these things until I came and saw with my own eyes. Indeed, not even half was told to me. Your wisdom and prosperity have far exceeded the report I heard. 8 How blessed are your men! a How blessed are these servants of yours who stand continually before you and hear your wisdom! 9 Blessed be the LORD your God, who has delighted in you to set you on the throne of Israel. Because of the LORD’s eternal love for Israel, He has made you king to carry out justice and righteousness.”
10 Then she gave the king 120 talents of gold, b a great quantity of spices, and precious stones. Never again was such an abundance of spices brought in as those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.
11 (The fleet of Hiram that brought gold from Ophir also brought from Ophir a great cargo of almug c wood and precious stones. 12 The king made the almug wood into steps for the house of the LORD and for the king’s palace, and into lyres and harps for the singers. Never before had such almug wood been brought in, nor has such been seen to this day.)
13 King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba all she desired—whatever she asked—besides what he had given her out of his royal bounty. Then she left and returned to her own country, along with her servants.
Solomon’s Wealth and Splendor
(2 Chronicles 1:14–17; 2 Chronicles 9:13–28)
14 The weight of gold that came to Solomon each year was 666 talents, d 15 not including the revenue from the merchants, traders, and all the Arabian kings and governors of the land.
16 King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; six hundred shekels of gold e went into each shield. 17 He also made three hundred small shields of hammered gold; three minas of gold f went into each shield. And the king put them in the House of the Forest of Lebanon.
18 Additionally, the king made a great throne of ivory and overlaid it with pure gold. 19 The throne had six steps, and its back had a rounded top. There were armrests on both sides of the seat, with a lion standing beside each armrest. 20 Twelve lions stood on the six steps, one at either end of each step. Nothing like this had ever been made for any kingdom.
21 All King Solomon’s drinking cups were gold, and all the utensils of the House of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold. There was no silver, because it was accounted as nothing in the days of Solomon. 22 For the king had the ships of Tarshish g at sea with Hiram’s fleet, and once every three years the ships of Tarshish would arrive bearing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks. h
23 So King Solomon surpassed all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom. 24 The whole world sought an audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom that God had put in his heart. 25 Year after year, each visitor would bring his tribute: articles of silver and gold, clothing, weapons, spices, horses, and mules.
26 Solomon accumulated i 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horses, j which he stationed in the chariot cities and also with him in Jerusalem. 27 The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar as abundant as sycamore in the foothills. k
28 Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt and Kue; l the royal merchants purchased them from Kue. 29 A chariot could be imported from Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver, m and a horse for a hundred and fifty. n Likewise, they exported them to all the kings of the Hittites and to the kings of Aram.
Footnotes:
8 a LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate your wives
10 b 120 talents is approximately 4.52 tons or 4.1 metric tons of gold.
11 c Almug is probably a variant of algum ; also in verse 12; see 2 Chronicles 2:8.
14 d 666 talents is approximately 25.1 tons or 22.8 metric tons of gold.
16 e 600 shekels is approximately 15.1 pounds or 6.8 kilograms of gold.
17 f 3 minas is approximately 3.77 pounds or 1.71 kilograms of gold; possibly a reference to double minas, that is, approximately 7.54 pounds or 3.42 kilograms.
22 g Or a fleet of trading ships ; twice in this verse
22 h Or baboons
26 i Literally Solomon accumulated chariots and horses; he had
26 j Or horsemen or charioteers
27 k Hebrew Shephelah or lowlands ; that is, the western foothills of Judea
28 l Probably an area in Cilicia, a province in the southeast of Asia Minor
29 m 600 shekels is approximately 15.1 pounds or 6.8 kilograms of silver.
29 n 150 shekels is approximately 3.8 pounds or 1.7 kilograms of silver.
1 Kings 11
Solomon’s Foreign Wives
1 King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women along with the daughter of Pharaoh—women of Moab, Ammon, Edom, and Sidon, as well as Hittite women. 2 These women were from the nations about which the LORD had told the Israelites, “You must not intermarry with them, for surely they will turn your hearts after their gods.” Yet Solomon clung to these women in love. 3 He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines—and his wives turned his heart away.
4 For when Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and he was not wholeheartedly devoted to the LORD his God, as his father David had been. 5 Solomon followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians and Milcom a the abomination of the Ammonites. 6 So Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD; unlike his father David, he did not follow the LORD completely.
7 At that time on a hill east of Jerusalem, Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab and for Molech the abomination of the Ammonites. 8 He did the same for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods.
God’s Anger against Solomon
9 Now the LORD grew angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice. 10 Although He had warned Solomon explicitly not to follow other gods, Solomon did not keep the LORD’s command.
11 Then the LORD said to Solomon, “Because you have done this and have not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded you, I will tear the kingdom away from you and give it to your servant. 12 Nevertheless, for the sake of your father David, I will not do it during your lifetime; I will tear it out of the hand of your son. 13 Yet I will not tear the whole kingdom away from him. I will give one tribe to your son for the sake of My servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, which I have chosen.”
Hadad’s Return
14 Then the LORD raised up against Solomon an adversary, Hadad the Edomite, from the royal line of Edom.
15 Earlier, when David was in Edom, Joab the commander of the army had gone to bury the dead and had struck down every male in Edom. 16 Joab and all Israel had stayed there six months, until he had killed every male in Edom. 17 But Hadad, still just a young boy, had fled to Egypt, along with some Edomites who were servants of his father.
18 Hadad and his men set out from Midian and went to Paran. They took men from Paran with them and went to Egypt, to Pharaoh king of Egypt, who gave Hadad a house and land and provided him with food.
19 There Hadad found such great favor in the sight of Pharaoh that he gave to him in marriage the sister of Queen Tahpenes, his own wife. 20 And the sister of Tahpenes bore Hadad a son named Genubath. Tahpenes herself weaned him in Pharaoh’s palace, and Genubath lived there among the sons of Pharaoh.
21 When Hadad heard in Egypt that David had rested with his fathers and that Joab, the commander of the army, was dead, he said to Pharaoh, “Let me go, that I may return to my own country.”
22 But Pharaoh asked him, “What have you lacked here with me that you suddenly want to go back to your own country?”
“Nothing,” Hadad replied, “but please let me go.”
Rezon’s Hostility
23 And God raised up against Solomon another adversary, Rezon the son of Eliada, who had fled from his master, Hadadezer king of Zobah, 24 and had gathered men to himself. When David killed the Zobaites, Rezon captained a band of raiders and went to Damascus, where they settled and gained control.
25 Rezon was Israel’s enemy throughout the days of Solomon, adding to the trouble caused by Hadad. So Rezon ruled over Aram with hostility toward Israel.
Jeroboam’s Rebellion
26 Now Jeroboam son of Nebat was an Ephraimite from Zeredah whose mother was a widow named Zeruah. Jeroboam was a servant of Solomon, but he rebelled against the king, 27 and this is the account of his rebellion against the king.
Solomon had built the supporting terraces b and repaired the gap in the wall of the city of his father David. 28 Now Jeroboam was a mighty man of valor. So when Solomon noticed that the young man was industrious, he put him in charge of the whole labor force of the house of Joseph.
29 During that time, the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite met Jeroboam on the road as he was going out of Jerusalem. Now Ahijah had wrapped himself in a new cloak, and the two of them were alone in the open field.
30 And Ahijah took hold of the new cloak he was wearing, tore it into twelve pieces, 31 and said to Jeroboam, “Take ten pieces for yourself, for this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Behold, I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and I will give you ten tribes. 32 But one tribe will remain for the sake of My servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel.
33 For they have c forsaken Me to worship Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Milcom the god of the Ammonites. They have not walked in My ways, nor done what is right in My eyes, nor kept My statutes and judgments, as Solomon’s father David did.
34 Nevertheless, I will not take the whole kingdom out of Solomon’s hand, because I have made him ruler all the days of his life for the sake of David My servant, whom I chose because he kept My commandments and statutes. 35 But I will take ten tribes of the kingdom from the hand of his son and give them to you. 36 I will give one tribe to his son, so that My servant David will always have a lamp before Me in Jerusalem, the city where I chose to put My Name. 37 But as for you, I will take you, and you shall reign over all that your heart desires, and you will be king over Israel.
38 If you listen to all that I command you, walk in My ways, and do what is right in My sight in order to keep My statutes and commandments as My servant David did, then I will be with you. I will build you a lasting dynasty just as I built for David, and I will give Israel to you. 39 Because of this, I will humble David’s descendants—but not forever.’ ”
40 Solomon therefore sought to kill Jeroboam. But Jeroboam arose and fled to Egypt, to Shishak king of Egypt, where he remained until the death of Solomon.
The Death of Solomon
(2 Chronicles 9:29–31)
41 As for the rest of the acts of Solomon—all that he did, as well as his wisdom—are they not written in the Book of the Acts of Solomon? 42 Thus the time that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel was forty years.
43 And Solomon rested with his fathers and was buried in the city of his father David. And his son Rehoboam reigned in his place.
Footnotes:
5 a Milcom is a variant of Molech ; also in verse 33; see verse 7 and Leviticus 18:21.
27 b Hebrew the Millo
33 c Hebrew; LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate he has ; twice in this verse
1 Kings 12
Rebellion against Rehoboam
(2 Chronicles 10:1–15)
1 Then Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had gone there to make him king. 2 When Jeroboam son of Nebat heard about this, he was still a in Egypt where he had fled from King Solomon and had been living ever since. 3 So they sent for Jeroboam, and he and the whole assembly of Israel came to Rehoboam and said, 4 “Your father put a heavy yoke on us. But now you should lighten the burden of your father’s service and the heavy yoke he put on us, and we will serve you.”
5 Rehoboam answered, “Go away for three days and then return to me.” So the people departed.
6 Then King Rehoboam consulted with the elders who had served his father Solomon during his lifetime. “How do you advise me to respond to these people?” he asked.
7 They replied, “If you will be a servant to these people and serve them this day, and if you will respond by speaking kind words to them, they will be your servants forever.”
8 But Rehoboam rejected the advice of the elders; instead, he consulted the young men who had grown up with him and served him. 9 He asked them, “What message do you advise that we send back to these people who have spoken to me, saying, ‘Lighten the yoke your father put on us’?”
10 The young men who had grown up with him replied, “This is how you should answer these people who said to you, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but you should make it lighter.’ This is what you should tell them: ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s waist! 11 Whereas my father burdened you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke. Whereas my father scourged you with whips, I will scourge you with scorpions.’ ”
12 After three days, Jeroboam and all the people returned to Rehoboam, since the king had said, “Come back to me on the third day.” 13 And the king answered the people harshly. He rejected the advice of the elders 14 and spoke to them as the young men had advised, saying, “Whereas my father made your yoke heavy, I will add to your yoke. Whereas my father scourged you with whips, I will scourge you with scorpions.”
15 So the king did not listen to the people, and indeed this turn of events was from the LORD, to fulfill the word He had spoken to Jeroboam son of Nebat through Ahijah the Shilonite.
The Kingdom Divided
(2 Chronicles 10:16–19)
16 When all Israel saw that the king had refused to listen to them, they answered the king:
“What portion do we have in David,
and what inheritance in the son of Jesse?
To your tents, O Israel!
Look now to your own house, O David!”
So the Israelites went home, 17 but Rehoboam still reigned over the Israelites living in the cities of Judah.
18 Then King Rehoboam sent out Adoram, b who was in charge of the forced labor, but all Israel stoned him to death. And King Rehoboam mounted his chariot in haste and escaped to Jerusalem. 19 So to this day Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David.
Shemaiah’s Prophecy
(2 Chronicles 11:1–4)
20 When all Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned, they summoned him to the assembly and made him king over all Israel. Only the tribe of Judah followed the house of David.
21 And when Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he mobilized the whole house of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin—180,000 chosen warriors—to fight against the house of Israel and restore the kingdom to Rehoboam son of Solomon.
22 But the word of God came to Shemaiah the man of God: 23 “Tell Rehoboam son of Solomon king of Judah, all the house of Judah and Benjamin, and the rest of the people 24 that this is what the LORD says: ‘You are not to go up and fight against your brothers, the Israelites. Each of you must return home, for this word is from Me.’ ”
So they listened to the word of the LORD and turned back according to the word of the LORD.
Jeroboam’s Idolatry
25 Then Jeroboam built Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim and lived there. And from there he went out and built Penuel. c
26 Jeroboam said in his heart, “Now the kingdom might revert to the house of David. 27 If these people go up to offer sacrifices in the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, their hearts will return to their lord, Rehoboam king of Judah; then they will kill me and return to Rehoboam king of Judah.”
28 After seeking advice, the king made two golden calves and said to the people, d “Going up to Jerusalem is too much for you. Here, O Israel, are your gods, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.”
29 One calf he set up in Bethel, and the other in Dan. 30 And this thing became a sin; the people walked as far as Dan to worship before one of the calves. e
31 Jeroboam also built shrines on the high places and appointed from every class of people priests who were not Levites. 32 And Jeroboam ordained a feast on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, f like the feast that was in Judah, and he offered sacrifices on the altar; he made this offering in Bethel to sacrifice to the calves he had set up, and he installed priests in Bethel for the high places he had set up.
33 On the fifteenth day of the eighth month, a month of his own choosing, Jeroboam offered sacrifices on the altar he had set up in Bethel. So he ordained a feast for the Israelites, offered sacrifices on the altar, and burned incense.
Footnotes:
2 a Or he remained
18 b Hebrew; some LXX manuscripts and Syriac Adoniram ; see 1 Kings 4:6 and 1 Kings 5:14.
25 c Penuel is a variant of Peniel ; see Genesis 32:30.
28 d Hebrew to them
30 e Likely reading of the original Hebrew text; MT the people walked to the one as far as Dan ; LXX the people went to the one at Bethel and to the other as far as Dan
32 f This feast was exactly one month after the annual Feast of Tabernacles in Judah; see Leviticus 23:34.
1 Kings 13
Jeroboam’s Hand Withers
(2 Kings 23:4–20; 2 Chronicles 34:3–7)
1 Suddenly, as Jeroboam was standing beside the altar to burn incense, there came a man of God from Judah to Bethel by the word of the LORD. 2 And he cried out against the altar by the word of the LORD, “O altar, O altar, this is what the LORD says: ‘A son named Josiah will be born to the house of David, and upon you he will sacrifice the priests of the high places who burn incense upon you, and human bones will be burned upon you.’ ” a
3 That day the man of God gave a sign, saying, “The LORD has spoken this sign: ‘Surely the altar will be split apart, and the ashes upon it will be poured out.’ ”
4 Now when King Jeroboam, who was at the altar in Bethel, heard the word that the man of God had cried out against it, he stretched out his hand and said, “Seize him!” But the hand he stretched out toward him withered, so that he could not pull it back. 5 And the altar was split apart, and the ashes poured out, according to the sign that the man of God had given by the word of the LORD.
6 Then the king responded to the man of God, “Intercede with the LORD your God and pray that my hand may be restored.”
So the man of God interceded with the LORD, and the king’s hand was restored to him as it was before.
7 Then the king said to the man of God, “Come home with me and refresh yourself, and I will give you a reward.”
8 But the man of God replied, “If you were to give me half your possessions, I still would not go with you, nor would I eat bread or drink water in this place. 9 For this is what I was commanded by the word of the LORD: ‘You must not eat bread or drink water or return by the way you came.’ ”
10 So the man of God went another way and did not return by the way he had come to Bethel.
The Old Prophet and the Man of God
11 Now a certain old prophet was living in Bethel, and his sons b came and told him all the deeds that the man of God had done that day in Bethel. They also told their father the words that the man had spoken to the king.
12 “Which way did he go?” their father asked.
And his sons showed him c the way taken by the man of God, who had come from Judah. 13 So the prophet said to his sons, “Saddle the donkey for me.”
Then they saddled the donkey for him, and he mounted it 14 and went after the man of God. He found him sitting under an oak tree d and asked, “Are you the man of God who came from Judah?”
“I am,” he replied.
15 So the prophet said to the man of God, “Come home with me and eat some bread.”
16 But the man replied, “I cannot return with you or eat bread or drink water with you in this place. 17 For I have been told by the word of the LORD: ‘You must not eat bread or drink water there or return by the way you came.’ ”
18 Then the prophet replied, “I too am a prophet like you, and an angel spoke to me by the word of the LORD, saying, ‘Bring him back with you to your house, so that he may eat bread and drink water.’ ”
The old prophet was lying to him, 19 but the man of God went back with him, ate bread in his house, and drank water.
20 While they were sitting at the table, the word of the LORD came to the prophet who had brought him back, 21 and the prophet cried out to the man of God who had come from Judah, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Because you have defied the word of the LORD and have not kept the commandment that the LORD your God gave you, 22 but you went back and ate bread and drank water in the place where He told you not to do so, your body shall never reach the tomb of your fathers.’ ”
23 And after the man of God had finished eating and drinking, the old prophet who had brought him back saddled the donkey for him. 24 As he went on his way, a lion met him on the road and killed him, and his body was left lying in the road, with the donkey and the lion standing beside it.
25 And there were men passing by who saw the body lying in the road with the lion standing beside it, and they went and reported this in the city where the old prophet lived.
26 When the prophet who had brought him back from his journey heard this, he said, “It is the man of God who disobeyed the command of the LORD. Therefore the LORD has delivered him to the lion, and it has mauled him and killed him, according to the word that the LORD had spoken to him.”
27 Then the old prophet instructed his sons, “Saddle the donkey for me.” So they saddled it, 28 and he went and found the body lying in the road, with the donkey and the lion standing beside it. The lion had not eaten the body or mauled the donkey. 29 So the old prophet lifted up the body of the man of God, laid it on the donkey, and brought it back to his own city to mourn for him and bury him. 30 Then he laid the body in his own tomb, and they lamented over him, “Oh, my brother!”
31 After he had buried him, the prophet said to his sons, “When I die, you must bury me in the tomb where the man of God is buried. Lay my bones beside his bones, 32 for the message that he cried out by the word of the LORD against the altar in Bethel and against all the shrines on the high places in the cities of Samaria will surely come to pass.”
33 Even after these events, Jeroboam did not repent of his evil ways, but again he appointed priests for the high places from every class of people. He ordained anyone who desired to be a priest of the high places. 34 And this was the sin of the house of Jeroboam that led to its extermination and destruction from the face of the earth.
Footnotes:
2 a See 2 Kings 23:16.
11 b LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate; Hebrew son
12 c LXX; Hebrew had seen
14 d Or a terebinth or a great tree
1 Kings 14
Ahijah’s Prophecy against Jeroboam
1 At that time Abijah son of Jeroboam became ill, 2 and Jeroboam said to his wife, “Now get up, disguise yourself so they will not recognize you as my wife, and go to Shiloh. For Ahijah the prophet is there; it was he who spoke about my kingship over this people. 3 Take with you ten loaves of bread, some cakes, and a jar of honey, and go to him. He will tell you what will become of the boy.”
4 Jeroboam’s wife did as instructed; she arose and went to Shiloh and arrived at Ahijah’s house. Now Ahijah could not see, for his eyes were dim because of his age. 5 But the LORD had said to Ahijah, “Behold, the wife of Jeroboam is coming to ask you about her son, for he is ill. You are to say such and such to her, because when she arrives, she will be disguised.”
6 So when Ahijah heard the sound of her feet entering the door, he said, “Come in, wife of Jeroboam! Why are you disguised? For I have been sent to you with bad news. 7 Go, tell Jeroboam that this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘I raised you up from among the people and appointed you ruler over My people Israel. 8 I tore the kingdom away from the house of David and gave it to you. But you were not like My servant David, who kept My commandments and followed Me with all his heart, doing only what was right in My eyes.
9 You have done more evil than all who came before you. You have proceeded to make for yourself other gods and molten images to provoke Me, and you have flung Me behind your back. 10 Because of all this, behold, I am bringing disaster on the house of Jeroboam:
I will cut off from Jeroboam every male, a
both slave and free,
in Israel;
I will burn up the house of Jeroboam
as one burns up dung until it is gone!
11 Anyone belonging to Jeroboam who dies in the city
will be eaten by dogs,
and anyone who dies in the field
will be eaten by the birds of the air.’
For the LORD has spoken.
12 As for you, get up and go home. When your feet enter the city, the child will die. 13 All Israel will mourn for him and bury him. For this is the only one belonging to Jeroboam who will receive a proper burial, b because only in him has the LORD, the God of Israel, found any good in the house of Jeroboam.
14 Moreover, the LORD will raise up for Himself a king over Israel who will cut off the house of Jeroboam. This is the day—yes, even today! 15 For the LORD will strike Israel as a reed is shaken in the water. He will uproot Israel from this good land that He gave their fathers, and He will scatter them beyond the Euphrates, c because they have made their Asherah poles, provoking the LORD to anger. 16 So He will give Israel over on account of the sins Jeroboam has committed and has caused Israel to commit.”
17 Then Jeroboam’s wife got up and departed for Tirzah, and as soon as she stepped over the threshold of the house, the boy died. 18 And they buried him, and all Israel mourned for him, according to the word that the LORD had spoken through His servant Ahijah the prophet.
Nadab Succeeds Jeroboam
19 As for the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, how he waged war and how he reigned, they are indeed written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.
20 And the length of Jeroboam’s reign was twenty-two years, and he rested with his fathers, and his son Nadab reigned in his place.
Rehoboam Reigns in Judah
(2 Chronicles 12:13–14)
21 Meanwhile, Rehoboam son of Solomon reigned in Judah. He was forty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city the LORD had chosen from all the tribes of Israel in which to put His Name. His mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonite.
22 And Judah did evil in the sight of the LORD, and by the sins they committed they provoked Him to jealous anger more than all their fathers had done. 23 They also built for themselves high places, sacred pillars, and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every green tree. 24 There were even male shrine prostitutes in the land. They imitated all the abominations of the nations the LORD had driven out before the Israelites.
Shishak Raids Jerusalem
(2 Chronicles 12:1–12)
25 In the fifth year of Rehoboam’s reign, Shishak king of Egypt came up and attacked Jerusalem. 26 He seized the treasures of the house of the LORD and of the royal palace. He took everything, including all the gold shields that Solomon had made.
27 Then King Rehoboam made bronze shields in their place and committed them to the care of the captains of the guard on duty at the entrance to the royal palace. 28 And whenever the king entered the house of the LORD, the guards would bear the shields, and later they would return them to the guardroom.
29 As for the rest of the acts of Rehoboam, along with all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?
30 There was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam throughout their days. 31 And Rehoboam rested with his fathers and was buried with them in the City of David; his mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonite. And his son Abijam d reigned in his place.
Footnotes:
10 a Literally (all) those who urinate against a wall
13 b Literally who will come to the grave
15 c Hebrew the River
31 d Abijam is a variant of Abijah ; some Hebrew manuscripts and LXX Abijah ; see 2 Chronicles 12:16.
1 Kings 15
Abijam Reigns in Judah
(2 Chronicles 13:1–3)
1 In the eighteenth year of the reign of Jeroboam son of Nebat, Abijam a became king of Judah, 2 and he reigned in Jerusalem three years. His mother’s name was Maacah daughter of Abishalom. b
3 And Abijam walked in all the sins that his father before him had committed, and his heart was not as fully devoted to the LORD his God as the heart of David his forefather had been. 4 Nevertheless, for the sake of David, the LORD his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem by raising up a son to succeed him and to make Jerusalem strong. 5 For David had done what was right in the eyes of the LORD and had not turned aside from anything the LORD commanded all the days of his life, except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite.
6 And there was war between the houses of Rehoboam c and Jeroboam all the days of Abijam’s life. d
7 As for the rest of the acts of Abijam, along with all his accomplishments, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? And there was war between Abijam and Jeroboam.
8 And Abijam rested with his fathers and was buried in the City of David, and his son Asa reigned in his place.
Asa Reigns in Judah
(2 Chronicles 14:1–15; 2 Chronicles 15:8–19)
9 In the twentieth year of Jeroboam’s reign over Israel, Asa became king of Judah, 10 and he reigned in Jerusalem forty-one years. His grandmother’s e name was Maacah daughter of Abishalom.
11 And Asa did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, as his father David had done. 12 He banished the male shrine prostitutes from the land and removed all the idols that his fathers had made. 13 He also removed his grandmother Maacah from her position as queen mother because she had made a detestable Asherah pole. Asa chopped down the pole and burned it in the Kidron Valley.
14 The high places were not removed, but Asa’s heart was fully devoted to the LORD all his days. 15 And he brought into the house of the LORD the silver and gold and other articles that he and his father had dedicated.
War between Asa and Baasha
(2 Chronicles 16:1–6)
16 Now there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel throughout their days. 17 Baasha king of Israel went to war against Judah and fortified Ramah to prevent anyone from leaving or entering the territory of Asa king of Judah.
18 So Asa withdrew all the silver and gold that remained in the treasuries of the house of the LORD and the royal palace. He entrusted it to his servants and sent them with this message to Ben-hadad son of Tabrimmon, the son of Hezion king of Aram, who was ruling in Damascus: 19 “Let there be a treaty f between me and you, between my father and your father. See, I have sent you a gift of silver and gold. Now go and break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel, so that he will withdraw from me.”
20 And Ben-hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of his armies against the cities of Israel, conquering Ijon, Dan, Abel-beth-maacah, and the whole land of Naphtali, including the region of Chinnereth.
21 When Baasha learned of this, he stopped fortifying Ramah and withdrew to Tirzah. 22 Then King Asa summoned all the men of Judah, g with no exceptions, and they carried away the stones of Ramah and the timbers Baasha had used for building. And with these materials King Asa built up Geba of Benjamin, as well as Mizpah.
Jehoshaphat Succeeds Asa
(2 Chronicles 17:1–19)
23 Now the rest of the acts of Asa, along with all his might, all his accomplishments, and the cities he built, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? In his old age, however, he became diseased in his feet.
24 And Asa rested with his fathers and was buried with them in the city of his father David, and his son Jehoshaphat reigned in his place.
Nadab Reigns in Israel
25 In the second year of Asa’s reign over Judah, Nadab son of Jeroboam became king of Israel, and he reigned two years. 26 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD and walked in the way of his father and in his sin, which he had caused Israel to commit.
27 Then Baasha son of Ahijah of the house of Issachar conspired against Nadab, and Baasha struck him down at Gibbethon of the Philistines while Nadab and all Israel were besieging the city. 28 In the third year of Asa’s reign over Judah, Baasha killed Nadab and reigned in his place.
29 As soon as Baasha became king, he struck down the entire household of Jeroboam. He did not leave to Jeroboam anyone that breathed, but destroyed them all according to the word that the LORD had spoken through His servant Ahijah the Shilonite, 30 because of the sins Jeroboam had committed and had caused Israel to commit, and because he had provoked the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger.
31 As for the rest of the acts of Nadab, along with all his accomplishments, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? 32 And there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel throughout their days.
Baasha Reigns in Israel
33 In the third year of Asa’s reign over Judah, Baasha son of Ahijah became king of all Israel, and he reigned in Tirzah twenty-four years.
34 And Baasha did evil in the sight of the LORD and walked in the way of Jeroboam and in his sin, which he had caused Israel to commit.
Footnotes:
1 a Abijam is a variant of Abijah ; some Hebrew manuscripts and LXX Abijah ; also in verses 3, 6, 7, and 8; see 2 Chronicles 12:16.
2 b Abishalom is a variant of Absalom ; also in verse 10; see 2 Chronicles 11:20.
6 c Literally war between Rehoboam (most Hebrew manuscripts); some Hebrew manuscripts and Syriac war between Abijam (that is, Abijah); most LXX texts do not contain this verse.
6 d Literally of his life
10 e Or The queen mother’s ; Hebrew His mother’s ; see verses 2 and 13.
19 f Forms of the Hebrew berit are translated in most passages as covenant ; twice in this verse.
22 g Or Then King Asa made a proclamation throughout all Judah
1 Kings 16
Jehu’s Prophecy against Baasha
1 Then the word of the LORD came to Jehu son of Hanani against Baasha, saying: 2 “Even though I lifted you out of the dust and made you ruler over My people Israel, you have walked in the way of Jeroboam and have caused My people Israel to sin and to provoke Me to anger by their sins. 3 So now I will consume Baasha and his house, and I will make your house like that of Jeroboam son of Nebat:
4 Anyone belonging to Baasha who dies in the city
will be eaten by dogs,
and anyone who dies in the field
will be eaten by the birds of the air.”
5 As for the rest of the acts of Baasha, along with his accomplishments and might, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? 6 And Baasha rested with his fathers and was buried in Tirzah, and his son Elah reigned in his place.
7 Moreover, the word of the LORD came through the prophet Jehu son of Hanani against Baasha and his house, because of all the evil he had done in the sight of the LORD, provoking Him to anger with the work of his hands and becoming like the house of Jeroboam, and also because Baasha had struck down the house of Jeroboam.
Elah Reigns in Israel
8 In the twenty-sixth year of Asa’s reign over Judah, Elah son of Baasha became king of Israel, and he reigned in Tirzah two years.
9 However, while Elah was in Tirzah getting drunk in the house of Arza the steward of his household there, Elah’s servant Zimri, the commander of half his chariots, conspired against him. 10 So in the twenty-seventh year of Asa’s reign over Judah, Zimri went in, struck Elah down, and killed him. And Zimri reigned in his place.
11 As soon as Zimri began to reign and was seated on the throne, he struck down the entire household of Baasha. He did not leave a single male, whether a kinsman or friend. 12 So Zimri destroyed the entire household of Baasha, according to the word that the LORD had spoken against Baasha through Jehu the prophet. 13 This happened because of all the sins Baasha and his son Elah had committed and had caused Israel to commit, provoking the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger with their worthless idols.
14 As for the rest of the acts of Elah, along with all his accomplishments, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?
Zimri Reigns in Israel
15 In the twenty-seventh year of Asa’s reign over Judah, Zimri reigned in Tirzah for seven days. Now the troops were encamped against Gibbethon of the Philistines, 16 and the people in the camp heard that Zimri had not only conspired but had also struck down the king. So there in the camp that very day, all Israel proclaimed Omri, the commander of the army, king over Israel.
17 Then Omri and all the Israelites marched up from Gibbethon and besieged Tirzah. 18 When Zimri saw that the city was captured, he entered the citadel of the royal palace and burned it down upon himself. So he died 19 because of the sins he had committed, doing evil in the sight of the LORD and following the example of Jeroboam and the sin he had committed and had caused Israel to commit.
20 As for the rest of the acts of Zimri and the treason he committed, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?
Omri Reigns in Israel
21 At that time the people of Israel were divided: Half of the people supported Tibni son of Ginath as king, and half supported Omri. 22 But the followers of Omri proved stronger than those of Tibni son of Ginath. So Tibni died and Omri became king.
23 In the thirty-first year of Asa’s reign over Judah, Omri became king of Israel, and he reigned twelve years, six of them in Tirzah. 24 He bought the hill of Samaria from Shemer for two talents of silver a and built a city there, calling it Samaria after the name of Shemer, who had owned the hill.
25 But Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD and acted more wickedly than all who were before him. 26 For he walked in all the ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat and in his sins, which he caused Israel to commit, provoking the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger with their worthless idols.
27 As for the rest of the acts of Omri, along with his accomplishments and the might he exercised, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?
28 And Omri rested with his fathers and was buried in Samaria, and his son Ahab reigned in his place.
Ahab Reigns in Israel, Marries Jezebel
29 In the thirty-eighth year of Asa’s reign over Judah, Ahab son of Omri became king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria twenty-two years.
30 However, Ahab son of Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD, more than all who were before him. 31 And as if it were not enough for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, he even married Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and he then proceeded to serve and worship Baal.
32 First, Ahab set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal that he had built in Samaria. 33 Then he set up an Asherah pole. Thus Ahab did more to provoke the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger than all the kings of Israel before him.
34 In Ahab’s days, Hiel the Bethelite rebuilt Jericho. At the cost of Abiram his firstborn he laid its foundation, and at the cost of Segub his youngest he set up its gates, according to the word that the LORD had spoken through Joshua son of Nun. b
Footnotes:
24 a 2 talents is approximately 151 pounds or 68.4 kilograms of silver.
34 b See Joshua 6:26.
1 Kings 17
The Ravens Feed Elijah
1 Now Elijah the Tishbite, who was among the settlers of Gilead, a said to Ahab, “As surely as the LORD lives—the God of Israel before whom I stand—there will be neither dew nor rain in these years except at my word!”
2 Then a revelation from the LORD came to Elijah: 3 “Leave here, turn eastward, and hide yourself by the Brook of Cherith, east of the Jordan. b 4 And you are to drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.”
5 So Elijah did what the LORD had told him, and he went and lived by the Brook of Cherith, east of the Jordan. 6 The ravens would bring him bread and meat in the morning and evening, and he would drink from the brook. 7 Some time later, however, the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land.
The Widow of Zarephath
8 Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah: 9 “Get up and go to Zarephath of Sidon, and stay there. Behold, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you.”
10 So Elijah got up and went to Zarephath. When he arrived at the city gate, there was a widow gathering sticks. Elijah called to her and said, “Please bring me a little water in a cup, so that I may drink.” 11 And as she was going to get it, he called to her and said, “Please bring me a piece of bread.”
12 But she replied, “As surely as the LORD your God lives, I have no bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. Look, I am gathering a couple of sticks to take home and prepare a meal for myself and my son, so that we may eat it and die.”
13 “Do not be afraid,” Elijah said to her. “Go and do as you have said. But first make me a small cake of bread from what you have, and bring it out to me. Afterward, make some for yourself and your son, 14 for this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘The jar of flour will not be exhausted and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the LORD sends rain upon the face of the earth.’ ”
15 So she went and did according to the word of Elijah, and there was food every day for Elijah and the woman and her household. 16 The jar of flour was not exhausted and the jug of oil did not run dry, according to the word that the LORD had spoken through Elijah.
Elijah Raises the Widow’s Son
17 Later, the son of the woman who owned the house became ill, and his sickness grew worse and worse, until no breath remained in him. 18 “O man of God,” said the woman to Elijah, “what have you done to me? Have you come to remind me of my iniquity and cause the death of my son?”
19 But Elijah said to her, “Give me your son.”
So he took him from her arms, carried him to the upper room where he was staying, and laid him on his own bed. 20 Then he cried out to the LORD, “O LORD my God, have You also brought tragedy on this widow who has opened her home to me, by causing her son to die?” 21 Then he stretched himself out over the child three times and cried out to the LORD, “O LORD my God, please let this boy’s life return to him!”
22 And the LORD listened to the voice of Elijah, and the child’s life returned to him, and he lived. 23 Then Elijah took the child, brought him down from the upper room into the house, and gave him to his mother. “Look, your son is alive,” Elijah declared.
24 Then the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the LORD from your mouth is truth.”
Footnotes:
1 a Or who was from Tishbe in Gilead
3 b Or the Cherith Ravine, near the Jordan ; also in verse 5
1 Kings 18
Elijah’s Message to Ahab
1 After a long time, in the third year of the drought, a the word of the LORD came to Elijah: “Go and present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain upon the face of the earth.”
2 So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab. The famine was severe in Samaria, 3 and Ahab summoned Obadiah, who was in charge of the palace.
(Now Obadiah greatly feared the LORD, 4 for when Jezebel had slaughtered the prophets of the LORD, Obadiah had taken a hundred prophets and hidden them, fifty men per cave, providing them with food and water.)
5 Then Ahab said to Obadiah, “Go throughout the land to every spring and every valley. Perhaps we will find grass to keep the horses and mules alive so that we will not have to destroy any livestock.”
6 So they divided the land to explore. Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went the other way by himself.
7 Now as Obadiah went on his way, Elijah suddenly met him. When Obadiah recognized him, he fell facedown and said, “Is it you, my lord Elijah?”
8 “It is I,” he answered. “Go tell your master, ‘Elijah is here!’ ”
9 But Obadiah replied, “How have I sinned, that you are handing your servant over to Ahab to put me to death? 10 As surely as the LORD your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom where my lord has not sent someone to search for you. When they said, ‘He is not here,’ he made that kingdom or nation swear that they had not found you. 11 And now you say, ‘Go tell your master that Elijah is here!’
12 I do not know where the Spirit of the LORD may carry you off when I leave you. Then when I go and tell Ahab and he does not find you, he will kill me. But I, your servant, have feared the LORD from my youth. 13 Was it not reported to my lord what I did when Jezebel slaughtered the prophets of the LORD? I hid a hundred prophets of the LORD, fifty men per cave, and I provided them with food and water. 14 And now you say, ‘Go tell your lord that Elijah is here!’ He will kill me!”
15 Then Elijah said, “As surely as the LORD of Hosts lives, before whom I stand, I will present myself to Ahab today.”
Elijah on Mount Carmel
16 So Obadiah went to inform Ahab, who went to meet Elijah. 17 When Ahab saw Elijah, he said to him, “Is that you, O troubler of Israel?”
18 “I have not troubled Israel,” Elijah replied, “but you and your father’s house have, for you have forsaken the commandments of the LORD and have followed the Baals. 19 Now summon all Israel to meet me on Mount Carmel, along with the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah who eat at Jezebel’s table.”
20 So Ahab summoned all the Israelites and assembled the prophets on Mount Carmel. 21 Then Elijah approached all the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him. But if Baal is God, follow him.”
But the people did not answer a word.
22 Then Elijah said to the people, “I am the only remaining prophet of the LORD, but Baal has four hundred and fifty prophets. 23 Get two bulls for us. Let the prophets of Baal choose one bull for themselves, cut it into pieces, and place it on the wood but not light the fire. And I will prepare the other bull and place it on the wood but not light the fire. 24 Then you may call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the LORD. The God who answers by fire, He is God.”
And all the people answered, “What you say is good.”
25 Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Since you are so numerous, choose for yourselves one bull and prepare it first. Then call on the name of your god, but do not light the fire.”
26 And they took the bull that was given them, prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon, shouting, “O Baal, answer us!”
But there was no sound, and no one answered as they leaped around the altar they had made.
27 At noon Elijah began to taunt them, saying, “Shout louder, for he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or occupied, or on a journey. Perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened!”
28 So they shouted louder and cut themselves with knives and lances, as was their custom, until the blood gushed over them.
29 Midday passed, and they kept on raving until the time of the evening sacrifice. But there was no response; no one answered, no one paid attention.
30 Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me.” So all the people approached him, and he repaired the altar of the LORD that had been torn down.
31 And Elijah took twelve stones, one for each tribe of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the LORD had come and said, “Israel shall be your name.” 32 And with the stones, Elijah built an altar in the name of the LORD. Then he dug a trench around the altar large enough to hold two seahs of seed. b
33 Next, he arranged the wood, cut up the bull, placed it on the wood, 34 and said, “Fill four waterpots and pour the water on the offering and on the wood.” c
“Do it a second time,” he said, and they did it a second time.
“Do it a third time,” he said, and they did it a third time.
35 So the water ran down around the altar and even filled the trench.
Elijah’s Prayer
36 At the time of the evening sacrifice, Elijah the prophet approached the altar and said, “O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and that I am Your servant and have done all these things at Your command. 37 Answer me, O LORD! Answer me, so that this people will know that You, the LORD, are God, and that You have turned their hearts back again.”
38 Then the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the sacrifice, the wood, the stones, and the dust, and it licked up the water in the trench.
39 When all the people saw this, they fell facedown and said, “The LORD, He is God! The LORD, He is God!”
40 Then Elijah ordered them, “Seize the prophets of Baal! Do not let a single one escape.” So they seized them, and Elijah brought them down to the Kishon Valley and slaughtered them there.
The LORD Sends Rain
41 And Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain.”
42 So Ahab went up to eat and drink. But Elijah climbed to the summit of Carmel, bent down on the ground, and put his face between his knees. 43 “Go and look toward the sea,” he said to his servant.
So the servant went and looked, and he said, “There is nothing there.”
Seven times Elijah said, “Go back.”
44 On the seventh time the servant reported, “There is a cloud as small as a man’s hand rising from the sea.”
And Elijah replied, “Go and tell Ahab, ‘Prepare your chariot and go down before the rain stops you.’ ”
45 Meanwhile, the sky grew dark with clouds and wind, and a heavy rain began to fall. So Ahab rode away and went to Jezreel.
46 And the hand of the LORD came upon Elijah, and he tucked his cloak into his belt d and ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel.
Footnotes:
1 a Literally And the days were many, and in the third year,
32 b 2 seahs is approximately 13.2 dry quarts or 14.6 liters (probably about 25.4 pounds or 11.5 kilograms of seed).
34 c Some texts break verse 33 and begin verse 34 at this point.
46 d Hebrew he girded up his loins
1 Kings 19
Elijah Flees from Jezebel
1 Now Ahab told Jezebel everything that Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. 2 So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “May the gods deal with me, and ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like the lives of those you killed!”
3 And Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, 4 while he himself traveled on a day’s journey into the wilderness. He sat down under a broom tree and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, LORD,” he said. “Take my life, for I am no better than my fathers.”
5 Then he lay down under the broom tree and fell asleep.
Suddenly an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.”
6 And he looked around, and there by his head was a cake of bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. So he ate and drank and lay down again.
7 A second time the angel of the LORD returned and touched him, saying, “Get up and eat, or the journey will be too much for you.”
8 So he got up and ate and drank. And strengthened by that food, he walked forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, a the mountain of God.
The LORD Speaks to Elijah at Horeb
9 There Elijah entered a cave and spent the night. And the word of the LORD came to him, saying, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
10 “I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of Hosts,” he replied, “but the Israelites have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I am the only one left, and they are seeking my life as well.” b
11 Then the LORD said, “Go out and stand on the mountain before the LORD. Behold, the LORD is about to pass by.”
And a great and mighty wind tore into the mountains and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind.
After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake.
12 After the earthquake there was a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire.
And after the fire came a still, small voice. 13 When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Suddenly a voice came to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
14 “I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of Hosts,” he replied, “but the Israelites have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I am the only one left, and they are seeking my life as well.”
15 Then the LORD said to him, “Go back by the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you arrive, you are to anoint Hazael as king over Aram. 16 You are also to anoint Jehu son c of Nimshi as king over Israel and Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel-meholah to succeed you as prophet.
17 Then Jehu will put to death whoever escapes the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death whoever escapes the sword of Jehu.
18 Nevertheless, I have reserved seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed to Baal d and whose mouths have not kissed him.”
The Call of Elisha
19 So Elijah departed and found Elisha son of Shaphat. He was plowing with twelve teams of oxen, and he was with the twelfth team. Elijah passed by him and threw his cloak around him.
20 So Elisha left the oxen, ran after Elijah, and said, “Please let me kiss my father and mother goodbye, and then I will follow you.”
“Go on back,” Elijah replied, “for what have I done to you?”
21 So Elisha turned back from him, took his pair of oxen, and slaughtered them. With the oxen’s equipment, he cooked the meat and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he set out to follow and serve Elijah.
Footnotes:
8 a That is, Mount Sinai, or possibly a mountain in the range containing Mount Sinai
10 b Cited in Romans 11:3; here and in verse 14
16 c Or grandson ; see 2 Kings 9:14.
18 d Cited in Romans 11:4
1 Kings 20
Ben-hadad Attacks Samaria
1 Now Ben-hadad king of Aram assembled his entire army. Accompanied by thirty-two kings with their horses and chariots, he marched up, besieged Samaria, and waged war against it. 2 Then he sent messengers into the city to Ahab king of Israel, 3 saying, “This is what Ben-hadad says: a ‘Your silver and gold are mine, and your best wives and children are mine!’ ”
4 And the king of Israel replied, “Just as you say, my lord the king: I am yours, along with all that I have.”
5 The messengers came back and said, “This is what Ben-hadad says: ‘I have sent to you to demand your silver, your gold, your wives, and your children. 6 But about this time tomorrow I will send my servants to search your palace and the houses of your servants. They will seize and carry away all that is precious to you.’ ”
7 Then the king of Israel summoned all the elders of the land and said, “Please take note and see that this man is looking for trouble, for when he demanded my wives, my children, my silver, and my gold, I did not deny him.”
8 And the elders and the people all said, “Do not listen to him or consent to his terms.”
9 So Ahab answered the messengers of Ben-hadad, “Tell my lord the king, ‘All that you demanded of your servant the first time I will do, but this thing I cannot do.’ ”
So the messengers departed and relayed the message to Ben-hadad.
10 Then Ben-hadad sent another message to Ahab: “May the gods deal with me, and ever so severely, if enough dust remains of Samaria for each of my men to have a handful.”
11 And the king of Israel replied, “Tell him: ‘The one putting on his armor should not boast like one taking it off.’ ”
12 Ben-hadad received this message while he and the kings were drinking in their tents, b and he said to his servants, “Take your positions.” So they stationed themselves against the city.
Ahab Defeats Ben-hadad
13 Meanwhile a prophet approached Ahab king of Israel and declared, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Do you see this entire great army? Behold, I will deliver it into your hand this very day, and you will know that I am the LORD.’ ”
14 “By whom?” Ahab asked.
And the prophet replied, “This is what the LORD says: ‘By the young officers of the district governors.’ ”
“Who will start the battle?” asked Ahab.
“You will,” answered the prophet.
15 So Ahab assembled the young officers of the district governors, and there were 232 men. And after them, he assembled the rest of the Israelite troops, 7,000 in all.
16 They marched out at noon while Ben-hadad and the 32 kings allied with him were in their tents getting drunk. 17 And the young officers of the district governors marched out first.
Now Ben-hadad had sent out scouts, who reported to him, “Men are marching out of Samaria.”
18 “If they have marched out in peace,” he said, “take them alive. Even if they have marched out for war, take them alive.”
19 Meanwhile, these young officers of the district governors marched out of the city, with the army behind them, 20 and each one struck down his opponent. So the Arameans fled, with the Israelites in pursuit. But Ben-hadad king of Aram escaped on horseback with the cavalry.
21 Then the king of Israel marched out and attacked the horses and chariots, inflicting a great slaughter on the Arameans.
22 Afterward, the prophet approached the king of Israel and said, “Go and strengthen your position, and take note what you must do, for in the spring c the king of Aram will come up against you.”
23 Meanwhile, the servants of the king of Aram said to him, “Their gods are gods of the hills. That is why they prevailed over us. Instead, we should fight them on the plains; surely then we will prevail. 24 So do this: Dismiss all the kings from their positions and replace them with other officers. 25 And you must raise an army like the one you have lost—horse for horse and chariot for chariot—so we can fight the Israelites on the plain, where we will surely prevail.”
And the king approved their plan and acted accordingly.
Another War with Ben-hadad
26 In the spring, Ben-hadad mobilized the Arameans and went up to Aphek to fight against Israel. 27 The Israelites also mobilized, gathered supplies, and marched out to meet them.
The Israelites camped before them like two small flocks of goats, while the Arameans covered the countryside.
28 Then the man of God approached the king of Israel and said, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Because the Arameans think the LORD is a god of the hills and not of the valleys, I will deliver all this great army into your hand. Then you will know that I am the LORD.’ ”
29 For seven days the armies camped opposite each other, and on the seventh day the battle ensued, and the Israelites struck down the Arameans—a hundred thousand foot soldiers in one day.
30 The rest of them fled into the city of Aphek, where the wall fell on twenty-seven thousand of the remaining men. Ben-hadad also fled to the city and hid in an inner room.
Ahab Spares Ben-hadad
31 Then the servants of Ben-hadad said to him, “Look now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful. Let us go out to the king of Israel with sackcloth around our waists and ropes around our heads. Perhaps he will spare your life.”
32 So with sackcloth around their waists and ropes around their heads, they went to the king of Israel and said, “Your servant Ben-hadad says, ‘Please spare my life.’ ”
And the king answered, “Is he still alive? He is my brother.”
33 Now the men were looking for a sign of hope, and they quickly grasped at this word and replied, “Yes, your brother Ben-hadad.”
“Go and get him!” said the king.
Then Ben-hadad came out, and Ahab had him come up into his chariot.
34 Ben-hadad said to him, “I will restore the cities my father took from your father; you may set up your own marketplaces in Damascus, as my father did in Samaria.”
“By this treaty d I release you,” Ahab replied. So he made a treaty with him and sent him away.
A Prophet Reproves Ahab
35 Meanwhile, by the word of the LORD, one of the sons of the prophets said to his companion, “Strike me, please!”
But the man refused to strike him.
36 Then the prophet said to him, “Because you have not obeyed the voice of the LORD, as soon as you depart from me a lion will kill you.”
And when he left, a lion found him and killed him.
37 Then the prophet found another man and said, “Strike me, please!”
So the man struck him and wounded him, 38 and the prophet went and waited on the road for the king, disguising himself with a bandage over his eyes.
39 As the king passed by, he cried out to the king: “Your servant had marched out into the middle of the battle, when suddenly a man came over with a captive and told me, ‘Guard this man! If he goes missing for any reason, your life will be exchanged for his life, or you will weigh out a talent of silver. e’ 40 But while your servant was busy here and there, the man disappeared.”
And the king of Israel said to him, “So shall your judgment be;you have pronounced it on yourself.”
41 Then the prophet quickly removed the bandage from his eyes, and the king of Israel recognized him as one of the prophets.
42 And the prophet said to the king, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Because you have let slip from your hand the man I had devoted to destruction, f your life will be exchanged for his life, and your people for his people.’ ”
43 Sullen and angry, the king of Israel went home to Samaria.
Footnotes:
3 a Some texts break verse 2 and begin verse 3 at this point.
12 b Or in Succoth ; also in verse 16
22 c Literally at the turn of the year ; similarly in verse 26
34 d Forms of the Hebrew berit are translated in most passages as covenant ; twice in this verse.
39 e A talent is approximately 75.4 pounds or 34.2 kilograms of silver.
42 f Forms of the Hebrew cherem refer to the giving over of things or persons to the LORD, either by destroying them or by giving them as an offering.
1 Kings 21
Naboth’s Vineyard
1 Some time later, Naboth the Jezreelite happened to own a vineyard in Jezreel next to the palace of Ahab king of Samaria. 2 So Ahab said to Naboth, “Give me your vineyard to use as a vegetable garden, since it is next to my palace. I will give you a better vineyard in its place—or if you prefer, I will give you its value in silver.”
3 But Naboth replied, “The LORD forbid that I should give you the inheritance of my fathers.”
4 So Ahab went to his palace, sullen and angry because Naboth the Jezreelite had told him, “I will not give you the inheritance of my fathers.” He lay down on his bed, turned his face away, and refused to eat.
5 Soon his wife Jezebel came in and asked, “Why are you so sullen that you refuse to eat?”
6 Ahab answered, “Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite and told him, ‘Give me your vineyard for silver, or if you wish, I will give you another vineyard in its place.’ And he replied, ‘I will not give you my vineyard!’ ”
7 But his wife Jezebel said to him, “Do you not reign over Israel? Get up, eat some food, and be cheerful, for I will get you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.”
Jezebel’s Plot
8 Then Jezebel wrote letters in Ahab’s name, sealed them with his seal, and sent them to the elders and nobles who lived with Naboth in his city. 9 In the letters she wrote:
“Proclaim a fast and give Naboth a seat of honor among the people. 10 But seat two scoundrels opposite him and have them testify, ‘You have cursed both God and the king!’ Then take him out and stone him to death.”
11 So the elders and nobles who lived in Naboth’s city did as Jezebel had instructed in the letters she had written to them. 12 They proclaimed a fast and gave Naboth a seat of honor among the people.
13 And the two scoundrels came in and sat opposite Naboth, and these men testified against him before the people, saying, “Naboth has cursed both God and the king!”
So they took him outside the city and stoned him to death. 14 Then they sent word to Jezebel: “Naboth has been stoned to death.”
15 When Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned to death, she said to Ahab, “Get up and take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, who refused to give it to you for silver. For Naboth is no longer alive, but dead.”
16 And when Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, he got up and went down to take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.
Elijah Denounces Ahab and Jezebel
17 Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, 18 “Get up and go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who is in Samaria. See, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, of which he has gone to take possession.
19 Tell him that this is what the LORD says: ‘Have you not murdered a man and seized his land?’
Then tell him that this is also what the LORD says: ‘In the place where the dogs licked up the blood of Naboth, there also the dogs will lick up your blood—yes, yours!’ a”
20 When Elijah arrived, Ahab said to him, “So you have found me out, my enemy.”
He replied, “I have found you out because you have sold yourself to do evil in the sight of the LORD. 21 This is what the LORD says: b
‘I will bring calamity on you
and consume your descendants;
I will cut off from Ahab every male in Israel,
both slave and free.
22 I will make your house like that of Jeroboam son of Nebat
and like that of Baasha son of Ahijah,
because you have provoked My anger
23 And the LORD also speaks concerning Jezebel:
‘The dogs will devour Jezebel
by the wall of Jezreel.’ c
24 Anyone belonging to Ahab who dies in the city
will be eaten by dogs,
and anyone who dies in the field
will be eaten by the birds of the air.”
Ahab’s Repentance
25 (Surely there was never one like Ahab, who sold himself to do evil in the sight of the LORD, incited by his wife Jezebel. 26 He committed the most detestable acts by going after idols, just like the Amorites whom the LORD had driven out before the Israelites.)
27 When Ahab heard these words, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and fasted. He lay down in sackcloth and walked around meekly.
28 Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying: 29 “Have you seen how Ahab has humbled himself before Me? Because he has humbled himself before Me, I will not bring the calamity during his days, but I will bring it upon his house in the days of his son.”
Footnotes:
19 a See 1 Kings 22:38
21 b See LXX; the source of the quotation is clarified in verses 17 and 23; Hebrew Behold .
23 c Most Hebrew manuscripts; a few Hebrew manuscripts, Vulgate, and Syriac (see also 2 Kings 9:36) ‘The dogs will devour Jezebel at the plot of ground at Jezreel.’
1 Kings 22
Ahab and the False Prophets
(2 Chronicles 18:1–11)
1 Then three years passed without war between Aram and Israel.
2 However, in the third year, Jehoshaphat king of Judah went down to visit the king of Israel, 3 who said to his servants, “Do you not know that Ramoth-gilead is ours, but we have failed to take it from the hand of the king of Aram?”
4 So he asked Jehoshaphat, “Will you go with me to fight against Ramoth-gilead?”
Jehoshaphat answered the king of Israel, “I am like you, my people are your people, and my horses are your horses.”
5 But Jehoshaphat also said to the king of Israel, “Please inquire first for the word of the LORD.”
6 So the king of Israel assembled the prophets, about four hundred men, and asked them, “Should I go to war against Ramoth-gilead, or should I refrain?”
“Go up,” they replied, “and the Lord will deliver it into the hand of the king.”
7 But Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there not still a prophet of the LORD here of whom we can inquire?”
8 The king of Israel answered, “There is still one man who can ask the LORD, but I hate him because he never prophesies anything good for me, but only bad. He is Micaiah son of Imlah.”
“The king should not say that!” Jehoshaphat replied.
9 So the king of Israel called one of his officials and said, “Bring Micaiah son of Imlah at once.”
10 Dressed in royal attire, the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah were sitting on their thrones at the threshing floor by the entrance of the gate of Samaria, with all the prophets prophesying before them.
11 Now Zedekiah son of Chenaanah had made for himself iron horns and declared, “This is what the LORD says: ‘With these you shall gore the Arameans until they are finished off.’ ”
12 And all the prophets were prophesying the same, saying, “Go up to Ramoth-gilead and prosper, for the LORD will deliver it into the hand of the king.”
Micaiah Prophesies against Ahab
(2 Chronicles 18:12–27)
13 Then the messenger who had gone to call Micaiah instructed him, “Behold now, with one accord the words of the prophets are favorable to the king. So please let your words be like theirs, and speak favorably.”
14 But Micaiah said, “As surely as the LORD lives, I will speak whatever the LORD tells me.”
15 When Micaiah arrived, the king asked him, “Micaiah, should we go to war against Ramoth-gilead, or should we refrain?”
“Go up and triumph,” Micaiah replied, “for the LORD will give it into the hand of the king.”
16 But the king said to him, “How many times must I make you swear not to tell me anything but the truth in the name of the LORD?”
17 So Micaiah declared:
“I saw all Israel scattered on the hills
like sheep without a shepherd.
And the LORD said, ‘These people have no master;
let each one return home in peace.’ ”
18 Then the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you that he never prophesies good for me, but only bad?”
19 Micaiah continued, “Therefore hear the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing by Him on His right and on His left.
20 And the LORD said, ‘Who will entice Ahab to march up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’
And one suggested this, and another that.
21 Then a spirit came forward, stood before the LORD, and said, ‘I will entice him.’ a
‘By what means?’ asked the LORD.
22 And he replied, ‘I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets.’
‘You will surely entice him and prevail,’ said the LORD. ‘Go and do it.’
23 So you see, the LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouths of all these prophets of yours, and the LORD has pronounced disaster against you.”
24 Then Zedekiah son of Chenaanah went up, struck Micaiah in the face, and demanded, “Which way did the Spirit of the LORD go when He departed from me to speak with you?”
25 Micaiah replied, “You will soon see, on that day when you go and hide in an inner room.”
26 And the king of Israel declared, “Take Micaiah and return him to Amon the governor of the city and to Joash the king’s son, 27 and tell them that this is what the king says: ‘Put this man in prison and feed him only bread and water until I return safely.’ ”
28 But Micaiah replied, “If you ever return safely, the LORD has not spoken through me.” Then he added, “Take heed, all you people!”
Ahab’s Defeat and Death
(2 Chronicles 18:28–34)
29 So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah went up to Ramoth-gilead. 30 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise myself and go into battle, but you wear your royal robes.” So the king of Israel disguised himself and went into battle.
31 Now the king of Aram had ordered his thirty-two chariot commanders, “Do not fight with anyone, small or great, except the king of Israel.”
32 When the chariot commanders saw Jehoshaphat, they said, “Surely this is the king of Israel!” So they turned to fight against him, but Jehoshaphat cried out. 33 And when the chariot commanders saw that he was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him.
34 However, a certain man drew his bow without taking special aim, and he struck the king of Israel between the joints of his armor. So the king said to his charioteer, “Turn around b and take me out of the battle, for I am badly wounded!”
35 The battle raged throughout that day, and the king was propped up in his chariot facing the Arameans. And the blood from his wound ran out onto the floor of the chariot, and that evening he died. 36 As the sun was setting, the cry rang out in the army:
“Every man to his own city,
and every man to his own land!”
37 So the king died and was brought to Samaria, where they buried him. 38 And the chariot was washed at the pool of Samaria where the prostitutes bathed, c and the dogs licked up Ahab’s blood, according to the word that the LORD had spoken. d
39 As for the rest of the acts of Ahab, along with all his accomplishments and the ivory palace and all the cities he built, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?
40 And Ahab rested with his fathers, and his son Ahaziah reigned in his place.
Jehoshaphat Reigns in Judah
(2 Chronicles 20:31–34)
41 In the fourth year of Ahab’s reign over Israel, Jehoshaphat son of Asa became king of Judah. 42 Jehoshaphat was thirty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-five years. His mother’s name was Azubah daughter of Shilhi.
43 And Jehoshaphat walked in all the ways of his father Asa; he did not turn away from them, but did what was right in the eyes of the LORD.
The high places, however, were not removed; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places. 44 Jehoshaphat also made peace with the king of Israel.
45 As for the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, along with the might he exercised and how he waged war, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 46 He banished from the land the male shrine prostitutes who remained from the days of his father Asa. 47 And there was no king in Edom; a deputy served as king.
48 Jehoshaphat built ships of Tarshish e to go to Ophir for gold, but they never set sail, because they were wrecked at Ezion-geber. 49 At that time Ahaziah son of Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, “Let my servants sail with your servants,” but Jehoshaphat refused.
50 And Jehoshaphat rested with his fathers and was buried with them in the city of his father David. And his son Jehoram reigned in his place.
Ahaziah Reigns in Israel
(2 Kings 1:1–16)
51 In the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat’s reign over Judah, Ahaziah son of Ahab became king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria two years. 52 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD and walked in the ways of his father and mother and of Jeroboam son of Nebat, who had caused Israel to sin.
53 Ahaziah served and worshiped Baal, provoking the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger, just as his father had done.
Footnotes:
21 a Some texts break verse 21 and begin verse 22 at this point.
34 b Literally Turn your hand
38 c Or the pool of Samaria, where they cleaned the weapons
38 d See 1 Kings 21:19.
48 e Or a fleet of trading ships
2 Kings
2 Kings 1
Elijah Denounces Ahaziah
(1 Kings 22:51–53)
1 After the death of Ahab, Moab rebelled against Israel.
2 Now Ahaziah had fallen through the lattice of his upper room in Samaria and injured himself. So he sent messengers and instructed them: “Go inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, whether I will recover from this injury.”
3 But the angel of the LORD said to Elijah the Tishbite, “Go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria and ask them, ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are on your way to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron?’ 4 Therefore this is what the LORD says: ‘You will not get up from the bed on which you are lying. You will surely die.’ ”
So Elijah departed.
5 When the messengers returned to the king, he asked them, “Why have you returned?”
6 They replied, “A man came up to meet us and said, ‘Go back to the king who sent you and tell him that this is what the LORD says: Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are sending these men to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron? Therefore you will not get up from the bed on which you are lying. You will surely die.’ ”
7 The king asked them, “What sort of man came up to meet you and spoke these words to you?”
8 “He was a hairy man, a” they answered, “with a leather belt around his waist.”
“It was Elijah the Tishbite,” said the king.
9 Then King Ahaziah sent to Elijah a captain with his company of fifty men. So the captain went up to Elijah, who was sitting on top of a hill, and said to him, “Man of God, the king declares, ‘Come down!’ ”
10 Elijah answered the captain, “If I am a man of God, may fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men.”
And fire came down from heaven and consumed the captain and his fifty men.
11 So the king sent to Elijah another captain with his fifty men. And the captain said to Elijah, “Man of God, the king declares, ‘Come down at once!’ ”
12 Again Elijah replied, “If I am a man of God, may fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men.”
And the fire of God came down from heaven and consumed the captain and his fifty men.
13 So the king sent a third captain with his fifty men. And the third captain went up, fell on his knees before Elijah, and begged him, “Man of God, may my life and the lives of these fifty servants please be precious in your sight. 14 Behold, fire has come down from heaven and consumed the first two captains of fifty, with all their men. But now may my life be precious in your sight.”
15 Then the angel of the LORD said to Elijah, “Go down with him. Do not be afraid of him.”
So Elijah got up and went down with him to the king.
16 And Elijah said to King Ahaziah, “This is what the LORD says: Is there really no God in Israel for you to inquire of His word? Is that why you have sent messengers to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron? Therefore you will not get up from the bed on which you are lying. You will surely die.”
Jehoram Succeeds Ahaziah
17 So Ahaziah died according to the word of the LORD that Elijah had spoken. And since he had no son, Jehoram b succeeded him in the second year of the reign of Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat over Judah.
18 As for the rest of the acts of Ahaziah, along with his accomplishments, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?
Footnotes:
8 a Or He had a garment of hair
17 b Jehoram is a variant spelling of Joram .
2 Kings 2
Elijah Taken Up to Heaven
1 Shortly before the LORD took Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal, 2 and Elijah said to Elisha, “Please stay here, for the LORD has sent me on to Bethel.”
But Elisha replied, “As surely as the LORD lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.”
So they went down to Bethel.
3 Then the sons of the prophets at Bethel came out to Elisha and said, “Do you know that the LORD will take your master away from you today?”
“Yes, I know,” he replied. “Do not speak of it.”
4 And Elijah said to Elisha, “Please stay here, for the LORD has sent me on to Jericho.”
But Elisha replied, “As surely as the LORD lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.”
So they went to Jericho.
5 Then the sons of the prophets at Jericho came up to Elisha and said, “Do you know that the LORD will take your master away from you today?”
“Yes, I know,” he replied. “Do not speak of it.”
6 And Elijah said to Elisha, “Please stay here, for the LORD has sent me on to the Jordan.”
But Elisha replied, “As surely as the LORD lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.”
So the two of them went on.
7 Then a company of fifty of the sons of the prophets went and stood at a distance, facing Elijah and Elisha as the two of them stood by the Jordan. 8 And Elijah took his cloak, rolled it up, and struck the waters, which parted to the right and to the left, so that the two of them crossed over on dry ground.
9 After they had crossed over, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken away from you?”
“Please, let me inherit a double portion of your spirit,” Elisha replied.
10 “You have requested a difficult thing,” said Elijah. “Nevertheless, if you see me as I am taken from you, it will be yours. But if not, then it will not be so.”
11 As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire with horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up into heaven in a whirlwind.
12 As Elisha watched, he cried out, “My father, my father, the chariots and horsemen of Israel!” And he saw Elijah no more. So taking hold of his own clothes, he tore them in two.
13 Elisha also picked up the cloak that had fallen from Elijah, and he went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. 14 Then he took the cloak of Elijah that had fallen from him and struck the waters. “Where now is the LORD, the God of Elijah?” he asked.
And when he had struck the waters, they parted to the right and to the left, and Elisha crossed over.
Elisha Succeeds Elijah
15 When the sons of the prophets who were facing him from Jericho saw what had happened, they said, “The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha.” And they went to meet him and bowed down to the ground before him.
16 “Look now,” they said to Elisha, “we your servants have fifty valiant men. Please let them go and search for your master. Perhaps the Spirit of the LORD has taken him up and put him on one of the mountains or in one of the valleys.”
“Do not send them,” Elisha replied.
17 But when they pressed him to the point of embarrassment, he said, “Send them.”
And they sent fifty men, who searched for three days but did not find Elijah.
18 When they returned to Elisha, who was staying in Jericho, he said to them, “Didn’t I tell you not to go?”
Elisha Heals the Waters of Jericho
19 Then the men of the city said to Elisha, “Please note, our lord, that the city’s location is good, as you can see. But the water is bad and the land is unfruitful.”
20 “Bring me a new bowl,” he replied, “and put some salt in it.”
So they brought it to him, 21 and Elisha went out to the spring, cast the salt into it, and said, “This is what the LORD says: ‘I have healed this water. No longer will it cause death or unfruitfulness. a’ ”
22 And the waters there have been healthy to this day, according to the word spoken by Elisha.
Elisha Mocked
23 From there, Elisha went up to Bethel, and as he was walking up the road, a group of boys b came out of the city and jeered at him, chanting, “Go up, you baldhead! Go up, you baldhead!”
24 Then he turned around, looked at them, and called down a curse on them in the name of the LORD.
Suddenly two female bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the boys.
25 And Elisha went on to Mount Carmel, and from there he returned to Samaria.
Footnotes:
21 a Or barrenness
23 b Or some small youths or some insignificant young men ; similarly in verse 24
2 Kings 3
Moab’s Rebellion
1 In the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat’s reign over Judah, Jehoram a son of Ahab became king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria twelve years. 2 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, but not as his father and mother had done. He removed the sacred pillar of Baal that his father had made.
3 Nevertheless, he clung to the sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit; he did not turn away from them.
4 Now Mesha king of Moab was a sheep breeder, b and he would render to the king of Israel a hundred thousand lambs and the wool of a hundred thousand rams. 5 But after the death of Ahab, the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel. 6 So at that time King Jehoram set out from Samaria and mobilized all Israel. 7 And he sent a message to Jehoshaphat king of Judah: “The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you go with me to fight against Moab?”
“I will go,” replied Jehoshaphat. “I am like you, my people are your people, and my horses are your horses.” 8 Then he asked, “Which way shall we go up?”
“By way of the Desert of Edom,” replied Joram.
9 So the king of Israel, the king of Judah, and the king of Edom set out, and after they had traveled a roundabout route for seven days, they had no water for their army or for their animals.
10 “Alas,” said the king of Israel, “for the LORD has summoned these three kings to deliver them into the hand of Moab!”
11 But Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there no prophet of the LORD here? Let us inquire of the LORD through him.”
And one of the servants of the king of Israel answered, “Elisha son of Shaphat is here. He used to pour water on the hands of Elijah. c”
12 Jehoshaphat affirmed, “The word of the LORD is with him.” So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to him.
13 Elisha, however, said to the king of Israel, “What have we to do with each other? Go to the prophets of your father and of your mother!”
“No,” replied the king of Israel, “for it is the LORD who has summoned these three kings to deliver them into the hand of Moab.”
14 Then Elisha said, “As surely as the LORD of Hosts lives, before whom I stand, were it not for my regard for the presence of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, I would not look at you or acknowledge you. 15 But now, bring me a harpist. d”
And while the harpist played, the hand of the LORD came upon Elisha 16 and he said, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Dig this valley full of ditches.’ 17 For the LORD says, ‘You will not see wind or rain, but the valley will be filled with water, and you will drink—you and your cattle and your animals.’ 18 This is a simple matter in the sight of the LORD, and He will also deliver the Moabites into your hand. 19 And you shall attack every fortified city and every city of importance. You shall cut down every good tree, stop up every spring, and ruin every good field with stones.”
20 The next morning, at the time of the morning sacrifice, water suddenly flowed from the direction of Edom and filled the land.
21 Now all the Moabites had heard that the kings had come up to fight against them. So all who could bear arms, young and old, were summoned and stationed at the border. 22 When they got up early in the morning, the sun was shining on the water, and it looked as red as blood to the Moabites across the way.
23 “This is blood!” they exclaimed. “The kings have clashed swords and slaughtered one another. Now to the plunder, Moab!”
24 But when the Moabites came to the camp of Israel, the Israelites rose up and attacked them, and they fled before them. So the Israelites invaded their land and struck down the Moabites. 25 They destroyed the cities, and each man threw stones on every good field until it was covered. They stopped up every spring and cut down every good tree. Only Kir-haraseth was left with stones in place, but men with slings surrounded it and attacked it as well.
26 When the king of Moab saw that the battle was too fierce for him, he took with him seven hundred swordsmen to break through to the king of Edom, but they could not prevail. 27 So he took his firstborn son, who was to succeed him, and offered him as a burnt offering on the city wall.
And there was great fury against the Israelites, e so they withdrew and returned to their own land.
Footnotes:
1 a Jehoram is a variant spelling of Joram ; also in verse 6.
4 b Or sheepherder
11 c Or He was Elijah’s personal assistant
15 d Or a musician ; twice in this verse
27 e Or And Israel’s fury was great
2 Kings 4
The Widow’s Oil
1 Now the wife of one of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, “Your servant, my husband, is dead, and you know that your servant feared the LORD. And now his creditor is coming to take my two children as his slaves!”
2 “How can I help you?” asked Elisha. “Tell me, what do you have in the house?”
She answered, “Your servant has nothing in the house but a jar of oil.”
3 “Go,” said Elisha, “borrow jars, even empty ones, from all your neighbors. Do not gather just a few. 4 Then go inside, shut the door behind you and your sons, and pour oil into all these jars, setting the full ones aside.”
5 So she left him, and after she had shut the door behind her and her sons, they kept bringing jars to her, and she kept pouring. 6 When all the jars were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another.”
But he replied, “There are no more jars.” Then the oil stopped flowing.
7 She went and told the man of God, and he said, “Go, sell the oil, and pay your debt. Then you and your sons can live on the remainder.”
The Shunammite Woman
(Matthew 10:40–42)
8 One day Elisha went to Shunem, and a prominent woman who lived there persuaded him to have a meal. So whenever he would pass by, he would stop there to eat.
9 Then the woman said to her husband, “Behold, now I know that the one who often comes our way is a holy man of God. 10 Please let us make a small room upstairs and put in it a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp for him. Then when he comes to us, he can stay there.”
11 One day Elisha came to visit and went to his upper room to lie down. 12 And he said to Gehazi his servant, “Call the Shunammite woman.”
And when he had called her, she stood before him, 13 and Elisha said to Gehazi, “Now tell her, ‘Look, you have gone to all this trouble for us. What can we do for you? Can we speak on your behalf to the king or the commander of the army?’ ”
“I have a home among my own people,” she replied.
14 So he asked, “Then what should be done for her?”
“Well, she has no son,” Gehazi replied, “and her husband is old.”
15 “Call her,” said Elisha.
So Gehazi called her, and she stood in the doorway. 16 And Elisha declared, “At this time next year, you will hold a son in your arms.”
“No, my lord,” she said. “Do not lie to your maidservant, O man of God.”
17 But the woman did conceive, and at that time the next year she gave birth to a son, just as Elisha had told her.
Elisha Raises the Shunammite’s Son
(Acts 20:7–12)
18 And the child grew, and one day he went out to his father, who was with the harvesters.
19 “My head! My head!” he complained to his father.
So his father told a servant, “Carry him to his mother.”
20 After the servant had picked him up and carried him to his mother, the boy sat on her lap until noon, and then he died. 21 And she went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God. Then she shut the door and went out.
22 And the woman called her husband and said, “Please send me one of the servants and one of the donkeys, that I may go quickly to the man of God and return.”
23 “Why would you go to him today?” he replied. “It is not a New Moon or a Sabbath.”
“Everything is all right,” she said.
24 Then she saddled the donkey and told her servant, “Drive onward; do not slow the pace for me unless I tell you.” 25 So she set out and went to the man of God at Mount Carmel.
When the man of God saw her at a distance, he said to his servant Gehazi, “Look, there is the Shunammite woman. 26 Please run out now to meet her and ask, ‘Are you all right? Is your husband all right? Is your child all right?’ ”
And she answered, “Everything is all right.”
27 When she reached the man of God at the mountain, she clung to his feet. Gehazi came over to push her away, but the man of God said, “Leave her alone, for her soul is in deep distress, and the LORD has hidden it from me and has not told me.”
28 Then she said, “Did I ask you for a son, my lord? Didn’t I say, ‘Do not deceive me?’ ”
29 So Elisha said to Gehazi, “Tie up your garment, a take my staff in your hand, and go! If you meet anyone, do not greet him, and if anyone greets you, do not answer him. Then lay my staff on the boy’s face.”
30 And the mother of the boy said, “As surely as the LORD lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So he got up and followed her.
31 Gehazi went on ahead of them and laid the staff on the boy’s face, but there was no sound or response. So he went back to meet Elisha and told him, “The boy has not awakened.”
32 When Elisha reached the house, there was the boy lying dead on his bed. 33 So he went in, closed the door behind the two of them, and prayed to the LORD.
34 Then Elisha got on the bed and lay on the boy, mouth to mouth, eye to eye, and hand to hand. As he stretched himself out over him, the boy’s body became warm. 35 Elisha turned away and paced back and forth across the room. Then he got on the bed and stretched himself out over the boy again, and the boy sneezed seven times and opened his eyes.
36 Elisha summoned Gehazi and said, “Call the Shunammite woman.” So he called her and she came.
Then Elisha said, “Pick up your son.”
37 She came in, fell at his feet, and bowed to the ground. Then she picked up her son and went out.
Elisha Purifies the Poisonous Stew
38 When Elisha returned to Gilgal, there was a famine in the land. As the sons of the prophets were sitting at his feet, he said to his attendant, “Put on the large pot and boil some stew for the sons of the prophets.”
39 One of them went out to the field to gather herbs, and he found a wild vine from which he gathered as many wild gourds as his garment could hold. Then he came back and cut them up into the pot of stew, though no one knew what they were.
40 And they poured it out for the men to eat, but when they tasted the stew they cried out, “There is death in the pot, O man of God!” And they could not eat it.
41 Then Elisha said, “Get some flour.” He threw it into the pot and said, “Pour it out for the people to eat.” And there was nothing harmful in the pot.
Feeding a Hundred Men
(Matthew 15:29–39; Mark 8:1–10)
42 Now a man from Baal-shalishah came to the man of God with a sack of twenty loaves of barley bread from the first ripe grain.
“Give it to the people to eat,” said Elisha.
43 But his servant asked, “How am I to set twenty loaves before a hundred men?”
“Give it to the people to eat,” said Elisha, “for this is what the LORD says: ‘They will eat and have some left over.’ ”
44 So he set it before them, and they ate and had some left over, according to the word of the LORD.
Footnotes:
29 a Literally Gird up your loins
2 Kings 5
Naaman Cured of Leprosy
(Luke 17:11–19)
1 Now Naaman, the commander of the army of the king of Aram, was a great man in his master’s sight and highly regarded, for through him the LORD had given victory to Aram. And he was a mighty man of valor, but he was a leper. a
2 At this time the Arameans had gone out in bands and had taken a young girl from the land of Israel, and she was serving Naaman’s wife. 3 She said to her mistress, “If only my master would go to the prophet who is in Samaria, he would cure him of his leprosy.”
4 And Naaman went and told his master what the girl from the land of Israel had said.
5 “Go now,” said the king of Aram, “and I will send you with a letter to the king of Israel.”
So Naaman departed, taking with him ten talents of silver, b six thousand shekels of gold, c and ten sets of clothing.
6 And the letter that he took to the king of Israel stated: “With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman, so that you may cure him of his leprosy.”
7 When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and asked, “Am I God, killing and giving life, that this man expects me to cure a leper? Surely you can see that he is seeking a quarrel with me!”
8 Now when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent a message to the king: “Why have you torn your clothes? Please let the man come to me, and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel.”
9 So Naaman came with his horses and chariots and stood at the door of Elisha’s house.
10 Then Elisha sent him a messenger, who said, “Go and wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored, and you will be clean.”
11 But Naaman went away angry, saying, “I thought that he would surely come out, stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, and wave his hand over the spot to cure my leprosy. 12 Are not the Abanah and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not have washed in them and been cleansed?” So he turned and went away in a rage.
13 Naaman’s servants, however, approached him and said, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, ‘Wash and be cleansed’?”
14 So Naaman went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, according to the word of the man of God, and his flesh was restored and became like that of a little child, and he was clean.
Gehazi’s Greed and Leprosy
15 Then Naaman and all his attendants went back to the man of God, stood before him, and declared, “Now I know for sure that there is no God in all the earth except in Israel. So please accept a gift from your servant.”
16 But Elisha replied, “As surely as the LORD lives, before whom I stand, I will not accept it.” And although Naaman urged him to accept it, he refused.
17 “If you will not,” said Naaman, “please let me, your servant, be given as much soil as a pair of mules can carry. For your servant will never again make a burnt offering or a sacrifice to any other god but the LORD. 18 Yet may the LORD forgive your servant this one thing: When my master goes into the temple of Rimmon to worship there, and he leans on my arm, and I bow down in the temple of Rimmon, may the LORD forgive your servant in this matter.”
19 “Go in peace,” said Elisha.
But after Naaman had traveled a short distance, 20 Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, “Look, my master has spared this Aramean, Naaman, while not accepting what he brought. As surely as the LORD lives, I will run after him and get something from him.”
21 So Gehazi pursued Naaman. And when Naaman saw him running toward him, he got down from the chariot to meet him and asked, “Is everything all right?”
22 “Everything is all right,” Gehazi replied. “My master has sent me to say, ‘I have just now discovered that two young men from the sons of the prophets have come to me from the hill country of Ephraim. Please give them a talent of silver d and two sets of clothing.’ ”
23 But Naaman insisted, “Please, take two talents.” And he urged Gehazi to accept them. Then he tied up two talents of silver in two bags along with two sets of clothing and gave them to two of his servants, who carried them ahead of Gehazi.
24 When Gehazi came to the hill, he took the gifts from the servants and stored them in the house. Then he dismissed the men, and they departed.
25 When Gehazi went in and stood before his master, Elisha asked him, “Gehazi, where have you been?”
“Your servant did not go anywhere,” he replied.
26 But Elisha questioned him, “Did not my spirit go with you when the man got down from his chariot to meet you? Is this the time to accept money and clothing, olive groves and vineyards, sheep and oxen, menservants and maidservants? 27 Therefore, the leprosy of Naaman will cling to you and your descendants forever!”
And as Gehazi left his presence, he was leprous—as white as snow.
Footnotes:
1 a A leper , or one with leprosy , was one afflicted with a skin disease; here and throughout this chapter; see Leviticus 13.
5 b 10 talents is approximately 754 pounds or 342 kilograms of silver.
5 c 6,000 shekels is approximately 150.8 pounds or 68.4 kilograms of gold.
22 d A talent is approximately 75.4 pounds or 34.2 kilograms of silver.
2 Kings 6
The Axe Head Floats
1 Now the sons of the prophets said to Elisha, “Please take note that the place where we meet with you is too small for us. 2 Please let us go to the Jordan, where each of us can get a log so we can build ourselves a place to live there.”
“Go,” said Elisha.
3 Then one of them said, “Please come with your servants.”
“I will come,” he replied.
4 So Elisha went with them, and when they came to the Jordan, they began to cut down some trees. 5 As one of them was cutting down a tree, the iron axe head fell into the water. “Oh, my master,” he cried out, “it was borrowed!”
6 “Where did it fall?” asked the man of God.
And when he showed him the place, the man of God cut a stick, threw it there, and made the iron float.
7 “Lift it out,” he said, and the man reached out his hand and took it.
Elisha Captures the Blinded Arameans
8 Now the king of Aram was at war against Israel. After consulting with his servants, he said, “My camp will be in such and such a place.”
9 Then the man of God sent word to the king of Israel: “Be careful passing by this place, for the Arameans are going down there.”
10 So the king of Israel sent word to the place the man of God had pointed out. Time and again a Elisha warned the king, so that he was on his guard in such places. 11 For this reason the king of Aram became enraged and called his servants to demand of them, “Tell me, which one of us is on the side of the king of Israel?”
12 But one of his servants replied, “No one, my lord the king. For Elisha, the prophet in Israel, tells the king of Israel the very words you speak in your bedroom.”
13 So the king said, “Go and see where he is, that I may send men to capture him.”
On receiving the report, “Elisha is in Dothan,” 14 the king of Aram sent horses, chariots, and a great army. They went there by night and surrounded the city.
15 When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early in the morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. So he asked Elisha, “Oh, my master, what are we to do?”
16 “Do not be afraid,” Elisha answered, “for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”
17 Then Elisha prayed, “O LORD, please open his eyes that he may see.”
And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw that the hills were full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
18 As the Arameans came down against him, Elisha prayed to the LORD, “Please strike these people with blindness.” So He struck them with blindness, according to the word of Elisha.
19 And Elisha told them, “This is not the way, and this is not the city. Follow me, and I will take you to the man you are seeking.” And he led them to Samaria.
20 When they had entered Samaria, Elisha said, “O LORD, open the eyes of these men that they may see.”
Then the LORD opened their eyes, and they looked around and discovered that they were in Samaria.
21 And when the king of Israel saw them, he asked Elisha, “My father, shall I kill them? Shall I kill them?”
22 “Do not kill them,” he replied. “Would you kill those you have captured with your own sword or bow? Set food and water before them, that they may eat and drink and then return to their master.”
23 So the king prepared a great feast for them, and after they had finished eating and drinking, he sent them away, and they returned to their master. And the Aramean raiders did not come into the land of Israel again.
The Siege and Famine of Samaria
24 Some time later, Ben-hadad king of Aram assembled his entire army and marched up to besiege Samaria.
25 So there was a great famine in Samaria. Indeed, they besieged the city so long that a donkey’s head sold for eighty shekels of silver, b and a quarter cab of dove’s dung c sold for five shekels of silver. d
26 As the king of Israel was passing by on the wall, a woman cried out to him, “Help me, my lord the king!”
27 He answered, “If the LORD does not help you, where can I find help for you? From the threshing floor or the winepress?” 28 Then the king asked her, “What is the matter?”
And she answered, “This woman said to me, ‘Give up your son, that we may eat him, and tomorrow we will eat my son.’ 29 So we boiled my son and ate him, and the next day I said to her, ‘Give up your son, that we may eat him.’ But she had hidden her son.”
30 When the king heard the words of the woman, he tore his clothes. And as he passed by on the wall, the people saw the sackcloth under his clothes next to his skin. 31 He announced, “May God punish me, and ever so severely, if the head of Elisha son of Shaphat remains on his shoulders through this day!”
32 Now Elisha was sitting in his house, and the elders were sitting with him. The king sent a messenger ahead, but before he arrived, Elisha said to the elders, “Do you see how this murderer has sent someone to cut off my head? Look, when the messenger comes, shut the door to keep him out. Is not the sound of his master’s footsteps behind him?”
33 While Elisha was still speaking with them, the messenger came down to him. And the king said, “This calamity is from the LORD. Why should I wait for the LORD any longer?”
Footnotes:
10 a Literally Not once and not twice
25 b 80 shekels is approximately 2 pounds or 907.2 grams of silver.
25 c Or a quarter cab of seed pods ; that is, approximately 0.28 dry quarts or 0.31 liters
25 d 5 shekels is approximately 2 ounces or 57 grams of silver.
2 Kings 7
Elisha’s Prophecy of Plenty
1 Then Elisha said, “Hear the word of the LORD! This is what the LORD says: ‘About this time tomorrow at the gate of Samaria, a seah of fine flour a will sell for a shekel, b and two seahs of barley c will sell for a shekel.’ ”
2 But the officer on whose arm the king leaned answered the man of God, “Look, even if the LORD were to make windows in heaven, could this really happen?”
“You will see it with your own eyes,” replied Elisha, “but you will not eat any of it.”
The Syrians Flee
3 Now there were four men with leprosy d at the entrance of the city gate, and they said to one another, “Why just sit here until we die? 4 If we say, ‘Let us go into the city,’ we will die there from the famine in the city; but if we sit here, we will also die. So come now, let us go over to the camp of the Arameans. If they let us live, we will live; if they kill us, we will die.”
5 So they arose at twilight and went to the camp of the Arameans. But when they came to the outskirts of the camp, there was not a man to be found. 6 For the Lord had caused the Arameans to hear the sound of chariots, horses, and a great army, so that they said to one another, “Look, the king of Israel must have hired the kings of the Hittites and Egyptians to attack us.”
7 Thus the Arameans had arisen and fled at twilight, abandoning their tents and horses and donkeys. The camp was intact, and they had run for their lives.
8 When the lepers reached the edge of the camp, they went into a tent to eat and drink. Then they carried off the silver, gold, and clothing, and went and hid them. On returning, they entered another tent, carried off some items from there, and hid them.
9 Finally, they said to one another, “We are not doing what is right. Today is a day of good news. If we are silent and wait until morning light, our sin will overtake us. Now, therefore, let us go and tell the king’s household.”
10 So they went and called out to the gatekeepers of the city, saying, “We went to the Aramean camp and no one was there—not a trace—only tethered horses and donkeys, and the tents were intact.”
11 The gatekeepers shouted the news, and it was reported to the king’s household.
12 So the king got up in the night and said to his servants, “Let me tell you what the Arameans have done to us. They know we are starving, so they have left the camp to hide in the field, thinking, ‘When they come out of the city, we will take them alive and enter the city.’ ”
13 But one of his servants replied, “Please, have scouts take five of the horses that remain in the city. Their plight will be no worse than all the Israelites who are left here. You can see that all the Israelites here are doomed. So let us send them and find out.”
14 Then the scouts took two chariots with horses, and the king sent them after the Aramean army, saying, “Go and see.” 15 And they tracked them as far as the Jordan, and indeed, the whole way was littered with the clothing and equipment the Arameans had thrown off in haste. So the scouts returned and told the king.
Elisha’s Prophecy Fulfilled
16 Then the people went out and plundered the camp of the Arameans. It was then that a seah of fine flour sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley sold for a shekel, according to the word of the LORD.
17 Now the king had appointed the officer on whose arm he leaned to be in charge of the gate, but the people trampled him in the gateway, and he died, just as the man of God had foretold when the king had come to him. 18 It happened just as the man of God had told the king: “About this time tomorrow at the gate of Samaria, two seahs of barley will sell for a shekel, and a seah of fine flour will sell for a shekel.”
19 And the officer had answered the man of God, “Look, even if the LORD were to make windows in heaven, could this really happen?”
So Elisha had replied, “You will see it with your own eyes, but you will not eat any of it!”
20 And that is just what happened to him. The people trampled him in the gateway, and he died.
Footnotes:
1 a A seah is approximately 6.6 dry quarts or 7.3 liters (probably about 8.2 pounds or 3.7 kilograms of flour); here and in verses 16 and 18.
1 b A shekel is approximately 0.4 ounces or 11.4 grams, probably of silver; here and in verses 16 and 18.
1 c 2 seahs is approximately 13.2 dry quarts or 14.6 liters (probably about 19.3 pounds or 8.8 kilograms of barley); here and in verses 16 and 18.
3 d Leprosy was a term used for various skin diseases; here and in verse 8; see Leviticus 13.
2 Kings 8
The Shunammite’s Land Restored
1 Now Elisha had said to the woman whose son he had restored to life, “Arise, you and your household; go and live as a foreigner wherever you can. For the LORD has decreed a seven-year famine, and it has already come to the land.”
2 So the woman had proceeded to do as the man of God had instructed. And she and her household lived as foreigners for seven years in the land of the Philistines.
3 At the end of seven years, when the woman returned from the land of the Philistines, she went to the king to appeal for her house and her land.
4 Now the king had been speaking to Gehazi, the servant of the man of God, saying, “Please relate to me all the great things Elisha has done.”
5 And Gehazi was telling the king how Elisha had brought the dead back to life. Just then the woman whose son Elisha had revived came to appeal to the king for her house and her land. So Gehazi said, “My lord the king, this is the woman, and this is the son Elisha restored to life.”
6 When the king asked the woman, she confirmed it. So the king appointed for her an officer, saying, “Restore all that was hers, along with all the proceeds of the field from the day that she left the country until now.”
Hazael Murders Ben-hadad
7 Then Elisha came to Damascus while Ben-hadad king of Aram was sick, and the king was told, “The man of God has come here.”
8 So the king said to Hazael, “Take a gift in your hand, go to meet the man of God, and inquire of the LORD through him, ‘Will I recover from this illness?’ ”
9 So Hazael went to meet Elisha, taking with him a gift of forty camel loads of every good thing from Damascus. And he went in and stood before him and said, “Your son Ben-hadad king of Aram has sent me to ask, ‘Will I recover from this illness?’ ”
10 Elisha answered, “Go and tell him, ‘You will surely recover.’ But the LORD a has shown me that in fact he will die.”
11 Elisha fixed his gaze steadily on him until Hazael became uncomfortable. Then the man of God began to weep.
12 “Why is my lord weeping?” asked Hazael.
“Because I know the evil you will do to the Israelites,” Elisha replied. “You will set fire to their fortresses, kill their young men with the sword, dash their little ones to pieces, and rip open their pregnant women.”
13 “But how could your servant, a mere dog, do such a monstrous thing?” said Hazael.
And Elisha answered, “The LORD has shown me that you will be king over Aram.”
14 So Hazael left Elisha and went to his master, who asked him, “What did Elisha say to you?”
And he replied, “He told me that you would surely recover.” 15 But the next day Hazael took a thick cloth, dipped it in water, and spread it over the king’s face.
So Ben-hadad died, and Hazael reigned in his place.
Jehoram Reigns in Judah
(2 Chronicles 21:1–7)
16 In the fifth year of the reign of Joram son of Ahab over Israel, Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat succeeded his father as king of Judah. 17 Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years.
18 And Jehoram walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, just as the house of Ahab had done. For he married a daughter of Ahab and did evil in the sight of the LORD.
19 Yet for the sake of His servant David, the LORD was unwilling to destroy Judah, since He had promised to maintain a lamp for David and his descendants forever.
Edom and Libnah Rebel
(2 Chronicles 21:8–11)
20 In the days of Jehoram, b Edom rebelled against the hand of Judah and appointed their own king. 21 So Jehoram c crossed over to Zair with all his chariots. When the Edomites surrounded him and his chariot commanders, he rose up and attacked by night. His troops, however, fled to their homes.
22 So to this day Edom has been in rebellion against the hand of Judah. Likewise, Libnah rebelled at the same time.
23 As for the rest of the acts of Jehoram, along with all his accomplishments, are they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?
24 And Jehoram rested with his fathers and was buried with them in the City of David. And his son Ahaziah reigned in his place.
Ahaziah Reigns in Judah
(2 Chronicles 22:1–7)
25 In the twelfth year of the reign of Joram son of Ahab over Israel, Ahaziah son of Jehoram became king of Judah. 26 Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem one year. His mother’s name was Athaliah, the granddaughter of Omri king of Israel.
27 And Ahaziah walked in the ways of the house of Ahab and did evil in the sight of the LORD like the house of Ahab, for he was a son-in-law of the house of Ahab.
28 Then Ahaziah went with Joram son of Ahab to fight against Hazael king of Aram at Ramoth-gilead, and the Arameans wounded Joram. 29 So King Joram returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds that the Arameans had inflicted on him at Ramah d when he fought against Hazael king of Aram. Then Ahaziah son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to Jezreel to visit Joram son of Ahab, because Joram had been wounded.
Footnotes:
10 a Or ‘You will surely not recover.’ And the LORD
20 b Literally In his days
21 c Hebrew Joram , a variant of Jehoram (the son of Jehoshaphat), as in verse 16; also in verses 23, and 24
29 d Ramah is a variant of Ramoth ; see verse 28.
2 Kings 9
Jehu Anointed King of Israel
1 Now Elisha the prophet summoned one of the sons of the prophets and said to him, “Tuck your cloak under your belt, a take this flask of oil, and go to Ramoth-gilead. 2 When you arrive, look for Jehu son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi. Go in, get him away from his companions, and take him to an inner room. 3 Then take the flask of oil, pour it on his head, and declare, ‘This is what the LORD says: I anoint you king over Israel.’ Then open the door and run. Do not delay!”
4 So the young prophet went to Ramoth-gilead, 5 and when he arrived, the army commanders were sitting there. “I have a message for you, commander,” he said.
“For which of us?” asked Jehu.
“For you, commander,” he replied.
6 So Jehu got up and went into the house, where the young prophet poured the oil on his head and declared, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘I anoint you king over the LORD’s people Israel. 7 And you are to strike down the house of your master Ahab, so that I may avenge the blood of My servants the prophets and the blood of all the servants of the LORD shed by the hand of Jezebel. 8 The whole house of Ahab will perish, and I will cut off from Ahab every male, b both slave and free, in Israel. 9 I will make the house of Ahab like the houses of Jeroboam son of Nebat and Baasha son of Ahijah. 10 And on the plot of ground at Jezreel the dogs will devour Jezebel, and there will be no one to bury her.’ ”
Then the young prophet opened the door and ran.
11 When Jehu went out to the servants of his master, they asked, “Is everything all right? Why did this madman come to you?”
“You know his kind and their babble,” he replied.
12 “That is a lie!” they said. “Tell us now!”
So Jehu answered, “He talked to me about this and that, and he said, ‘This is what the LORD says: I anoint you king over Israel.’ ”
13 Quickly, each man took his garment and put it under Jehu on the bare steps. Then they blew the ram’s horn and proclaimed, “Jehu is king!”
Jehu Kills Joram and Ahaziah
(2 Chronicles 22:8–9)
14 Thus Jehu son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi, conspired against Joram.
(Now Joram and all Israel had been defending Ramoth-gilead against Hazael king of Aram, 15 but King Joram c had returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds he had suffered at the hands of the Arameans in the battle against Hazael their king.)
So Jehu said, “If you commanders wish to make me king, then do not let anyone escape from the city to go and tell it in Jezreel.”
16 Then Jehu got into his chariot and went to Jezreel, because Joram was laid up there and Ahaziah king of Judah had gone down to see him.
17 Now the watchman standing on the tower in Jezreel saw Jehu’s troops approaching, and he called out, “I see a company of troops!”
“Choose a rider,” Joram commanded. “Send him out to meet them and ask, ‘Have you come in peace?’ ”
18 So a horseman rode off to meet Jehu and said, “This is what the king asks: ‘Have you come in peace?’ ”
“What do you know about peace?” Jehu replied. “Fall in behind me.”
And the watchman reported, “The messenger reached them, but he is not coming back.”
19 So the king sent out a second horseman, who went to them and said, “This is what the king asks: ‘Have you come in peace?’ ”
“What do you know about peace?” Jehu replied. “Fall in behind me.”
20 Again the watchman reported, “He reached them, but he is not coming back. And the charioteer is driving like Jehu son of Nimshi d—he is driving like a madman!”
21 “Harness!” Joram shouted, and they harnessed his chariot.
Then Joram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah set out, each in his own chariot, and met Jehu on the property of Naboth the Jezreelite.
22 When Joram saw Jehu, he asked, “Have you come in peace, Jehu?”
“How can there be peace,” he replied, “as long as the idolatry e and witchcraft of your mother Jezebel abound?”
23 Joram turned around f and fled, calling out to Ahaziah, “Treachery, Ahaziah!”
24 Then Jehu drew his bow and shot Joram between the shoulders. The arrow pierced his heart, and he slumped down in his chariot.
25 And Jehu said to Bidkar his officer, “Pick him up and throw him into the field of Naboth the Jezreelite. For remember that when you and I were riding together behind his father Ahab, the LORD lifted up this burden against him: 26 ‘As surely as I saw the blood of Naboth and the blood of his sons yesterday, declares the LORD, so will I repay you on this plot of ground, declares the LORD.’ Now then, according to the word of the LORD, pick him up and throw him on the plot of ground.”
27 When King Ahaziah of Judah saw this, he fled up the road toward Beth-haggan.
And Jehu pursued him, shouting, “Shoot him too!”
So they shot Ahaziah in his chariot on the Ascent of Gur, g near Ibleam, and he fled to Megiddo and died there. 28 Then his servants carried him by chariot to Jerusalem and buried him with his fathers in his tomb in the City of David.
29 (In the eleventh year of Joram son of Ahab, Ahaziah had become king over Judah.)
Jezebel’s Violent Death
30 Now when Jehu arrived in Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it. So she painted her eyes, adorned her head, and looked down from a window. 31 And as Jehu entered the gate, she asked, “Have you come in peace, O Zimri, murderer of your master?” h
32 He looked up at the window and called out, “Who is on my side? Who?”
And two or three eunuchs looked down at him.
33 “Throw her down!” yelled Jehu.
So they threw her down, and her blood splattered on the wall and on the horses as they trampled her underfoot.
34 Then Jehu went in and ate and drank. “Take care of this cursed woman,” he said, “and bury her, for she was the daughter of a king.”
35 But when they went out to bury her, they found nothing but her skull, her feet, and the palms of her hands.
36 So they went back and told Jehu, who replied, “This is the word of the LORD, which He spoke through His servant Elijah the Tishbite: ‘On the plot of ground at Jezreel the dogs will devour the flesh of Jezebel. 37 And Jezebel’s body will lie like dung in the field on the plot of ground at Jezreel, so that no one can say: This is Jezebel.’ i”
Footnotes:
1 a Literally Gird up your loins
8 b Literally (all) those who urinate against a wall
15 c Or Jehoram , a variant of Joram ; also in verses 17, 21, 22, 23, and 24
20 d Or grandson of Nimshi ; see verse 14.
22 e Hebrew adultery or prostitution , here a metaphor for idolatry
23 f Literally turned his hands
27 g See Syriac, Vulgate, and LXX; Hebrew “Shoot him, too, in his chariot!” (They did this) on the Ascent of Gur,
31 h Or “Is there peace for Zimri, the murderer of his master?” See 1 Kings 16:10.
37 i See verse 10 and 1 Kings 21:23.
2 Kings 10
Ahab’s Seventy Sons Killed
1 Now Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria. So Jehu wrote letters and sent them to Samaria to the officials of Jezreel, a to the elders, and to the guardians of the sons b of Ahab, saying: 2 “When this letter arrives, since your master’s sons are with you and you have chariots and horses, a fortified city and weaponry, 3 select the best and most worthy son of your master, set him on his father’s throne, and fight for your master’s house.”
4 But they were terrified and reasoned, “If two kings could not stand against him, how can we?”
5 So the palace administrator, the overseer of the city, the elders, and the guardians sent a message to Jehu: “We are your servants, and we will do whatever you say. We will not make anyone king. Do whatever is good in your sight.”
6 Then Jehu wrote them a second letter and said: “If you are on my side, and if you will obey me, then bring the heads of your master’s sons to me at Jezreel by this time tomorrow.”
Now the sons of the king, seventy in all, were being brought up by the leading men of the city. 7 And when the letter arrived, they took the sons of the king and slaughtered all seventy of them. They put their heads in baskets and sent them to Jehu at Jezreel.
8 When the messenger arrived, he told Jehu, “They have brought the heads of the sons of the king.”
And Jehu ordered, “Pile them in two heaps at the entrance of the gate until morning.”
9 The next morning, Jehu went out and stood before all the people and said, “You are innocent. It was I who conspired against my master and killed him. But who killed all these? 10 Know, then, that not a word the LORD has spoken against the house of Ahab will fail, for the LORD has done what He promised through His servant Elijah.”
11 So Jehu killed everyone in Jezreel who remained of the house of Ahab, as well as all his great men and close friends and priests, leaving him without a single survivor.
12 Then Jehu set out toward Samaria. At Beth-eked of the Shepherds, 13 Jehu met some relatives of Ahaziah king of Judah and asked, “Who are you?”
“We are relatives of Ahaziah,” they answered, “and we have come down to greet the sons of the king and of the queen mother.”
14 Then Jehu ordered, “Take them alive.” So his men took them alive, then slaughtered them at the well of Beth-eked—forty-two men. He spared none of them.
15 When he left there, he found Jehonadab son of Rechab, who was coming to meet him. Jehu greeted him and asked, “Is your heart as true to mine as my heart is to yours?”
“It is!” Jehonadab replied.
“If it is,” said Jehu, “give me your hand.”
So he gave him his hand, and Jehu helped him into his chariot, 16 saying, “Come with me and see my zeal for the LORD!” So he had him ride c in his chariot.
17 When Jehu came to Samaria, he struck down everyone belonging to Ahab who remained there, until he had destroyed them, according to the word that the LORD had spoken to Elijah.
Jehu Kills the Priests of Baal
18 Then Jehu brought all the people together and said, “Ahab served Baal a little, but Jehu will serve him a lot. 19 Now, therefore, summon to me all the prophets of Baal, all his servants, and all his priests. See that no one is missing, for I have a great sacrifice for Baal. Whoever is missing will not live.”
But Jehu was acting deceptively in order to destroy the servants of Baal.
20 And Jehu commanded, “Proclaim a solemn assembly for Baal.” So they announced it.
21 Then Jehu sent word throughout Israel, and all the servants of Baal came; there was not a man who failed to show. They entered the temple of Baal, and it was filled from end to end.
22 And Jehu said to the keeper of the wardrobe, “Bring out garments for all the servants of Baal.” So he brought out garments for them.
23 Next, Jehu and Jehonadab son of Rechab entered the temple of Baal, and Jehu said to the servants of Baal, “Look around to see that there are no servants of the LORD here among you—only servants of Baal.”
24 And they went in d to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings. Now Jehu had stationed eighty men outside and warned them, “If anyone allows one of the men I am delivering into your hands to escape, he will forfeit his life for theirs.”
25 When he had finished making the burnt offering, Jehu said to the guards and officers, “Go in and kill them. Do not let anyone out.”
So the guards and officers put them to the sword, threw the bodies out, and went into the inner room of the temple of Baal.
26 They brought out the sacred pillar of the temple of Baal and burned it. 27 They also demolished the sacred pillar of Baal. Then they tore down the temple of Baal and made it into a latrine, which it is to this day.
Jehu Repeats Jeroboam’s Sins
28 Thus Jehu eradicated Baal from Israel, 29 but he did not turn away from the sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit—the worship of the golden calves at Bethel and Dan.
30 Nevertheless, the LORD said to Jehu, “Because you have done well in carrying out what is right in My sight and have done to the house of Ahab all that was in My heart, four generations of your sons will sit on the throne of Israel.”
31 Yet Jehu was not careful to follow the instruction of the LORD, the God of Israel, with all his heart. He did not turn away from the sins that Jeroboam had caused Israel to commit.
32 In those days the LORD began to reduce the size of Israel. Hazael defeated the Israelites throughout their territory 33 from the Jordan eastward through all the land of Gilead (the region of Gad, Reuben, and Manasseh), and from Aroer by the Arnon Valley through Gilead to Bashan.
Jehoahaz Succeeds Jehu in Israel
34 As for the rest of the acts of Jehu, along with all his accomplishments and all his might, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?
35 And Jehu rested with his fathers and was buried in Samaria, and his son Jehoahaz reigned in his place. 36 So the duration of Jehu’s reign over Israel in Samaria was twenty-eight years.
Footnotes:
1 a Hebrew; LXX and Vulgate officials of the city
1 b Hebrew does not include of the sons .
16 c LXX, Syriac, and Targum Yonaton;Hebrew they had him ride
24 d LXX he went in ; see also verse 25.
2 Kings 11
Athaliah and Joash
(2 Chronicles 22:10–12)
1 When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she proceeded to annihilate all the royal heirs. 2 But Jehosheba a daughter of King Joram, b the sister of Ahaziah, took Joash son of Ahaziah and stole him away from among the sons of the king who were being murdered. She put him and his nurse in a bedroom to hide him from Athaliah, and he was not killed.
3 And Joash remained hidden with his nurse in the house of the LORD for six years while Athaliah ruled the land.
Joash Anointed King of Judah
(2 Chronicles 23:1–11)
4 Then in the seventh year, Jehoiada sent for the commanders of hundreds, the Carites, c and the guards, and had them brought into the house of the LORD. There he made a covenant with them and put them under oath.
He showed them the king’s son 5 and commanded them, “This is what you are to do: A third of you who come on duty on the Sabbath shall guard the royal palace, 6 a third shall be at the gate of Sur, and a third at the gate behind the guards. You are to take turns guarding the temple— 7 the two divisions that would go off duty on the Sabbath are to guard the house of the LORD for the king. 8 You must surround the king with weapons in hand, and anyone who approaches the ranks must be put to death. You must stay close to the king wherever he goes.”
9 So the commanders of hundreds did everything that Jehoiada the priest had ordered. Each of them took his men—those coming on duty on the Sabbath and those going off duty—and came to Jehoiada the priest. 10 Then the priest gave to the commanders of hundreds the spears and shields of King David from the house of the LORD. 11 And the guards stood with weapons in hand surrounding the king by the altar and the temple, from the south side to the north side of the temple.
12 Then Jehoiada brought out the king’s son, put the crown on him, presented him with the Testimony, and proclaimed him king. They anointed him, and the people clapped their hands and declared, “Long live the king!”
The Death of Athaliah
(2 Chronicles 23:12–15)
13 When Athaliah heard the noise from the guards and the people, she went out to the people in the house of the LORD. 14 And she looked out and saw the king standing by the pillar, according to the custom. The officers and trumpeters were beside the king, and all the people of the land were rejoicing and blowing trumpets.
Then Athaliah tore her clothes and screamed, “Treason! Treason!”
15 And Jehoiada the priest ordered the commanders of hundreds in charge of the army, “Bring her out between the ranks, d and put to the sword anyone who follows her.” For the priest had said, “She must not be put to death in the house of the LORD.”
16 So they seized Athaliah as she reached the horses’ entrance to the palace grounds, and there she was put to death.
Jehoiada Restores the Worship of the LORD
(2 Chronicles 23:16–21)
17 Then Jehoiada made a covenant between the LORD and the king and the people that they would be the LORD’s people. He also made a covenant between the king and the people.
18 So all the people of the land went to the temple of Baal and tore it down. They smashed the altars and idols to pieces, and they killed Mattan the priest of Baal in front of the altars.
And Jehoiada the priest posted guards for the house of the LORD. 19 He took with him the commanders of hundreds, the Carites, the guards, and all the people of the land, and they brought the king down from the house of the LORD and entered the royal palace by way of the Gate of the Guards.
Then Joash took his seat on the royal throne, 20 and all the people of the land rejoiced. And the city was quiet, because Athaliah had been put to the sword at the royal palace.
21 Joash e was seven years old when he became king.
Footnotes:
2 a Jehosheba is a variant of Jehoshabeath ; see 2 Chronicles 22:11.
2 b Joram is a variant spelling of Jehoram .
4 c Or the mercenaries or the executioners ; also in verse 19
15 d Or out from the precincts
21 e Hebrew Jehoash , a variant of Joash (son of Ahaziah) as in verse 2
2 Kings 12
Joash Repairs the Temple
(2 Chronicles 24:1–14)
1 In the seventh year of Jehu, Joash a became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem forty years. His mother’s name was Zibiah; she was from Beersheba. 2 And Joash did what was right in the eyes of the LORD all the days he was instructed by Jehoiada the priest.
3 Nevertheless, the high places were not removed; the people continued sacrificing and burning incense there.
4 Then Joash said to the priests, “Collect all the money brought as sacred gifts into the house of the LORD—the census money, the money from vows, and the money brought voluntarily into the house of the LORD. 5 Let every priest receive it from his constituency, and let it be used to repair any damage found in the temple.”
6 By the twenty-third year of the reign of Joash, however, the priests had not yet repaired the damage to the temple. 7 So King Joash called Jehoiada and the other priests and said, “Why have you not repaired the damage to the temple? Now, therefore, take no more money from your constituency, but hand it over for the repair of the temple.”
8 So the priests agreed that they would not receive money from the people and that they would not repair the temple themselves.
9 Then Jehoiada the priest took a chest, bored a hole in its lid, and set it beside the altar on the right side as one enters the house of the LORD. There the priests who guarded the threshold put all the money brought into the house of the LORD.
10 Whenever they saw that there was a large amount of money in the chest, the royal scribe and the high priest would go up, count the money brought into the house of the LORD, and tie it up in bags. 11 Then they would put the counted money into the hands of those who supervised the work on the house of the LORD, who in turn would pay those doing the work—the carpenters, builders, 12 masons, and stonecutters. They also purchased timber and dressed stone to repair the damage to the house of the LORD, and they paid the other expenses of the temple repairs.
13 However, the money brought into the house of the LORD was not used for making silver basins, wick trimmers, sprinkling bowls, trumpets, or any articles of gold or silver for the house of the LORD. 14 Instead, it was paid to those doing the work, and with it they repaired the house of the LORD.
15 No accounting was required from the men who received the money to pay the workmen, because they acted with integrity. 16 The money from the guilt offerings and sin offerings was not brought into the house of the LORD; it belonged to the priests.
The Death of Joash
(2 Chronicles 24:23–27)
17 At that time Hazael king of Aram marched up and fought against Gath and captured it. Then he decided to attack Jerusalem. 18 So King Joash of Judah took all the sacred objects dedicated by his fathers—Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, and Ahaziah, the kings of Judah—along with his own consecrated items and all the gold found in the treasuries of the house of the LORD and the royal palace, and he sent them to Hazael king of Aram. So Hazael withdrew from Jerusalem.
19 As for the rest of the acts of Joash, along with all his accomplishments, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?
20 And the servants of Joash rose up and formed a conspiracy and killed him at Beth-millo, on the road down to Silla. 21 His servants Jozabad b son of Shimeath and Jehozabad son of Shomer c struck him down, and he died. And they buried him with his fathers in the City of David, and his son Amaziah reigned in his place.
Footnotes:
1 a Hebrew Jehoash , a variant of Joash (son of Ahaziah); also in verses 2, 4, 6, 7, and 18; see 2 Kings 11:2.
21 b Hebrew; LXX and Syriac Jozacar
21 c Shomer is a variant of Shimrith ; see 2 Chronicles 24:26.
2 Kings 13
Jehoahaz Reigns in Israel
1 In the twenty-third year of the reign of Joash son of Ahaziah over Judah, Jehoahaz son of Jehu became king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria seventeen years. 2 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD and followed the sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit; he did not turn away from them. 3 So the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He delivered them continually into the hands of Hazael king of Aram and his son Ben-hadad.
4 Then Jehoahaz sought the favor of the LORD, and the LORD listened to him because He saw the oppression that the king of Aram had inflicted on Israel. 5 So the LORD gave Israel a deliverer, and they escaped the power of the Arameans. Then the people of Israel lived in their own homes as they had before.
6 Nevertheless, they did not turn away from the sins that the house of Jeroboam had caused Israel to commit, but they continued to walk in them. a The Asherah pole even remained standing in Samaria.
7 Jehoahaz had no army left, except fifty horsemen, ten chariots, and ten thousand foot soldiers, because the king of Aram had destroyed them and made them like the dust at threshing.
8 As for the rest of the acts of Jehoahaz, along with all his accomplishments and his might, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?
9 And Jehoahaz rested with his fathers and was buried in Samaria. And his son Jehoash b reigned in his place.
Jehoash Reigns in Israel
10 In the thirty-seventh year of the reign of Joash over Judah, Jehoash son of Jehoahaz became king of Israel in Samaria, and he reigned sixteen years. 11 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD and did not turn away from all the sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit, but he walked in them.
12 As for the rest of the acts of Jehoash, along with all his accomplishments and his might, including his war against Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?
13 And Jehoash rested with his fathers, and Jeroboam succeeded him on the throne. Jehoash was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel.
Elisha’s Final Prophecy
14 When Elisha had fallen sick with the illness from which he would die, Jehoash king of Israel came down to him and wept over him, saying, “My father, my father, the chariots and horsemen of Israel!”
15 Elisha told him, “Take a bow and some arrows.”
So Jehoash took a bow and some arrows.
16 Then Elisha said to the king of Israel, “Put your hand on the bow.”
So the king put his hand on the bow, and Elisha put his hands on the king’s hands.
17 “Open the east window,” said Elisha.
So he opened it and Elisha said, “Shoot!” So he shot.
And Elisha declared:
“This is the LORD’s arrow of victory,
the arrow of victory over Aram,
for you shall strike the Arameans in Aphek
until you have put an end to them.”
18 Then Elisha said, “Take the arrows!”
So he took them, and Elisha said to the king of Israel, “Strike the ground!”
So he struck the ground three times and stopped.
19 But the man of God was angry with him and said, “You should have struck the ground five or six times. Then you would have struck down Aram until you had put an end to it. But now you will strike down Aram only three times.”
20 And Elisha died and was buried.
Now the Moabite raiders used to come into the land every spring. c 21 Once, as the Israelites were burying a man, suddenly they saw a band of raiders, so they threw the man’s body into Elisha’s tomb. And as soon as his body touched the bones of Elisha, the man was revived and stood up on his feet.
22 And Hazael king of Aram oppressed Israel throughout the reign of Jehoahaz. 23 But the LORD was gracious to Israel and had compassion on them, and He turned toward them because of His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And to this day, the LORD has been unwilling to destroy them or cast them from His presence.
24 When Hazael king of Aram died, his son Ben-hadad reigned in his place. 25 Then Jehoash son of Jehoahaz took back from Ben-hadad son of Hazael the cities that Hazael had taken in battle from his father Jehoahaz. Jehoash defeated Ben-hadad three times, and so recovered the cities of Israel.
Footnotes:
6 a LXX, Syriac, Targum Yonaton, and Vulgate; Hebrew he continued to walk in them
9 b Hebrew Joash , a variant of Jehoash ; also in verses 10, 12, 13, 14, 15, and 25
20 c Literally into the land at the coming in of the year
2 Kings 14
Amaziah Reigns in Judah
(2 Chronicles 25:1–4)
1 In the second year of the reign of Jehoash a son of Jehoahaz over Israel, Amaziah son of Joash became king of Judah. 2 He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother’s name was Jehoaddan; she was from Jerusalem. 3 And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, but not as his father David had done. He did everything as his father Joash had done.
4 Nevertheless, the high places were not taken away, and the people continued sacrificing and burning incense on the high places.
5 As soon as the kingdom was firmly in his grasp, Amaziah executed the servants who had murdered his father the king. 6 Yet he did not put the sons of the murderers to death, but acted according to what is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, where the LORD commanded: “Fathers must not be put to death for their children, and children must not be put to death for their fathers; each is to die for his own sin.” b
7 Amaziah struck down 10,000 Edomites in the Valley of Salt. He took Sela in battle and called it Joktheel, which is its name to this very day.
Jehoash Defeats Amaziah
(2 Chronicles 25:17–24)
8 Then Amaziah sent messengers to the king of Israel Jehoash son of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu. “Come, let us meet face to face,” he said.
9 But Jehoash king of Israel replied to Amaziah king of Judah: “A thistle in Lebanon sent a message to a cedar in Lebanon, saying, ‘Give your daughter to my son in marriage.’ Then a wild beast in Lebanon came along and trampled the thistle. 10 You have indeed defeated Edom, and your heart has become proud. Glory in that and stay at home. Why should you stir up trouble so that you fall—you and Judah with you?”
11 But Amaziah would not listen, and Jehoash king of Israel advanced. He and King Amaziah of Judah faced each other at Beth-shemesh in Judah. 12 And Judah was routed before Israel, and every man fled to his home.
13 There at Beth-shemesh, Jehoash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Joash, the son of Ahaziah.
Then Jehoash went to Jerusalem and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate—a section of four hundred cubits. c 14 He took all the gold and silver and all the articles found in the house of the LORD and in the treasuries of the royal palace, as well as some hostages. Then he returned to Samaria.
Jeroboam II Succeeds Jehoash in Israel
15 As for the rest of the acts of Jehoash, along with his accomplishments, his might, and how he waged war against Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?
16 And Jehoash rested with his fathers and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel. And his son Jeroboam reigned in his place.
The Death of Amaziah
(2 Chronicles 25:25–28)
17 Amaziah son of Joash king of Judah lived for fifteen years after the death of Jehoash son of Jehoahaz king of Israel. 18 As for the rest of the acts of Amaziah, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?
19 And conspirators plotted against Amaziah in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish. But men were sent after him to Lachish, and they killed him there. 20 They carried him back on horses and buried him in Jerusalem with his fathers in the City of David.
Azariah Succeeds Amaziah in Judah
(2 Chronicles 26:1–2)
21 Then all the people of Judah took Azariah, d who was sixteen years old, and made him king in place of his father Amaziah. 22 Azariah was the one who rebuilt Elath e and restored it to Judah after King Amaziah rested with his fathers.
Jeroboam II Reigns in Israel
23 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Amaziah son of Joash over Judah, Jeroboam son of Jehoash became king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria forty-one years. 24 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD and did not turn away from all the sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit.
25 This Jeroboam restored the boundary of Israel from Lebo-hamath to the Sea of the Arabah, f according to the word that the LORD, the God of Israel, had spoken through His servant Jonah son of Amittai, the prophet from Gath-hepher. 26 For the LORD saw that the affliction of the Israelites, both slave and free, was very bitter. There was no one to help Israel, 27 and since the LORD had said that He would not blot out the name of Israel from under heaven, He saved them by the hand of Jeroboam son of Jehoash.
28 As for the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, along with all his accomplishments and might, and how he waged war and recovered both Damascus and Hamath for Israel from Judah, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?
29 And Jeroboam rested with his fathers, g the kings of Israel. And his son Zechariah reigned in his place.
Footnotes:
1 a Hebrew Joash , a variant of Jehoash ; also in verses 13, 23, and 27
6 b Deuteronomy 24:16
13 c 400 cubits is approximately 600 feet or 182.9 meters.
21 d Azariah is also called Uzziah ; see 2 Chronicles 26:1.
22 e Elath is a variant of Eloth ; see 1 Kings 9:26.
25 f That is, the Dead Sea
29 g Hebrew; some LXX manuscripts include and he was buried in Samaria with
2 Kings 15
Azariah Reigns in Judah
(2 Chronicles 26:3–23)
1 In the twenty-seventh year of Jeroboam’s reign over Israel, Azariah a son of Amaziah became king of Judah. 2 He was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-two years. His mother’s name was Jecoliah; she was from Jerusalem. 3 And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father Amaziah had done.
4 Nevertheless, the high places were not taken away; the people continued sacrificing and burning incense there.
5 And the LORD afflicted the king with leprosy b until the day he died, so that he lived in a separate house while his son Jotham had charge of the palace and governed the people of the land.
6 As for the rest of the acts of Azariah, along with all his accomplishments, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?
7 And Azariah rested with his fathers and was buried near them c in the City of David. And his son Jotham reigned in his place.
Zechariah Reigns in Israel
8 In the thirty-eighth year of Azariah’s reign over Judah, Zechariah son of Jeroboam became king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria six months. 9 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, as his fathers had done. He did not turn away from the sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit.
10 Then Shallum son of Jabesh conspired against Zechariah, struck him down and killed him in front of the people, d and reigned in his place.
11 As for the rest of the acts of Zechariah, they are indeed written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel. 12 So the word of the LORD spoken to Jehu was fulfilled: “Four generations of your sons will sit on the throne of Israel.”
Shallum Reigns in Israel
13 In the thirty-ninth year of Uzziah’s e reign over Judah, Shallum son of Jabesh became king, and he reigned in Samaria one full month.
14 Then Menahem son of Gadi went up from Tirzah to Samaria, struck down and killed Shallum son of Jabesh, and reigned in his place.
15 As for the rest of the acts of Shallum, along with the conspiracy he led, they are indeed written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.
16 At that time Menahem, starting from Tirzah, attacked Tiphsah and everyone in its vicinity, because they would not open their gates. So he attacked Tiphsah and ripped open all the pregnant women.
Menahem Reigns in Israel
17 In the thirty-ninth year of Azariah’s reign over Judah, Menahem son of Gadi became king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria ten years. 18 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, and throughout his reign he did not turn away from the sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit.
19 Then Pul f king of Assyria invaded the land, and Menahem gave Pul a thousand talents of silver g in order to gain his support and strengthen his own grip on the kingdom. 20 Menahem exacted this money from each of the wealthy men of Israel—fifty shekels of silver h from each man—to give to the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria withdrew and did not remain in the land.
21 As for the rest of the acts of Menahem, along with all his accomplishments, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?
22 And Menahem rested with his fathers, and his son Pekahiah reigned in his place.
Pekahiah Reigns in Israel
23 In the fiftieth year of Azariah’s reign over Judah, Pekahiah son of Menahem became king of Israel and reigned in Samaria two years. 24 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD and did not turn away from the sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit.
25 Then his officer, Pekah son of Remaliah, conspired against him along with Argob, Arieh, and fifty men of Gilead. And at the citadel of the king’s palace in Samaria, Pekah struck down and killed Pekahiah and reigned in his place.
26 As for the rest of the acts of Pekahiah, along with all his accomplishments, they are indeed written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.
Pekah Reigns in Israel
27 In the fifty-second year of Azariah’s reign over Judah, Pekah son of Remaliah became king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria twenty years. 28 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD and did not turn away from the sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit.
29 In the days of Pekah king of Israel, Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria came and captured Ijon, Abel-beth-maacah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, Gilead, and Galilee, including all the land of Naphtali, and he took the people as captives to Assyria.
30 Then Hoshea son of Elah led a conspiracy against Pekah son of Remaliah. In the twentieth year of Jotham son of Uzziah, Hoshea attacked Pekah, killed him, and reigned in his place.
31 As for the rest of the acts of Pekah, along with all his accomplishments, they are indeed written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.
Jotham Reigns in Judah
(2 Chronicles 27:1–9)
32 In the second year of the reign of Pekah son of Remaliah over Israel, Jotham son of Uzziah became king of Judah. 33 He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. His mother’s name was Jerusha i daughter of Zadok. 34 And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father Uzziah had done.
35 Nevertheless, the high places were not taken away; the people continued sacrificing and burning incense there.
Jotham rebuilt the Upper Gate of the house of the LORD.
36 As for the rest of the acts of Jotham, along with his accomplishments, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?
37 (In those days the LORD began to send Rezin king of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah against Judah.)
38 And Jotham rested with his fathers and was buried with them in the City of David his father. And his son Ahaz reigned in his place.
Footnotes:
1 a Azariah is also called Uzziah ; also in verses 6, 7, 8, 17, 23, and 27; see 2 Chronicles 26:1.
5 b Leprosy was a term used for various skin diseases; see Leviticus 13.
7 c Literally with his fathers ; see 2 Chronicles 26:23.
10 d Hebrew; some LXX manuscripts in Ibleam
13 e Uzziah is also called Azariah ; also in verses 32 and 34; see verse 1.
19 f Pul is another name for Tiglath-pileser ; see verse 29.
19 g 1,000 talents is approximately 37.7 tons or 34.2 metric tons of silver.
20 h 50 shekels is approximately 1.26 pounds or 569.8 grams of silver.
33 i Jerusha is a variant of Jerushah ; see 2 Chronicles 27:1.
2 Kings 16
Ahaz Reigns in Judah
(2 Chronicles 28:1–4)
1 In the seventeenth year of Pekah son of Remaliah, Ahaz son of Jotham became king of Judah. 2 Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. And unlike David his father, he did not do what was right in the eyes of the LORD his God. 3 Instead, he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel and even sacrificed his son in the fire, a according to the abominations of the nations that the LORD had driven out before the Israelites. 4 And he sacrificed and burned incense on the high places, on the hills, and under every green tree.
5 Then Rezin king of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel came up to wage war against Jerusalem. They besieged Ahaz but could not overcome him.
6 At that time Rezin king of Aram recovered Elath b for Aram, c drove out the men of Judah, and sent the Edomites into Elath, where they live to this day.
7 So Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, saying, “I am your servant and your son. Come up and save me from the hands of the kings of Aram and Israel, who are rising up against me.”
8 Ahaz also took the silver and gold found in the house of the LORD and in the treasuries of the king’s palace, and he sent it as a gift to the king of Assyria. 9 So the king of Assyria responded to him, marched up to Damascus, and captured it. He took its people to Kir as captives and put Rezin to death.
The Idolatry of Ahaz
(2 Chronicles 28:16–27)
10 Then King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria. On seeing the altar in Damascus, King Ahaz sent Uriah the priest a model of the altar and complete plans for its construction. 11 And Uriah the priest built the altar according to all the instructions King Ahaz had sent from Damascus, and he completed it by the time King Ahaz had returned.
12 When the king came back from Damascus and saw the altar, he approached it and presented offerings on it. 13 He offered his burnt offering and his grain offering, poured out his drink offering, and sprinkled the blood of his peace offerings on the altar. 14 He also took the bronze altar that stood before the LORD from the front of the temple (between the new altar and the house of the LORD) and he put it on the north side of the new altar.
15 Then King Ahaz commanded Uriah the priest, “Offer on the great altar the morning burnt offering, the evening grain offering, and the king’s burnt offering and grain offering, as well as the burnt offerings, grain offerings, and drink offerings of all the people of the land. Sprinkle on the altar all the blood of the burnt offerings and sacrifices. But I will use the bronze altar to seek guidance.”
16 So Uriah the priest did just as King Ahaz had commanded.
17 King Ahaz also cut off the frames of the movable stands and removed the bronze basin from each of them. He took down the Sea from the bronze oxen that were under it and put it on a stone base. 18 And on account of the king of Assyria, he removed the Sabbath canopy d they had built in the temple and closed the royal entryway outside the house of the LORD.
19 As for the rest of the acts of Ahaz, along with his accomplishments, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?
20 And Ahaz rested with his fathers and was buried with them in the City of David, and his son Hezekiah reigned in his place.
Footnotes:
3 a Literally made his son pass through the fire
6 b Elath is a variant of Eloth ; see 1 Kings 9:26.
6 c Or Syria
18 d Or the base of his throne ; see also LXX.
2 Kings 17
Hoshea the Last King of Israel
1 In the twelfth year of the reign of Ahaz over Judah, Hoshea son of Elah became king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria nine years. 2 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, but not like the kings of Israel who preceded him.
3 Shalmaneser king of Assyria attacked him, and Hoshea became his vassal and paid him tribute. 4 But the king of Assyria discovered that Hoshea had conspired to send envoys to King So a of Egypt, and that he had not paid tribute to the king of Assyria as in previous years. Therefore the king of Assyria arrested Hoshea and put him in prison.
Israel Carried Captive to Assyria
5 Then the king of Assyria invaded the whole land, marched up to Samaria, and besieged it for three years.
6 In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria and carried away the Israelites to Assyria, where he settled them in Halah, in Gozan by the Habor River, and in the cities of the Medes.
7 All this happened because the people of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. They had worshiped other gods 8 and walked in the customs of the nations that the LORD had driven out before the Israelites, as well as in the practices introduced by the kings of Israel.
9 The Israelites secretly did things against the LORD their God that were not right. From watchtower to fortified city, they built high places in all their cities. 10 They set up for themselves sacred pillars and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every green tree. 11 They burned incense on all the high places like the nations that the LORD had driven out before them. They did wicked things, provoking the LORD to anger. 12 They served idols, although the LORD had told them, “You shall not do this thing.” b
13 Yet through all His prophets and seers, the LORD warned Israel and Judah, saying, “Turn from your wicked ways and keep My commandments and statutes, according to the entire Law that I commanded your fathers and delivered to you through My servants the prophets.”
14 But they would not listen, and they stiffened their necks like their fathers, who did not believe the LORD their God. 15 They rejected His statutes and the covenant He had made with their fathers, as well as the decrees He had given them. They pursued worthless idols and themselves became worthless, going after the surrounding nations that the LORD had commanded them not to imitate.
16 They abandoned all the commandments of the LORD their God and made for themselves two cast idols of calves and an Asherah pole. They bowed down to all the host of heaven and served Baal. 17 They sacrificed their sons and daughters in the fire c and practiced divination and soothsaying. They devoted themselves to doing evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking Him to anger.
18 So the LORD was very angry with Israel, and He removed them from His presence. Only the tribe of Judah remained, 19 and even Judah did not keep the commandments of the LORD their God, but lived according to the customs Israel had introduced. 20 So the LORD rejected all the descendants of Israel. He afflicted them and delivered them into the hands of plunderers, until He had banished them from His presence.
21 When the LORD had torn Israel away from the house of David, they made Jeroboam son of Nebat king, and Jeroboam led Israel away from following the LORD and caused them to commit a great sin. 22 The Israelites persisted in all the sins that Jeroboam had committed and did not turn away from them. 23 Finally, the LORD removed Israel from His presence, as He had declared through all His servants the prophets. So Israel was exiled from their homeland into Assyria, where they are to this day.
Samaria Resettled
24 Then the king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sepharvaim and settled them in the towns of Samaria to replace the Israelites. They took possession of Samaria and lived in its towns.
25 Now when the settlers first lived there, they did not worship the LORD, so He sent lions among them, which killed some of them. 26 So they spoke to the king of Assyria, saying, “The peoples that you have removed and placed in the cities of Samaria do not know the requirements of the God of the land. Because of this, He has sent lions among them, which are indeed killing them off.”
27 Then the king of Assyria commanded: “Send back one of the priests you carried off from Samaria, and have him go back to live there and teach the requirements of the God of the land.”
28 Thus one of the priests they had carried away came and lived in Bethel, and he began to teach them how they should worship the LORD.
29 Nevertheless, the people of each nation continued to make their own gods in the cities where they had settled, and they set them up in the shrines that the people of Samaria had made on the high places. 30 The men of Babylon made Succoth-benoth, the men of Cuth made Nergal, the men of Hamath made Ashima, 31 the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak, and the Sepharvites burned their children in the fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech the gods of Sepharvaim.
32 So the new residents worshiped the LORD, but they also appointed for themselves priests of all sorts to serve in the shrines of the high places. 33 They worshiped the LORD, but they also served their own gods according to the customs of the nations from which they had been carried away.
34 To this day they are still practicing their former customs. None of them worship the LORD or observe the statutes, ordinances, laws, and commandments that the LORD gave the descendants of Jacob, whom He named Israel.
35 For the LORD had made a covenant with the Israelites and commanded them, “Do not worship other gods or bow down to them; do not serve them or sacrifice to them. 36 Instead, worship the LORD, who brought you out of the land of Egypt with great power and an outstretched arm. You are to bow down to Him and offer sacrifices to Him. 37 And you must always be careful to observe the statutes, ordinances, laws, and commandments He wrote for you. Do not worship other gods. 38 Do not forget the covenant I have made with you. Do not worship other gods, 39 but worship the LORD your God, and He will deliver you from the hands of all your enemies.”
40 But they would not listen, and they persisted in their former customs. 41 So these nations worshiped the LORD but also served their idols, and to this day their children and grandchildren continue to do as their fathers did.
Footnotes:
4 a So is likely an abbreviation for Osorkon .
12 b Exodus 20:4–6; Deuteronomy 5:8–10
17 c Literally made their sons and their daughters pass through the fire
2 Kings 18
Hezekiah Destroys Idolatry in Judah
(2 Chronicles 29:1–2)
1 In the third year of the reign of Hoshea son of Elah over Israel, Hezekiah son of Ahaz became king of Judah. 2 He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother’s name was Abi, a the daughter of Zechariah. 3 And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father David had done. 4 He removed the high places, shattered the sacred pillars, and cut down the Asherah poles. He also demolished the bronze snake called Nehushtan b that Moses had made, for up to that time the Israelites had burned incense to it.
5 Hezekiah trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel. No king of Judah was like him, either before him or after him. 6 He remained faithful to the LORD and did not turn from following Him; he kept the commandments that the LORD had given Moses.
7 And the LORD was with Hezekiah, and he prospered wherever he went. He rebelled against the king of Assyria and refused to serve him. 8 He defeated the Philistines as far as Gaza and its borders, from watchtower to fortified city.
9 In the fourth year of Hezekiah’s reign, which was the seventh year of the reign of Hoshea son of Elah over Israel, Shalmaneser king of Assyria marched against Samaria and besieged it. 10 And at the end of three years, the Assyrians captured it.
So Samaria was captured in the sixth year of Hezekiah, which was the ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel. 11 The king of Assyria exiled the Israelites to Assyria and settled them in Halah, in Gozan by the Habor River, and in the cities of the Medes. 12 This happened because they did not listen to the voice of the LORD their God, but violated His covenant—all that Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded—and would neither listen nor obey.
Sennacherib Invades Judah
(2 Chronicles 32:1–8; Psalm 46:1–11)
13 In the fourteenth year of Hezekiah’s reign, Sennacherib king of Assyria attacked and captured all the fortified cities of Judah. 14 So Hezekiah king of Judah sent word to the king of Assyria at Lachish, saying, “I have done wrong;withdraw from me, and I will pay whatever you demand from me.”
And the king of Assyria exacted from Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver c and thirty talents of gold. d 15 Hezekiah gave him all the silver that was found in the house of the LORD and in the treasuries of the royal palace.
16 At that time Hezekiah stripped the gold with which he had plated the doors and doorposts of the temple of the LORD, and he gave it to the king of Assyria.
Sennacherib Threatens Jerusalem
(2 Chronicles 32:9–19; Isaiah 36:1–22)
17 Nevertheless, the king of Assyria sent the Tartan, e the Rabsaris, f and the Rabshakeh, g along with a great army, from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. They advanced up to Jerusalem and stationed themselves by the aqueduct of the upper pool, on the road to the Launderer’s Field. 18 Then they called for the king; and Eliakim son of Hilkiah the palace administrator, Shebnah the scribe, and Joah son of Asaph the recorder, went out to them.
19 The Rabshakeh said to them, “Tell Hezekiah that this is what the great king, the king of Assyria, says: What is the basis of this confidence of yours? 20 You claim to have a strategy and strength for war, but these are empty words. In whom are you now trusting, that you have rebelled against me?
21 Look now, you are trusting in Egypt, that splintered reed of a staff that will pierce the hand of anyone who leans on it. Such is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him. 22 But if you say to me, ‘We trust in the LORD our God,’ is He not the One whose high places and altars Hezekiah has removed, saying to Judah and Jerusalem: ‘You must worship before this altar in Jerusalem’?
23 Now, therefore, make a bargain with my master, the king of Assyria. I will give you two thousand horses—if you can put riders on them! 24 For how can you repel a single officer among the least of my master’s servants when you depend on Egypt for chariots and horsemen? 25 So now, was it apart from the LORD that I have come up against this place to destroy it? The LORD Himself said to me, ‘Go up against this land and destroy it.’ ”
26 Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah, along with Shebnah and Joah, said to the Rabshakeh, “Please speak to your servants in Aramaic, since we understand it. Do not speak with us in Hebrew h in the hearing of the people on the wall.”
27 But the Rabshakeh replied, “Has my master sent me to speak these words only to you and your master, and not to the men sitting on the wall, who are destined with you to eat their own dung and drink their own urine?”
28 Then the Rabshakeh stood and called out loudly in Hebrew: “Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria! 29 This is what the king says: Do not let Hezekiah deceive you; he cannot deliver you from my hand. 30 Do not let Hezekiah persuade you to trust in the LORD when he says, ‘The LORD will surely deliver us; this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.’
31 Do not listen to Hezekiah, for this is what the king of Assyria says: Make peace with me i and come out to me. Then every one of you will eat from his own vine and his own fig tree, and drink water from his own cistern, 32 until I come and take you away to a land like your own—a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olive trees and honey—so that you may live and not die. But do not listen to Hezekiah, for he misleads you when he says, ‘The LORD will deliver us.’
33 Has the god of any nation ever delivered his land from the hand of the king of Assyria? 34 Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah? Have they delivered Samaria from my hand? 35 Who among all the gods of these lands has delivered his land from my hand? How then can the LORD deliver Jerusalem from my hand?”
36 But the people remained silent and did not answer a word, for Hezekiah had commanded, “Do not answer him.”
37 Then Hilkiah’s son Eliakim the palace administrator, Shebna the scribe, and Asaph’s son Joah the recorder came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn, and they relayed to him the words of the Rabshakeh.
Footnotes:
2 a Abi is a variant of Abijah ; see 2 Chronicles 29:1.
4 b Nehushtan sounds like the Hebrew for bronze and also for snake .
14 c 300 talents is approximately 11.3 tons or 10.3 metric tons of silver.
14 d 30 talents is approximately 1.13 tons or 1.03 metric tons of gold.
17 e Hebrew Tartan is the title of a field marshal, general, or commander in the Assyrian military.
17 f Hebrew Rabsaris is the title of the chief eunuch in the Assyrian military.
17 g Hebrew Rabshakeh is the title of a high-ranking Assyrian military officer; here and throughout chapters 18 and 19, as well as Isaiah 36 and 37.
26 h Or in the dialect of Judah ; also in verse 28
31 i Or Make a blessing with me
2 Kings 19
Isaiah’s Message of Deliverance
(Isaiah 37:1–7)
1 On hearing this report, King Hezekiah tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and entered the house of the LORD. 2 And he sent Eliakim the palace administrator, Shebna the scribe, and the leading priests, all wearing sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz 3 to tell him, “This is what Hezekiah says: Today is a day of distress, rebuke, and disgrace; for children have come to the point of birth, but there is no strength to deliver them. 4 Perhaps the LORD your God will hear all the words of the Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to defy the living God, and He will rebuke him for the words that the LORD your God has heard. Therefore lift up a prayer for the remnant that still survives.”
5 So the servants of King Hezekiah went to Isaiah, 6 who replied, “Tell your master that this is what the LORD says: ‘Do not be afraid of the words you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed Me. 7 Behold, I will put a spirit in him so that he will hear a rumor and return to his own land, where I will cause him to fall by the sword.’ ”
Sennacherib’s Blasphemous Letter
(Isaiah 37:8–13)
8 When the Rabshakeh heard that the king of Assyria had left Lachish, he withdrew and found the king fighting against Libnah.
9 Now Sennacherib had been warned about Tirhakah king of Cush: a “Look, he has set out to fight against you.”
So Sennacherib again sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying, 10 “Give this message to Hezekiah king of Judah:
‘Do not let your God, in whom you trust, deceive you by saying that Jerusalem will not be delivered into the hand of the king of Assyria. 11 Surely you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the other countries, devoting them to destruction. b Will you then be spared? 12 Did the gods of the nations destroyed by my fathers rescue those nations—the gods of Gozan, Haran, and Rezeph, and of the people of Eden in Telassar? 13 Where are the kings of Hamath, Arpad, Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah?’ ”
Hezekiah’s Prayer
(Isaiah 37:14–20)
14 So Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers, read it, and went up to the house of the LORD and spread it out before the LORD. 15 And Hezekiah prayed before the LORD:
“O LORD, God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, You alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You made the heavens and the earth. 16 Incline Your ear, O LORD, and hear;open Your eyes, O LORD, and see. Listen to the words that Sennacherib has sent to defy the living God.
17 Truly, O LORD, the kings of Assyria have laid waste these nations and their lands. 18 They have cast their gods into the fire and destroyed them, for they were not gods, but only wood and stone—the work of human hands.
19 And now, O LORD our God, please save us from his hand, so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You alone, O LORD, are God.”
Sennacherib’s Fall Prophesied
(Isaiah 37:21–35)
20 Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent a message to Hezekiah: “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: I have heard your prayer concerning Sennacherib king of Assyria. 21 This is the word that the LORD has spoken against him:
‘The Virgin Daughter of Zion
despises you and mocks you;
the Daughter of Jerusalem
shakes her head behind you.
22 Whom have you taunted and blasphemed?
Against whom have you raised your voice
and lifted your eyes in pride?
Against the Holy One of Israel!
23 Through your servants you have taunted the Lord,
and you have said:
“With my many chariots
I have ascended
to the heights of the mountains,
to the remote peaks of Lebanon.
I have cut down its tallest cedars,
the finest of its cypresses. c
I have reached its farthest outposts,
24 I have dug wells
and drunk foreign waters.
With the soles of my feet
I have dried up all the streams of Egypt.”
25 Have you not heard?
Long ago I ordained it;
in days of old I planned it.
Now I have brought it to pass,
that you should crush fortified cities
26 Therefore their inhabitants, devoid of power,
are dismayed and ashamed.
They are like plants in the field,
tender green shoots,
grass on the rooftops,
scorched before it is grown.
27 But I know your sitting down,
your going out and coming in,
and your raging against Me.
28 Because your rage and arrogance against Me
have reached My ears,
I will put My hook in your nose
and My bit in your mouth;
I will send you back
the way you came.’
29 And this will be a sign to you, O Hezekiah:
This year you will eat
what grows on its own,
and in the second year
what springs from the same.
But in the third year you will sow and reap;
you will plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
30 And the surviving remnant of the house of Judah
will again take root below
and bear fruit above.
31 For a remnant will go forth from Jerusalem,
and survivors from Mount Zion.
The zeal of the LORD of Hosts d
will accomplish this.
32 So this is what the LORD says about the king of Assyria:
‘He will not enter this city
or shoot an arrow into it.
He will not come before it with a shield
or build up a siege ramp against it.
33 He will go back the way he came,
and he will not enter this city,’
declares the LORD.
34 ‘I will defend this city
and save it
for My own sake
and for the sake of My servant David.’ ”
Jerusalem Delivered from the Assyrians
(2 Chronicles 32:20–23; Isaiah 37:36–38)
35 And that very night the angel of the LORD went out and struck down 185,000 men in the camp of the Assyrians. When the people got up the next morning, there were all the dead bodies! 36 So Sennacherib king of Assyria broke camp and withdrew. He returned to Nineveh and stayed there.
37 One day, while he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer e put him to the sword and escaped to the land of Ararat. And his son Esar-haddon reigned in his place.
Footnotes:
9 a That is, the upper Nile region
11 b Forms of the Hebrew cherem refer to the giving over of things or persons to the LORD, either by destroying them or by giving them as an offering.
23 c Or pines or junipers or firs
31 d LXX, many Hebrew manuscripts, and an alternate MT reading; the other alternate reads The zeal of the LORD .
37 e LXX and an alternate MT reading (see also Isaiah 37:38); MT lacks his sons .
2 Kings 20
Hezekiah’s Illness and Recovery
(2 Chronicles 32:24–31; Isaiah 38:1–8)
1 In those days Hezekiah became mortally ill. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz came to him and said, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Put your house in order, for you are about to die; you will not recover.’ ”
2 Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD, saying, 3 “Please, O LORD, remember how I have walked before You faithfully and with wholehearted devotion; I have done what was good in Your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.
4 Before Isaiah had left the middle courtyard, a the word of the LORD came to him, saying, 5 “Go back and tell Hezekiah the leader of My people that this is what the LORD, the God of your father David, says: ‘I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. I will surely heal you. On the third day from now you will go up to the house of the LORD. 6 I will add fifteen years to your life. And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city for My sake and for the sake of My servant David.’ ”
7 Then Isaiah said, “Prepare a poultice of figs.” So they brought it and applied it to the boil, and Hezekiah recovered.
8 Now Hezekiah had asked Isaiah, “What will be the sign that the LORD will heal me and that I will go up to the house of the LORD on the third day?”
9 And Isaiah had replied, “This will be a sign to you from the LORD that He will do what He has promised: Would you like the shadow to go forward ten steps, or back ten steps?”
10 “It is easy for the shadow to lengthen ten steps,” answered Hezekiah, “but not for it to go back ten steps.”
11 So Isaiah the prophet called out to the LORD, and He brought the shadow back the ten steps it had descended on the stairway of Ahaz.
Hezekiah Shows His Treasures
(Isaiah 39:1–8)
12 At that time Merodach-baladan b son of Baladan king of Babylon sent letters and a gift to Hezekiah, for he had heard about Hezekiah’s illness. 13 And Hezekiah received the envoys and showed them all that was in his treasure house—the silver, the gold, the spices, and the precious oil, as well as his armory—all that was found in his storehouses. There was nothing in his palace or in all his dominion that Hezekiah did not show them.
14 Then the prophet Isaiah went to King Hezekiah and asked, “Where did those men come from, and what did they say to you?”
“They came from a distant land,” Hezekiah replied, “from Babylon.”
15 “What have they seen in your palace?” Isaiah asked.
“They have seen everything in my palace,” answered Hezekiah. “There is nothing among my treasures that I did not show them.”
16 Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the LORD: 17 The time will surely come when everything in your palace and all that your fathers have stored up until this day will be carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be left, says the LORD. 18 And some of your descendants, your own flesh and blood, will be taken away to be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.”
19 But Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of the LORD that you have spoken is good.” For he thought, “Will there not at least be peace and security in my lifetime?”
Manasseh Succeeds Hezekiah
20 As for the rest of the acts of Hezekiah, along with all his might and how he constructed the pool and the tunnel c to bring water into the city, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?
21 And Hezekiah rested with his fathers, and his son Manasseh reigned in his place.
Footnotes:
4 a LXX and an alternate MT reading; the other alternate reads the middle of the city
12 b Some Hebrew manuscripts, LXX, and Syriac (see also Isaiah 39:1);MT Berodach-baladan
20 c Or watercourse or conduit
2 Kings 21
Manasseh Reigns in Judah
(2 Chronicles 33:1–9)
1 Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-five years. His mother’s name was Hephzibah. 2 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD by following the abominations of the nations that the LORD had driven out before the Israelites. 3 For he rebuilt the high places that his father Hezekiah had destroyed, and he raised up altars for Baal. He made an Asherah pole, as King Ahab of Israel had done, and he worshiped and served all the host of heaven.
4 Manasseh also built altars in the house of the LORD, of which the LORD had said, “In Jerusalem I will put My Name.” 5 In both courtyards of the house of the LORD, he built altars to all the host of heaven. 6 He sacrificed his own son in the fire, a practiced sorcery and divination, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did great evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking Him to anger.
7 Manasseh even took the carved Asherah pole he had made and set it up in the temple, of which the LORD had said to David and his son Solomon, “In this temple and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will establish My Name forever. 8 I will never again cause the feet of the Israelites to wander from the land that I gave to their fathers, if only they are careful to do all I have commanded them—the whole Law that My servant Moses commanded them.”
9 But the people did not listen and Manasseh led them astray, so that they did greater evil than the nations that the LORD had destroyed before the Israelites.
Manasseh’s Idolatries Rebuked
(2 Chronicles 33:10–20)
10 And the LORD spoke through His servants the prophets, saying, 11 “Since Manasseh king of Judah has committed all these abominations, acting more wickedly than the Amorites who preceded him, and with his idols has caused Judah to sin, 12 this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Behold, I am bringing such calamity upon Jerusalem and Judah that the news will reverberate in the ears of all who hear it.
13 I will stretch out over Jerusalem the measuring line used against Samaria and the plumb line used against the house of Ahab, and I will wipe out Jerusalem as one wipes out a bowl—wiping it and turning it upside down. 14 So I will forsake the remnant of My inheritance and deliver them into the hands of their enemies. And they will become plunder and spoil to all their enemies, 15 because they have done evil in My sight and have provoked Me to anger from the day their fathers came out of Egypt until this day.’ ”
16 Moreover, Manasseh shed so much innocent blood that he filled Jerusalem from end to end, in addition to the sin that he had caused Judah to commit, doing evil in the sight of the LORD.
17 As for the rest of the acts of Manasseh, along with all his accomplishments and the sin that he committed, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?
18 And Manasseh rested with his fathers and was buried in his palace garden, the garden of Uzza. And his son Amon reigned in his place.
Amon Reigns in Judah
(2 Chronicles 33:21–25)
19 Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem two years. His mother’s name was Meshullemeth daughter of Haruz; she was from Jotbah. 20 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, as his father Manasseh had done. 21 He walked in all the ways of his father, and he served and worshiped the idols his father had served. 22 He abandoned the LORD, the God of his fathers, and did not walk in the way of the LORD.
23 Then the servants of Amon conspired against him and killed the king in his palace. 24 But the people of the land killed all those who had conspired against King Amon, and they made his son Josiah king in his place.
25 As for the rest of the acts of Amon, along with his accomplishments, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 26 And he was buried in his tomb in the garden of Uzza, and his son Josiah reigned in his place.
Footnotes:
6 a Literally made his son pass through the fire
2 Kings 22
Josiah Reigns in Judah
(2 Chronicles 34:1–2)
1 Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years. His mother’s name was Jedidah daughter of Adaiah; she was from Bozkath. 2 And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD and walked in all the ways of his father David;he did not turn aside to the right or to the left.
Funding the Temple Repairs
(2 Chronicles 34:8–13)
3 Now in the eighteenth year of his reign, King Josiah sent the scribe, Shaphan son of Azaliah, the son of Meshullam, to the house of the LORD, saying, 4 “Go up to Hilkiah the high priest and have him count the money that has been brought into the house of the LORD, which the doorkeepers have collected from the people. 5 And let them deliver it into the hands of the supervisors of those doing the work on the house of the LORD, who in turn are to give it to the workmen repairing the damages to the house of the LORD— 6 to the carpenters, builders, and masons—to buy timber and dressed stone to repair the temple. 7 But they need not account for the money put into their hands, since they work with integrity.”
Hilkiah Finds the Book of the Law
(2 Chronicles 34:14–21)
8 Then Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the scribe, “I have found the Book of the Law in the house of the LORD!” And he gave it to Shaphan, who read it.
9 And Shaphan the scribe went to the king and reported, “Your servants have paid out the money that was found in the temple and have put it into the hands of the workers and supervisors of the house of the LORD.”
10 Moreover, Shaphan the scribe told the king, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” And Shaphan read it in the presence of the king.
11 When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his clothes 12 and commanded Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Achbor a son of Micaiah, b Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah the servant of the king: 13 “Go and inquire of the LORD for me, for the people, and for all Judah concerning the words in this book that has been found. For great is the wrath of the LORD that burns against us because our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book by doing all that is written about us.”
Huldah’s Prophecy
(2 Chronicles 34:22–28)
14 So Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam, Achbor, Shaphan, and Asaiah went and spoke to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum son of Tikvah, c the son of Harhas, d the keeper of the wardrobe. She lived in Jerusalem, in the Second District. e
15 And Huldah said to them, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Tell the man who sent you 16 that this is what the LORD says: I am about to bring calamity on this place and on its people, according to all the words of the book that the king of Judah has read, 17 because they have forsaken Me and burned incense to other gods, that they might provoke Me to anger with all the works of their hands. My wrath will be kindled against this place and will not be quenched.’
18 But as for the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the LORD, tell him that this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘As for the words that you heard, 19 because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before the LORD when you heard what I spoke against this place and against its people, that they would become a desolation and a curse, and because you have torn your clothes and wept before Me, I have heard you,’ declares the LORD.
20 ‘Therefore I will indeed gather you to your fathers, and you will be gathered to your grave in peace. Your eyes will not see all the calamity that I will bring on this place.’ ”
So they brought her answer back to the king.
Footnotes:
12 a Achbor is another name for Abdon ; see 2 Chronicles 34:20.
12 b Micaiah is a variant of Micah ; see 2 Chronicles 34:20.
14 c Tikvah is a variant of Tokhath ; see 2 Chronicles 34:22.
14 d Harhas is a variant of Hasrah ; see 2 Chronicles 34:22.
14 e Or the Second Quarter , a newer section of Jerusalem; Hebrew the Mishneh
2 Kings 23
Josiah Renews the Covenant
(2 Chronicles 34:29–33)
1 Then the king summoned all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. 2 And he went up to the house of the LORD with all the people of Judah and Jerusalem, as well as the priests and the prophets—all the people small and great—and in their hearing he read all the words of the Book of the Covenant that had been found in the house of the LORD.
3 So the king stood by the pillar and made a covenant before the LORD to follow the LORD and to keep His commandments, decrees, and statutes with all his heart and all his soul, and to carry out the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people entered into the covenant.
Josiah Destroys Idolatry
(1 Kings 13:1–10; 2 Chronicles 34:3–7)
4 Then the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest, the priests second in rank, and the doorkeepers to remove from the temple of the LORD all the articles made for Baal, Asherah, and all the host of heaven. And he burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of Kidron and carried their ashes to Bethel.
5 Josiah also did away with the idolatrous priests ordained by the kings of Judah to burn incense on the high places of the cities of Judah and in the places all around Jerusalem—those who had burned incense to Baal, to the sun and moon, to the constellations, and to all the host of heaven.
6 He brought the Asherah pole from the house of the LORD to the Kidron Valley outside Jerusalem, and there he burned it, ground it to powder, and threw its dust on the graves of the common people. 7 He also tore down the quarters of the male shrine prostitutes that were in the house of the LORD, where the women had woven tapestries for Asherah.
8 Then Josiah brought all the priests from the cities of Judah and desecrated the high places, from Geba to Beersheba, where the priests had burned incense. He tore down the high places of the gates at the entrance of the gate of Joshua the governor of the city, which was to the left of the city gate. 9 Although the priests of the high places did not come up to the altar of the LORD in Jerusalem, they ate unleavened bread with their fellow priests.
10 He also desecrated Topheth in the Valley of Ben-hinnom a so that no one could sacrifice his son or daughter in the fire b to Molech. 11 And he removed from the entrance to the house of the LORD the horses that the kings of Judah had dedicated to the sun. They were in the court c near the chamber of an official named Nathan-melech. And Josiah burned up the chariots of the sun.
12 He pulled down the altars that the kings of Judah had set up on the roof near the upper chamber of Ahaz, and the altars that Manasseh had set up in the two courtyards of the house of the LORD. The king pulverized them there d and threw their dust into the Kidron Valley.
13 The king also desecrated the high places east of Jerusalem, to the south of the Mount of Corruption, which King Solomon of Israel had built for Ashtoreth the abomination of the Sidonians, for Chemosh the abomination of the Moabites, and for Milcom e the abomination of the Ammonites. 14 He smashed the sacred pillars to pieces, cut down the Asherah poles, and covered the sites with human bones.
15 He even pulled down the altar at Bethel, the high place set up by Jeroboam son of Nebat, who had caused Israel to sin. Then he burned f the high place, ground it to powder, and burned the Asherah pole. 16 And as Josiah turned, he saw the tombs there on the hillside, and he sent someone to take the bones out of the tombs, and he burned them on the altar to defile it, according to the word of the LORD proclaimed by the man of God who had foretold these things. g
17 Then the king asked, “What is this monument I see?”
And the men of the city replied, “It is the tomb of the man of God who came from Judah and pronounced these things that you have done to the altar of Bethel.”
18 “Let him rest,” said Josiah. “Do not let anyone disturb his bones.”
So they left his bones undisturbed, along with those of the prophet who had come from Samaria.
19 Just as Josiah had done at Bethel, so also in the cities of Samaria he removed all the shrines of the high places set up by the kings of Israel who had provoked the LORD to anger. 20 On the altars he slaughtered all the priests of the high places, and he burned human bones on them. Then he returned to Jerusalem.
Josiah Restores the Passover
(2 Chronicles 35:1–19)
21 The king commanded all the people, “Keep the Passover of the LORD your God, as it is written in this Book of the Covenant.”
22 No such Passover had been observed from the days of the judges who had governed Israel through all the days of the kings of Israel and Judah. 23 But in the eighteenth year of Josiah’s reign, this Passover was observed to the LORD in Jerusalem.
24 Furthermore, Josiah removed the mediums and spiritists, the household gods and idols, and all the abominations that were seen in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem. He did this to carry out the words of the law written in the book that Hilkiah the priest had found in the house of the LORD.
25 Neither before nor after Josiah was there any king like him, who turned to the LORD with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his strength, according to all the Law of Moses.
26 Nevertheless, the LORD did not turn away from the fury of His burning anger, which was kindled against Judah because of all that Manasseh had done to provoke Him to anger. 27 For the LORD had said, “I will remove Judah from My sight, just as I removed Israel. I will reject this city Jerusalem, which I chose, and the temple of which I said, ‘My Name shall be there.’ ”
The Death of Josiah
(2 Chronicles 35:20–24)
28 As for the rest of the acts of Josiah, along with all his accomplishments, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?
29 At the end of Josiah’s reign, Pharaoh Neco king of Egypt marched up to help the king of Assyria at the Euphrates River. King Josiah went out to confront him, but Neco faced him and killed him at Megiddo.
30 From Megiddo his servants carried his body in a chariot, brought him to Jerusalem, and buried him in his own tomb. Then the people of the land took Jehoahaz son of Josiah, anointed him, and made him king in place of his father.
Jehoahaz Succeeds Josiah
(2 Chronicles 36:1–4)
31 Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. His mother’s name was Hamutal daughter of Jeremiah; she was from Libnah. 32 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, just as his fathers had done.
33 And Pharaoh Neco imprisoned Jehoahaz at Riblah in the land of Hamath so that he could not reign in Jerusalem, and he imposed on Judah a levy of a hundred talents of silver h and a talent of gold. i 34 Then Pharaoh Neco made Eliakim son of Josiah king in place of his father Josiah, and he changed Eliakim’s name to Jehoiakim. But Neco took Jehoahaz and carried him off to Egypt, where he died.
35 So Jehoiakim paid the silver and gold to Pharaoh Neco, but to meet Pharaoh’s demand he taxed the land and exacted the silver and the gold from the people, each according to his wealth.
Jehoiakim Reigns in Judah
(2 Chronicles 36:5–8)
36 Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. His mother’s name was Zebidah daughter of Pedaiah; she was from Rumah. 37 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, just as his fathers had done.
Footnotes:
10 a Or the Valley of the Son of Hinnom
10 b Literally could pass his son or daughter through the fire
11 c Hebrew parbarim
12 d Or quickly removed them from there
13 e Milcom is a variant of Molech ; see Leviticus 18:21 and 1 Kings 11:7.
15 f Hebrew; LXX broke into pieces
16 g See 1 Kings 13:2; Hebrew; LXX includes when Jeroboam stood by the altar at the feast. And he turned and lifted his eyes to the tomb of the man of God.
33 h 100 talents is approximately 3.77 tons or 3.42 metric tons of silver.
33 i A talent is approximately 75.4 pounds or 34.2 kilograms of gold.
2 Kings 24
Babylon Controls Jehoiakim
1 During Jehoiakim’s reign, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon invaded. So Jehoiakim became his vassal for three years, until he turned and rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar.
2 And the LORD sent Chaldean, a Aramean, Moabite, and Ammonite raiders against Jehoiakim in order to destroy Judah, according to the word that the LORD had spoken through His servants the prophets. 3 Surely this happened to Judah at the LORD’s command, to remove them from His presence because of the sins of Manasseh and all that he had done, 4 and also for the innocent blood he had shed. For he had filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, and the LORD was unwilling to forgive.
5 As for the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, along with all his accomplishments, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?
Jehoiachin Reigns in Judah
(2 Chronicles 36:9–10)
6 And Jehoiakim rested with his fathers, and his son Jehoiachin reigned in his place.
7 Now the king of Egypt did not march out of his land again, because the king of Babylon had taken all his territory, from the Brook of Egypt to the Euphrates River.
8 Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. His mother’s name was Nehushta daughter of Elnathan; she was from Jerusalem. 9 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, just as his father had done.
The Captivity of Jerusalem
(Lamentations 1:1–22)
10 At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched up to Jerusalem, and the city came under siege. 11 And Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to the city while his servants were besieging it. 12 Jehoiachin king of Judah, his mother, his servants, his commanders, and his officials all surrendered to the king of Babylon.
So in the eighth year of his reign, the king of Babylon took him captive. 13 As the LORD had declared, Nebuchadnezzar also carried off all the treasures from the house of the LORD and the royal palace, and he cut into pieces all the gold articles that Solomon king of Israel had made in the temple of the LORD. 14 He carried into exile all Jerusalem—all the commanders and mighty men of valor, all the craftsmen and metalsmiths—ten thousand captives in all. Only the poorest people of the land remained.
15 Nebuchadnezzar carried away Jehoiachin to Babylon, as well as the king’s mother, his wives, his officials, and the leading men of the land. He took them into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. 16 The king of Babylon also brought into exile to Babylon all seven thousand men of valor and a thousand craftsmen and metalsmiths—all strong and fit for battle.
17 Then the king of Babylon made Mattaniah, Jehoiachin’s uncle, king in his place and changed his name to Zedekiah.
Zedekiah Reigns in Judah
(2 Chronicles 36:11–14; Jeremiah 52:1–3)
18 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. His mother’s name was Hamutal daughter of Jeremiah; she was from Libnah.
19 And Zedekiah did evil in the sight of the LORD, just as Jehoiakim had done. 20 For because of the anger of the LORD, all this happened in Jerusalem and Judah, until He finally banished them from His presence.
And Zedekiah also rebelled against the king of Babylon.
Footnotes:
2 a Or Babylonian
2 Kings 25
Nebuchadnezzar Besieges Jerusalem
(2 Chronicles 36:15–21; Jeremiah 39:1–10)
1 So in the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched against Jerusalem with his entire army. They encamped outside the city and built a a siege wall all around it. 2 And the city was kept under siege until King Zedekiah’s eleventh year.
3 By the ninth day of the fourth month, b the famine in the city was so severe that the people of the land had no food. 4 Then the city was breached; and though the Chaldeans c had surrounded the city, all the men of war fled by night by way of the gate between the two walls near the king’s garden.
They headed toward the Arabah, d 5 but the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king and overtook him in the plains of Jericho, and all his army was separated from him. 6 The Chaldeans seized the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah, where they pronounced judgment on him. 7 And they slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes. Then they put out his eyes, bound him with bronze shackles, and took him to Babylon.
The Temple Destroyed
(Jeremiah 52:12–23)
8 On the seventh day of the fifth month, in the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign over Babylon, Nebuzaradan captain of the guard, a servant of the king of Babylon, entered Jerusalem. 9 He burned down the house of the LORD, the royal palace, and all the houses of Jerusalem—every significant building. 10 And the whole army of the Chaldeans under the captain of the guard broke down the walls around Jerusalem.
11 Then Nebuzaradan captain of the guard carried into exile the people who remained in the city, along with the deserters who had defected to the king of Babylon and the rest of the population. 12 But the captain of the guard left behind some of the poorest of the land to tend the vineyards and fields.
13 Moreover, the Chaldeans broke up the bronze pillars and stands and the bronze Sea in the house of the LORD, and they carried the bronze to Babylon. 14 They also took away the pots, shovels, wick trimmers, dishes, and all the articles of bronze used in the temple service. 15 The captain of the guard also took away the censers and sprinkling bowls—anything made of pure gold or fine silver.
16 As for the two pillars, the Sea, and the movable stands that Solomon had made for the house of the LORD, the weight of the bronze from all these articles was beyond measure. 17 Each pillar was eighteen cubits tall. e The bronze capital atop one pillar was three cubits high, f with a network of bronze pomegranates all around. The second pillar, with its network, was similar.
Captives Carried to Babylon
(Jeremiah 52:24–30)
18 The captain of the guard also took away Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah the priest of second rank, and the three doorkeepers. 19 Of those still in the city, he took a court official who had been appointed over the men of war, as well as five royal advisors. He also took the scribe of the captain of the army, who had enlisted the people of the land, and sixty men who were found in the city.
20 Nebuzaradan captain of the guard took them and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. 21 There at Riblah in the land of Hamath, the king of Babylon struck them down and put them to death. So Judah was taken into exile, away from its own land.
Gedaliah Governs in Judah
(Jeremiah 40:1–16)
22 Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, over the people he had left behind in the land of Judah.
23 When all the commanders of the armies and their men heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah as governor, they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah—Ishmael son of Nethaniah, Johanan son of Kareah, Seraiah son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah g son of the Maacathite, as well as their men. 24 And Gedaliah took an oath before them and their men, assuring them, “Do not be afraid of the servants of the Chaldeans. Live in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it will be well with you.”
The Murder of Gedaliah
(Jeremiah 41:1–10)
25 In the seventh month, however, Ishmael son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, who was a member of the royal family, came with ten men and struck down and killed Gedaliah, along with the Judeans and Chaldeans who were with him at Mizpah. 26 Then all the people small and great, together with the commanders of the army, arose and fled to Egypt for fear of the Chaldeans.
Jehoiachin Released from Prison
(Jeremiah 52:31–34)
27 On the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth month of the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Judah’s King Jehoiachin, in the year Evil-merodach became king of Babylon, he released h King Jehoiachin of Judah from prison. 28 And he spoke kindly to Jehoiachin and set his throne above the thrones of the other kings who were with him in Babylon.
29 So Jehoiachin changed out of his prison clothes, and he dined regularly at the king’s table for the rest of his life. 30 And the king provided Jehoiachin a daily portion for the rest of his life.
Footnotes:
1 a Literally He encamped outside it and they built
3 b Probable reading (see Jeremiah 52:6); MT does not include fourth .
4 c That is, the Babylonians; also in verses 5, 6, 10, 13, 24, 25, and 26
4 d Or the Jordan Valley
17 e 18 cubits is approximately 27 feet or 8.2 meters.
17 f 3 cubits is approximately 4.5 feet or 1.4 meters.
23 g Jaazaniah is a variant of Jezaniah ; see Jeremiah 40:8.
27 h Literally lifted up the head of
1 Chronicles
1 Chronicles 1
From Adam to Abraham
(Genesis 5:1–32; Genesis 10:1–32; Genesis 11:10–26)
1 Adam, Seth, Enosh,
2 Kenan, Mahalalel, Jared,
3 Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech.
Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
5 The sons of Japheth:
Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras.
6 The sons of Gomer: Ashkenaz, Riphath, b and Togarmah.
7 And the sons of Javan: Elishah, Tarshish, the Kittites, and the Rodanites.
8 The sons of Ham:
Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan.
9 The sons of Cush: Seba, Havilah, Sabta, c Raamah, and Sabteca.
The sons of Raamah: Sheba and Dedan.
10 Cush was the father of Nimrod, who began to be a mighty one d on the earth.
11 Mizraim was the father of the Ludites, the Anamites, the Lehabites, the Naphtuhites, 12 the Pathrusites, the Casluhites (from whom the Philistines came), and the Caphtorites. e
13 And Canaan was the father of Sidon his firstborn, f and of the Hittites, g 14 the Jebusites, the Amorites, the Girgashites, 15 the Hivites, the Arkites, the Sinites, 16 the Arvadites, the Zemarites, and the Hamathites.
17 The sons of Shem:
Elam, Asshur, Arphaxad, Lud, and Aram.
The sons of Aram: h Uz, Hul, Gether, and Meshech. i
18 Arphaxad was the father of Shelah, and Shelah was the father of Eber.
19 Two sons were born to Eber: One was named Peleg, j because in his days the earth was divided, and his brother was named Joktan.
20 And Joktan was the father of Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, 21 Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, 22 Obal, k Abimael, Sheba, 23 Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab. All these were sons of Joktan.
24 So from Shem came Arphaxad, Shelah, l 25 Eber, Peleg, Reu, 26 Serug, Nahor, Terah, 27 and Abram (that is, Abraham).
The Descendants of Abraham
(Genesis 25:12–18)
28 The sons of Abraham were Isaac and Ishmael. 29 These are their genealogies:
Nebaioth the firstborn of Ishmael, then Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, 30 Mishma, Dumah, Massa, Hadad, Tema, 31 Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. These were the sons of Ishmael.
32 The sons born to Keturah, Abraham’s concubine:
Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah.
The sons of Jokshan:
Sheba and Dedan.
33 The sons of Midian:
Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah.
All of these were Keturah’s sons.
34 Abraham was the father of Isaac. The sons of Isaac:
The Descendants of Esau
(Genesis 36:1–19)
35 The sons of Esau:
Eliphaz, Reuel, Jeush, Jalam, and Korah.
36 The sons of Eliphaz: Teman, Omar, Zepho, m Gatam, and Kenaz; and by Timna, Amalek.
37 The sons of Reuel: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah.
The Descendants of Seir
(Genesis 36:20–30)
38 The sons of Seir:
Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan.
39 The sons of Lotan: Hori and Homam. n Timna was Lotan’s sister.
40 The sons of Shobal: Alvan, o Manahath, Ebal, Shepho, p and Onam.
The sons of Zibeon: Aiah and Anah.
The sons of Dishon: Hemdan, r Eshban, Ithran, and Cheran.
42 The sons of Ezer: Bilhan, Zaavan, and Akan. s
The sons of Dishan: Uz and Aran.
The Kings of Edom
(Genesis 36:31–43)
43 These are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before any king reigned over the Israelites: t
Bela son of Beor. His city was named Dinhabah.
44 When Bela died, Jobab son of Zerah from Bozrah reigned in his place.
45 When Jobab died, Husham from the land of the Temanites reigned in his place.
46 When Husham died, Hadad son of Bedad, who defeated Midian in the country of Moab, reigned in his place. And the name of his city was Avith.
47 When Hadad died, Samlah from Masrekah reigned in his place.
48 When Samlah died, Shaul from Rehoboth on the Euphrates u reigned in his place.
49 When Shaul died, Baal-hanan son of Achbor reigned in his place.
50 When Baal-hanan died, Hadad reigned in his place. His city was named Pau, v and his wife’s name was Mehetabel daughter of Matred, the daughter of Me-zahab.
51 Then Hadad died.
Now the chiefs of Edom were Timna, Alvah, Jetheth, 52 Oholibamah, Elah, Pinon, 53 Kenaz, Teman, Mibzar, 54 Magdiel, and Iram. These were the chiefs of Edom.
Footnotes:
4 a Hebrew does not include The sons of ; LXX Noah:the sons of Noah ; see Genesis 5:32.
6 b Many Hebrew manuscripts and Vulgate (see also LXX and Genesis 10:3);most Hebrew manuscripts Diphath
9 c Sabta is a variant of Sabtah ; see Genesis 10:7.
10 d Or who established himself as a mighty warrior
12 e Some translators adjust the Hebrew word order to the Casluhites, and the Caphtorites (from whom the Philistines came) ; see also Jeremiah 47:4 and Amos 9:7.
13 f Or of the Sidonians, the foremost
13 g Hebrew and of Heth
17 h One Hebrew manuscript and some LXX manuscripts (see also Genesis 10:23);most Hebrew manuscripts do not include The sons of Aram .
17 i Meshech is a variant of Mash ; see Genesis 10:23.
19 j Peleg means division .
22 k LXX and Syriac (see also Genesis 10:28); Hebrew Ebal
24 l Literally Shem, Arphaxad, Shelah ; some LXX manuscripts Shem, Arphaxad, Cainan, Shelah ; see also Genesis 10:24 LXX and Luke 3:35–36.
36 m Many Hebrew manuscripts, some LXX manuscripts, and Syriac (see also Genesis 36:11);most Hebrew manuscripts Zephi
39 n Homam is a variant of Hemam ; see Genesis 36:22.
40 o LXX (see also Genesis 36:23); Hebrew Alian
40 p LXX (see also Genesis 36:23); Hebrew Shephi
41 q Hebrew sons
41 r LXX (see also Genesis 36:26); Hebrew Hamran
42 s LXX (see also Genesis 36:27); Hebrew Jaakan
43 t Or before an Israelite king ruled over them
48 u Hebrew the River
50 v Many MT manuscripts, some LXX manuscripts, Vulgate, and Syriac (see also Genesis 36:39); most MT manuscripts Pai
1 Chronicles 2
The Sons of Israel
(Genesis 35:21–26; Genesis 38:1–30)
1 These were the sons of Israel:
Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, 2 Dan, Joseph, Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.
3 The sons of Judah:
Er, Onan, and Shelah. These three were born to him by Bath-shua the Canaanite. Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the LORD, who put him to death.
4 Tamar, Judah’s daughter-in-law, bore to him Perez and Zerah. Judah had five sons in all.
5 The sons of Perez:
6 The sons of Zerah:
Zimri, a Ethan, Heman, Calcol, and Dara b—five in all.
Achar, d who brought trouble upon Israel by violating the ban on devoted things.
8 The son of Ethan:
9 The sons who were born to Hezron:
Jerahmeel, Ram, and Caleb. e
10 Ram was the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab was the father of Nahshon, a leader of the descendants of Judah.
11 Nahshon was the father of Salmon, f and Salmon was the father of Boaz.
12 Boaz was the father of Obed, and Obed was the father of Jesse.
13 Jesse was the father of Eliab his firstborn; Abinadab was born second, Shimea g third, 14 Nethanel fourth, Raddai fifth, 15 Ozem sixth, and David seventh. 16 Their sisters were Zeruiah and Abigail. And the three sons of Zeruiah were Abishai, Joab, and Asahel. 17 Abigail was the mother of Amasa, whose father was Jether h the Ishmaelite.
18 Caleb son of Hezron had children by his wife Azubah and by Jerioth. These were the sons of Azubah: Jesher, Shobab, and Ardon. 19 When Azubah died, Caleb married Ephrath, i who bore to him Hur. 20 Hur was the father of Uri, and Uri was the father of Bezalel.
21 Later, Hezron slept with the daughter of Machir the father of Gilead. He had married her when he was sixty years old, and she bore to him Segub. 22 Segub was the father of Jair, who had twenty-three cities in the land of Gilead. 23 But Geshur and Aram captured Havvoth-jair, j along with Kenath and its sixty surrounding villages. All these were descendants of Machir the father of Gilead.
24 After Hezron died in Caleb-ephrathah, his wife Abijah bore k to him Ashhur the father l of Tekoa.
25 The sons of Jerahmeel the firstborn of Hezron:
Ram his firstborn, Bunah, Oren, Ozem, and Ahijah. 26 Jerahmeel had another wife named Atarah, who was the mother of Onam.
27 The sons of Ram the firstborn of Jerahmeel:
Maaz, Jamin, and Eker.
28 The sons of Onam:
Shammai and Jada.
The sons of Shammai:
Nadab and Abishur. 29 Abishur’s wife was named Abihail, and she bore to him Ahban and Molid.
30 The sons of Nadab:
Seled and Appaim. Seled died without children.
Ishi.
The son of Ishi:
Sheshan.
The son of Sheshan:
Ahlai.
32 The sons of Jada the brother of Shammai:
Jether and Jonathan. Jether died without children.
33 The sons of Jonathan:
Peleth and Zaza.
These were the descendants of Jerahmeel.
34 Sheshan had no sons, but only daughters; but he did have an Egyptian servant named Jarha. 35 Sheshan gave his daughter in marriage to his servant Jarha, and she bore to him Attai.
36 Attai was the father of Nathan, Nathan was the father of Zabad, 37 Zabad was the father of Ephlal, Ephlal was the father of Obed, 38 Obed was the father of Jehu, Jehu was the father of Azariah, 39 Azariah was the father of Helez, Helez was the father of Elasah, 40 Elasah was the father of Sismai, Sismai was the father of Shallum, 41 Shallum was the father of Jekamiah, and Jekamiah was the father of Elishama.
42 The sons of Caleb the brother of Jerahmeel:
Mesha n his firstborn, who was the father of Ziph, and Mareshah his second son, who was the father of Hebron.
43 The sons of Hebron:
Korah, Tappuah, Rekem, and Shema. 44 Shema was the father of Raham the father of Jorkeam, and Rekem was the father of Shammai. 45 The son of Shammai was Maon, and Maon was the father of Beth-zur.
46 Caleb’s concubine Ephah was the mother of Haran, Moza, and Gazez. Haran was the father of Gazez.
47 The sons of Jahdai:
Regem, Jotham, Geshan, Pelet, Ephah, and Shaaph.
48 Caleb’s concubine Maacah was the mother of Sheber and Tirhanah. 49 She was also the mother of Shaaph father of Madmannah, and of Sheva father of Machbenah and Gibea. Caleb’s daughter was Acsah. 50 These were the descendants of Caleb.
The sons o of Hur the firstborn of Ephrathah: p
Shobal the father of Kiriath-jearim, 51 Salma the father of Bethlehem, and Hareph the father of Beth-gader.
52 These were the descendants of Shobal the father of Kiriath-jearim:
Haroeh, half the Manahathites, 53 and the clans of Kiriath-jearim—the Ithrites, Puthites, Shumathites, and Mishraites. From these descended the Zorathites and Eshtaolites.
54 The descendants of Salma:
Bethlehem, the Netophathites, Atroth-beth-joab, half the Manahathites, the Zorites, 55 and the clans of the scribes q who lived at Jabez—the Tirathites, Shimeathites, and Sucathites. These are the Kenites who came from Hammath, the father of the house of Rechab. r
Footnotes:
6 a Zimri is a variant of Zabdi ; see Joshua 7:1.
6 b Most Hebrew manuscripts; many Hebrew manuscripts, some LXX manuscripts, and Syriac (see also 1 Kings 4:31) Darda
7 c Hebrew sons
7 d Achar means troubler ; also called Achan in Joshua 7 and Joshua 22.
9 e Hebrew Chelubai , a variant of Caleb ; see verse 18.
11 f LXX (see also Ruth 4:20–21); Hebrew Salma ; twice in this verse
13 g Shimea is a variant of Shammah , Shimeah , and Shimei ; see 1 Samuel 16:9, 2 Samuel 13:3, and 2 Samuel 21:21.
17 h Jether is a variant of Ithra ; see 2 Samuel 17:25.
19 i Ephrath is a variant of Ephrathah ; see verse 50.
23 j Or the villages of Jair
24 k Or After Hezron died, Caleb had relations with Ephrathah, the wife of Hezron his father, and she bore ; see also LXX.
24 l Or the founder ; also in verses 42, 45, 49, and possibly elsewhere
31 m Hebrew sons ; three times in this verse
42 n Hebrew; LXX Mareshah
50 o LXX and Vulgate; Hebrew son
50 p Ephrathah is a variant of Ephrath ; see verse 19.
55 q Or of the Sopherites
55 r Or the father of Beth-rechab or the founder of the house of Rechab
1 Chronicles 3
The Descendants of David
(2 Samuel 3:1–5)
1 These were the sons of David who were born to him in Hebron:
The firstborn was Amnon by Ahinoam of Jezreel;
the second was Daniel by Abigail of Carmel;
2 the third was Absalom the son of Maacah daughter of King Talmai of Geshur;
the fourth was Adonijah the son of Haggith;
3 the fifth was Shephatiah by Abital;
and the sixth was Ithream by his wife Eglah.
4 These six sons were born to David in Hebron, where he reigned seven years and six months.
And David reigned in Jerusalem thirty-three years, 5 and these sons were born to him in Jerusalem:
Shimea, a Shobab, Nathan, and Solomon. These four were born to him by Bathsheba b daughter of Ammiel. c
6 David’s other sons were Ibhar, d Elishua, e Eliphelet, 7 Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia, 8 Elishama, Eliada, and Eliphelet—nine in all.
9 These were all the sons of David, besides the sons by his concubines. And Tamar was their sister.
The Descendants of Solomon
10 Solomon’s son was Rehoboam:
Abijah was his son, Asa his son, Jehoshaphat his son, 11 Joram f his son, Ahaziah his son, Joash his son, 12 Amaziah his son, Azariah g his son, Jotham his son, 13 Ahaz his son, Hezekiah his son, Manasseh his son, 14 Amon his son, and Josiah his son.
15 The sons of Josiah:
Johanan was the firstborn, Jehoiakim the second, Zedekiah the third, and Shallum h the fourth.
16 The successors of Jehoiakim:
Jeconiah i his son, and Zedekiah.
The Royal Line After the Exile
17 The descendants of Jeconiah the captive:
Shealtiel his son, 18 Malchiram, Pedaiah, Shenazzar, Jekamiah, Hoshama, and Nedabiah.
19 The sons of Pedaiah:
Zerubbabel and Shimei.
The children of Zerubbabel:
Meshullam and Hananiah, their sister Shelomith, 20 and five others: Hashubah, Ohel, Berechiah, Hasadiah, and Jushab-hesed.
21 The descendants of Hananiah:
Pelatiah, Jeshaiah, and the sons of Rephaiah, of Arnan, of Obadiah, and of Shecaniah.
22 The six descendants of Shecaniah were Shemaiah and his sons:
Hattush, Igal, Bariah, Neariah, and Shaphat.
23 The sons of Neariah:
Elioenai, Hizkiah, and Azrikam—three in all.
24 The sons of Elioenai:
Hodaviah, Eliashib, Pelaiah, Akkub, Johanan, Delaiah, and Anani—seven in all.
Footnotes:
5 a Shimea is a variant of Shammua ; see 2 Samuel 5:14 and 1 Chronicles 14:4.
5 b One Hebrew manuscript and Vulgate (see also LXX and 2 Samuel 11:3); most Hebrew manuscripts Bath-shua
5 c Ammiel is a variant of Eliam ; see 2 Samuel 11:3.
6 d Hebrew does not include David’s other sons were .
6 e Two Hebrew manuscripts (see also 2 Samuel 5:15 and 1 Chronicles 14:5); most Hebrew manuscripts Elishama
11 f Joram is a variant spelling of Jehoram .
12 g Azariah is also called Uzziah ; see 2 Chronicles 26:1.
15 h Shallum is another name for Jehoahaz .
16 i Jeconiah is a variant of Jehoiachin ; also in verse 17; see 2 Kings 24:6.
1 Chronicles 4
The Descendants of Judah
1 The descendants of Judah:
Perez, Hezron, Carmi, Hur, and Shobal.
2 Reaiah son of Shobal was the father of Jahath, and Jahath was the father of Ahumai and Lahad. These were the clans of the Zorathites.
3 These were the sons a of Etam: Jezreel, Ishma, and Idbash. And their sister was named Hazzelelponi. 4 Penuel was the father b of Gedor, and Ezer was the father of Hushah.
These were the descendants of Hur, the firstborn of Ephrathah and the father of Bethlehem.
5 Ashhur the father of Tekoa had two wives, Helah and Naarah.
6 Naarah bore to him Ahuzzam, Hepher, Temeni, and Haahashtari. These were the descendants of Naarah.
7 The sons of Helah were Zereth, Zohar, c Ethnan, 8 and Koz, who was the father of Anub and Zobebah and of the clans of Aharhel son of Harum.
The Prayer of Jabez
9 Now Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, d saying, “Because I bore him in pain.”
10 And Jabez called out to the God of Israel, “If only You would bless me and enlarge my territory! May Your hand be with me and keep me from harm, so that I will be free from pain.”
And God granted the request of Jabez.
More Descendants of Judah
11 Chelub the brother of Shuhah was the father of Mehir, who was the father of Eshton. 12 Eshton was the father of Beth-rapha, of Paseah, and of Tehinnah the father of Ir-nahash. These were the men of Recah.
13 The sons of Kenaz:
Othniel and Seraiah.
The sons of Othniel:
Hathath and Meonothai. e
14 Meonothai was the father of Ophrah, and Seraiah was the father of Joab, the father of those living in Ge-harashim, which was given this name because its people were craftsmen. f
15 The sons of Caleb son of Jephunneh:
Iru, Elah, and Naam.
The son g of Elah:
Kenaz.
16 The sons of Jehallelel:
Ziph, Ziphah, Tiria, and Asarel.
17 The sons of Ezrah:
Jether, Mered, Epher, and Jalon.
And Mered’s wife Bithiah gave birth h to Miriam, Shammai, and Ishbah the father of Eshtemoa. 18 These were the children of Pharaoh’s daughter Bithiah. i
Mered also took a Judean j wife, who gave birth to Jered the father of Gedor, Heber the father of Soco, and Jekuthiel the father of Zanoah.
19 The sons of Hodiah’s wife, the sister of Naham, were the fathers of Keilah the Garmite and of Eshtemoa the Maacathite. k
20 The sons of Shimon:
Amnon, Rinnah, Ben-hanan, and Tilon.
The descendants of Ishi:
Zoheth and Ben-zoheth.
21 The sons of Shelah son of Judah:
Er the father of Lecah, Laadah the father of Mareshah and the clans of the linen workers at Beth-ashbea, 22 Jokim, the men of Cozeba, and Joash and Saraph, who ruled in Moab and Jashubi-lehem. (These names are from ancient records.) 23 These were the potters who lived at Netaim and Gederah. They lived there in the service of the king.
The Descendants of Simeon
24 The descendants of Simeon:
Nemuel, Jamin, Jarib, Zerah, l and Shaul.
25 The sons of Shaul:
Shallum, Mibsam, and Mishma.
26 The sons of Mishma:
Hammuel, Zaccur, and Shimei.
27 Shimei had sixteen sons and six daughters, but his brothers did not have many children, so their whole clan did not become as numerous as the sons of Judah. 28 They lived in Beersheba, Moladah, Hazar-shual, 29 Bilhah, Ezem, Tolad, 30 Bethuel, Hormah, Ziklag, 31 Beth-marcaboth, Hazar-susim, Beth-biri, and Shaaraim. These were their cities until the reign of David. 32 And their villages were Etam, Ain, Rimmon, Tochen, and Ashan—five towns— 33 and all their surrounding villages as far as Baal. m These were their settlements, and they kept a genealogical record:
34 Meshobab, Jamlech, Joshah son of Amaziah, 35 Joel, Jehu son of Joshibiah (son of Seraiah, son of Asiel), 36 Elioenai, Jaakobah, Jeshohaiah, Asaiah, Adiel, Jesimiel, Benaiah, 37 and Ziza son of Shiphi (son of Allon, son of Jedaiah, son of Shimri, son of Shemaiah).
38 These men listed by name were the leaders of their clans. Their families increased greatly, 39 and they journeyed to the entrance of Gedor, to the east side of the valley, in search of pasture for their flocks. 40 There they found rich, good pasture, and the land was spacious, peaceful, and quiet; for some Hamites had lived there formerly.
41 These who were noted by name came in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah. They attacked the Hamites and Meunites there in their dwellings, devoting them to destruction n even to this day. Then they settled in their place, because there was pasture for their flocks. 42 And five hundred of these Simeonites led by Pelatiah, Neariah, Rephaiah, and Uzziel, the sons of Ishi, went to Mount Seir 43 and struck down the remnant of the Amalekites who had escaped. And they have lived there to this day.
Footnotes:
3 a LXX (see also Vulgate); Hebrew These were of the father
4 b Or the founder ; also in verses 5, 12, 14, 17, 18, and possibly elsewhere
7 c Alternate MT reading; the other alternate (see also Vulgate) reads Izhar .
9 d Jabez sounds like the Hebrew for pain or distress .
13 e Vulgate and some LXX; Hebrew does not include and Meonothai .
14 f Literally Ge-harashim, for they were craftsmen . The Hebrew Ge-harashim means valley of craftsmen .
15 g Hebrew sons
17 h Literally she gave birth
18 i This statement is at the end of verse 18 in the Hebrew.
18 j Or Judahite
19 k Or were the father of Keilah the Garmite, and Eshtemoa the Maacathite
24 l Zerah is a variant of Zohar ; see Genesis 46:10 and Exodus 6:15.
33 m Hebrew; some LXX manuscripts (see also Joshua 19:8) Baalath
41 n Forms of the Hebrew cherem refer to the giving over of things or persons to the LORD, either by destroying them or by giving them as an offering.
1 Chronicles 5
The Descendants of Reuben
1 These were the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel. Though he was the firstborn, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph son of Israel, because Reuben defiled his father’s bed. So he is not reckoned according to birthright. 2 And though Judah prevailed over his brothers and a ruler came from him, the birthright belonged to Joseph. 3 The sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel:
Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.
4 The descendants of Joel:
Shemaiah his son, Gog his son, Shimei his son, 5 Micah his son, Reaiah his son, Baal his son, 6 and Beerah his son, whom Tiglath-pileser a king of Assyria carried into exile.
Beerah was a leader of the Reubenites. 7 His relatives by their clans are recorded in their genealogy:
Jeiel the chief, Zechariah, 8 and Bela son of Azaz, the son of Shema, the son of Joel. They settled in Aroer and as far as Nebo and Baal-meon. 9 They also settled in the east as far as the edge of the desert that extends to the Euphrates River, because their livestock had increased in the land of Gilead.
10 During the days of Saul they waged war against the Hagrites, who were defeated at their hands, and they occupied the homes of the Hagrites throughout the region east of Gilead.
The Descendants of Gad
11 The descendants of Gad lived next to the Reubenites in the land of Bashan, as far as Salecah:
12 Joel was the chief, Shapham the second, then Jaanai and Shaphat, who lived in Bashan.
13 Their kinsmen by families were Michael, Meshullam, Sheba, Jorai, Jacan, Zia, and Eber—seven in all. 14 These were the sons of Abihail son of Huri, the son of Jaroah, the son of Gilead, the son of Michael, the son of Jeshishai, the son of Jahdo, the son of Buz. 15 Ahi son of Abdiel, the son of Guni, was head of their family.
16 They lived in Gilead, in Bashan and its towns, and throughout the pasturelands of Sharon. 17 All of them were reckoned in the genealogies during the reigns of Jotham king of Judah and Jeroboam king of Israel.
18 The Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh had 44,760 warriors—valiant men who carried the shield and sword, drew the bow, and were trained for battle. 19 They waged war against the Hagrites, as well as Jetur, Naphish, and Nodab.
20 And because they cried out to God in battle, they were helped against their enemies, and the Hagrites and all their allies were delivered into their hands. Because they put their trust in God, He answered their prayers. 21 They seized the livestock of the Hagrites—50,000 camels, 250,000 sheep, and 2,000 donkeys. They also took 100,000 captives, 22 and many others fell slain, because the battle belonged to God. And they occupied the land until the exile.
The Half-Tribe of Manasseh
23 Now the people of the half-tribe of Manasseh were numerous. They settled in the land from Bashan to Baal-hermon (that is, Senir, also known as Mount Hermon). b 24 These were the heads of their families:
Epher, Ishi, Eliel, Azriel, Jeremiah, Hodaviah, and Jahdiel.
They were mighty men of valor, famous men, and heads of their families. 25 But they were unfaithful to the God of their fathers, and they prostituted themselves with the gods of the peoples of the land, whom God had destroyed before them.
26 So the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul king of Assyria (that is, Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria) to take the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh into exile. And he brought them to Halah, Habor, Hara, and the river of Gozan, where they remain to this day.
Footnotes:
6 a Hebrew Tilgath-pilneser , a variant spelling of Tiglath-pileser ; also in verse 26
23 b Literally from Bashan to Baal-hermon and Senir and Mount Hermon.
1 Chronicles 6
The Descendants of Levi
1 The sons of Levi:
Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
2 The sons of Kohath:
Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.
3 The children of Amram:
Aaron, Moses, and Miriam.
The sons of Aaron:
Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.
4 Eleazar was the father of Phinehas,
Phinehas was the father of Abishua,
5 Abishua was the father of Bukki,
Bukki was the father of Uzzi,
6 Uzzi was the father of Zerahiah,
Zerahiah was the father of Meraioth,
7 Meraioth was the father of Amariah,
Amariah was the father of Ahitub,
8 Ahitub was the father of Zadok,
Zadok was the father of Ahimaaz,
9 Ahimaaz was the father of Azariah,
Azariah was the father of Johanan,
10 Johanan was the father of Azariah, who served as priest in the temple that Solomon built in Jerusalem,
11 Azariah was the father of Amariah,
Amariah was the father of Ahitub,
12 Ahitub was the father of Zadok,
Zadok was the father of Shallum,
13 Shallum was the father of Hilkiah,
Hilkiah was the father of Azariah,
14 Azariah was the father of Seraiah,
and Seraiah was the father of Jehozadak. a
15 Jehozadak went into captivity when the LORD sent Judah and Jerusalem into exile by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar.
16 The sons of Levi:
Gershom, b Kohath, and Merari.
17 These are the names of the sons of Gershom:
Libni and Shimei.
18 The sons of Kohath:
Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.
19 The sons of Merari:
Mahli and Mushi.
These are the clans of the Levites listed according to their fathers:
20 Of Gershom:
Libni his son, Jahath his son, Zimmah his son, 21 Joah his son, Iddo his son, Zerah his son, and Jeatherai his son.
22 The descendants of Kohath:
Amminadab his son, Korah his son, Assir his son, 23 Elkanah his son, Ebiasaph c his son, Assir his son, 24 Tahath his son, Uriel his son, Uzziah his son, and Shaul his son.
25 The descendants of Elkanah:
Amasai, Ahimoth, 26 Elkanah his son, d Zophai his son, Nahath his son, 27 Eliab e his son, Jeroham his son, and Elkanah his son. f
28 The sons of Samuel:
Joel his firstborn and Abijah his second son. g
29 The descendants of Merari:
Mahli, Libni his son, Shimei his son, Uzzah his son, 30 Shimea his son, Haggiah his son, and Asaiah his son.
The Temple Musicians
31 These are the men David put in charge of the music in the house of the LORD after the ark rested there. 32 They ministered with song before the tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting, until Solomon built the house of the LORD in Jerusalem. And they performed their duties according to the regulations given them. 33 These are the men who served, together with their sons.
From the Kohathites:
Heman the singer, the son of Joel, the son of Samuel, 34 the son of Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Eliel, h the son of Toah, 35 the son of Zuph, the son of Elkanah, the son of Mahath, the son of Amasai, 36 the son of Elkanah, the son of Joel, the son of Azariah, the son of Zephaniah, 37 the son of Tahath, the son of Assir, the son of Ebiasaph, the son of Korah, 38 the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, the son of Israel.
39 Heman’s kinsman was Asaph, who served at his right hand:
Asaph the son of Berechiah, the son of Shimea, 40 the son of Michael, the son of Baaseiah, i the son of Malchijah, 41 the son of Ethni, the son of Zerah, the son of Adaiah, 42 the son of Ethan, the son of Zimmah, the son of Shimei, 43 the son of Jahath, the son of Gershom, the son of Levi.
44 On the left were their kinsmen, the sons of Merari:
Ethan the son of Kishi, the son of Abdi, the son of Malluch, 45 the son of Hashabiah, the son of Amaziah, the son of Hilkiah, 46 the son of Amzi, the son of Bani, the son of Shemer, 47 the son of Mahli, the son of Mushi, the son of Merari, the son of Levi.
The Descendants of Aaron
48 Their fellow Levites were assigned to every kind of service of the tabernacle, the house of God. 49 But Aaron and his sons did all the work of the Most Holy Place. j They presented the offerings on the altar of burnt offering and on the altar of incense to make atonement for Israel, according to all that Moses the servant of God had commanded.
50 These were the descendants of Aaron:
Eleazar his son, Phinehas his son, Abishua his son, 51 Bukki his son, Uzzi his son, Zerahiah his son, 52 Meraioth his son, Amariah his son, Ahitub his son, 53 Zadok his son, and Ahimaaz his son.
Territories for the Levites
(Numbers 35:1–8; Joshua 21:1–45)
54 Now these were the territories assigned to the descendants of Aaron from the Kohathite clan for their settlements, because the first lot fell to them:
55 They were given Hebron in the land of Judah and its surrounding pasturelands. 56 But the fields and villages around the city were given to Caleb son of Jephunneh. 57 So the descendants of Aaron were given Hebron (a city of refuge), Libnah, k Jattir, Eshtemoa, 58 Hilen, l Debir, 59 Ashan, m Juttah, n and Beth-shemesh, together with their pasturelands.
60 And from the tribe of Benjamin they were given Gibeon, o Geba, Alemeth, and Anathoth, together with their pasturelands. So they had thirteen cities in all among their families.
61 To the rest of the Kohathites, ten cities were allotted from the half-tribe of Manasseh.
62 The Gershomites p , according to their clans, were allotted thirteen cities from the tribes of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and Manasseh in Bashan.
63 The Merarites, according to their families, were allotted twelve cities from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun.
64 So the Israelites gave to the Levites these cities and their pasturelands. 65 They assigned by lot the cities named above from the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin.
66 And some of the clans of the Kohathites were given cities from the tribe of Ephraim for their territory:
67 They were given Shechem (a city of refuge) q with its pasturelands in the hill country of Ephraim, and Gezer, 68 Jokmeam, Beth-horon, 69 Aijalon, and Gath-rimmon, together with their pasturelands.
70 And from the half-tribe of Manasseh the remaining clans of the Kohathites were given Aner and Bileam, together with their pasturelands.
71 The Gershomites received the following:
From the clan of the half-tribe of Manasseh they were given Golan in Bashan and also Ashtaroth, together with their pasturelands.
72 From the tribe of Issachar they were given Kedesh, Daberath, 73 Ramoth, and Anem, together with their pasturelands.
74 From the tribe of Asher they were given Mashal, Abdon, 75 Hukok, and Rehob, together with their pasturelands.
76 And from the tribe of Naphtali they were given Kedesh in Galilee, Hammon, and Kiriathaim, together with their pasturelands.
77 The Merarites (the rest of the Levites) received the following:
From the tribe of Zebulun they were given Rimmono and Tabor, r together with their pasturelands.
78 From the tribe of Reuben east of the Jordan opposite Jericho they were given Bezer in the wilderness, Jahzah, s 79 Kedemoth, and Mephaath, together with their pasturelands.
80 And from the tribe of Gad they were given Ramoth in Gilead, Mahanaim, 81 Heshbon, and Jazer, together with their pasturelands.
Footnotes:
14 a Jehozadak is a variant of Jozadak ; also in verse 15; see Ezra 3:2.
16 b Gershom is a variant of Gershon ; similarly in verses 17, 20, 43, 62, and 71; see verse 1.
23 c Ebiasaph is a variant of Abiasaph ; also in verse 37; see Exodus 6:24.
26 d Some Hebrew manuscripts, LXX, and Syriac; most Hebrew manuscripts Elkanah. The sons of Elkanah:
27 e Eliab is also called Eliel ; see verse 34. Both of these are other names for Elihu ; see 1 Samuel 1:1.
27 f Hebrew; some LXX manuscripts include and Samuel his son ; see verses 33–34 and 1 Samuel 1:19–20.
28 g See Syriac and some LXX manuscripts (also verse 33 and 1 Samuel 8:2); Hebrew The sons of Samuel: the firstborn Vashni, then Abiah .
34 h Eliel is also called Eliab ; see verse 27. Both of these are other names for Elihu ; see 1 Samuel 1:1.
40 i Most Hebrew manuscripts; some Hebrew manuscripts, one LXX manuscript, and Syriac Maaseiah
49 j Or the Holy of Holies
57 k As in the parallel text at Joshua 21:13; Hebrew were given the cities of refuge: Hebron, Libnah
58 l Some Hebrew manuscripts; MT Hilez ; parallel text at Joshua 21:15 Holon
59 m Ashan is a variant of Ain ; see Joshua 21:16.
59 n Syriac and the parallel text at Joshua 21:16; MT does not include Juttah,
60 o LXX, Syriac, and parallel text at Joshua 21:17; MT does not include Gibeon,
62 p Gershomites is a variant of Gershonites ; also in verse 71; see 1 Chronicles 23:7.
67 q As in the parallel text at Joshua 21:21; Hebrew They were given the cities of refuge: Shechem
77 r LXX (they were given) Jokneam, Kartah, Rimmono, and Tabor ; see Joshua 21:34.
78 s Jahzah is a variant of Jahaz ; see Numbers 21:23.
1 Chronicles 7
The Descendants of Issachar
1 The sons of Issachar:
Tola, Puah, a Jashub, and Shimron—four in all.
2 The sons of Tola:
Uzzi, Rephaiah, Jeriel, Jahmai, Ibsam, and Shemuel, the heads of their families. In the days of David, 22,600 descendants of Tola were numbered in their genealogies as mighty men of valor.
Izrahiah.
The sons of Izrahiah:
Michael, Obadiah, Joel, and Isshiah. All five of them were chiefs. 4 In addition to them, according to their genealogy, they had 36,000 troops for battle, for they had many wives and children.
5 Their kinsmen belonging to all the families of Issachar who were mighty men of valor totaled 87,000, as listed in their genealogies.
The Descendants of Benjamin
6 The three sons of Benjamin:
Bela, Becher, and Jediael.
7 The sons of Bela:
Ezbon, Uzzi, Uzziel, Jerimoth, and Iri, heads of their families—five in all. There were 22,034 mighty men of valor listed in their genealogies.
8 The sons of Becher:
Zemirah, Joash, Eliezer, Elioenai, Omri, Jeremoth, Abijah, Anathoth, and Alemeth; all these were Becher’s sons. 9 Their genealogies were recorded according to the heads of their families—20,200 mighty men of valor.
10 The son of Jediael:
Bilhan.
The sons of Bilhan:
Jeush, Benjamin, Ehud, Chenaanah, Zethan, Tarshish, and Ahishahar. 11 All these sons of Jediael were heads of their families, mighty men of valor; there were 17,200 fit for battle. 12 The Shuppites and Huppites were descendants of Ir, and the Hushites were descendants of Aher.
The Descendants of Naphtali
13 The sons of Naphtali:
Jahziel, c Guni, Jezer, and Shallum d—the descendants of Bilhah.
The Descendants of Manasseh
14 The descendants of Manasseh:
Through his Aramean concubine, Asriel, as well as Machir the father of Gilead.
15 Machir took a wife from among the Huppites and Shuppites. The name of his sister was Maacah.
Another descendant was named Zelophehad, who had only daughters.
16 Machir’s wife Maacah gave birth to a son, and she named him Peresh. His brother was named Sheresh, and his sons were Ulam and Rekem.
17 The son of Ulam:
Bedan.
These were the sons of Gilead son of Machir, the son of Manasseh. 18 His sister Hammolecheth gave birth to Ishhod, Abiezer, and Mahlah.
19 And these were the sons of Shemida:
Ahian, Shechem, Likhi, and Aniam.
The Descendants of Ephraim
20 The descendants of Ephraim:
Shuthelah, Bered his son, Tahath his son, Eleadah his son, Tahath his son, 21 Zabad his son, and Shuthelah his son.
Ezer and Elead were killed by the natives of Gath, because they went down to steal their livestock.
22 Their father Ephraim mourned for many days, and his relatives came to comfort him. 23 And again he slept with his wife, and she conceived and gave birth to a son. So he named him Beriah, e because tragedy had come upon his house. 24 His daughter was Sheerah, who built Lower and Upper Beth-horon, as well as Uzzen-sheerah.
25 Additionally, Rephah was his son, Resheph his son, f Telah his son, Tahan his son, 26 Ladan his son, Ammihud his son, Elishama his son, 27 Nun g his son, and Joshua his son.
28 Their holdings and settlements included Bethel and its villages, Naaran to the east, Gezer and its villages to the west, and Shechem and its villages as far as Ayyah h and its villages. 29 And along the borders of Manasseh were Beth-shean, i Taanach, Megiddo, and Dor, together with their villages. The descendants of Joseph son of Israel lived in these towns.
The Descendants of Asher
30 The children of Asher:
Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, Beriah, and their sister Serah.
31 The sons of Beriah:
Heber, as well as Malchiel, who was the father of Birzaith.
32 Heber was the father of Japhlet, Shomer, and Hotham, and of their sister Shua.
33 The sons of Japhlet:
Pasach, Bimhal, and Ashvath. These were Japhlet’s sons.
34 The sons of Shemer:
Ahi, Rohgah, j Hubbah, and Aram.
35 The sons of his brother Helem: k
Zophah, Imna, Shelesh, and Amal.
36 The sons of Zophah:
Suah, Harnepher, Shual, Beri, Imrah, 37 Bezer, Hod, Shamma, Shilshah, Ithran, l and Beera.
38 The sons of Jether:
Jephunneh, Pispa, and Ara.
39 The sons of Ulla:
Arah, Hanniel, and Rizia.
40 All these were the descendants of Asher—heads of their families, choice and mighty men of valor, and chiefs among the leaders. The number of men fit for battle, recorded in their genealogies, was 26,000.
Footnotes:
1 a Puah is a variant of Puvah ; see Genesis 46:13 and Numbers 26:23.
3 b Hebrew sons ; also in verses 10 and 17
13 c Jahziel is a variant of Jahzeel ; see Genesis 46:24.
13 d Most Hebrew manuscripts; some Hebrew and LXX manuscripts Shillem ; see Genesis 46:24 and Numbers 26:49.
23 e Beriah sounds like the Hebrew for tragedy or disaster .
25 f Some LXX manuscripts; Hebrew does not include his son .
27 g Or Non
28 h Ayyah is another name for Gaza ; see also LXX.
29 i Beth-shean is a variant of Beth-shan ; see 1 Samuel 31:10 and 2 Samuel 21:12.
34 j Or The sons of his brother Shemer:Rohgah ; note that Shemer is a variant of Shomer ; see verse 32.
35 k Helem is possibly another name for Hotham ; see verse 32.
37 l Ithran is possibly a variant of Jether ; see verse 38.
1 Chronicles 8
Genealogy from Benjamin to Saul
1 Benjamin was the father of Bela, his firstborn; Ashbel was the second born, Aharah the third, 2 Nohah the fourth, and Rapha the fifth.
3 The sons of Bela:
Addar, Gera, Abihud, a 4 Abishua, Naaman, Ahoah, 5 Gera, Shephuphan, and Huram.
6 These were the descendants of Ehud who were the heads of the families living in Geba and were exiled to Manahath:
7 Naaman, Ahijah, and Gera, who carried them into exile and who was the father of Uzza and Ahihud. b
8 Shaharaim had sons in the country of Moab after he had divorced his wives Hushim and Baara. 9 His sons by his wife Hodesh:
Jobab, Zibia, Mesha, Malcam, 10 Jeuz, Sachia, and Mirmah. These were his sons, heads of families.
11 He also had sons by Hushim:
Abitub and Elpaal.
12 The sons of Elpaal:
Eber, Misham, Shemed (who built Ono and Lod with its villages), 13 and Beriah and Shema (who were the heads of families of the inhabitants of Aijalon and who drove out the inhabitants of Gath).
14 Ahio, Shashak, Jeremoth, 15 Zebadiah, Arad, Eder, 16 Michael, Ishpah, and Joha were the sons of Beriah.
17 Zebadiah, Meshullam, Hizki, Heber, 18 Ishmerai, Izliah, and Jobab were the sons of Elpaal.
19 Jakim, Zichri, Zabdi, 20 Elienai, Zillethai, Eliel, 21 Adaiah, Beraiah, and Shimrath were the sons of Shimei.
22 Ishpan, Eber, Eliel, 23 Abdon, Zichri, Hanan, 24 Hananiah, Elam, Anthothijah, 25 Iphdeiah, and Penuel were the sons of Shashak.
26 Shamsherai, Shehariah, Athaliah, 27 Jaareshiah, Elijah, and Zichri were the sons of Jeroham.
28 All these were heads of families, the chiefs according to their genealogies, and they lived in Jerusalem.
29 Jeiel the father of Gibeon lived c in Gibeon. His wife’s name was Maacah, 30 and Abdon was his firstborn son, then Zur, Kish, Baal, d Nadab, 31 Gedor, Ahio, Zecher, e 32 and Mikloth, who was the father of Shimeah. f These also lived alongside their relatives in Jerusalem.
The Family of Saul
33 Ner was the father of Kish, Kish was the father of Saul, and Saul was the father of Jonathan, Malchishua, Abinadab, and Esh-baal. g
34 The son of Jonathan:
Merib-baal, h and Merib-baal was the father of Micah. i
35 The sons of Micah:
Pithon, Melech, Tarea, j and Ahaz.
36 Ahaz was the father of Jehoaddah, Jehoaddah k was the father of Alemeth, Azmaveth, and Zimri, and Zimri was the father of Moza.
37 Moza was the father of Binea. Raphah l was his son, Eleasah his son, and Azel his son.
38 Azel had six sons, and these were their names:
Azrikam, Bocheru, Ishmael, Sheariah, Obadiah, and Hanan. All these were the sons of Azel.
39 The sons of his brother Eshek:
Ulam was his firstborn, Jeush second, and Eliphelet third. 40 The sons of Ulam were mighty men of valor, archers, and they had many sons and grandsons—150 in all.
All these were the descendants of Benjamin.
Footnotes:
3 a Possibly Gera the father of Ehud ; see verse 7.
7 b Or and Gera, that is Heglam, who was the father of Uzza and Ahihud.
29 c Some LXX manuscripts (see also 1 Chronicles 9:35); Hebrew The father of Gibeon lived
30 d Some LXX manuscripts include Ner ; see 1 Chronicles 9:36.
31 e Zecher is likely a variant of Zechariah ; see 1 Chronicles 9:37.
32 f Shimeah is a variant of Shimeam ; see 1 Chronicles 9:38.
33 g Esh-baal is also called Ish-bosheth ; see 2 Samuel 2:8.
34 h Merib-baal is also called Mephibosheth ; see 2 Samuel 4:4.
34 i Micah is a variant of Mica ; see 2 Samuel 9:12.
35 j Tarea is a variant of Tahrea ; see 1 Chronicles 9:41.
36 k Jehoaddah is a variant of Jarah or Jadah ; see 1 Chronicles 9:42.
37 l Raphah is a variant of Rephaiah ; see 1 Chronicles 9:43.
1 Chronicles 9
The People of Jerusalem
1 So all Israel was recorded in the genealogies written in the Book of the Kings of Israel. But Judah was exiled to Babylon because of their unfaithfulness.
2 Now the first to resettle their own property in their cities were Israelites, priests, Levites, and temple servants. a
3 These were some of the descendants of Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh who lived in Jerusalem:
4 Uthai son of Ammihud, the son of Omri, the son of Imri, the son of Bani, a descendant of Perez son of Judah.
5 From the Shilonites:
Asaiah the firstborn and his sons.
6 From the Zerahites:
Jeuel and 690 relatives.
7 From the Benjamites:
Sallu son of Meshullam, the son of Hodaviah, the son of Hassenuah;
8 Ibneiah son of Jeroham;
Elah son of Uzzi, the son of Michri;
Meshullam son of Shephatiah, the son of Reuel, the son of Ibnijah;
9 and 956 of their relatives according to their genealogy. All these men were heads of their families.
10 From the priests:
Jedaiah, Jehoiarib, and Jachin;
11 Azariah son of Hilkiah, the son of Meshullam, the son of Zadok, the son of Meraioth, the son of Ahitub, the chief official of God’s temple;
12 Adaiah son of Jeroham, the son of Pashhur, the son of Malchijah;
Maasai son of Adiel, the son of Jahzerah, the son of Meshullam, the son of Meshillemith, b the son of Immer;
13 and 1,760 of their relatives, the heads of their families, able men for the work of the service of the house of God.
14 From the Levites:
Shemaiah son of Hasshub, the son of Azrikam, the son of Hashabiah, a descendant of Merari;
15 Bakbakkar, Heresh, Galal, and Mattaniah son of Mica, the son of Zichri, the son of Asaph;
16 Obadiah son of Shemaiah, the son of Galal, the son of Jeduthun;
and Berechiah son of Asa, the son of Elkanah, who lived in the villages of the Netophathites.
17 These were the gatekeepers:
Shallum, Akkub, Talmon, Ahiman, and their relatives.
Shallum was their chief; 18 he was previously stationed at the King’s Gate on the east side. These were the gatekeepers from the camp of the Levites. 19 Shallum son of Kore, the son of Ebiasaph, c the son of Korah, and his relatives from the Korahites were assigned to guard the thresholds of the Tent, just as their fathers had been assigned to guard the entrance to the dwelling of the LORD.
20 In earlier times Phinehas son of Eleazar had been in charge of the gatekeepers, and the LORD was with him.
21 Zechariah son of Meshelemiah was the gatekeeper at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.
22 The number of those chosen to be gatekeepers at the thresholds was 212. They were registered by genealogy in their villages. David and Samuel the seer had appointed them to their positions of trust.
23 So they and their descendants were assigned to guard the gates of the house of the LORD—the house called the Tent. 24 The gatekeepers were stationed on the four sides: east, west, north, and south. 25 Their relatives came from their villages at fixed times to serve with them for seven-day periods. 26 But the four chief gatekeepers, who were Levites, were entrusted with the rooms and the treasuries of the house of God. 27 They would spend the night stationed around the house of God, because they were responsible for guarding it and opening it every morning.
28 Some of them were in charge of the articles used in worship, to count them whenever they were brought in or taken out. 29 Others were put in charge of the furnishings and other articles of the sanctuary, as well as the fine flour, wine, oil, frankincense, and spices. 30 And some of the sons of the priests mixed the spices.
31 A Levite named Mattithiah, the firstborn son of Shallum the Korahite, was entrusted with baking the bread. 32 Some of their Kohathite brothers were responsible for preparing the rows of the showbread every Sabbath.
33 Those who were musicians, the heads of Levite families, stayed in the temple chambers and were exempt from other duties because they were on duty day and night. 34 All these were heads of Levite families, chiefs according to their genealogies, and they lived in Jerusalem.
The Descendants of Saul
35 Jeiel the father d of Gibeon lived in Gibeon. His wife’s name was Maacah.
36 Abdon was his firstborn son, then Zur, Kish, Baal, Ner, Nadab, 37 Gedor, Ahio, Zechariah, and Mikloth.
38 Mikloth was the father of Shimeam. e They too lived alongside their relatives in Jerusalem.
39 Ner was the father of Kish, Kish was the father of Saul, and Saul was the father of Jonathan, Malchishua, Abinadab, and Esh-baal.
40 The son of Jonathan:
Merib-baal, who was the father of Micah.
41 The sons of Micah:
Pithon, Melech, Tahrea, and Ahaz. f
42 Ahaz was the father of Jarah; Jarah g was the father of Alemeth, Azmaveth, and Zimri; and Zimri was the father of Moza. 43 Moza was the father of Binea. Rephaiah h was his son, Elasah his son, and Azel his son.
44 And Azel had six sons, and these were their names:
Azrikam, Bocheru, Ishmael, Sheariah, Obadiah, and Hanan. These were the sons of Azel.
Footnotes:
2 a Hebrew Nethinim
12 b Meshillemith is a variant of Meshillemoth ; see Nehemiah 11:13.
19 c Ebiasaph is a variant of Abiasaph ; see Exodus 6:24.
35 d Or the founder
38 e Shimeam is a variant of Shimeah ; see 1 Chronicles 8:32.
41 f Vulgate and Syriac (see also LXX and 1 Chronicles 8:35); Hebrew Pithon, Melech, and Tahrea ; note that Tahrea is a variant of Tarea .
42 g Most Hebrew manuscripts; some Hebrew manuscripts and LXX Jadah; Jadah ; note that Jarah and Jadah are variants of Jehoaddah ; see 1 Chronicles 8:36.
43 h Rephaiah is a variant of Raphah ; see 1 Chronicles 8:37.
1 Chronicles 10
Saul’s Overthrow and Death
(1 Samuel 31:1–6; 2 Samuel 1:1–16)
1 Now the Philistines fought against Israel, and the men of Israel fled before them, and many fell slain on Mount Gilboa.
2 The Philistines followed hard after Saul and his sons, and they killed Saul’s sons Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua. 3 When the battle intensified against Saul, the archers overtook him and wounded him.
4 Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword and run it through me, or these uncircumcised men will come and torture me!”
But his armor-bearer was terrified and refused to do it. So Saul took his own sword and fell on it.
5 When his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he too fell on his own sword and died. 6 So Saul died together with his three sons and all his house.
The Philistines Possess the Towns
(1 Samuel 31:7–10)
7 When all the Israelites in the valley saw that the army had fled and that Saul and his sons had died, they abandoned their cities and ran away. So the Philistines came and occupied their cities.
8 The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the dead, they found Saul and his sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. 9 They stripped Saul, cut off his head, took his armor, and sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines to proclaim the news in the temple of their idols and among their people. 10 They put his armor in the temple of their gods and hung his head in the temple of Dagon.
Jabesh-gilead’s Tribute to Saul
(1 Samuel 31:11–13)
11 When the people of Jabesh-gilead heard about everything the Philistines had done to Saul, 12 all their men of valor set out and retrieved the bodies of Saul and his sons and brought them to Jabesh. And they buried their bones under the oak a in Jabesh and fasted seven days.
13 So Saul died for his unfaithfulness to the LORD, because he did not keep the word of the LORD and even consulted a medium for guidance, 14 and he failed to inquire of the LORD. So the LORD put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse.
Footnotes:
12 a Or terebinth or great tree
1 Chronicles 11
David Anointed King of All Israel
(2 Samuel 5:1–5)
1 Then all Israel came together to David at Hebron and said, “Here we are, your own flesh and blood. 2 Even in times past, a while Saul was king, you were the one who led Israel out and brought them back. And the LORD your God said, ‘You will shepherd My people Israel, and you will be ruler over them.’ ”
3 So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, where David made a covenant with them before the LORD. And they anointed him king over Israel, according to the word of the LORD through Samuel.
David Conquers Jerusalem
(2 Samuel 5:6–11)
4 Then David and all the Israelites marched to Jerusalem (that is, Jebus), where the Jebusites inhabited the land.
5 The people of Jebus said to David, “You will never get in here.”
Nevertheless, David captured the fortress of Zion (that is, the City of David).
6 Now David had said, “Whoever is the first to strike down a Jebusite will become chief commander.”
And Joab son of Zeruiah went up first, and he became the chief.
7 So David took up residence in the fortress; that is why it was called the City of David. 8 He built up the city around it, from the supporting terraces b to the surrounding wall, while Joab restored the rest of the city.
9 And David became greater and greater, for the LORD of Hosts was with him.
David’s Mighty Men
(2 Samuel 23:8–39)
10 Now these were the chiefs of David’s mighty men, who, together with all Israel, bolstered and strengthened his kingdom, according to the word of the LORD concerning Israel. 11 This is the list of David’s mighty men:
Jashobeam son of Hachmoni was chief of the officers; c he wielded his spear against three hundred men, whom he killed at one time.
12 Next in command was Eleazar son of Dodo d the Ahohite, one of the three mighty men. 13 He was with David at Pas-dammim when the Philistines gathered there for battle. At the place with a field full of barley, the troops fled from the Philistines. 14 But Eleazar and David stationed themselves e in the middle of the field and defended it. They struck down the Philistines, and the LORD brought about a great victory.
15 Three of the thirty chief men went down to David, to the rock at the cave of Adullam, while a company of Philistines was encamped in the Valley of Rephaim. 16 At that time David was in the stronghold, and the garrison of the Philistines was at Bethlehem. 17 David longed for water and said, “Oh, that someone would get me a drink of water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem!”
18 So the Three broke through the Philistine camp, drew water from the well at the gate of Bethlehem, and brought it back to David. But he refused to drink it;instead, he poured it out to the LORD, 19 saying, “Far be it from me, my God, to do this! How can I drink the blood of these men who risked their lives?” Because they had brought it at the risk of their lives, David refused to drink it.
Such were the exploits of the three mighty men.
20 Now Abishai, the brother of Joab, was chief of the Three, f and he lifted his spear against three hundred men, killed them, and won a name along with the Three. 21 He was doubly honored above the Three, and he became their commander, even though he was not included among the Three.
22 And Benaiah son of Jehoiada was a man of valor from Kabzeel, a man of many exploits. He struck down two champions of Moab, g and on a snowy day he went down into a pit and killed a lion. 23 He also killed an Egyptian, a huge man five cubits tall. h Although the Egyptian had a spear like a weaver’s beam in his hand, Benaiah went against him with a club, snatched the spear from his hand, and killed the Egyptian with his own spear. 24 These were the exploits of Benaiah son of Jehoiada, who won a name alongside the three mighty men. 25 He was most honored among the Thirty, but he did not become one of the Three. And David appointed him over his guard.
26 Now these were the mighty men:
Asahel the brother of Joab,
Elhanan son of Dodo of Bethlehem,
Helez the Pelonite,
28 Ira son of Ikkesh the Tekoite,
29 Sibbecai the Hushathite,
30 Maharai the Netophathite,
Heled son of Baanah the Netophathite,
31 Ithai j son of Ribai from Gibeah of the Benjamites,
32 Hurai k from the brooks l of Gaash,
Abiel m the Arbathite,
34 the sons of Hashem o the Gizonite,
Jonathan son of Shagee the Hararite,
35 Ahiam son of Sachar p the Hararite,
Eliphal son of Ur,
36 Hepher the Mecherathite,
Ahijah the Pelonite,
37 Hezro the Carmelite,
Naarai son of Ezbai,
38 Joel the brother of Nathan,
Mibhar son of Hagri,
39 Zelek the Ammonite,
Naharai the Beerothite, the armor-bearer of Joab son of Zeruiah,
40 Ira the Ithrite,
Gareb the Ithrite,
41 Uriah the Hittite,
Zabad son of Ahlai,
42 Adina son of Shiza the Reubenite, chief of the Reubenites, and the thirty with him,
43 Hanan son of Maacah,
Joshaphat the Mithnite,
44 Uzzia the Ashterathite,
Shama and Jeiel the sons of Hotham the Aroerite,
45 Jediael son of Shimri and his brother Joha the Tizite,
46 Eliel the Mahavite,
Jeribai and Joshaviah, the sons of Elnaam,
Ithmah the Moabite,
47 Eliel, Obed, and Jaasiel the Mezobaite.
Footnotes:
2 a Or For some time
8 b Hebrew the Millo
11 c Or of the Thirty ; some LXX manuscripts of the Three ; see 2 Samuel 23:8.
12 d Dodo is a variant of Dodai ; see 1 Chronicles 27:4.
14 e Literally But they stationed themselves
20 f Hebrew; Syriac the Thirty ; also in verse 21
22 g Or two sons of Ariel of Moab
23 h 5 cubits is approximately 7 feet 6 inches or 229 centimeters tall.
27 i Shammoth the Harorite is a variant of Shammah the Harodite ; see 2 Samuel 23:25.
31 j Ithai is a variant of Ittai ; see 2 Samuel 23:29.
32 k Hurai is a variant of Hiddai ; see 2 Samuel 23:30.
32 l Or from the ravines
32 m Abiel is a variant of Abi-albon ; see 2 Samuel 23:31.
33 n Baharumite is a variant of Barhumite ; see 2 Samuel 23:31.
34 o Hashem is a variant of Jashen ; see LXX and 2 Samuel 23:32.
35 p Sachar is a variant of Sharar ; see 2 Samuel 23:33.
1 Chronicles 12
The Mighty Men Join David at Ziklag
1 Now these were the men who came to David at Ziklag, while he was still banished from the presence of Saul son of Kish (they were among the mighty men who helped him in battle; 2 they were archers using both the right and left hands to sling stones and shoot arrows; and they were Saul’s kinsmen from Benjamin):
3 Ahiezer their chief and Joash, who were the sons of Shemaah the Gibeathite;
Jeziel and Pelet, the sons of Azmaveth;
Beracah;
Jehu the Anathothite;
4 Ishmaiah the Gibeonite, a mighty man among the Thirty and a leader over the Thirty;
Jeremiah, Jahaziel, Johanan, and Jozabad the Gederathite;
5 Eluzai, Jerimoth, Bealiah, Shemariah, and Shephatiah the Haruphite;
6 Elkanah, Isshiah, Azarel, Joezer, and Jashobeam, who were Korahites;
7 and Joelah and Zebadiah, the sons of Jeroham from Gedor.
8 Some Gadites defected to David at his stronghold in the desert. They were mighty men of valor, trained for battle, experts with the shield and spear, whose faces were like the faces of lions and who were as swift as gazelles on the mountains:
9 Ezer the chief, Obadiah the second in command, Eliab the third, 10 Mishmannah the fourth, Jeremiah the fifth, 11 Attai the sixth, Eliel the seventh, 12 Johanan the eighth, Elzabad the ninth, 13 Jeremiah the tenth, and Machbanai the eleventh.
14 These Gadites were army commanders, the least of whom was a match for a hundred, and the greatest for a thousand.
15 These are the ones who crossed the Jordan in the first month when it was overflowing all its banks, and they put to flight all those in the valleys, both to the east and to the west.
16 Other Benjamites and some men from Judah also came to David in his stronghold. 17 And David went out to meet them, saying, “If you have come to me in peace to help me, my heart will be united with you; but if you have come to betray me to my enemies when my hands are free of violence, may the God of our fathers see it and judge you.”
18 Then the Spirit came upon Amasai, the chief of the Thirty, and he said:
“We are yours, O David!
We are with you, O son of Jesse!
Peace, peace to you,
and peace to your helpers,
for your God helps you.”
So David received them and made them leaders of his troops.
19 Some from Manasseh defected to David when he went with the Philistines to fight against Saul. (They did not help the Philistines because the Philistine rulers consulted and sent David away, saying, “It will cost us our heads if he defects to his master Saul.”) 20 When David went to Ziklag, these men of Manasseh defected to him:
Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu, and Zillethai, chiefs of thousands in Manasseh.
21 They helped David against the raiders, for they were all mighty men of valor and commanders in the army.
22 For at that time men came to David day after day to help him, until he had a great army, like the army of God.
David’s Army Grows at Hebron
23 Now these are the numbers of men armed for battle who came to David at Hebron to turn Saul’s kingdom over to him, in accordance with the word of the LORD:
24 From Judah: 6,800 armed troops bearing shields and spears.
25 From Simeon: 7,100 mighty men of valor, ready for battle.
26 From Levi: 4,600, 27 including Jehoiada, leader of the house of Aaron, with 3,700 men, 28 and Zadok, a mighty young man of valor, with 22 commanders from his own family.
29 From Benjamin, the kinsmen of Saul:3,000, most of whom had remained loyal to the house of Saul up to that time.
30 From Ephraim: 20,800 mighty men of valor, famous among their own clans.
31 From the half-tribe of Manasseh: a 18,000 designated by name to come and make David king.
32 From Issachar, men who understood the times and knew what Israel should do: 200 chiefs with all their kinsmen at their command.
33 From Zebulun: 50,000 fit for service, trained for battle with all kinds of weapons of war, who with one purpose were devoted to David. b
34 From Naphtali: 1,000 commanders, accompanied by 37,000 men with shield and spear.
35 From Dan: 28,600 prepared for battle.
36 From Asher: 40,000 fit for service, prepared for battle.
37 And from east of the Jordan, from Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh there: 120,000 armed with every kind of weapon of war.
38 All these men of war, arrayed for battle, came to Hebron fully determined to make David king over all Israel. And all the rest of the Israelites were of one mind to make David king.
39 They spent three days there eating and drinking with David, for their relatives had provided for them. 40 And their neighbors from as far away as Issachar, Zebulun, and Naphtali came bringing food on donkeys, camels, mules, and oxen—abundant supplies of flour, fig cakes and raisin cakes, wine and oil, oxen and sheep. Indeed, there was joy in Israel.
Footnotes:
31 a That is, the half-tribe of Manasseh west of the Jordan
33 b LXX; Hebrew does not include to David .
1 Chronicles 13
David Fetches the Ark
(2 Samuel 6:1–4)
1 Then David conferred with all his leaders, the commanders of hundreds and of thousands. 2 And he said to the whole assembly of Israel, “If it seems good to you, and if this is of the LORD our God, let us send word far and wide to the rest of our brothers in all the land of Israel, and also to the priests and Levites in their cities and pasturelands, so that they may join us. 3 Then let us bring back the ark of our God, for we did not inquire of Him a in the days of Saul.”
4 And because this proposal seemed right to all the people, the whole assembly agreed to it. 5 So David assembled all Israel, from the River Shihor b in Egypt to Lebo-hamath, to bring the ark of God from Kiriath-jearim.
6 David and all Israel went up to Baalah of Judah (that is, Kiriath-jearim) to bring up from there the ark of God the LORD, who is enthroned between the cherubim—the ark that is called by the Name. c 7 So they carried the ark of God from the house of Abinadab on a new cart, with Uzzah and Ahio guiding the cart.
Uzzah Touches the Ark
(2 Samuel 6:5–11)
8 David and all the Israelites were celebrating before God with all their might, with songs and on harps and lyres, with tambourines, cymbals, and trumpets.
9 When they came to the threshing floor of Chidon, d Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark, because the oxen had stumbled. 10 And the anger of the LORD burned against Uzzah, and He struck him down because he had put his hand on the ark. So he died there before God.
11 Then David became angry because the LORD had burst forth against Uzzah; so he named that place Perez-uzzah, e as it is called to this day.
12 That day David feared God and asked, “How can I ever bring the ark of God to me?” 13 So he did not move the ark with him to the City of David; instead, he took it aside to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite. 14 Thus the ark of God remained with the family of Obed-edom in his house for three months, and the LORD blessed his household and everything he owned.
Footnotes:
3 a Or of it
5 b Hebrew from the Shihor
6 c Or the ark of God, which is called by the Name of the LORD who is enthroned between the cherubim ; or the ark of God, the LORD, who is enthroned between the cherubim, where His Name is called
9 d Chidon is a variant of Nacon ; see 2 Samuel 6:6.
11 e Perez-uzzah means outbreak against Uzzah .
1 Chronicles 14
David’s Family Grows
(2 Samuel 5:12–16)
1 Now Hiram king of Tyre sent envoys to David, along with cedar logs, stonemasons, and carpenters, to build a palace for him. 2 And David realized that the LORD had established him as king over Israel and had highly exalted his kingdom for the sake of His people Israel.
3 And David took more wives in Jerusalem and became the father of more sons and daughters. 4 These are the names of the children born to him in Jerusalem: Shammua, a Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, 5 Ibhar, Elishua, Elpelet, 6 Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia, 7 Elishama, Beeliada, b and Eliphelet.
Two Victories over the Philistines
(2 Samuel 5:17–25)
8 When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over all Israel, they all went in search of him; but David learned of this and went out to face them.
9 Now the Philistines had come and raided the Valley of Rephaim. 10 So David inquired of God, “Should I go up against the Philistines? Will You deliver them into my hand?”
“Go,” replied the LORD, “for I will deliver them into your hand.”
11 So David and his men went up to Baal-perazim, where he defeated the Philistines and said, “Like a bursting flood, God has burst out against my enemies by my hand.” So they called that place Baal-perazim. c 12 There the Philistines abandoned their gods, and David ordered that they be burned in the fire.
13 Once again the Philistines raided the valley. 14 So David again inquired of God, who answered him, “Do not march up after them, but circle around them and attack them in front of the balsam trees. d 15 As soon as you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, move out to battle, because this will mean that God has marched out before you to strike the camp of the Philistines.”
16 So David did as God had commanded him, and they struck down the army of the Philistines all the way from Gibeon to Gezer. 17 And David’s fame went out into every land, and the LORD caused all nations to fear him.
Footnotes:
4 a Shammua is a variant of Shimea ; see 1 Chronicles 3:5.
7 b Beeliada is a variant of Eliada ; see 2 Samuel 5:16.
11 c Baal-perazim means The Lord Bursts Out .
14 d Or aspen trees or poplar trees ; also in verse 15
1 Chronicles 15
Preparing to Move the Ark
(2 Samuel 6:12–15)
1 David constructed buildings for himself in the City of David, and he prepared a place for the ark of God and pitched a tent for it. 2 Then David said, “No one but the Levites may carry the ark of God, because the LORD has chosen them to carry the ark of the LORD and to minister before Him forever.”
3 And David assembled all Israel in Jerusalem to bring up the ark of the LORD to the place he had prepared for it. 4 Then he gathered together the descendants of Aaron and the Levites:
5 From the Kohathites, Uriel the chief and 120 of his relatives;
6 from the Merarites, Asaiah the chief and 220 of his relatives;
7 from the Gershomites, a Joel the chief and 130 of his relatives;
8 from the Elizaphanites, Shemaiah the chief and 200 of his relatives;
9 from the Hebronites, Eliel the chief and 80 of his relatives;
10 and from the Uzzielites, Amminadab the chief and 112 of his relatives.
11 David summoned the priests Zadok and Abiathar and the Levites Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab. 12 And he said to them, “You are the heads of the Levitical families. You and your relatives must consecrate yourselves so that you may bring the ark of the LORD, the God of Israel, to the place I have prepared for it. 13 It was because you Levites were not with us the first time that the LORD our God burst forth in anger against us. For we did not consult Him about the proper order.”
The Priests and Levites Carry the Ark
14 So the priests and Levites consecrated themselves to bring up the ark of the LORD, the God of Israel. 15 And the Levites carried the ark of God on their shoulders with the poles, as Moses had commanded in accordance with the word of the LORD.
16 David also told the leaders of the Levites to appoint their relatives as singers to lift up their voices with joy, accompanied by musical instruments—harps, lyres, and cymbals. 17 So the Levites appointed Heman son of Joel; from his brothers, Asaph son of Berechiah; from their brothers the Merarites, Ethan son of Kushaiah; 18 and with them their brothers next in rank: Zechariah, b Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, and the gatekeepers Obed-edom and Jeiel. c
19 The musicians Heman, Asaph, and Ethan were to sound the bronze cymbals. 20 Zechariah, Aziel, d Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah, and Benaiah were to play the harps according to Alamoth. e 21 And Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-edom, Jeiel, and Azaziah were to lead the music with lyres according to Sheminith. f 22 Chenaniah the head Levite was the director of the music because he was highly skilled.
23 Berechiah and Elkanah were to be guardians g of the ark. 24 Shebaniah, Joshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah, and Eliezer—the priests—were to blow the trumpets before the ark of God. Obed-edom and Jehiah were also to be guardians of the ark.
Moving the Ark to Jerusalem
25 So David, the elders of Israel, and the commanders of thousands went with rejoicing to bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD from the house of Obed-edom. 26 And because God helped the Levites who were carrying the ark of the covenant of the LORD, they sacrificed seven bulls and seven rams.
27 Now David was dressed in a robe of fine linen, as were all the Levites who were carrying the ark, as well as the singers and Chenaniah, the director of music for the singers. David also wore a linen ephod. 28 So all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the LORD with shouting, with the sounding of rams’ horns and trumpets, and with cymbals and the music of harps and lyres.
Michal’s Contempt for David
(2 Samuel 6:16)
29 As the ark of the covenant of the LORD was entering the City of David, Saul’s daughter Michal looked down from a window and saw King David dancing and celebrating, and she despised him in her heart.
Footnotes:
7 a Gershomites is a variant of Gershonites ; see 1 Chronicles 23:7.
18 b Several Hebrew manuscripts and most LXX manuscripts (see also verse 20 and 1 Chronicles 16:5); most Hebrew manuscripts Zechariah son of or Zechariah, Ben,
18 c Hebrew; some LXX manuscripts Obed-edom, Jeiel, and Azaziah or Obed-edom, Jeiel, and Ozias
20 d Aziel is a variant of Jaaziel ; see verse 18.
20 e Alamoth is probably a musical or liturgical term; here and in Psalm 46:1.
21 f Sheminith is probably a musical term; here and in Psalm 6:1 and Psalm 12:1.
23 g Literally gatekeepers ; also in verse 24
1 Chronicles 16
A Tent for the Ark
(2 Samuel 6:17–19)
1 So they brought the ark of God and placed it inside the tent that David had pitched for it. And they presented burnt offerings and peace offerings before God. 2 When David had finished sacrificing the burnt offerings and peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD. 3 Then he distributed to every man and woman of Israel a loaf of bread, a date cake, a and a raisin cake.
4 David appointed some of the Levites to minister before the ark of the LORD, to celebrate, to give thanks, and to praise the LORD, the God of Israel. 5 Asaph was the chief, Zechariah was second, then Jeiel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, Obed-edom, and Jeiel. They were to play the harps and lyres, while Asaph sounded the cymbals 6 and the priests Benaiah and Jahaziel blew the trumpets regularly before the ark of the covenant of God.
David’s Psalm of Thanksgiving
(Psalm 105:1–15)
7 On that day David first committed to Asaph and his brothers this song of thanksgiving to the LORD:
8 “Give thanks to the LORD; call upon His name;
make known His deeds among the nations.
9 Sing to Him, sing praises to Him;
tell of all His wonders.
10 Glory in His holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.
11 Seek out the LORD and His strength;
seek His face always.
12 Remember the wonders He has done,
His marvels, and the judgments He has pronounced,
13 O offspring of His servant Israel,
O sons of Jacob, His chosen ones.
14 He is the LORD our God;
His judgments carry throughout the earth.
15 Remember b His covenant forever,
the word He ordained for a thousand generations—
16 the covenant He made with Abraham,
and the oath He swore to Isaac.
17 He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree,
to Israel as an everlasting covenant:
18 ‘I will give you the land of Canaan
as the portion of your inheritance.’
19 When they were few in number,
few indeed, and strangers in the land,
20 they wandered from nation to nation,
from one kingdom to another.
21 He let no man oppress them;
He rebuked kings on their behalf:
22 ‘Do not touch My anointed ones!
Sing to the LORD, All the Earth
(Psalm 96:1–13)
23 Sing to the LORD, all the earth.
Proclaim His salvation day after day.
24 Declare His glory among the nations,
His wonderful deeds among all peoples.
25 For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised;
He is to be feared above all gods.
26 For all the gods of the nations are idols,
but it is the LORD who made the heavens.
27 Splendor and majesty are before Him;
strength and joy fill His dwelling.
28 Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the nations,
ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.
29 Ascribe to the LORD the glory due His name;
bring an offering and come before Him.
Worship the LORD in the splendor of His holiness;
30 tremble before Him, all the earth.
The world is firmly established;
it cannot be moved.
31 Let the heavens be glad,
and the earth rejoice.
Let them say among the nations,
‘The LORD reigns!’
32 Let the sea resound,
and all that fills it;
let the fields exult,
and all that is in them.
33 Then the trees of the forest will sing for joy before the LORD,
for He is coming to judge the earth.
34 Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good;
His loving devotion c endures forever.
35 Then cry out: ‘Save us, O God of our salvation;
gather and deliver us from the nations,
that we may give thanks to Your holy name,
that we may glory in Your praise.’
36 Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting.”
Then all the people said, “Amen!” and “Praise the LORD!”
Worship before the Ark
37 So David left Asaph and his brothers there before the ark of the covenant of the LORD, to minister there regularly according to the daily requirements, 38 along with Obed-edom and his sixty-eight relatives. Obed-edom son of Jeduthun, and also Hosah, were to be gatekeepers.
39 And David left Zadok the priest and his fellow priests before the tabernacle of the LORD at the high place in Gibeon 40 to regularly present burnt offerings to the LORD on the altar of burnt offerings, morning and evening, according to all that was written in the Law of the LORD, which He had commanded Israel to keep. 41 With them were Heman, Jeduthun, and the rest of those chosen and designated by name to give thanks to the LORD, for “His loving devotion endures forever.”
42 Heman and Jeduthun had with them trumpets and cymbals for the music and instruments for the songs of God. d And the sons of Jeduthun were stationed at the gate.
43 Then all the people departed for their homes, and David returned home to bless his household.
Footnotes:
3 a Or a portion of meat
15 b Hebrew; some LXX manuscripts He remembers ; see Psalm 105:8.
34 c Forms of the Hebrew chesed are translated here and in most cases throughout the Scriptures as loving devotion ; the range of meaning includes love , goodness , kindness , faithfulness , and mercy , as well as loyalty to a covenant .
42 d Or instruments for the sacred music
1 Chronicles 17
God’s Covenant with David
(2 Samuel 7:1–17)
1 After David had settled into his palace, he said to Nathan the prophet, “Here I am, living in a house of cedar, while the ark of the covenant of the LORD is under a tent.”
2 And Nathan replied to David, “Do all that is in your heart, for God is with you.”
3 But that night the word of God came to Nathan, saying, 4 “Go and tell My servant David that this is what the LORD says: You are not the one to build Me a house in which to dwell. 5 For I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought Israel up out of Egypt a until this day, but I have moved from tent to tent and dwelling to dwelling. 6 In all My journeys with all the Israelites, have I ever asked any of the leaders b I appointed to shepherd My people, ‘Why haven’t you built Me a house of cedar?’
7 Now then, you are to tell My servant David that this is what the LORD of Hosts says: I took you from the pasture, from following the flock, to be the ruler over My people Israel. 8 I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you. Now I will make for you a name like the greatest in the land.
9 And I will provide a place for My people Israel and will plant them so that they may dwell in a place of their own and be disturbed no more. No longer will the sons of wickedness oppress them as they did at the beginning 10 and have done since the day I appointed judges over My people Israel. And I will subdue all your enemies.
Moreover, I declare to you that the LORD will build a house for you. 11 And when your days are fulfilled and you go to be with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, one of your own sons, and I will establish his kingdom. 12 He will build a house for Me, and I will establish his throne forever. 13 I will be his Father, and he will be My son. And I will never remove My loving devotion from him as I removed it from your predecessor. 14 But I will set him over My house and My kingdom forever, and his throne will be established forever.”
15 So Nathan relayed to David all the words of this entire vision.
David’s Prayer of Thanksgiving
(2 Samuel 7:18–29)
16 Then King David went in, sat before the LORD, and said, “Who am I, O LORD God, and what is my house, that You have brought me this far? 17 And as if this was a small thing in Your eyes, O God, You have spoken about the future of the house of Your servant and have regarded me as a man of great distinction, c O LORD God. 18 What more can David say to You for so honoring Your servant? For You know Your servant, 19 O LORD. d For the sake of Your servant and according to Your own heart, You have accomplished this great thing and revealed all Your greatness.
20 O LORD, there is none like You, and there is no God but You, according to everything we have heard with our own ears. 21 And who is like Your people Israel—the one nation on earth whom God went out to redeem as a people for Himself? You made a name for Yourself through great and awesome wonders by driving out nations from before Your people, whom You redeemed from Egypt. 22 For You have made Your people Israel Your very own forever, and You, O LORD, have become their God.
23 And now, O LORD, let the word You have spoken concerning Your servant and his house be established forever. Do as You have promised, 24 so that Your name will be established and magnified forever when it is said, ‘The LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, is God over Israel.’ And may the house of Your servant David be established before You. 25 For You, my God, have revealed to Your servant that You will build a house for him. Therefore Your servant has found the courage to pray before You.
26 And now, O LORD, You are God! And You have promised this goodness to Your servant. 27 So now You have been pleased to bless the house of Your servant, that it may continue forever before You. For You, O LORD, have blessed it, and it will be blessed forever.”
Footnotes:
5 a Out of Egypt is implied, but not included in the Hebrew; see 2 Samuel 7:6.
6 b Or judges ; see verse 10.
17 c Or and have shown me future generations
19 d See 2 Samuel 7:20; many translators 18...For You know Your servant. 19O LORD,
1 Chronicles 18
David’s Triumphs
(2 Samuel 8:1–14; Psalm 60:1–12)
1 Some time later, David defeated the Philistines, subdued them, and took Gath and its villages from the hand of the Philistines.
2 David also defeated the Moabites, and they became subject to David and brought him tribute.
3 As far as Hamath, David also defeated King Hadadezer of Zobah, who had marched out to establish his dominion a along the Euphrates River. 4 David captured from him a thousand chariots, seven thousand charioteers, and twenty thousand foot soldiers, and he hamstrung all the horses except a hundred he kept for the chariots.
5 When the Arameans of Damascus came to help King Hadadezer of Zobah, David struck down twenty-two thousand men. 6 Then he placed garrisons b in Aram of Damascus, and the Arameans became subject to David and brought him tribute. So the LORD made David victorious c wherever he went.
7 And David took the gold shields that belonged to the officers of Hadadezer and brought them to Jerusalem. 8 And from Tibhath d and Cun, cities of Hadadezer, David took a large amount of bronze, with which Solomon made the bronze Sea, the pillars, and various bronze articles.
9 When King Tou e of Hamath heard that David had defeated the entire army of Hadadezer king of Zobah, 10 he sent his son Hadoram f to greet King David and bless him for fighting and defeating Hadadezer, who had been at war with Tou. Hadoram brought all kinds of articles of gold and silver and bronze, 11 and King David dedicated these to the LORD, along with the silver and gold he had carried off from all these nations—from Edom and Moab, and from the Ammonites, Philistines, and Amalekites.
12 Moreover, Abishai son of Zeruiah struck down eighteen thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt. 13 He placed garrisons in Edom, and all the Edomites were subject to David. So the LORD made David victorious wherever he went.
David’s Officers
(2 Samuel 8:15–18)
14 Thus David reigned over all Israel and administered justice and righteousness for all his people:
15 Joab son of Zeruiah was over the army;
Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was the recorder;
16 Zadok son of Ahitub and Ahimelech g son of Abiathar were priests;
Shavsha h was the scribe;
17 Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and Pelethites;
and David’s sons were chief officials at the king’s side.
Footnotes:
3 a Hebrew his hand
6 b LXX and Vulgate (see also 2 Samuel 8:6 and Syriac); Hebrew does not include garrisons .
6 c Or the LORD saved David ; also in verse 13
8 d Tibhath is a variant of Tebah ; see 2 Samuel 8:8 LXX.
9 e Tou is a variant of Toi ; also in verse 10; see 2 Samuel 8:9.
10 f Hadoram is a variant of Joram ; see 2 Samuel 8:10.
16 g Some Hebrew manuscripts, Vulgate, and Syriac (see also 2 Samuel 8:17); most Hebrew manuscripts Abimelech
16 h Shavsha is also called Seraiah , Sheva , and Shisha ; see 2 Samuel 8:17, 2 Samuel 20:25, and 1 Kings 4:3.
1 Chronicles 19
David’s Messengers Disgraced
(2 Samuel 10:1–8)
1 Some time later, Nahash king of the Ammonites died and was succeeded by his son. 2 And David said, “I will show kindness to Hanun son of Nahash, because his father showed kindness to me.”
So David sent messengers to console Hanun concerning his father. But when David’s servants arrived in the land of the Ammonites to console him, 3 the princes of the Ammonites said to Hanun, “Just because David has sent you comforters, do you really believe he is showing respect for your father? Have not his servants come to you to explore the land, spy it out, and overthrow it?”
4 So Hanun took David’s servants, shaved their beards, cut off their garments at the hips, and sent them away.
5 When someone came and told David about his men, he sent messengers to meet them, since the men had been thoroughly humiliated. The king told them, “Stay in Jericho until your beards have grown back, and then return.”
6 When the Ammonites realized that they had become a stench to David, Hanun and the Ammonites sent a thousand talents of silver a to hire for themselves chariots and horsemen from Aram-naharaim, b Aram-maacah, and Zobah. 7 So they hired for themselves thirty-two thousand chariots, as well as the king of Maacah with his troops, who came and camped near Medeba while the Ammonites came from their cities and marched out for battle.
8 On hearing this, David sent Joab and the entire army of mighty men. 9 The Ammonites marched out and arrayed themselves for battle at the entrance to the city, while the kings who had come stayed by themselves in the open country.
David Defeats Ammon and Aram
(2 Samuel 10:9–19)
10 When Joab saw the battle lines before him and behind him, he selected some of the best men of Israel and arrayed them against the Arameans. 11 And he placed the rest of the forces under the command of his brother Abishai, who arrayed them against the Ammonites.
12 “If the Arameans are too strong for me,” said Joab, “then you will come to my rescue. And if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will come to your rescue. 13 Be strong and let us fight bravely for our people and for the cities of our God. May the LORD do what is good in His sight.”
14 So Joab and his troops advanced to fight the Arameans, who fled before him. 15 When the Ammonites saw that the Arameans had fled, they too fled before Joab’s brother Abishai, and they entered the city. So Joab went back to Jerusalem.
16 When the Arameans saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they sent messengers to bring more Arameans from beyond the Euphrates, c with Shophach d the commander of Hadadezer’s army leading them.
17 When this was reported to David, he gathered all Israel, crossed the Jordan, advanced toward the Arameans, and arrayed for battle against them. When David lined up to engage them in battle, they fought against him. 18 But the Arameans fled before Israel, and David killed seven thousand of their charioteers and forty thousand foot soldiers. He also killed Shophach the commander of their army.
19 When Hadadezer’s subjects saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they made peace with David and became subject to him. So the Arameans were unwilling to help the Ammonites anymore.
Footnotes:
6 a 1,000 talents is approximately 37.7 tons or 34.2 metric tons of silver.
6 b That is, Mesopotamia; Aram-naharaim means Aram of the two rivers , likely the region between the Euphrates and Balih Rivers in northwestern Mesopotamia.
16 c Hebrew the River
16 d Shophach is a variant of Shobach ; also in verse 18; see 2 Samuel 10:16.
1 Chronicles 20
The Capture of Rabbah
(2 Samuel 12:26–31)
1 In the spring, a at the time when kings march out to war, Joab led out the army and ravaged the land of the Ammonites. He came to Rabbah and besieged it, but David remained in Jerusalem. And Joab attacked Rabbah and demolished it.
2 Then David took the crown from the head of their king. b It was found to weigh a talent of gold c and was set with precious stones, and it was placed on David’s head. And David took a great amount of plunder from the city.
3 David brought out the people who were there and put them to work d with saws, iron picks, and axes. And he did the same to all the Ammonite cities. Then David and all his troops returned to Jerusalem.
Battles against the Philistines
(2 Samuel 21:15–22)
4 Some time later, war broke out with the Philistines at Gezer. At that time Sibbecai the Hushathite killed Sippai, e a descendant of the Rephaim, f and the Philistines were subdued.
5 Once again there was a battle with the Philistines, and Elhanan son of Jair killed Lahmi the brother g of Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver’s beam.
6 And there was still another battle at Gath, where there was a man of great stature with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot—twenty-four in all. He too was descended from Rapha, 7 and when he taunted Israel, Jonathan the son of David’s brother Shimei killed him.
8 So these descendants of Rapha in Gath fell at the hands of David and his servants.
Footnotes:
1 a Literally At the turn of the year
2 b Or from the head of Milcom . Milcom, also called Molech, was god of the Ammonites; see Leviticus 18:21 and 1 Kings 11:7.
2 c A talent is approximately 75.4 pounds or 34.2 kilograms of gold.
3 d Or cut them
4 e Sippai is a variant of Saph ; see 2 Samuel 21:18.
4 f Or the giants ; see also descendants of Rapha in verses 6 and 8.
5 g Or Elhanan son of Jair the Bethlehemite killed the brother ; see 2 Samuel 21:19.
1 Chronicles 21
David’s Military Census
(Exodus 30:11–16; 2 Samuel 24:1–9)
1 Then Satan a rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel. 2 So David said to Joab and the commanders of the troops, “Go and count the Israelites from Beersheba to Dan and bring me a report, so that I may know their number.”
3 But Joab replied, “May the LORD multiply His troops a hundred times over. My lord the king, are they not all servants of my lord? Why does my lord want to do this? Why should he bring guilt on Israel?”
4 Nevertheless, the king’s word prevailed against Joab. So Joab departed and traveled throughout Israel, and then he returned to Jerusalem. 5 And Joab reported to David the total number of the troops. In all Israel there were 1,100,000 men who drew the sword, including 470,000 in Judah. 6 But Joab did not include Levi and Benjamin in the count, because the king’s command was detestable to him.
Judgment for David’s Sin
(2 Samuel 24:10–14)
7 This command was also evil in the sight of God; so He struck Israel.
8 Then David said to God, “I have sinned greatly because I have done this thing. Now I beg You to take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have acted very foolishly.”
9 And the LORD instructed Gad, David’s seer, 10 “Go and tell David that this is what the LORD says: ‘I am offering you three options. Choose one of them, and I will carry it out against you.’ ”
11 So Gad went and said to David, “This is what the LORD says: ‘You must choose 12 between three years of famine, three months of being swept away b before your enemies and overtaken by their swords, or three days of the sword of the LORD—days of plague upon the land, with the angel of the LORD ravaging every part of Israel.’ Now then, decide how I should reply to Him who sent me.”
13 David answered Gad, “I am deeply distressed. Please, let me fall into the hand of the LORD, for His mercies are very great; but do not let me fall into the hands of men.”
A Plague on Israel
(2 Samuel 24:15–17)
14 So the LORD sent a plague upon Israel, and seventy thousand men of Israel fell dead.
15 Then God sent an angel to destroy Jerusalem, but as the angel was doing so, the LORD saw it and relented from the calamity, and He said to the angel who was destroying the people, “Enough! Withdraw your hand now!”
At that time the angel of the LORD was standing by the threshing floor of Ornan c the Jebusite.
16 When David lifted up his eyes and saw the angel of the LORD standing between heaven and earth, with a drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem, David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell facedown. 17 And David said to God, “Was it not I who gave the order to count the people? I d am the one who has sinned and acted wickedly. But these sheep, what have they done? O LORD my God, please let Your hand fall upon me and my father’s house, but do not let this plague remain upon Your people.”
David Builds an Altar
(2 Samuel 24:18–25)
18 Then the angel of the LORD ordered Gad to tell David to go up and build an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. 19 So David went up at the word that Gad had spoken in the name of the LORD.
20 Now Ornan was threshing wheat when he turned and saw the angel; and his four sons who were with him hid themselves. 21 David came to Ornan, and when Ornan looked out and saw David, he left the threshing floor and bowed facedown before David.
22 Then David said to Ornan, “Grant me the site of this threshing floor, that I may build an altar to the LORD. Sell it to me for the full price, so that the plague upon the people may be halted.”
23 Ornan said to David, “My lord the king may take whatever seems good. Look, I will give the oxen for the burnt offerings, the threshing sledges for the wood, and the wheat for the grain offering—I will give it all.”
24 “No,” replied King David, “I insist on paying the full price, for I will not take for the LORD what belongs to you, nor will I offer burnt offerings that cost me nothing.”
25 So David paid Ornan six hundred shekels of gold e for the site. 26 And there he built an altar to the LORD and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. He called upon the LORD, who answered him with fire from heaven on the altar of burnt offering.
27 Then the LORD spoke to the angel, who put his sword back into its sheath.
28 At that time, when David saw that the LORD had answered him at the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, he offered sacrifices there. 29 For the tabernacle of the LORD that Moses had made in the wilderness and the altar of burnt offering were presently at the high place in Gibeon, 30 but David could not go before it to inquire of God, because he was afraid of the sword of the angel of the LORD.
Footnotes:
1 a That is, the Accuser or the Adversary
12 b Hebrew; LXX and Vulgate of fleeing ; see 2 Samuel 24:13.
15 c Ornan is a variant of Araunah ; also in verses 18–28; see 2 Samuel 24:16.
17 d Or I, the shepherd, see 2 Samuel 24:17 DSS and LXX.
25 e 600 shekels is approximately 15.1 pounds or 6.8 kilograms of gold.
1 Chronicles 22
Preparations for the Temple
1 Then David said, “Here shall be the house of the LORD God, as well as the altar of burnt offering for Israel.”
2 So David gave orders to gather the foreigners in the land of Israel, from whom he appointed stonecutters to prepare finished stones for building the house of God.
3 David provided a large quantity of iron to make the nails for the doors of the gateways and for the fittings, together with more bronze than could be weighed 4 and more cedar logs than could be counted; for the Sidonians and Tyrians had brought a large quantity of cedar logs to David.
5 And David said, “My son Solomon is young and inexperienced, and the house to be built for the LORD must be exceedingly magnificent—famous and glorious throughout all lands. Therefore I must make preparations for it.” So David made lavish preparations before his death.
Solomon Anointed to Build the Temple
6 Then David called for his son Solomon and instructed him to build a house for the LORD, the God of Israel.
7 “My son,” said David to Solomon, “it was in my heart to build a house for the Name of the LORD my God, 8 but this word of the LORD came to me:‘You have shed much blood and waged great wars. You are not to build a house for My Name because you have shed so much blood on the ground before Me. 9 But a son will be born to you who will be a man of rest. I will give him rest from all his enemies on every side; for his name will be Solomon, a and I will grant to Israel peace and quiet during his reign. 10 He is the one who will build a house for My Name. He will be My son, and I will be his Father. And I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.’
11 Now, my son, may the LORD be with you, and may you succeed in building the house of the LORD your God, as He said you would. 12 Above all, may the LORD give you insight and understanding when He puts you in command over Israel, so that you may keep the Law of the LORD your God. 13 Then you will succeed, if you carefully follow the statutes and ordinances that the LORD commanded Moses for Israel. Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged.
14 Now behold, I have taken great pains to provide for the house of the LORD—100,000 talents of gold, b 1,000,000 talents of silver, c and bronze and iron too great to be weighed. I have also provided timber and stone, and you may add to them.
15 You also have many workers: stonecutters, masons, carpenters, and men skilled in every kind of work— 16 in gold and silver, bronze and iron—craftsmen beyond number. Now begin the work, and may the LORD be with you.”
17 Then David ordered all the leaders of Israel to help his son Solomon: 18 “Is not the LORD your God with you, and has He not granted you rest on every side? For He has given the inhabitants of the land into my hand, and the land has been subdued before the LORD and His people. 19 Now set your heart and soul to seek the LORD your God. Get started building the sanctuary of the LORD God, so that you may bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD and the holy articles of God into the temple that will be built for the Name of the LORD.”
Footnotes:
9 a Solomon sounds like and is probably derived from the Hebrew word for peace .
14 b 100,000 talents is approximately 3,770 tons or 3,420 metric tons of gold.
14 c 1,000,000 talents is approximately 37,700 tons or 34,200 metric tons of silver.
1 Chronicles 23
The Divisions of the Levites
1 When David was old and full of years, he installed his son Solomon as king over Israel. 2 Then he gathered all the leaders of Israel, as well as the priests and Levites.
3 The Levites thirty years of age or older were counted, and the total number of men was 38,000. 4 “Of these,” said David, a “24,000 are to oversee the work of the house of the LORD, 6,000 are to be officers and judges, 5 4,000 are to be gatekeepers, and 4,000 are to praise the LORD with the instruments I have made for giving praise.”
6 Then David divided the Levites into divisions according to the sons of Levi:
The Gershonites
(Numbers 3:21–26; Numbers 4:21–28)
7 The Gershonites: Ladan b and Shimei.
8 The sons of Ladan: Jehiel c the first, Zetham, and Joel—three in all.
9 The sons of Shimei: Shelomoth, Haziel, and Haran—three in all. These were the heads of the families of Ladan.
10 And the sons of Shimei: d Jahath, Zina, e Jeush, and Beriah. These were the sons of Shimei—four in all. 11 Jahath was the first and Zizah was the second; but Jeush and Beriah did not have many sons, so they were counted as one family and received a single assignment.
The Kohathites
(Numbers 3:27–32; Numbers 4:1–20)
12 The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel—four in all.
13 The sons of Amram: Aaron and Moses. Aaron and his descendants were set apart forever to consecrate the most holy things, to burn incense before the LORD, to minister before Him, and to pronounce blessings in His name forever. 14 As for Moses the man of God, his sons were named among the tribe of Levi.
15 The sons of Moses: Gershom and Eliezer.
16 The descendants of Gershom: Shebuel was the first.
17 The descendants of Eliezer: Rehabiah was the first. Eliezer did not have any other sons, but the sons of Rehabiah were very numerous.
18 The sons of Izhar: Shelomith was the first.
19 The sons of Hebron: Jeriah was the first, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, and Jekameam the fourth.
20 The sons of Uzziel: Micah was the first and Isshiah the second.
The Merarites
(Numbers 3:33–37; Numbers 4:29–33)
21 The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi.
The sons of Mahli: Eleazar and Kish. 22 Eleazar died without having any sons;he had only daughters. Their cousins, the sons of Kish, married them.
23 The sons of Mushi: Mahli, Eder, and Jeremoth f—three in all.
Levite Duties Revised
24 These were the descendants of Levi by their families—the heads of families, registered individually by name—those twenty years of age or older who worked in the service of the house of the LORD.
25 For David had said, “The LORD, the God of Israel, has given rest to His people and has come to dwell in Jerusalem forever. 26 So now the Levites no longer need to carry the tabernacle or any of the articles for its service.”
27 For according to the final instructions of David, the Levites twenty years of age or older were counted, 28 but their duty was to assist the descendants of Aaron with the service of the house of the LORD, being responsible for the courts and chambers, the purification of all the holy things, and the work of the service of the house of God, 29 as well as for the rows of the showbread, the fine flour for the grain offering, the wafers of unleavened bread, the baking, the mixing, and all measurements of quantity and size.
30 They were also to stand every morning to give thanks and praise to the LORD, and likewise in the evening. 31 Whenever burnt offerings were presented to the LORD on the Sabbaths, New Moons, and appointed feasts, they were to serve regularly before the LORD in the numbers prescribed for them. 32 So the Levites were to carry out the responsibilities for the Tent of Meeting and the Holy Place, and, under their brothers the descendants of Aaron, the service of the house of the LORD.
Footnotes:
4 a Hebrew does not include said David,
7 b Ladan is a variant of Libni ; also in verses 8 and 9; see 1 Chronicles 6:17.
8 c Jehiel is a variant of Jehieli ; see 1 Chronicles 26:21.
10 d Shimei was possibly a son or grandson of the Shimei listed in verse 9.
10 e Most Hebrew manuscripts; one Hebrew manuscript, LXX, and Vulgate (see also verse 11) Zizah
23 f Jeremoth is a variant of Jerimoth ; see 1 Chronicles 24:30.
1 Chronicles 24
Twenty-Four Divisions of Priests
1 These were the divisions of the descendants of Aaron. The sons of Aaron were Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 2 But Nadab and Abihu died before their father did, and they had no sons; so Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests.
3 With the help of Eleazar’s descendant Zadok and Ithamar’s descendant Ahimelech, David divided them according to the offices of their service. 4 Since more leaders were found among Eleazar’s descendants than those of Ithamar, they were divided accordingly. There were sixteen heads of families from the descendants of Eleazar and eight from the descendants of Ithamar.
5 Thus they were divided by lot, for there were officers of the sanctuary and officers of God among both Eleazar’s and Ithamar’s descendants.
6 The scribe, Shemaiah son of Nethanel, a Levite, recorded their names in the presence of the king and of the officers: Zadok the priest, Ahimelech son of Abiathar, and the heads of families of the priests and the Levites—one family being taken from Eleazar, and then one from Ithamar.
7 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,
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 Jeshebeab,
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,
and the twenty-fourth to Maaziah.
19 This was their appointed order for service when they entered the house of the LORD, according to the regulations prescribed for them by their forefather Aaron, as the LORD, the God of Israel, had commanded him.
The Rest of the Levites
20 Now these were the remaining descendants of Levi:
From the sons of Amram: Shubael; a
from the sons of Shubael: Jehdeiah.
21 As for Rehabiah, from his sons: The first was Isshiah. b
22 From the Izharites: Shelomoth; c
from the sons of Shelomoth: Jahath.
23 From the sons of Hebron: Jeriah was the first, d Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, and Jekameam the fourth.
24 From the sons of Uzziel: Micah;
from the sons of Micah: Shamir.
25 The brother of Micah: Isshiah;
from the sons of Isshiah: Zechariah.
26 The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi.
The son of Jaaziah: Beno.
27 The descendants of Merari from Jaaziah:Beno, Shoham, Zaccur, and Ibri.
28 From Mahli: Eleazar, who had no sons.
29 From Kish: Jerahmeel the son of Kish.
30 And the sons of Mushi: Mahli, Eder, and Jerimoth. e
These were the sons of the Levites, according to their families. 31 As their brothers the descendants of Aaron did, they also cast lots in the presence of King David and of Zadok, Ahimelech, and the heads of the families of the priests and Levites—the family heads and their younger brothers alike.
Footnotes:
20 a Shubael (twice in this verse) is a variant of Shebuel ; see 1 Chronicles 23:16 and 1 Chronicles 26:24.
21 b Isshiah is a variant of Jeshaiah ; see 1 Chronicles 26:25.
22 c Shelomoth (twice in this verse) is a variant of Shelomith ; see 1 Chronicles 23:18.
23 d Hebrew From the sons: Jeriah ; see 1 Chronicles 23:19.
30 e Jerimoth is a variant of Jeremoth ; see 1 Chronicles 23:23.
1 Chronicles 25
Twenty-Four Divisions of Musicians
1 Additionally, David and the commanders of the army set apart some of the sons of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun to prophesy with the accompaniment of lyres, harps, and cymbals. The following is the list of the men who performed this service:
2 From the sons of Asaph: Zaccur, Joseph, Nethaniah, and Asarelah. These sons of Asaph were under the direction of Asaph, who prophesied under the direction of the king.
3 From the sons of Jeduthun: Gedaliah, Zeri, Jeshaiah, Shimei, a Hashabiah, and Mattithiah—six in all—under the direction of their father Jeduthun, who prophesied with the harp, giving thanks and praise to the LORD.
4 From the sons of Heman: Bukkiah, Mattaniah, Uzziel, Shebuel, b Jerimoth, c Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti, Romamti-ezer, Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir, and Mahazioth. 5 All these sons of Heman the king’s seer were given him through the promises of God to exalt him, for God had given Heman fourteen sons and three daughters.
6 All these were under the direction of their fathers for the music of the house of the LORD with cymbals, harps, and lyres, for the service of the house of God.
Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman were under the direction of the king. 7 Together with their relatives, who were all trained and skillful in the songs of the LORD, they numbered 288. 8 They cast lots for their duties, young and old alike, teacher as well as pupil.
9 The first lot, which was for Asaph, fell to Joseph, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all; d
the second to Gedaliah, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all;
10 the third to Zaccur, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all;
11 the fourth to Izri, e his sons, and his brothers—12 in all;
12 the fifth to Nethaniah, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all;
13 the sixth to Bukkiah, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all;
14 the seventh to Jesarelah, f his sons, and his brothers—12 in all;
15 the eighth to Jeshaiah, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all;
16 the ninth to Mattaniah, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all;
17 the tenth to Shimei, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all;
18 the eleventh to Azarel, g his sons, and his brothers—12 in all;
19 the twelfth to Hashabiah, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all;
20 the thirteenth to Shubael, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all;
21 the fourteenth to Mattithiah, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all;
22 the fifteenth to Jeremoth, h his sons, and his brothers—12 in all;
23 the sixteenth to Hananiah, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all;
24 the seventeenth to Joshbekashah, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all;
25 the eighteenth to Hanani, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all;
26 the nineteenth to Mallothi, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all;
27 the twentieth to Eliathah, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all;
28 the twenty-first to Hothir, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all;
29 the twenty-second to Giddalti, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all;
30 the twenty-third to Mahazioth, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all;
31 and the twenty-fourth to Romamti-ezer, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all.
Footnotes:
3 a One Hebrew manuscript and some LXX manuscripts (see also verse 17); most Hebrew manuscripts do not include Shimei .
4 b Shebuel is a variant of Shubael ; see verse 20.
4 c Jerimoth is a variant of Jeremoth ; see verse 22.
9 d See LXX and the total in verse 7;Hebrew does not include his sons, and his brothers—12 in all;
11 e Izri is a variant of Zeri ; see verse 3.
14 f Jesarelah is a variant of Asarelah ; see verse 2.
18 g Azarel is a variant of Uzziel ; see verse 4.
22 h Jeremoth is a variant of Jerimoth ; see verse 4.
1 Chronicles 26
The Divisions of the Gatekeepers
1 These were the divisions of the gatekeepers:
From the Korahites: Meshelemiah son of Kore, one of the sons of Asaph.
2 Meshelemiah had sons: Zechariah the firstborn, Jediael the second, Zebadiah the third, Jathniel the fourth, 3 Elam the fifth, Jehohanan the sixth, and Eliehoenai the seventh.
4 And Obed-edom also had sons: Shemaiah the firstborn, Jehozabad the second, Joah the third, Sachar the fourth, Nethanel the fifth, 5 Ammiel the sixth, Issachar the seventh, and Peullethai the eighth. For God had blessed Obed-edom.
6 Also to his son Shemaiah were born sons who ruled over their families because they were strong, capable men. 7 Shemaiah’s sons were Othni, Rephael, Obed, and Elzabad; his brothers were Elihu and Semachiah, also capable men. 8 All these were descendants of Obed-edom; they and their sons and brothers were capable men with strength to do the work—62 in all from Obed-edom.
9 Meshelemiah also had sons and brothers who were capable men—18 in all.
10 Hosah the Merarite also had sons:Shimri the first (although he was not the firstborn, his father had appointed him as the first), 11 Hilkiah the second, Tebaliah the third, and Zechariah the fourth. The sons and brothers of Hosah numbered 13 in all.
12 These divisions of the gatekeepers, through their chief men, had duties for ministering in the house of the LORD, just as their brothers did. 13 They cast lots for each gate, according to their families, young and old alike.
14 The lot for the East Gate fell to Shelemiah. a
Then lots were cast for his son Zechariah, a wise counselor, and the lot for the North Gate fell to him.
15 The lot for the South Gate fell to Obed-edom, and the lot for the storehouses to his sons.
16 The lots for the West Gate and the Shallecheth Gate on the ascending highway b fell to Shuppim and Hosah.
There were guards stationed at every watch. 17 Each day there were six Levites on the east, four on the north, four on the south, and two pairs at the storehouse. 18 As for the court c on the west, there were four at the highway and two at the court.
19 These were the divisions of the gatekeepers who were descendants of Korah and Merari.
The Treasurers, Officers, and Judges
20 Now their fellow Levites were d in charge of the treasuries of the house of God and the treasuries of the dedicated things. 21 From the descendants of Ladan, who were Gershonites through Ladan e and heads of the families of Ladan the Gershonite, were Jehieli, f 22 the sons of Jehieli, Zetham, and his brother Joel. They were in charge of the treasuries of the house of the LORD.
23 From the Amramites, the Izharites, the Hebronites, and the Uzzielites:
24 Shebuel, a descendant of Gershom son of Moses, was the officer in charge of the treasuries. 25 His relatives through Eliezer included Rehabiah his son, Jeshaiah g his son, Joram his son, Zichri his son, and Shelomith his son. 26 This Shelomith and his brothers were in charge of all the treasuries for the things dedicated by King David, by the heads of families who were the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, and by the army commanders. 27 They had dedicated some of the plunder from their battles to the repair of the house of the LORD. 28 Everything that had been dedicated by Samuel the seer, Saul son of Kish, Abner son of Ner, and Joab son of Zeruiah, along with everything else that was dedicated, was under the care of Shelomith and his brothers.
29 From the Izharites, Chenaniah and his sons had the outside duties h as officers and judges over Israel.
30 From the Hebronites, Hashabiah and his relatives, 1,700 capable men, had charge of the affairs of Israel west of the Jordan for all the work of the LORD and for the service of the king. 31 As for the Hebronites, Jerijah i was the chief of the Hebronites, according to the genealogies of his ancestors. In the fortieth year of David’s reign the records were searched, and strong, capable men were found among the Hebronites at Jazer in Gilead. 32 Among Jerijah’s relatives there were 2,700 capable men who were heads of families. King David appointed them over the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh for every matter pertaining to God and to the affairs of the king.
Footnotes:
14 a Shelemiah is a variant of Meshelemiah ; see verse 2.
16 b Or on the upper road
18 c Hebrew parbar ; twice in this verse
20 d LXX; Hebrew As for the Levites, Ahijah was
21 e Ladan is a variant of Libni ; see 1 Chronicles 6:17.
21 f Jehieli is a variant of Jehiel ; also in verse 22; see 1 Chronicles 23:8.
25 g Jeshaiah is a variant of Isshiah ; see 1 Chronicles 24:21.
29 h Or the duties outside (the temple) or the duties outside (Jerusalem)
31 i Jerijah is a variant of Jeriah ; see 1 Chronicles 23:19.
1 Chronicles 27
Twelve Captains for Twelve Months
1 This is the list of the Israelites—the heads of families, the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, and their officers who served the king in every matter concerning the divisions on rotating military duty each month throughout the year. There were 24,000 men in each division:
2 Jashobeam son of Zabdiel was in charge of the first division, which was assigned the first month. There were 24,000 men in his division. 3 He was a descendant of Perez and chief of all the army commanders for the first month.
4 Dodai a the Ahohite was in charge of the division for the second month, and Mikloth was the leader. There were 24,000 men in his division.
5 The third army commander, as chief for the third month, was Benaiah son of Jehoiada the priest. There were 24,000 men in his division. 6 This Benaiah was mighty among the Thirty and was over the Thirty, and his son Ammizabad was in charge of his division.
7 The fourth, for the fourth month, was Joab’s brother Asahel, and his son Zebadiah was commander after him. There were 24,000 men in his division.
8 The fifth, for the fifth month, was the commander Shamhuth b the Izrahite. There were 24,000 men in his division.
9 The sixth, for the sixth month, was Ira son of Ikkesh the Tekoite. There were 24,000 men in his division.
10 The seventh, for the seventh month, was Helez the Pelonite, an Ephraimite. There were 24,000 men in his division.
11 The eighth, for the eighth month, was Sibbecai the Hushathite, a Zerahite. There were 24,000 men in his division.
12 The ninth, for the ninth month, was Abiezer the Anathothite, a Benjamite. There were 24,000 men in his division.
13 The tenth, for the tenth month, was Maharai the Netophathite, a Zerahite. There were 24,000 men in his division.
14 The eleventh, for the eleventh month, was Benaiah the Pirathonite, an Ephraimite. There were 24,000 men in his division.
15 The twelfth, for the twelfth month, was Heldai c the Netophathite, from the family of Othniel. There were 24,000 men in his division.
The Leaders of the Twelve Tribes
16 These officers were in charge of the tribes of Israel:
Over the Reubenites was Eliezer son of Zichri;
over the Simeonites was Shephatiah son of Maacah;
17 over Levi was Hashabiah son of Kemuel;
over Aaron was Zadok;
18 over Judah was Elihu, one of David’s brothers;
over Issachar was Omri son of Michael;
19 over Zebulun was Ishmaiah son of Obadiah;
over Naphtali was Jerimoth son of Azriel;
20 over the Ephraimites was Hoshea son of Azaziah;
over one of the half-tribes of Manasseh was Joel son of Pedaiah;
21 over the half-tribe of Manasseh in Gilead was Iddo son of Zechariah;
over Benjamin was Jaasiel son of Abner;
22 and over Dan was Azarel son of Jeroham.
These were the leaders of the tribes of Israel.
23 David did not count the men aged twenty or under, because the LORD had said that He would make Israel as numerous as the stars of the sky. 24 Joab son of Zeruiah began to count the men but did not finish. For because of this census wrath came upon Israel, and the number was not entered in the Book of the Chronicles of King David.
David’s Various Overseers
25 Azmaveth son of Adiel was in charge of the royal storehouses.
Jonathan son of Uzziah was in charge of the storehouses in the country, in the cities, in the villages, and in the fortresses.
26 Ezri son of Chelub was in charge of the workers in the fields who tilled the soil.
27 Shimei the Ramathite was in charge of the vineyards.
Zabdi the Shiphmite was in charge of the produce of the vineyards for the wine vats.
28 Baal-hanan the Gederite was in charge of the olive and sycamore trees in the foothills. d
Joash was in charge of the stores of olive oil.
29 Shitrai the Sharonite was in charge of the herds grazing in Sharon.
Shaphat son of Adlai was in charge of the herds in the valleys.
30 Obil the Ishmaelite was in charge of the camels.
Jehdeiah the Meronothite was in charge of the donkeys.
31 Jaziz the Hagrite was in charge of the flocks.
All these officials were in charge of King David’s property.
The Counselors
32 David’s uncle Jonathan was a counselor;he was a man of insight and a scribe.
Jehiel son of Hachmoni attended to the sons of the king.
33 Ahithophel was the king’s counselor.
Hushai the Archite was the king’s friend.
34 Ahithophel was succeeded by Jehoiada son of Benaiah, then by Abiathar.
Joab was the commander of the king’s army.
Footnotes:
4 a Dodai is a variant of Dodo ; see 2 Samuel 23:9.
8 b Shamhuth is a variant of Shammoth or Shammah ; see 1 Chronicles 11:27 and 2 Samuel 23:25.
15 c Heldai is a variant of Heled ; see 1 Chronicles 11:30 and 2 Samuel 23:29.
28 d Hebrew Shephelah or lowlands ; that is, the western foothills of Judea
1 Chronicles 28
David Commissions Solomon
1 Now David summoned all the leaders of Israel to Jerusalem: the leaders of the tribes, the leaders of the divisions in the king’s service, the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, and the officials in charge of all the property and cattle of the king and his sons, along with the court officials and mighty men—every mighty man of valor.
2 Then King David rose to his feet and said, “Listen to me, my brothers and my people. It was in my heart to build a house as a resting place for the ark of the covenant of the LORD and as a footstool for our God. I had made preparations to build it, 3 but God said to me, ‘You are not to build a house for My Name, because you are a man of war who has spilled blood.’
4 Yet the LORD, the God of Israel, chose me out of all my father’s house to be king over Israel forever. For He chose Judah as leader, and from the house of Judah He chose my father’s household, and from my father’s sons He was pleased to make me king over all Israel. 5 And of all my sons—for the LORD has given me many sons—He has chosen Solomon my son to sit on the throne of the kingdom of the LORD over Israel. 6 And He said to me, ‘Solomon your son is the one who will build My house and My courts, for I have chosen him as My son, and I will be his Father. 7 I will establish his kingdom forever, if he resolutely carries out My commandments and ordinances, as is being done this day.’
8 So now in the sight of all Israel, the assembly of the LORD, and in the hearing of our God, keep and seek out all the commandments of the LORD your God, so that you may possess this good land and leave it as an inheritance to your descendants forever. 9 As for you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve Him wholeheartedly and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands the intent of every thought. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever. 10 Consider now that the LORD has chosen you to build a house for the sanctuary. Be strong and do it.”
The Plans for the Temple
11 Then David gave his son Solomon the plans for the portico of the temple, a its buildings, storehouses, upper rooms, inner rooms, and the room for the mercy seat. b 12 The plans contained everything David had in mind c for the courts of the house of the LORD, for all the surrounding rooms, for the treasuries of the house of God and of the dedicated things, 13 for the divisions of the priests and Levites, for all the work of service in the house of the LORD, and for all the articles of service in the house of the LORD:
14 the weight of all the gold articles for every kind of service;
the weight of all the silver articles for every kind of service;
15 the weight of the gold lampstands and their lamps, including the weight of each lampstand and its lamps;
the weight of each silver lampstand and its lamps, according to the use of each lampstand;
16 the weight of gold for each table of showbread, and of silver for the silver tables;
17 the weight of the pure gold for the forks, sprinkling bowls, and pitchers;
the weight of each gold dish;
the weight of each silver bowl;
18 the weight of the refined gold for the altar of incense;
and the plans for the chariot of the gold cherubim that spread their wings and overshadowed the ark of the covenant of the LORD.
19 “All this,” said David, “all the details of this plan, the LORD has made clear to me in writing by His hand upon me.”
20 David also said to Solomon his son, “Be strong and courageous, and do it. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD God, my God, is with you. He will neither fail you nor forsake you before all the work for the service of the house of the LORD is finished. 21 The divisions of the priests and Levites are ready for all the service of the house of God, and every willing man of every skill will be at your disposal for the work. The officials and all the people are fully at your command.”
Footnotes:
11 a LXX; Hebrew does not include of the temple .
11 b Or atonement cover
12 c Or had with him by the Spirit
1 Chronicles 29
Offerings for the Temple
1 Then King David said to the whole assembly, “My son Solomon, the one whom God has chosen, is young and inexperienced. The task is great because this palace is not for man, but for the LORD God. 2 Now with all my ability I have made provision for the house of my God—gold for the gold articles, silver for the silver, bronze for the bronze, iron for the iron, and wood for the wood, as well as onyx for the settings, turquoise, stones of various colors, all kinds of precious stones, and slabs of marble—all in abundance.
3 Moreover, because of my delight in the house of my God, I now give for it my personal treasures of gold and silver, over and above all that I have provided for this holy temple: 4 three thousand talents of gold a (the gold of Ophir) and seven thousand talents of refined silver, b to overlay the walls of the buildings, 5 for the gold work and the silver work, and for all the work to be done by the craftsmen. Now who will volunteer to consecrate himself to the LORD today?”
6 Then the leaders of the households, the officers of the tribes of Israel, the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, and the officials in charge of the king’s work gave willingly. 7 Toward the service of God’s house they gave 5,000 talents c and 10,000 darics of gold, d 10,000 talents of silver, e 18,000 talents of bronze, f and 100,000 talents of iron. g 8 Whoever had precious stones gave them to the treasury of the house of the LORD, under the care of Jehiel h the Gershonite. 9 And the people rejoiced at the willing response of their leaders, for they had given to the LORD freely and wholeheartedly. And King David also rejoiced greatly.
David’s Prayer of Blessing
10 Then David blessed the LORD in the sight of all the assembly and said:
“May You be blessed, O LORD, God of our father Israel, from everlasting to everlasting.
11 Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the splendor and the majesty, for everything in heaven and on earth belongs to You.
Yours, O LORD, is the kingdom, and You are exalted as head over all. 12 Both riches and honor come from You, and You are the ruler over all. In Your hands are power and might to exalt and give strength to all.
13 Now therefore, our God, we give You thanks, and we praise Your glorious name. 14 But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? For everything comes from You, and from Your own hand we have given to You. 15 For we are foreigners and strangers in Your presence, as were all our forefathers. Our days on earth are like a shadow, without hope.
16 O LORD our God, from Your hand comes all this abundance that we have provided to build You a house for Your holy Name, and all of it belongs to You. 17 I know, my God, that You test the heart and delight in uprightness. All these things I have given willingly and with an upright heart, and now I have seen Your people who are present here giving joyfully and willingly to You.
18 O LORD, God of our fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, keep this desire forever in the intentions of the hearts of Your people, and direct their hearts toward You. 19 And give my son Solomon a whole heart to keep and carry out all Your commandments, decrees, and statutes, and to build Your palace for which I have made provision.”
20 Then David said to the whole assembly, “Blessed be the LORD your God.”
So the whole assembly blessed the LORD, the God of their fathers. They bowed down and paid homage to the LORD and to the king.
Solomon Anointed King
(1 Kings 1:32–40)
21 The next day they offered sacrifices and presented burnt offerings to the LORD: a thousand bulls, a thousand rams, and a thousand lambs, along with their drink offerings, and other sacrifices in abundance for all Israel. 22 That day they ate and drank with great joy in the presence of the LORD.
Then, for a second time, they designated David’s son Solomon as king, anointing him before the LORD as ruler, and Zadok as the priest.
23 So Solomon sat on the throne of the LORD as king in place of his father David. He prospered, and all Israel obeyed him. 24 All the officials and mighty men, as well as all of King David’s sons, pledged their allegiance to King Solomon.
25 The LORD highly exalted Solomon in the sight of all Israel and bestowed on him royal majesty such as had not been bestowed on any king in Israel before him.
David’s Reign and Death
(1 Kings 2:10–12)
26 David son of Jesse was king over all Israel. 27 The length of David’s reign over Israel was forty years—seven years in Hebron and thirty-three years in Jerusalem. 28 He died at a ripe old age, full of years, riches, and honor, and his son Solomon reigned in his place.
29 Now the acts of King David, from first to last, are indeed written in the Chronicles of Samuel the Seer, the Chronicles of Nathan the Prophet, and the Chronicles of Gad the Seer, 30 together with all the details of his reign, his might, and the circumstances that came upon him and Israel and all the kingdoms of the lands.
Footnotes:
4 a 3,000 talents is approximately 113 tons or 103 metric tons of gold.
4 b 7,000 talents is approximately 264 tons or 239.5 metric tons of silver.
7 c 5,000 talents is approximately 188.5 tons or 171 metric tons of gold.
7 d Or 10,000 gold drachmas ; that is, approximately 185.2 pounds or 84 kilograms of gold coins
7 e 10,000 talents is approximately 377 tons or 342 metric tons of silver.
7 f 18,000 talents is approximately 678.6 tons or 615.6 metric tons of bronze.
7 g 100,000 talents is approximately 3,770 tons or 3,420 metric tons of iron.
8 h Jehiel is a variant of Jehieli ; see 1 Chronicles 26:21.
2 Chronicles
2 Chronicles 1
Solomon’s Prayer for Wisdom
(1 Kings 3:1–15; Psalm 45:1–17; Psalm 72:1–20)
1 Now Solomon son of David established himself securely over his kingdom, and the LORD his God was with him and highly exalted him.
2 Then Solomon spoke to all Israel, to the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, to the judges, and to every leader in all Israel—the heads of the families. 3 And Solomon and the whole assembly went to the high place at Gibeon because it was the location of God’s Tent of Meeting, which Moses the servant of the LORD had made in the wilderness.
4 Now David had brought the ark of God from Kiriath-jearim to the place he had prepared for it, because he had pitched a tent for it in Jerusalem. 5 But the bronze altar made by Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, was in Gibeon before a the tabernacle of the LORD. So Solomon and the assembly inquired of Him there.
6 Solomon offered sacrifices there before the LORD on the bronze altar in the Tent of Meeting, where he offered a thousand burnt offerings.
7 That night God appeared to Solomon and said, “Ask, and I will give it to you!”
8 Solomon replied to God: “You have shown much loving devotion b to my father David, and You have made me king in his place. 9 Now, O LORD God, let Your promise to my father David be fulfilled. For You have made me king over a people as numerous as the dust of the earth. 10 Now grant me wisdom and knowledge, so that I may lead this people. c For who is able to govern this great people of Yours?”
11 God said to Solomon, “Since this was in your heart instead of requesting riches or wealth or glory for yourself or death for your enemies—and since you have not even requested long life but have asked for wisdom and knowledge to govern My people over whom I have made you king— 12 therefore wisdom and knowledge have been granted to you. And I will also give you riches and wealth and honor unlike anything given to the kings before you or after you.”
13 So Solomon went to Jerusalem from the high place in Gibeon before the Tent of Meeting, and he reigned over Israel.
Solomon’s Riches
(1 Kings 10:26–29)
14 Solomon accumulated d 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horses, e which he stationed in the chariot cities and also with him in Jerusalem. 15 The king made silver and gold as common in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar as abundant as sycamore in the foothills. f
16 Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt and Kue; g the royal merchants purchased them from Kue. 17 A chariot could be imported from Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver, h and a horse for a hundred and fifty. i Likewise, they exported them to all the kings of the Hittites and to the kings of Aram.
Footnotes:
5 a LXX, Vulgate, and some Hebrew manuscripts was there before ; MT he placed before
8 b Forms of the Hebrew chesed are translated here and in most cases throughout the Scriptures as loving devotion ; the range of meaning includes love , goodness , kindness , faithfulness , and mercy , as well as loyalty to a covenant .
10 c Literally so that I may go out before this people and come in
14 d Literally Solomon accumulated chariots and horses; he had
14 e Or horsemen or charioteers
15 f Hebrew Shephelah or lowlands ; that is, the western foothills of Judea
16 g Probably an area in Cilicia, a province in the southeast of Asia Minor
17 h 600 shekels is approximately 15.1 pounds or 6.8 kilograms of silver.
17 i 150 shekels is approximately 3.8 pounds or 1.7 kilograms of silver.
2 Chronicles 2
Preparations for the Temple
(1 Kings 5:1–6)
1 Now Solomon purposed to build a house for the Name of the LORD and a royal palace for himself. 2 So he conscripted 70,000 porters, 80,000 stonecutters in the mountains, and 3,600 supervisors.
3 Then Solomon sent word to Hiram a king of Tyre:
“Do for me as you did for my father David when you sent him cedars to build himself a house to live in. 4 Behold, I am about to build a house for the Name of the LORD my God to dedicate to Him for burning fragrant incense before Him, for displaying the showbread continuously, and for making burnt offerings every morning and evening as well as on the Sabbaths, New Moons, and appointed feasts of the LORD our God. This is ordained for Israel forever.
5 The house that I am building will be great, for our God is greater than all gods. 6 But who is able to build a house for Him, since the heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain Him? Who then am I, that I should build a house for Him, except as a place to burn sacrifices before Him?
7 Send me, therefore, a craftsman skilled in engraving to work with gold and silver, with bronze and iron, and with purple, crimson, and blue yarn. He will work with my craftsmen in Judah and Jerusalem, whom my father David provided.
8 Send me also cedar, cypress, b and algum c logs from Lebanon, for I know that your servants have skill to cut timber there. And indeed, my servants will work with yours 9 to prepare for me timber in abundance, because the temple I am building will be great and wonderful. 10 I will pay your servants, the woodcutters, 20,000 cors of ground wheat, d 20,000 cors of barley, e 20,000 baths of wine, f and 20,000 baths of olive oil. g”
Hiram’s Reply to Solomon
(1 Kings 5:7–12)
11 Then Hiram king of Tyre wrote a letter in reply to Solomon:
“Because the LORD loves His people, He has set you over them as king.”
12 And Hiram added:
“Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who made the heavens and the earth! He has given King David a wise son with insight and understanding, who will build a temple for the LORD and a royal palace for himself.
13 So now I am sending you Huram-abi, a skillful man endowed with creativity. h 14 He is the son of a woman from the daughters of Dan, and his father is a man of Tyre. He is skilled in work with gold and silver, bronze and iron, stone and wood, purple, blue, and crimson yarn, and fine linen. He is experienced in every kind of engraving and can execute any design that is given him. He will work with your craftsmen and with those of my lord, your father David.
15 Now let my lord send to his servants the wheat, barley, olive oil, and wine he promised. 16 We will cut logs from Lebanon, as many as you need, and we will float them to you as rafts by sea down to Joppa. Then you can take them up to Jerusalem.”
17 Solomon numbered all the foreign men in the land of Israel following the census his father David had conducted, and there were found to be 153,600 in all. 18 Solomon made 70,000 of them porters, 80,000 stonecutters in the mountains, and 3,600 supervisors.
Footnotes:
3 a Hebrew Huram , a variant of Hiram ; also in verses 11 and 12
8 b Or pine or juniper or fir
8 c Algum is probably a variant of almug ; see 1 Kings 10:11.
10 d 20,000 cors is approximately 124,800 bushels or 4.4 million liters (probably about 3,800 tons or 3,400 metric tons of wheat).
10 e 20,000 cors is approximately 124,800 bushels or 4.4 million liters (probably about 2,910 tons or 2,700 metric tons of barley).
10 f 20,000 baths is approximately 116,000 gallons or 440,000 liters of wine.
10 g Or 20,000 baths of oil ; that is, approximately 116,000 gallons or 440,000 liters
13 h Or understanding
2 Chronicles 3
Temple Construction Begins
(1 Kings 6:1–4)
1 Then Solomon began to build the house of the LORD in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the LORD had appeared a to his father David. This was the place that David had prepared on the threshing floor of Ornan b the Jebusite. 2 Solomon began construction on the second day of the second month in the fourth year of his reign.
3 The foundation that Solomon laid for the house of God was sixty cubits long and twenty cubits wide, c according to the old standard. d 4 The portico at the front, extending across the width of the temple, was twenty cubits long e and twenty cubits high. f He overlaid the inside with pure gold.
The Temple’s Interior
(1 Kings 6:14–22)
5 He paneled the main room with cypress, g which he overlaid with fine gold and decorated with palm trees and chains. 6 He adorned the temple with precious stones for beauty, and its gold was from Parvaim. 7 He overlaid its beams, thresholds, walls, and doors with gold, and he carved cherubim on the walls.
8 Then he made the Most Holy Place; h its length corresponded to the width of the temple—twenty cubits long and twenty cubits wide. And he overlaid the inside with six hundred talents of fine gold. i 9 The weight of the nails was fifty shekels of gold. j He also overlaid the upper area with gold.
The Cherubim
(1 Kings 6:23–30)
10 In the Most Holy Place he made two cherubim of sculptured work, and he overlaid them with gold. 11 The total wingspan of the cherubim was twenty cubits. One wing of the first cherub was five cubits long k and touched the wall of the temple, and its other wing was five cubits long and touched the wing of the other cherub. 12 The wing of the second cherub also measured five cubits and touched the wall of the temple, while its other wing measured five cubits and touched the wing of the first cherub. 13 So the total wingspan of these cherubim was twenty cubits. They stood on their feet, facing the main room.
The Veil and Pillars
(1 Kings 7:13–22)
14 He made the veil of blue, purple, and crimson yarn and fine linen, with cherubim woven into it.
15 In front of the temple he made two pillars, which together were thirty-five cubits high, l each with a capital on top measuring five cubits.
16 He made interwoven chains m and put them on top of the pillars. He made a hundred pomegranates and fastened them into the chainwork. 17 Then he set up the pillars in front of the temple, one on the south and one on the north. The pillar on the south he named Jachin, n and the pillar on the north he named Boaz. o
Footnotes:
1 a See LXX; Hebrew where He had appeared
1 b Ornan is a variant of Araunah ; see 2 Samuel 24:16.
3 c The foundation was approximately 90 feet long and 30 feet wide (27.4 meters long and 9.1 meters wide).
3 d The old standard of measurement was a cubit equal to 18 inches or 45.7 centimeters. The new standard, a cubit of approximately 21 inches or 53.3 centimeters (the long cubit) is the basic unit of length throughout Ezekiel 40 to 48.
4 e 20 cubits is approximately 30 feet or 9.1 meters; also in verses 8, 11, and 13.
4 f Some LXX and Syriac manuscripts;Hebrew 120 cubits high (approximately 180 feet or 54.9 meters)
5 g Or pine or juniper or fir
8 h Or the Holy of Holies ; also in verse 10
8 i 600 talents is approximately 22.6 tons or 20.5 metric tons of gold.
9 j 50 shekels is approximately 1.26 pounds or 569.8 grams of gold.
11 k 5 cubits is approximately 7.5 feet or 2.3 meters; also in verse 15.
15 l 35 cubits is approximately 52.5 feet or 16 meters.
16 m Or He made chains in the inner sanctuary
17 n Jachin probably means He establishes .
17 o Boaz probably means in Him is strength .
2 Chronicles 4
The Bronze Altar and Molten Sea
(1 Kings 7:23–26)
1 He made a bronze altar twenty cubits long, twenty cubits wide, and ten cubits high. a
2 He also made the Sea of cast metal. It was circular in shape, measuring ten cubits from rim to rim, five cubits in height, and thirty cubits in circumference. b 3 Below the rim, figures of oxen encircled it, ten per cubit all the way around the Sea, cast in two rows as a part of the Sea.
4 The Sea stood on twelve oxen, three facing north, three facing west, three facing south, and three facing east. The Sea rested on them, with all their hindquarters toward the center. 5 It was a handbreadth thick, c and its rim was fashioned like the brim of a cup, like a lily blossom. It could hold three thousand baths. d
The Ten Basins, Lampstands, and Tables
(1 Kings 7:38–39)
6 He also made ten basins for washing and placed five on the south side and five on the north. The parts of the burnt offering were rinsed in them, but the priests used the Sea for washing.
7 He made ten gold lampstands according to their specifications and placed them in the temple, five on the south side and five on the north.
8 Additionally, he made ten tables and placed them in the temple, five on the south side and five on the north. He also made a hundred gold bowls.
The Courts
9 He made the courtyard of the priests and the large court with its doors, and he overlaid the doors with bronze.
10 He put the Sea on the south side, at the southeast corner.
Completion of the Bronze Works
(1 Kings 7:40–47)
11 Additionally, Huram made the pots, shovels, and sprinkling bowls.
So Huram finished the work that he had undertaken for King Solomon in the house of God:
12 the two pillars;
the two bowl-shaped capitals atop the pillars;
the two sets of network covering both bowls of the capitals atop the pillars;
13 the four hundred pomegranates for the two sets of network (two rows of pomegranates for each network covering both the bowl-shaped capitals atop the pillars);
14 the stands;
the basins on the stands;
15 the Sea;
the twelve oxen underneath the Sea;
16 and the pots, shovels, meat forks, and all the other articles.
All these objects that Huram-abi made for King Solomon for the house of the LORD were of polished bronze. 17 The king had them cast in clay molds in the plain of the Jordan between Succoth and Zeredah. e 18 Solomon made all these articles in such great abundance that the weight of the bronze could not be determined.
Completion of the Gold Furnishings
(1 Kings 7:48–51)
19 Solomon also made all the furnishings for the house of God:
the golden altar;
the tables on which was placed the Bread of the Presence;
20 the lampstands of pure gold and their lamps, to burn in front of the inner sanctuary as prescribed;
21 the flowers, lamps, and tongs of gold—of purest gold;
22 the wick trimmers, sprinkling bowls, ladles, and censers of purest gold;
and the gold doors of the temple: the inner doors to the Most Holy Place f as well as the doors of the main hall.
Footnotes:
1 a The altar was approximately 30 feet in length and width and 15 feet high (9.1 meters in length and width and 4.6 meters high).
2 b The Sea was approximately 15 feet from rim to rim, 7.5 feet in height, and 45 feet in circumference (4.6 meters from rim to rim, 2.3 meters in height, and 13.7 meters in circumference).
5 c A handbreadth is approximately 2.9 inches or 7.4 centimeters.
5 d 3,000 baths is approximately 17,400 gallons or 66,000 liters.
17 e Zeredah is a variant of Zarethan ; see 1 Kings 7:46.
22 f Or the Holy of Holies
2 Chronicles 5
The Ark Enters the Temple
(1 Kings 8:1–11)
1 So all the work that Solomon had performed for the house of the LORD was completed.
Then Solomon brought in the items his father David had dedicated—the silver, the gold, and all the furnishings—and he placed them in the treasuries of the house of God.
2 At that time Solomon assembled in Jerusalem the elders of Israel—all the tribal heads and family leaders of the Israelites—to bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD from Zion, the City of David. 3 So all the men of Israel came together to the king at the feast in the seventh month. a
4 When all the elders of Israel had arrived, the Levites took up the ark, 5 and they brought up the ark and the Tent of Meeting with all its sacred furnishings. The Levitical priests carried them up.
6 There, before the ark, King Solomon and the whole congregation of Israel who had assembled with him sacrificed so many sheep and oxen that they could not be counted or numbered.
7 Then the priests brought the ark of the covenant of the LORD to its place in the inner sanctuary of the temple, the Most Holy Place, b beneath the wings of the cherubim. 8 For the cherubim spread their wings over the place of the ark and overshadowed the ark and its poles.
9 The poles of the ark extended far enough that their ends were visible from in front of the inner sanctuary, c but not from outside the Holy Place; d and they are there to this day.
10 There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets that Moses had placed in it at Horeb, e where the LORD had made a covenant with the Israelites after they had come out of Egypt.
11 Now all the priests who were present had consecrated themselves regardless of their divisions. And when the priests came out of the Holy Place, 12 all the Levitical singers—Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun, and their sons and relatives—stood on the east side of the altar, dressed in fine linen and playing cymbals, harps, and lyres, accompanied by 120 priests sounding trumpets. 13 The trumpeters and singers joined together to praise and thank the LORD with one voice. They lifted up their voices, accompanied by trumpets, cymbals, and musical instruments, in praise to the LORD:
“For He is good;
His loving devotion endures forever.”
And the temple, the house of the LORD, was filled with a cloud 14 so that the priests could not stand there to minister because of the cloud; for the glory of the LORD filled the house of God.
Footnotes:
3 a That is, the Feast of Tabernacles (or Booths or Shelters); see Leviticus 23:33–36.
7 b Or the Holy of Holies
9 c Some Hebrew manuscripts and LXX The poles extended far enough that their ends were visible from the Holy Place in front of the inner sanctuary ; see 1 Kings 8:8.
9 d Literally not from outside
10 e That is, Mount Sinai, or possibly a mountain in the range containing Mount Sinai
2 Chronicles 6
Solomon Blesses the LORD
(1 Kings 8:12–21)
1 Then Solomon declared:
“The LORD has said that He would dwell
in the thick cloud;
2 and I have built You an exalted house,
a place for You to dwell forever.”
3 And as the whole assembly of Israel stood there, the king turned around and blessed them all 4 and said:
“Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who has fulfilled with His own hand what He spoke with His mouth to my father David, saying, 5 ‘Since the day I brought My people out of the land of Egypt, I have not chosen a city from any tribe of Israel in which to build a house so that My Name would be there, nor have I chosen anyone to be ruler over My people Israel. 6 But now I have chosen Jerusalem for My Name to be there, and I have chosen David to be over My people Israel.’
7 Now it was in the heart of my father David to build a house for the Name of the LORD, the God of Israel. 8 But the LORD said to my father David, ‘Since it was in your heart to build a house for My Name, you have done well to have this in your heart. 9 Nevertheless, you are not the one to build it; but your son, your own offspring, will build the house for My Name.’
10 Now the LORD has fulfilled the word that He spoke. I have succeeded my father David, and I sit on the throne of Israel, as the LORD promised. I have built the house for the Name of the LORD, the God of Israel. 11 And there I have provided a place for the ark, which contains the covenant of the LORD that He made with the children of Israel.”
Solomon’s Prayer of Dedication
(1 Kings 8:22–53)
12 Then Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in front of the whole assembly of Israel and spread out his hands. 13 Now Solomon had made a bronze platform five cubits long, five cubits wide, and three cubits high, a and had placed it in the middle of the courtyard. He stood on it, knelt down before the whole assembly of Israel, spread out his hands toward heaven, 14 and said:
“O LORD, God of Israel, there is no God like You in heaven or on earth, keeping Your covenant of loving devotion with Your servants who walk before You with all their hearts. 15 You have kept Your promise to Your servant, my father David. What You spoke with Your mouth You have fulfilled with Your hand this day.
16 Therefore now, O LORD, God of Israel, keep for Your servant, my father David, what You promised when You said: ‘You will never fail to have a man to sit before Me on the throne of Israel, if only your descendants guard their way to walk in My law as you have walked before Me.’ 17 And now, O LORD, God of Israel, please confirm what You promised to Your servant David.
18 But will God indeed dwell with man upon the earth? Even heaven, the highest heaven, cannot contain You, much less this temple I have built. 19 Yet regard the prayer and plea of Your servant, O LORD my God, so that You may hear the cry and the prayer that Your servant is praying before You.
20 May Your eyes be open toward this temple day and night, toward the place where You said You would put Your Name, so that You may hear the prayer that Your servant prays toward this place. 21 Hear the plea of Your servant and of Your people Israel when they pray toward this place. May You hear from heaven, Your dwelling place. May You hear and forgive.
22 When a man sins against his neighbor and is required to take an oath, and he comes to take an oath before Your altar in this temple, 23 then may You hear from heaven and act. May You judge Your servants, condemning the wicked man by bringing down on his own head what he has done, and justifying the righteous man by rewarding him according to his righteousness.
24 When Your people Israel are defeated before an enemy because they have sinned against You, and they return to You and confess Your name, praying and pleading before You in this temple, 25 then may You hear from heaven and forgive the sin of Your people Israel. May You restore them to the land You gave to them and their fathers.
26 When the skies are shut and there is no rain because Your people have sinned against You, and they pray toward this place and confess Your name, and they turn from their sins because You have afflicted them, 27 then may You hear from heaven and forgive the sin of Your servants, Your people Israel, so that You may teach them the good way in which they should walk. May You send rain on the land that You gave Your people as an inheritance.
28 When famine or plague comes upon the land, or blight or mildew or locusts or grasshoppers, or when their enemies besiege them in their cities, whatever plague or sickness may come, 29 then may whatever prayer or petition Your people Israel make—each knowing his own afflictions and spreading out his hands toward this temple— 30 be heard by You from heaven, Your dwelling place. And may You forgive and repay each man according to all his ways, since You know his heart—for You alone know the hearts of men— 31 so that they may fear You and walk in Your ways all the days they live in the land that You gave to our fathers.
32 And as for the foreigner who is not of Your people Israel but has come from a distant land because of Your great name and Your mighty hand and outstretched arm—when he comes and prays toward this temple, 33 then may You hear from heaven, Your dwelling place, and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to You. Then all the peoples of the earth will know Your name and fear You, as do Your people Israel, and they will know that this house I have built is called by Your Name.
34 When Your people go to war against their enemies, wherever You send them, and when they pray to You in the direction of the city You have chosen and the house I have built for Your Name, 35 then may You hear from heaven their prayer and their plea, and may You uphold their cause.
36 When they sin against You—for there is no one who does not sin—and You become angry with them and deliver them to an enemy who takes them as captives to a land far or near, 37 and when they come to their senses in the land to which they were taken, and they repent and plead with You in the land of their captors, saying, ‘We have sinned and done wrong; we have acted wickedly,’ 38 and when they return to You with all their heart and soul in the land of the enemies who took them captive, and when they pray in the direction of the land that You gave to their fathers, the city You have chosen, and the house I have built for Your Name, 39 then may You hear from heaven, Your dwelling place, their prayer and petition, and may You uphold their cause. May You forgive Your people who sinned against You.
40 Now, my God, may Your eyes be open and Your ears attentive to the prayer offered in this place.
41 Now therefore, arise, O LORD God, and enter Your resting place,
You and the ark of Your might.
May Your priests, O LORD God, be clothed with salvation,
and may Your godly ones rejoice in goodness.
42 O LORD God, do not reject Your anointed one.
Remember Your loving devotion to Your servant David.”
Footnotes:
13 a The platform was approximately 7.5 feet in length and width, and 4.5 feet high (2.3 meters in length and width, and 1.4 meters high).
2 Chronicles 7
Fire from Heaven
(Psalm 136:1–26)
1 When Solomon had finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the LORD filled the temple. 2 The priests were unable to enter the house of the LORD, because the glory of the LORD had filled it.
3 When all the Israelites saw the fire coming down and the glory of the LORD above the temple, they bowed down on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshiped and gave thanks to the LORD:
“For He is good;
His loving devotion endures forever.”
Sacrifices of Dedication
(1 Kings 8:62–66)
4 Then the king and all the people offered sacrifices before the LORD. 5 And King Solomon offered a sacrifice of 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep. So the king and all the people dedicated the house of God.
6 The priests stood at their posts, as did the Levites with the musical instruments of the LORD, which King David had made for giving thanks to the LORD and with which David had offered praise, saying, “For His loving devotion endures forever.” Across from the Levites, the priests sounded trumpets, and all the Israelites were standing.
7 Then Solomon consecrated the middle of the courtyard in front of the house of the LORD, and there he offered the burnt offerings and the fat of the peace offerings, since the bronze altar he had made could not contain all these offerings.
8 So at that time Solomon and all Israel with him—a very great assembly of people from Lebo-hamath to the Brook of Egypt—kept the feast a for seven days. 9 On the eighth day they held a solemn assembly, for the dedication of the altar had lasted seven days, and the feast seven days more.
10 On the twenty-third day of the seventh month, Solomon sent the people away to their homes, joyful and glad of heart for the good things that the LORD had done for David, for Solomon, and for His people Israel.
The LORD’s Response to Solomon
(1 Kings 9:1–9)
11 When Solomon had finished the house of the LORD and the royal palace, successfully carrying out all that was in his heart to do for the house of the LORD and for his own palace, 12 the LORD appeared to him at night and said to him:
“I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice. 13 If I close the sky so there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send a plague among My people, 14 and if My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.
15 Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place. 16 For I have now chosen and consecrated this temple so that My Name may be there forever. My eyes and My heart will be there for all time.
17 And as for you, if you walk before Me as your father David walked, doing all I have commanded you, and if you keep My statutes and ordinances, 18 then I will establish your royal throne, as I covenanted with your father David when I said, ‘You will never fail to have a man to rule over Israel.’
19 But if you turn away and forsake the statutes and commandments I have set before you, and if you go off to serve and worship other gods, 20 then I will uproot Israel from the soil I have given them, and I will banish from My presence this temple I have sanctified for My Name. I will make it an object of scorn and ridicule among all the peoples.
21 And when this temple has become a heap of rubble, b all who pass by it will be appalled and say, ‘Why has the LORD done such a thing to this land and to this temple?’ 22 And others will answer, ‘Because they have forsaken the LORD, the God of their fathers, who brought them out of the land of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, worshiping and serving them—because of this, He has brought all this disaster upon them.’ ”
Footnotes:
8 a That is, the Feast of Tabernacles (or Booths or Shelters); see Leviticus 23:33–36.
21 b Some LXX manuscripts, Syriac, and Arabic; Hebrew And though this temple is now exalted ; see also 1 Kings 9:8.
2 Chronicles 8
Solomon’s Additional Achievements
(1 Kings 9:10–28)
1 Now at the end of the twenty years during which Solomon had built the house of the LORD and his own palace, 2 Solomon rebuilt the cities Hiram a had given him and settled Israelites there.
3 Then Solomon went to Hamath-zobah and captured it. 4 He built Tadmor in the wilderness, in addition to all the store cities that he had built in Hamath. 5 He rebuilt Upper and Lower Beth-horon as fortified cities with walls, gates, and bars, 6 as well as Baalath, all the store cities that belonged to Solomon, and all the cities for his chariots and horses b —whatever he desired to build in Jerusalem, Lebanon, and throughout the land of his dominion.
7 As for all the people who remained of the Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites (the people who were not Israelites)— 8 their descendants who remained in the land, those whom the Israelites were unable to destroy—Solomon conscripted these people to be forced laborers, as they are to this day.
9 But Solomon did not consign any of the Israelites to slave labor, because they were his men of war, his officers and captains, and the commanders of his chariots and cavalry. 10 They were also the chief officers for King Solomon: 250 supervisors.
11 Solomon brought the daughter of Pharaoh up from the City of David to the palace he had built for her. For he said, “My wife must not live in the house of David king of Israel, because the places the ark of the LORD has entered are holy.”
12 At that time Solomon offered burnt offerings to the LORD on the altar of the LORD he had built in front of the portico. 13 He observed the daily requirement for offerings according to the commandment of Moses for Sabbaths, New Moons, and the three annual appointed feasts—the Feast of Unleavened Bread, c the Feast of Weeks, d and the Feast of Tabernacles. e
14 In keeping with the ordinances of his father David, Solomon appointed the divisions of the priests over their service, and the Levites for their duties to offer praise and to minister before the priests according to the daily requirement. He also appointed gatekeepers by their divisions at each gate, for this had been the command of David, the man of God. 15 They did not turn aside from the king’s command regarding the priests or the Levites or any matter concerning the treasuries.
16 Thus all the work of Solomon was carried out, from the day the foundation was laid for the house of the LORD until it was finished. So the house of the LORD was completed.
17 Then Solomon went to Ezion-geber and to Eloth f on the coast of Edom. g 18 So Hiram sent him ships captained by his servants, along with crews of experienced sailors. They went with Solomon’s servants to Ophir and acquired from there 450 talents of gold, h which they delivered to King Solomon.
Footnotes:
2 a Hebrew Huram , a variant of Hiram ; also in verse 18
6 b Or horsemen or charioteers
13 c That is, the seven-day period after the Passover during which no leaven may be eaten; see Exodus 12:14–20.
13 d That is, Shavuot, the late spring feast of pilgrimage to Jerusalem; it is also known as the Feast of Harvest (see Exodus 23:16) or the Feast of Pentecost (see Acts 2:1).
13 e That is, Sukkot, the autumn feast of pilgrimage to Jerusalem; also translated as the Feast of Booths or the Feast of Shelters and originally called the Feast of Ingathering (see Exodus 23:16 and Exodus 34:22).
17 f Eloth is a variant of Elath ; see LXX, 2 Kings 14:22, and 2 Kings 16:6.
17 g That is, along the shore of the Red Sea in the land of Edom
18 h 450 talents is approximately 17 tons or 15.4 metric tons of gold.
2 Chronicles 9
The Queen of Sheba
(1 Kings 10:1–13)
1 Now when the queen of Sheba heard about the fame of Solomon, she came to test him with difficult questions. She arrived in Jerusalem with a very large caravan—with camels bearing spices, gold in abundance, and precious stones.
So she came to Solomon and spoke with him about all that was on her mind. 2 And Solomon answered all her questions; nothing was too difficult for him to explain.
3 When the queen of Sheba saw the wisdom of Solomon, the palace he had built, 4 the food at his table, the seating of his servants, the service and attire of his attendants and cupbearers, and the burnt offerings he presented a at the house of the LORD, it took her breath away.
5 She said to the king, “The report I heard in my own country about your words b and wisdom is true. 6 But I did not believe the reports until I came and saw with my own eyes. Indeed, not half of the greatness of your wisdom was told to me. You have far exceeded the report I heard. 7 How blessed are your men! How blessed are these servants of yours who stand continually before you and hear your wisdom! 8 Blessed be the LORD your God, who has delighted in you to set you on His throne to be king for the LORD your God. Because your God loved Israel enough to establish them forever, He has made you king over them to carry out justice and righteousness.”
9 Then she gave the king 120 talents of gold, c a great quantity of spices, and precious stones. There had never been such spices as those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.
10 (The servants of Hiram and of Solomon who brought gold from Ophir also brought algum d wood and precious stones. 11 The king made the algum wood into steps e for the house of the LORD and for the king’s palace, and into lyres and harps for the singers. Never before had anything like them been seen in the land of Judah.)
12 King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba all she desired—whatever she asked—far more than she had brought the king. Then she left and returned to her own country, along with her servants.
Solomon’s Wealth and Splendor
(1 Kings 10:14–29)
13 The weight of gold that came to Solomon each year was 666 talents, f 14 not including the revenue from the merchants and traders. And all the Arabian kings and governors of the land also brought gold and silver to Solomon.
15 King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; six hundred shekels of hammered gold g went into each shield. 16 He also made three hundred small shields of hammered gold; three hundred shekels of gold h went into each shield. And the king put them in the House of the Forest of Lebanon.
17 Additionally, the king made a great throne of ivory and overlaid it with pure gold. 18 The throne had six steps, and a footstool of gold was attached to it. There were armrests on both sides of the seat, with a lion standing beside each armrest. 19 Twelve lions stood on the six steps, one at either end of each step. Nothing like this had ever been made for any kingdom.
20 All King Solomon’s drinking cups were gold, and all the utensils of the House of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold. There was no silver, because it was accounted as nothing in the days of Solomon. 21 For the king had the ships of Tarshish i that went with Hiram’s j servants, and once every three years the ships of Tarshish would arrive bearing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks. k
22 So King Solomon surpassed all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom. 23 All the kings of the earth sought an audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom that God had put in his heart. 24 Year after year, each visitor would bring his tribute: articles of silver and gold, clothing, weapons, spices, horses, and mules.
25 Solomon had 4,000 stalls for horses and chariots, and 12,000 horses, l which he stationed in the chariot cities and also with him in Jerusalem. 26 He reigned over all the kings from the Euphrates m to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt. 27 The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar as abundant as sycamore in the foothills. n 28 Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt and from all the lands.
The Death of Solomon
(1 Kings 11:41–43)
29 As for the rest of the acts of Solomon, from beginning to end, are they not written in the Records of Nathan the Prophet, in the Prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the Visions of Iddo the Seer concerning Jeroboam son of Nebat? 30 Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel forty years. 31 And Solomon rested with his fathers and was buried in the city of his father David. And his son Rehoboam reigned in his place.
Footnotes:
4 a LXX and Syriac (see also 1 Kings 10:5); Hebrew and his stairway by which he went up
5 b Or your achievements
9 c 120 talents is approximately 4.52 tons or 4.1 metric tons of gold.
10 d Algum is probably a variant of almug ; also in verse 11; see 1 Kings 10:11.
11 e Or gateways
13 f 666 talents is approximately 25.1 tons or 22.8 metric tons of gold.
15 g 600 shekels is approximately 15.1 pounds or 6.8 kilograms of gold.
16 h 300 shekels is approximately 7.5 pounds or 3.4 kilograms of gold.
21 i Or a fleet of trading ships ; twice in this verse
21 j Hebrew Huram’s , a variant of Hiram’s
21 k Or baboons
25 l Or horsemen or charioteers
26 m Hebrew the River
27 n Hebrew Shephelah or lowlands ; that is, the western foothills of Judea
2 Chronicles 10
Rebellion against Rehoboam
(1 Kings 12:1–15)
1 Then Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had gone there to make him king. 2 When Jeroboam son of Nebat heard about this, he returned from Egypt, where he had fled from King Solomon. 3 So they sent for Jeroboam, and he and all Israel came to Rehoboam and said, 4 “Your father put a heavy yoke on us. But now you should lighten the burden of your father’s service and the heavy yoke he put on us, and we will serve you.”
5 Rehoboam answered, “Come back to me in three days.” So the people departed.
6 Then King Rehoboam consulted with the elders who had served his father Solomon during his lifetime. “How do you advise me to respond to these people?” he asked.
7 They replied, “If you will be kind to these people and please them by speaking kind words to them, they will be your servants forever.”
8 But Rehoboam rejected the advice of the elders; instead, he consulted the young men who had grown up with him and served him. 9 He asked them, “What message do you advise that we send back to these people who have spoken to me, saying, ‘Lighten the yoke your father put on us’?”
10 The young men who had grown up with him replied, “This is how you should answer these people who said to you, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but you should make it lighter.’ This is what you should tell them: ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s waist! 11 Whereas my father burdened you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke. Whereas my father scourged you with whips, I will scourge you with scorpions.’ ”
12 After three days, Jeroboam and all the people returned to Rehoboam, since the king had said, “Come back to me on the third day.” 13 And the king answered them harshly. King Rehoboam rejected the advice of the elders 14 and spoke to them as the young men had advised, saying, “Whereas my father made your yoke heavy, a I will add to your yoke. Whereas my father scourged you with whips, I will scourge you with scorpions.”
15 So the king did not listen to the people, and indeed this turn of events was from God, in order that the LORD might fulfill the word that He had spoken through Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam son of Nebat.
The Kingdom Divided
(1 Kings 12:16–19)
16 When all Israel saw that the king had refused to listen to them, they answered b the king:
“What portion do we have in David,
and what inheritance in the son of Jesse?
To your tents, O Israel!
Look now to your own house, O David!”
So all the Israelites went home, 17 but Rehoboam still reigned over the Israelites living in the cities of Judah.
18 Then King Rehoboam sent out Hadoram, c who was in charge of the forced labor, but the Israelites stoned him to death. And King Rehoboam mounted his chariot in haste and escaped to Jerusalem. 19 So to this day Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David.
Footnotes:
14 a LXX and many Hebrew manuscripts (see also 1 Kings 12:14); MT Whereas I made your yoke heavy
16 b Syriac, Vulgate, and many Hebrew manuscripts;MT And all Israel, since the king had refused to listen to them, answered .
18 c Hadoram is a variant of Adoram and Adoniram ; see 2 Samuel 20:24 and 1 Kings 4:6.
2 Chronicles 11
Shemaiah’s Prophecy
(1 Kings 12:20–24)
1 When Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he mobilized the house of Judah and Benjamin—180,000 chosen warriors—to fight against Israel and restore the kingdom to Rehoboam. 2 But the word of the LORD came to Shemaiah the man of God: 3 “Tell Rehoboam son of Solomon king of Judah and all the Israelites in Judah and Benjamin 4 that this is what the LORD says: ‘You are not to go up and fight against your brothers. Each of you must return home, for this word is from Me.’ ”
So they listened to the words of the LORD and turned back from going against Jeroboam.
Rehoboam Fortifies Judah
5 Rehoboam continued to live in Jerusalem, and he built up cities for defense in Judah. 6 He built up Bethlehem, Etam, Tekoa, 7 Beth-zur, Soco, Adullam, 8 Gath, Mareshah, Ziph, 9 Adoraim, Lachish, Azekah, 10 Zorah, Aijalon, and Hebron, the fortified cities in Judah and Benjamin. 11 He strengthened their fortresses and put officers in them, with supplies of food, oil, and wine. 12 He also put shields and spears in all the cities and strengthened them greatly. So Judah and Benjamin belonged to him.
Jeroboam Forsakes the Priests and Levites
13 Moreover, the priests and Levites from all their districts throughout Israel stood with Rehoboam. 14 For the Levites left their pasturelands and their possessions and went to Judah and Jerusalem, because Jeroboam and his sons had rejected them as priests of the LORD. 15 And Jeroboam appointed his own priests for the high places and for the goat demons and calf idols he had made.
16 Those from every tribe of Israel who had set their hearts to seek the LORD their God followed the Levites to Jerusalem to sacrifice to the LORD, the God of their fathers. 17 So they strengthened the kingdom of Judah and supported Rehoboam son of Solomon for three years, because they walked for three years in the way of David and Solomon.
Rehoboam’s Family
18 And Rehoboam married Mahalath, who was the daughter of David’s son Jerimoth and of Abihail, the daughter of Jesse’s son Eliab. 19 She bore sons to him:Jeush, Shemariah, and Zaham.
20 After her, he married Maacah daughter of Absalom, and she bore to him Abijah, Attai, Ziza, and Shelomith. 21 Rehoboam loved Maacah daughter of Absalom more than all his wives and concubines. In all, he had eighteen wives and sixty concubines, and he was the father of twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters.
22 Rehoboam appointed Abijah son of Maacah as chief prince among his brothers, intending to make him king. 23 Rehoboam also acted wisely by dispersing some of his sons throughout the districts of Judah and Benjamin, and to all the fortified cities. He gave them abundant provisions and sought many wives for them.
2 Chronicles 12
Shishak Raids Jerusalem
(1 Kings 14:25–28)
1 After Rehoboam had established his sovereignty and royal power, he and all Israel a with him forsook the Law of the LORD. 2 In the fifth year of Rehoboam’s reign, because they had been unfaithful to the LORD, Shishak king of Egypt came up and attacked Jerusalem 3 with 1,200 chariots, 60,000 horsemen, b and countless troops who came with him out of Egypt—Libyans, Sukkites, and Cushites. c 4 He captured the fortified cities of Judah and came as far as Jerusalem.
5 Then Shemaiah the prophet came to Rehoboam and the leaders of Judah who had gathered at Jerusalem because of Shishak, and he said to them, “This is what the LORD says: ‘You have forsaken Me; therefore, I have forsaken you into the hand of Shishak.’ ”
6 So the leaders of Israel and the king humbled themselves and said, “The LORD is righteous.”
7 When the LORD saw that they had humbled themselves, the word of the LORD came to Shemaiah, saying, “They have humbled themselves; I will not destroy them, but will soon grant them deliverance. My wrath will not be poured out on Jerusalem through Shishak. 8 Nevertheless, they will become his servants, so that they may learn the difference between serving Me and serving the kings of other lands.”
9 So King Shishak of Egypt attacked Jerusalem and seized the treasures of the house of the LORD and of the royal palace. He took everything, including the gold shields that Solomon had made.
10 Then King Rehoboam made bronze shields in their place and committed them to the care of the captains of the guard on duty at the entrance to the royal palace. 11 And whenever the king entered the house of the LORD, the guards would go with him, bearing the shields, and later they would return them to the guardroom.
12 Because Rehoboam humbled himself, the anger of the LORD turned away from him, and He did not destroy him completely. Indeed, conditions were good in Judah.
Rehoboam’s Reign and Death
(1 Kings 14:21–24)
13 Thus King Rehoboam established himself in Jerusalem. He was forty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city the LORD had chosen from all the tribes of Israel in which to put His Name. His mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonite. 14 And Rehoboam did evil because he did not set his heart to seek the LORD.
15 Now the acts of Rehoboam, from first to last, are they not written in the records of Shemaiah the Prophet and of Iddo the Seer concerning the genealogies? There was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam throughout their days. 16 And Rehoboam rested with his fathers and was buried in the City of David. And his son Abijah d reigned in his place.
Footnotes:
1 a That is, Judah; in 2 Chronicles, Judah is occasionally called Israel, as representative of the true Israel.
3 b Or charioteers
3 c That is, people from the upper Nile region
16 d Abijah is a variant of Abijam ; see 1 Kings 14:31.
2 Chronicles 13
Abijah Reigns in Judah
(1 Kings 15:1–8)
1 In the eighteenth year of Jeroboam’s reign, Abijah a became king of Judah, 2 and he reigned in Jerusalem three years. His mother’s name was Micaiah b daughter c of Uriel; she was from Gibeah.
And there was war between Abijah and Jeroboam. 3 Abijah went into battle with an army of 400,000 chosen men, while Jeroboam drew up in formation against him with 800,000 chosen and mighty men of valor.
Civil War against Jeroboam
4 Then Abijah stood on Mount Zemaraim in the hill country of Ephraim and said, “Hear me, O Jeroboam and all Israel! 5 Do you not know that the LORD, the God of Israel, has given the kingship of Israel to David and his descendants forever by a covenant of salt d? 6 Yet Jeroboam son of Nebat, a servant of Solomon son of David, rose up and rebelled against his master. 7 Then worthless and wicked men gathered around him to resist Rehoboam son of Solomon when he was young, inexperienced, and unable to resist them.
8 And now you think you can resist the kingdom of the LORD, which is in the hands of David’s descendants. You are indeed a vast army, and you have with you the golden calves that Jeroboam made for you as gods. 9 But did you not drive out the priests of the LORD, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites? And did you not make priests for yourselves as do the peoples of other lands? Now whoever comes to consecrate himself with a young bull and seven rams can become a priest of things that are not gods.
10 But as for us, the LORD is our God. We have not forsaken Him; the priests who minister to the LORD are sons of Aaron, and the Levites attend to their duties. 11 Every morning and every evening they present burnt offerings and fragrant incense to the LORD. They set out the rows of showbread on the ceremonially clean table, and every evening they light the lamps of the gold lampstand. We are carrying out the requirements of the LORD our God, while you have forsaken Him.
12 Now behold, God Himself is with us as our head, and His priests with their trumpets sound the battle call against you. O children of Israel, do not fight against the LORD, the God of your fathers, for you will not succeed.”
13 Now Jeroboam had sent troops around to ambush from the rear, so that while he was in front of Judah, the ambush was behind them. 14 When Judah turned and discovered that the battle was both before and behind them, they cried out to the LORD. Then the priests blew the trumpets, 15 and the men of Judah raised the battle cry. And when they raised the cry, God routed Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah.
16 So the Israelites fled before Judah, and God delivered them into their hands. 17 Then Abijah and his people struck them with a mighty blow, and 500,000 chosen men of Israel fell slain. 18 Thus the Israelites were subdued at that time, and the men of Judah prevailed because they relied on the LORD, the God of their fathers.
19 Abijah pursued Jeroboam and captured some cities from him: Bethel, Jeshanah, and Ephron, along with their villages.
20 Jeroboam did not again recover his power during the days of Abijah, and the LORD struck him down and he died.
21 But Abijah grew strong, married fourteen wives, and became the father of twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters. 22 Now the rest of the acts of Abijah, along with his ways and his words, are written in the Treatise e of the Prophet Iddo.
Footnotes:
1 a Abijah is a variant of Abijam ; see 1 Kings 14:31.
2 b Hebrew; most LXX manuscripts and Syriac Maacah ; see 2 Chronicles 11:20 and 1 Kings 15:2.
2 c Or granddaughter
5 d That is, a perpetual covenant
22 e Or Exposition or Study
2 Chronicles 14
Asa Reigns in Judah
(1 Kings 15:9–15)
1 Then Abijah rested with his fathers and was buried in the City of David. And his son Asa reigned in his place, and in his days the land was at peace for ten years.
2 And Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the LORD his God. 3 He removed the foreign altars and high places, shattered the sacred pillars, and chopped down the Asherah poles. 4 He commanded the people of Judah to seek the LORD, the God of their fathers, and to observe the law and the commandments. 5 He also removed the high places and incense altars from all the cities of Judah, and under him the kingdom was at peace.
6 Because the land was at peace, Asa built fortified cities in Judah. In those days no one made war with him, because the LORD had given him rest. 7 So he said to the people of Judah, “Let us build these cities and surround them with walls and towers, with doors and bars. The land is still ours because we have sought the LORD our God. We have sought Him and He has given us rest on every side.” So they built and prospered.
8 Asa had an army of 300,000 men from Judah bearing large shields and spears, and 280,000 men from Benjamin bearing small shields and drawing the bow. All these were mighty men of valor.
9 Then Zerah the Cushite came against them with an army of 1,000,000 men a and 300 chariots, and they advanced as far as Mareshah. 10 So Asa marched out against him and lined up in battle formation in the Valley of Zephathah near Mareshah. b
11 Then Asa cried out to the LORD his God: “O LORD, there is no one besides You to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us, O LORD our God, for we rely on You, and in Your name we have come against this multitude. O LORD, You are our God. Do not let a mere mortal prevail against You.”
12 So the LORD struck down the Cushites before Asa and Judah, and the Cushites fled. 13 Then Asa and his army pursued them as far as Gerar. The Cushites fell and could not recover, for they were crushed before the LORD and His army. So the people of Judah carried off a great amount of plunder 14 and attacked all the cities around Gerar, because the terror of the LORD had fallen upon them. They plundered all the cities, since there was much plunder there. 15 They also attacked the tents of the herdsmen and carried off many sheep and camels. Then they returned to Jerusalem.
Footnotes:
9 a Or an army of thousands and thousands ; Hebrew an army of a thousand thousands
10 b Or the valley north of Mareshah
2 Chronicles 15
The Prophecy of Azariah
1 Now the Spirit of God came upon Azariah son of Oded. 2 So he went out to meet Asa and said to him, “Listen to me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin. The LORD is with you when you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you, but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you. 3 For many years Israel has been without the true God, without a priest to instruct them, and without the law. 4 But in their distress they turned to the LORD, the God of Israel, and sought Him, and He was found by them. 5 In those days there was no safety for travelers, because the residents of the lands had many conflicts. 6 Nation was crushed by nation, and city by city, for God afflicted them with all kinds of adversity. 7 But as for you, be strong; do not be discouraged, for your work will be rewarded.”
Asa’s Reforms
(1 Kings 15:9–15)
8 When Asa heard these words and the prophecy of Azariah son of Oded a the prophet, he took courage and removed the detestable idols from the whole land of Judah and Benjamin and from the cities he had captured in the hill country of Ephraim. He then restored the altar of the LORD that was in front of the portico of the LORD’s temple. 9 And he assembled all Judah and Benjamin, along with those from the tribes of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon who had settled among them, for great numbers had come over to him from Israel when they saw that the LORD his God was with him.
10 So they gathered together in Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of Asa’s reign. 11 At that time they sacrificed to the LORD seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep from all the plunder they had brought back. 12 Then they entered into a covenant to seek the LORD, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and soul. 13 And whoever would not seek the LORD, the God of Israel, would be put to death, whether young or old, man or woman. 14 They took an oath to the LORD with a loud voice, with shouting, trumpets, and rams’ horns. 15 And all Judah rejoiced over the oath, for they had sworn it with all their heart. They had sought Him earnestly, and He was found by them. So the LORD gave them rest on every side.
16 King Asa also removed his grandmother b Maacah from her position as queen mother because she had made a detestable Asherah pole. Asa chopped down the pole, crushed it, and burned it in the Kidron Valley. 17 The high places were not removed from Israel, but Asa’s heart was fully devoted all his days. 18 And he brought into the house of God the silver and gold articles that he and his father had dedicated.
19 And there was no war until the thirty-fifth year of Asa’s reign.
Footnotes:
8 a Vulgate and Syriac (see also verse 1 and LXX); Hebrew does not include Azariah son of .
16 b Hebrew his mother
2 Chronicles 16
War between Asa and Baasha
(1 Kings 15:16–22)
1 In the thirty-sixth year of Asa’s reign, Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah and fortified Ramah to prevent anyone from leaving or entering the territory of Asa king of Judah. 2 So Asa withdrew the silver and gold from the treasuries of the house of the LORD and the royal palace, and he sent it with this message to Ben-hadad king of Aram, who was ruling in Damascus: 3 “Let there be a treaty a between me and you, between my father and your father. See, I have sent you silver and gold. Now go and break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel, so that he will withdraw from me.”
4 And Ben-hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of his armies against the cities of Israel, conquering Ijon, Dan, Abel-maim, b and all the store cities of Naphtali.
5 When Baasha learned of this, he stopped fortifying Ramah and abandoned his work. 6 Then King Asa brought all the men of Judah, and they carried away the stones of Ramah and the timbers Baasha had used for building. And with these materials he built up Geba and Mizpah.
Hanani’s Message to Asa
7 At that time Hanani the seer came to King Asa of Judah and told him, “Because you have relied on the king of Aram and not on the LORD your God, the army of the king of Aram has escaped from your hand. 8 Were not the Cushites c and Libyans a vast army with many chariots and horsemen? Yet because you relied on the LORD, He delivered them into your hand. 9 For the eyes of the LORD roam to and fro over all the earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose hearts are fully devoted to Him. You have acted foolishly in this matter. From now on, therefore, you will be at war.”
10 Asa was angry with the seer and became so enraged over this matter that he put the man in prison. And at the same time Asa oppressed some of the people.
The Death and Burial of Asa
11 Now the rest of the acts of Asa, from beginning to end, are indeed written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel. 12 In the thirty-ninth year of his reign, Asa became diseased in his feet, and his malady became increasingly severe. Yet even in his illness he did not seek the LORD, but only the physicians.
13 So in the forty-first year of his reign, Asa died and rested with his fathers. 14 And he was buried in the tomb that he had cut out for himself in the City of David. They laid him on a bier that was full of spices and various blended perfumes; then they made a great fire in his honor.
Footnotes:
3 a Forms of the Hebrew berit are translated in most passages as covenant ; twice in this verse.
4 b Abel-maim was also known as Abel-beth-maacah ; see 1 Kings 15:20.
8 c That is, people from the upper Nile region
2 Chronicles 17
Jehoshaphat Reigns in Judah
(1 Kings 15:23–24)
1 Asa’s son Jehoshaphat reigned in his place, and he strengthened himself against Israel. 2 He stationed troops in every fortified city of Judah and put garrisons in the land of Judah and in the cities of Ephraim that his father Asa had captured.
3 Now the LORD was with Jehoshaphat because he walked in the earlier ways a of his father David. He did not seek out the Baals, 4 but he sought the God of his father and walked by His commandments rather than the practices of Israel. 5 So the LORD established the kingdom in his hand, and all Judah brought him tribute, so that he had an abundance of riches and honor. 6 And his heart took delight b in the ways of the LORD; furthermore, he removed the high places and Asherah poles from Judah.
7 In the third year of his reign, Jehoshaphat sent his officials Ben-hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel, and Micaiah to teach in the cities of Judah, 8 accompanied by certain Levites—Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah, and Tob-adonijah—along with the priests Elishama and Jehoram. 9 They taught throughout Judah, taking with them the Book of the Law of the LORD. They went throughout the towns of Judah and taught the people.
10 And the dread of the LORD fell upon all the kingdoms of the lands that surrounded Judah, so that they did not make war against Jehoshaphat. 11 Some Philistines also brought gifts and silver as tribute to Jehoshaphat, and the Arabs brought him 7,700 rams and 7,700 goats from their flocks.
12 Jehoshaphat grew stronger and stronger, and he built fortresses and store cities in Judah 13 and kept vast supplies in the cities of Judah. He also had warriors in Jerusalem who were mighty men of valor. 14 These are their numbers according to the houses of their fathers:
From Judah, the commanders of thousands:
Adnah the commander, and with him 300,000 mighty men of valor;
15 next to him, Jehohanan the commander, and with him 280,000;
16 and next to him, Amasiah son of Zichri, the volunteer for the LORD, and with him 200,000 mighty men of valor.
17 From Benjamin:
Eliada, a mighty man of valor, and with him 200,000 armed with bows and shields;
18 and next to him, Jehozabad, and with him 180,000 armed for battle.
19 These were the men who served the king, besides those he stationed in the fortified cities throughout Judah.
Footnotes:
3 a Or in his early years he walked in the ways
6 b Or was exalted or was courageous
2 Chronicles 18
Jehoshaphat Allies with Ahab
(1 Kings 22:1–12)
1 Now Jehoshaphat had riches and honor in abundance, and he allied himself with Ahab by marriage. 2 And some years later he went down to visit Ahab in Samaria, where Ahab sacrificed many sheep and cattle for him and the people with him, and urged him to march up to Ramoth-gilead.
3 Ahab king of Israel asked Jehoshaphat king of Judah, “Will you go with me against Ramoth-gilead?”
And Jehoshaphat replied, “I am like you, and my people are your people; we will join you in the war.”
4 But Jehoshaphat also said to the king of Israel, “Please inquire first for the word of the LORD.”
5 So the king of Israel assembled the prophets, four hundred men, and asked them, “Should we go to war against Ramoth-gilead, or should we refrain?”
“Go up,” they replied, “and God will deliver it into the hand of the king.”
6 But Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there not still a prophet of the LORD here of whom we can inquire?”
7 The king of Israel answered, “There is still one man who can ask the LORD, but I hate him because he never prophesies anything good for me, but only bad. He is Micaiah son of Imlah.”
“The king should not say that!” Jehoshaphat replied.
8 So the king of Israel called one of his officials and said, “Bring Micaiah son of Imlah at once.”
9 Dressed in royal attire, the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah were sitting on their thrones at the threshing floor by the entrance of the gate of Samaria, with all the prophets prophesying before them.
10 Now Zedekiah son of Chenaanah had made for himself iron horns and declared, “This is what the LORD says: ‘With these you shall gore the Arameans until they are finished off.’ ”
11 And all the prophets were prophesying the same, saying, “Go up to Ramoth-gilead and prosper, for the LORD will deliver it into the hand of the king.”
Micaiah Prophesies against Ahab
(1 Kings 22:13–28)
12 Then the messenger who had gone to call Micaiah instructed him, “Behold, with one accord the words of the prophets are favorable to the king. So please let your words be like theirs, and speak favorably.”
13 But Micaiah said, “As surely as the LORD lives, I will speak whatever my God tells me.”
14 When Micaiah arrived, the king asked him, “Micaiah, should we go to war against Ramoth-gilead, or should we refrain?”
“Go up and triumph,” Micaiah replied, “for they will be given into your hand.”
15 But the king said to him, “How many times must I make you swear not to tell me anything but the truth in the name of the LORD?”
16 So Micaiah declared:
“I saw all Israel scattered on the hills
like sheep without a shepherd.
And the LORD said, ‘These people have no master;
let each one return home in peace.’ ”
17 Then the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you that he never prophesies good for me, but only bad?”
18 Micaiah continued, “Therefore hear the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing on His right and on His left.
19 And the LORD said, ‘Who will entice Ahab king of Israel to march up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’
And one suggested this, and another that.
20 Then a spirit came forward, stood before the LORD, and said, ‘I will entice him.’
‘By what means?’ asked the LORD.
21 And he replied, ‘I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets.’
‘You will surely entice him and prevail,’ said the LORD. ‘Go and do it.’
22 So you see, the LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouths of these prophets of yours, and the LORD has pronounced disaster against you.”
23 Then Zedekiah son of Chenaanah went up, struck Micaiah in the face, and demanded, “Which way did the Spirit of the LORD go when He departed from me to speak with you?”
24 Micaiah replied, “You will soon see, on that day when you go and hide in an inner room.”
25 And the king of Israel declared, “Take Micaiah and return him to Amon the governor of the city and to Joash the king’s son, 26 and tell them that this is what the king says: ‘Put this man in prison and feed him only bread and water until I return safely.’ ”
27 But Micaiah replied, “If you ever return safely, the LORD has not spoken through me.” Then he added, “Take heed, all you people!”
Ahab’s Defeat and Death
(1 Kings 22:29–40)
28 So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah went up to Ramoth-gilead. 29 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise myself and go into battle, but you wear your royal robes.” So the king of Israel disguised himself and went into battle.
30 Now the king of Aram had ordered his chariot commanders, “Do not fight with anyone, small or great, except the king of Israel.”
31 When the chariot commanders saw Jehoshaphat, they said, “This is the king of Israel!” So they turned to fight against him, but Jehoshaphat cried out, and the LORD helped him. God drew them away from him. 32 And when the chariot commanders saw that he was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him.
33 However, a certain man drew his bow without taking special aim, and he struck the king of Israel between the joints of his armor. So the king said to his charioteer, “Turn around a and take me out of the battle, for I am badly wounded!”
34 The battle raged throughout that day, and the king of Israel propped himself up in his chariot facing the Arameans until evening. And at sunset he died.
Footnotes:
33 a Literally Turn your hand
2 Chronicles 19
Jehoshaphat Reproved by Jehu
1 When Jehoshaphat king of Judah had returned safely to his home in Jerusalem, 2 Jehu son of Hanani the seer went out to confront him and said to King Jehoshaphat, “Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the LORD? Because of this, the wrath of the LORD is upon you. 3 However, some good is found in you, for you have removed the Asherah poles from the land and have set your heart on seeking God.”
Jehoshaphat’s Reforms
4 Jehoshaphat lived in Jerusalem, and once again he went out among the people from Beersheba to the hill country of Ephraim and turned them back to the LORD, the God of their fathers. 5 He appointed judges in the land, in each of the fortified cities of Judah. 6 Then he said to the judges, “Consider carefully what you do, for you are not judging for man, but for the LORD, who is with you when you render judgment. 7 And now, may the fear of the LORD be upon you. Be careful what you do, for with the LORD our God there is no injustice or partiality or bribery.”
8 Moreover, Jehoshaphat appointed in Jerusalem some of the Levites, priests, and heads of the Israelite families to judge on behalf of the LORD and to settle disputes. And they lived in Jerusalem. 9 He commanded them, saying, “You must serve faithfully and wholeheartedly in the fear of the LORD. 10 For every dispute that comes before you from your brothers who dwell in their cities—whether it regards bloodshed or some other violation of law, commandments, statutes, or ordinances—you are to warn them, so that they will not incur guilt before the LORD and wrath will not come upon you and your brothers. Do this, and you will not incur guilt.
11 Note that Amariah, the chief priest, will be over you in all that pertains to the LORD, and Zebadiah son of Ishmael, the ruler of the house of Judah, in all that pertains to the king. And the Levites will serve as officers before you. Act resolutely; may the LORD be with the upright!”
2 Chronicles 20
War against Jehoshaphat
1 After this, the Moabites and Ammonites, together with some of the Meunites, a came to make war against Jehoshaphat. 2 Then some men came and told Jehoshaphat, “A vast army is coming against you from Edom, b from beyond the Sea; c they are already in Hazazon-tamar” (that is, En-gedi).
3 Jehoshaphat was alarmed and set his face to seek the LORD. And he proclaimed a fast throughout Judah. 4 So the people of Judah gathered to seek the LORD, and indeed, they came from all the cities of Judah to seek Him.
Jehoshaphat’s Prayer
5 Then Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem in the house of the LORD in front of the new courtyard 6 and said, “O LORD, God of our fathers, are You not the God who is in heaven, and do You not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations? Power and might are in Your hand, and no one can stand against You.
7 Our God, did You not drive out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham Your friend? 8 They have lived in the land and have built in it a sanctuary for Your Name, saying, 9 ‘If disaster comes upon us—whether sword or judgment, d plague or famine—we will stand before this temple and before You, for Your Name is in this temple. We will cry out to You in our distress, and You will hear us and save us.’
10 And now, here are the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, whom You did not let Israel invade when they came out of the land of Egypt; but Israel turned away from them and did not destroy them. 11 See how they are repaying us by coming to drive us out of the possession that You gave us as an inheritance.
12 Our God, will You not judge them? For we are powerless before this vast army that comes against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.”
13 Meanwhile all the men of Judah, with their wives and children and little ones, were standing before the LORD.
The Prophecy of Jahaziel
14 Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jahaziel son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite from Asaph’s descendants, as he stood in the midst of the assembly. 15 And he said, “Listen, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! Listen, King Jehoshaphat! This is what the LORD says: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army, for the battle does not belong to you, but to God. 16 Tomorrow you are to march down against them. You will see them coming up the Ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the valley facing the Wilderness of Jeruel. 17 You need not fight this battle. Take up your positions, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid or discouraged. Go out and face them tomorrow, for the LORD is with you.’ ”
18 Then Jehoshaphat bowed facedown, and all the people of Judah and Jerusalem fell down before the LORD to worship Him. 19 And the Levites from the Kohathites and Korahites stood up to praise the LORD, the God of Israel, shouting in a very loud voice.
The Enemies Destroy Themselves
20 Early in the morning they got up and left for the Wilderness of Tekoa. As they set out, Jehoshaphat stood up and said, “Hear me, O people of Judah and Jerusalem. Believe in the LORD your God, and you will be upheld; believe in His prophets, and you will succeed.”
21 Then Jehoshaphat consulted with the people and appointed those who would sing to the LORD and praise the splendor of His holiness. As they went out before the army, they were singing:
“Give thanks to the LORD,
for His loving devotion endures forever.”
22 The moment they began their shouts and praises, the LORD set ambushes against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir who had come against Judah, and they were defeated. 23 The Ammonites and Moabites rose up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir, devoting them to destruction. e And when they had made an end to the inhabitants of Seir, they helped to destroy one another.
24 When the men of Judah came to a place overlooking the wilderness, they looked for the vast army, but there were only corpses lying on the ground; no one had escaped. 25 Then Jehoshaphat and his people went to carry off the plunder, and they found on the bodies an abundance of goods and valuables f —more than they could carry away. They were gathering the plunder for three days because there was so much.
The Joyful Return
26 On the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Beracah, g where they blessed the LORD. Therefore that place is called the Valley of Beracah to this day.
27 Then all the men of Judah and Jerusalem, with Jehoshaphat at their head, returned joyfully to Jerusalem, for the LORD had made them rejoice over their enemies. 28 So they entered Jerusalem and went into the house of the LORD with harps, lyres, and trumpets.
29 And the fear of God came upon all the kingdoms of the lands when they heard that the LORD had fought against the enemies of Israel. 30 Then Jehoshaphat’s kingdom was at peace, for his God had given him rest on every side.
Summary of Jehoshaphat’s Reign
(1 Kings 22:41–50)
31 So Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah. He was thirty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-five years. His mother’s name was Azubah daughter of Shilhi.
32 And Jehoshaphat walked in the way of his father Asa and did not turn away from it;he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD.
33 The high places, however, were not removed; the people had not yet set their hearts on the God of their fathers.
34 As for the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, from beginning to end, they are indeed written in the Chronicles of Jehu son of Hanani, which are recorded in the Book of the Kings of Israel.
Jehoshaphat’s Fleet Is Wrecked
35 Later, Jehoshaphat king of Judah made an alliance with Ahaziah king of Israel, who acted wickedly. h 36 They agreed to make ships to go to Tarshish, i and these were built in Ezion-geber.
37 Then Eliezer son of Dodavahu of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, “Because you have allied yourself with Ahaziah, the LORD has destroyed your works.”
So the ships were wrecked and were unable to sail to Tarshish. j
Footnotes:
1 a Some LXX manuscripts (see also 2 Chronicles 26:7); Hebrew together with some other Ammonites or together with some besides the Ammonites
2 b One Hebrew manuscript; most Hebrew manuscripts, LXX, and Vulgate Aram
2 c That is, the Dead Sea
9 d Or the sword of judgment
23 e Forms of the Hebrew cherem refer to the giving over of things or persons to the LORD, either by destroying them or by giving them as an offering.
25 f Some Hebrew manuscripts and Vulgate they found among them an abundance of goods and clothing and valuables
26 g Beracah means blessing .
35 h Or who made him act wickedly or by which he acted wickedly
36 i Or a fleet of trading ships
37 j Or set sail to trade
2 Chronicles 21
Jehoram Reigns in Judah
(2 Kings 8:16–19)
1 And Jehoshaphat rested with his fathers and was buried with them in the City of David. And his son Jehoram reigned in his place.
2 Jehoram’s brothers, the sons of Jehoshaphat, were Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Azariah, Michael, and Shephatiah; these were all sons of Jehoshaphat king of Israel. a 3 Their father had given them many gifts of silver and gold and precious things, as well as the fortified cities in Judah; but he gave the kingdom to Jehoram because he was the firstborn.
4 When Jehoram had established himself over his father’s kingdom, he strengthened himself by putting to the sword all his brothers along with some of the princes of Israel. 5 Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years.
6 And Jehoram walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, just as the house of Ahab had done. For he married a daughter of Ahab and did evil in the sight of the LORD. 7 Yet the LORD was unwilling to destroy the house of David, because of the covenant He had made with David, and since He had promised to maintain a lamp for David and his descendants forever.
Edom and Libnah Rebel
(2 Kings 8:20–24)
8 In the days of Jehoram, Edom rebelled against the hand of Judah and appointed their own king. 9 So Jehoram crossed into Edom with his officers and all his chariots. When the Edomites surrounded him and his chariot commanders, he rose up and attacked b by night.
10 So to this day Edom has been in rebellion against the hand of Judah. Likewise, Libnah rebelled against his rule at the same time, because Jehoram had forsaken the LORD, the God of his fathers.
11 Jehoram had also built high places on the hills of Judah; he had caused the people of Jerusalem to prostitute themselves and had led Judah astray.
Elijah’s Letter to Jehoram
12 Then a letter came to Jehoram from Elijah the prophet, which stated:
“This is what the LORD, the God of your father David, says:
‘You have not walked in the ways of your father Jehoshaphat or of Asa king of Judah, 13 but you have walked in the ways of the kings of Israel and have caused Judah and the people of Jerusalem to prostitute themselves, just as the house of Ahab prostituted itself. You have also killed your brothers, your father’s family, who were better than you.
14 So behold, the LORD is about to strike your people, your sons, your wives, and all your possessions with a serious blow. 15 And day after day you yourself will suffer from a severe illness, a disease of your bowels, until it causes your bowels to come out.’ ”
Jehoram’s Disease and Death
16 Then the LORD stirred against Jehoram the spirit of the Philistines and Arabs who lived near the Cushites. 17 So they went to war against Judah, invaded it, and carried off all the possessions found in the king’s palace, along with his sons and wives; not a son was left to him except Jehoahaz, c his youngest.
18 After all this, the LORD afflicted Jehoram with an incurable disease of the bowels. 19 This continued day after day until two full years had passed. Finally, his intestines came out because of his disease, and he died in severe pain. And his people did not make a fire in his honor as they had done for his fathers.
20 Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years. He died, to no one’s regret, and was buried in the City of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.
Footnotes:
2 a That is, Judah; in 2 Chronicles, Judah is occasionally called Israel, as representative of the true Israel.
9 b Or he went out and escaped
17 c Jehoahaz is a variant of Ahaziah ; see 2 Chronicles 22:1.
2 Chronicles 22
Ahaziah Reigns in Judah
(2 Kings 8:25–29)
1 Then the people of Jerusalem made Ahaziah, the youngest son of Jehoram, king in his place, since the raiders who had come into the camp with the Arabs a had killed all the older sons. So Ahaziah son of Jehoram became king of Judah. 2 Ahaziah was twenty-two b years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem one year. His mother’s name was Athaliah, the granddaughter of Omri.
3 Ahaziah also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab, for his mother was his counselor in wickedness. 4 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, as the house of Ahab had done, for to his destruction they were his counselors after the death of his father.
5 Ahaziah also followed their counsel and went with Joram son of Ahab king of Israel to fight against Hazael king of Aram at Ramoth-gilead. But the Arameans c wounded Joram; d 6 so he returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds they had inflicted on him at Ramah e when he fought against Hazael king of Aram. Then Ahaziah f son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to Jezreel to visit Joram son of Ahab, because Joram had been wounded.
7 Ahaziah’s downfall came from God when he went to visit Joram. When Ahaziah arrived, he went out with Joram to meet Jehu son g of Nimshi, whom the LORD had anointed to destroy the house of Ahab.
Jehu Kills the Princes of Judah
(2 Kings 9:14–29)
8 So while Jehu was executing judgment on the house of Ahab, he found the rulers of Judah and the sons of Ahaziah’s brothers who were serving Ahaziah, and he killed them.
9 Then Jehu looked for Ahaziah, and Jehu’s soldiers captured him while he was hiding in Samaria. So Ahaziah was brought to Jehu and put to death. They buried him, for they said, “He is the grandson of Jehoshaphat, who sought the LORD with all his heart.”
So no one was left from the house of Ahaziah with the strength to rule the kingdom.
Athaliah and Joash
(2 Kings 11:1–3)
10 When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she proceeded to annihilate all the royal heirs of the house of Judah. 11 But Jehoshabeath h daughter of King Jehoram took Joash son of Ahaziah and stole him away from among the sons of the king who were being murdered, and she put him and his nurse in a bedroom. Because Jehoshabeath, the daughter of King Jehoram and the wife of Jehoiada the priest, was Ahaziah’s sister, she hid Joash from Athaliah so that she could not kill him.
12 And Joash remained hidden with them in the house of God for six years while Athaliah ruled the land.
Footnotes:
1 a Or since the marauding bands of Arabs
2 b Some LXX manuscripts and Syriac (see also 2 Kings 8:26); Hebrew forty-two
5 c Some LXX manuscripts the archers
5 d Hebrew Jehoram , a variant of Joram ; also in verses 6 and 7
6 e Ramah is a variant of Ramoth ; see verse 5.
6 f Some Hebrew manuscripts, LXX, Vulgate, and Syriac (see also 2 Kings 8:29); most Hebrew manuscripts Azariah
7 g Or grandson ; see 2 Kings 9:14.
11 h Jehoshabeath is a variant of Jehosheba ; twice in this verse; see 2 Kings 11:2.
2 Chronicles 23
Joash Anointed King of Judah
(2 Kings 11:4–12)
1 Then in the seventh year, Jehoiada strengthened himself and made a covenant with the commanders of hundreds—with Azariah son of Jeroham, Ishmael son of Jehohanan, Azariah son of Obed, Maaseiah son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat son of Zichri. 2 So they went throughout Judah and gathered the Levites from all the cities of Judah and the heads of the families of Israel. And when they came to Jerusalem, 3 the whole assembly made a covenant with the king in the house of God.
“Behold, the king’s son!” said Jehoiada. “He must reign, just as the LORD promised concerning the descendants of David. 4 This is what you are to do: A third of you priests and Levites who come on duty on the Sabbath shall keep watch at the doors, 5 a third shall be at the royal palace, and a third at the Foundation Gate, while all the others are in the courtyards of the house of the LORD. 6 No one is to enter the house of the LORD except the priests and those Levites who serve; they may enter because they are consecrated, but all the people are to obey the requirement of the LORD. 7 The Levites must surround the king with weapons in hand, and anyone who enters the temple must be put to death. You must stay close to the king wherever he goes.”
8 So the Levites and all Judah did everything that Jehoiada the priest had ordered. Each of them took his men—those coming on duty on the Sabbath and those going off duty—for Jehoiada the priest had not released any of the divisions. 9 Then Jehoiada the priest gave to the commanders of hundreds the spears and the large and small shields of King David that were in the house of God. 10 He stationed all the troops, with their weapons in hand, surrounding the king by the altar and the temple, from the south side to the north side of the temple.
11 Then Jehoiada and his sons brought out the king’s son, put the crown on him, presented him with the Testimony, and proclaimed him king. They anointed him and shouted, “Long live the king!”
The Death of Athaliah
(2 Kings 11:13–16)
12 When Athaliah heard the noise of the people running and cheering the king, she went out to them in the house of the LORD. 13 And she looked out and saw the king standing by his pillar at the entrance. The officers and trumpeters were beside the king, and all the people of the land were rejoicing and blowing trumpets, while the singers with musical instruments were leading the praises.
Then Athaliah tore her clothes and screamed, “Treason, treason!”
14 And Jehoiada the priest sent out the commanders of hundreds in charge of the army, saying, “Bring her out between the ranks, a and put to the sword anyone who follows her.” For the priest had said, “She must not be put to death in the house of the LORD.”
15 So they seized Athaliah as she reached the entrance of the Horse Gate to the palace grounds, and there they put her to death.
Jehoiada Restores the Worship of the LORD
(2 Kings 11:17–21)
16 Then Jehoiada made a covenant between himself and the king and the people that they would be the LORD’s people. 17 So all the people went to the temple of Baal and tore it down. They smashed the altars and idols to pieces and killed Mattan the priest of Baal in front of the altars.
18 Moreover, Jehoiada put the oversight of the house of the LORD into the hands of the Levitical priests, whom David had appointed over the house of the LORD, to offer burnt offerings to the LORD as is written in the Law of Moses, with rejoicing and song, as ordained by David. 19 He stationed gatekeepers at the gates of the house of the LORD, so that nothing unclean could enter for any reason.
20 He also took with him the commanders of hundreds, the nobles, the rulers of the people, and all the people of the land, and they brought the king down from the house of the LORD and entered the royal palace through the Upper Gate. They seated King Joash on the royal throne, 21 and all the people of the land rejoiced. And the city was quiet, because Athaliah had been put to the sword.
Footnotes:
14 a Or out from the precincts
2 Chronicles 24
Joash Repairs the Temple
(2 Kings 12:1–16)
1 Joash was seven years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem forty years. His mother’s name was Zibiah; she was from Beersheba. 2 And Joash did what was right in the eyes of the LORD all the days of Jehoiada the priest. 3 Jehoiada took for himself two wives, and he had sons and daughters.
4 Some time later, Joash set his heart on repairing the house of the LORD. 5 So he gathered the priests and Levites and said, “Go out to the cities of Judah and collect the money due annually from all Israel, to repair the house of your God. Do it quickly.”
The Levites, however, did not make haste. 6 So the king called Jehoiada the high priest and said, “Why have you not required the Levites to bring from Judah and Jerusalem the tax imposed by Moses the servant of the LORD and by the assembly of Israel for the Tent of the Testimony?”
7 For the sons of that wicked woman Athaliah had broken into the house of God and had even used the sacred objects of the house of the LORD for the Baals.
8 At the king’s command a chest was made and placed outside, at the gate of the house of the LORD. 9 And a proclamation was issued in Judah and Jerusalem that they were to bring to the LORD the tax imposed by Moses the servant of God on Israel in the wilderness. 10 All the officers and all the people rejoiced and brought their contributions, and they dropped them in the chest until it was full.
11 Whenever the chest was brought by the Levites to the king’s overseers and they saw that there was a large amount of money, the royal scribe and the officer of the high priest would come and empty the chest and carry it back to its place. They did this daily and gathered the money in abundance. 12 Then the king and Jehoiada would give the money to those who supervised the labor on the house of the LORD to hire stonecutters and carpenters to restore the house of the LORD, as well as workers in iron and bronze to repair the house of the LORD.
13 So the workmen labored, and in their hands the repair work progressed. They restored the house of God according to its specifications, and they reinforced it. 14 When they were finished, they brought the rest of the money to the king and Jehoiada to make with it the articles for the house of the LORD—utensils for the service and for the burnt offerings, dishes, and other objects of gold and silver.
Throughout the days of Jehoiada, burnt offerings were presented regularly in the house of the LORD.
Jehoiada’s Death and Burial
15 When Jehoiada was old and full of years, he died at the age of 130.
16 And Jehoiada was buried with the kings in the City of David, because he had done what was good in Israel for God and His temple.
The Wickedness of Joash
17 After the death of Jehoiada, however, the officials of Judah came and paid homage to the king, and he listened to them. 18 They abandoned the house of the LORD, the God of their fathers, and served the Asherah poles and idols. So wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for this guilt of theirs. 19 Nevertheless, the LORD sent prophets to bring the people back to Him and to testify against them;but they would not listen.
20 Then the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest, who stood up before the people and said to them, “This is what God says: ‘Why do you transgress the commandments of the LORD so that you cannot prosper? Because you have forsaken the LORD, He has forsaken you.’ ”
21 But they conspired against Zechariah, and by order of the king, they stoned him in the courtyard of the house of the LORD.
22 Thus King Joash failed to remember the kindness that Zechariah’s father Jehoiada had extended to him. Instead, Joash killed Jehoiada’s son. As he lay dying, Zechariah said, “May the LORD see this and call you to account.”
The Death of Joash
(2 Kings 12:17–21)
23 In the spring, a the army of Aram went to war against Joash. They entered Judah and Jerusalem and destroyed all the leaders of the people, and they sent all the plunder to their king in Damascus. 24 Although the Aramean army had come with only a few men, the LORD delivered into their hand a very great army. Because Judah had forsaken the LORD, the God of their fathers, judgment was executed on Joash.
25 And when the Arameans had withdrawn, they left Joash severely wounded. His own servants conspired against him for shedding the blood of the son b of Jehoiada the priest, and they killed him on his bed. So he died and was buried in the City of David, but not in the tombs of the kings. 26 Those who conspired against Joash were Zabad c son of Shimeath the Ammonitess and Jehozabad son of Shimrith d the Moabitess.
27 The accounts of the sons of Joash, as well as the many pronouncements about him and about the restoration e of the house of God, are indeed written in the Treatise f of the Book of the Kings. And his son Amaziah reigned in his place.
Footnotes:
23 a Literally At the turn of the year
25 b LXX and Vulgate; Hebrew of the sons
26 c Zabad is a variant of Jozabad ; see 2 Kings 12:21.
26 d Shimrith is a variant of Shomer ; see 2 Kings 12:21.
27 e Or founding
27 f Or Exposition or Study
2 Chronicles 25
Amaziah Reigns in Judah
(2 Kings 14:1–7)
1 Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother’s name was Jehoaddan; she was from Jerusalem. 2 And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, but not wholeheartedly.
3 As soon as the kingdom was firmly in his grasp, Amaziah executed the servants who had murdered his father the king. 4 Yet he did not put their sons to death, but acted according to what is written in the Law, in the Book of Moses, where the LORD commanded: “Fathers must not be put to death for their children, and children must not be put to death for their fathers; each is to die for his own sin.” a
Amaziah’s Victories
5 Then Amaziah gathered the people of Judah and assigned them according to their families to commanders of thousands and of hundreds. And he numbered those twenty years of age or older throughout Judah and Benjamin and found 300,000 chosen men able to serve in the army, bearing the spear and shield.
6 He also hired 100,000 mighty warriors from Israel for a hundred talents of silver. b 7 But a man of God came to him and said, “O king, do not let the army of Israel go with you, for the LORD is not with Israel—not with any of the Ephraimites. 8 Even if you go and fight bravely in battle, God will make you stumble before the enemy, for God has power to help and power to overthrow.”
9 Amaziah asked the man of God, “What should I do about the hundred talents I have given to the army of Israel?”
And the man of God replied, “The LORD is able to give you much more than this.”
10 So Amaziah dismissed the troops who had come to him from Ephraim and sent them home. And they were furious with Judah and returned home in great anger.
11 Amaziah, however, summoned his strength and led his troops to the Valley of Salt, where he struck down 10,000 men of Seir, 12 and the army of Judah also captured 10,000 men alive. They took them to the top of a cliff and threw them down so that all were dashed to pieces.
13 Meanwhile the troops that Amaziah had dismissed from battle raided the cities of Judah, from Samaria to Beth-horon. They struck down 3,000 people and carried off a great deal of plunder.
Amaziah Rebuked for Idolatry
14 When Amaziah returned from the slaughter of the Edomites, he brought back the gods of the Seirites, set them up as his own gods, bowed before them, and burned sacrifices to them. 15 Therefore the anger of the LORD burned against Amaziah, and He sent him a prophet, who said, “Why have you sought this people’s gods, which could not deliver them from your hand?”
16 While he was still speaking, the king asked, “Have we made you the counselor to the king? Stop! Why be struck down?”
So the prophet stopped, but he said, “I know that God has determined to destroy you, because you have done this and have not heeded my advice.”
Jehoash Defeats Amaziah
(2 Kings 14:8–14)
17 Then Amaziah king of Judah took counsel and sent word to the king of Israel Jehoash c son of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu. “Come, let us meet face to face,” he said.
18 But Jehoash king of Israel replied to Amaziah king of Judah: “A thistle in Lebanon sent a message to a cedar in Lebanon, saying, ‘Give your daughter to my son in marriage.’ Then a wild beast in Lebanon came along and trampled the thistle. 19 You have said, ‘Look, I have defeated Edom,’ and your heart has become proud and boastful. Now stay at home. Why should you stir up trouble so that you fall—you and Judah with you?”
20 But Amaziah would not listen, for this had come from God in order to deliver them into the hand of Jehoash, because they had sought the gods of Edom. 21 So Jehoash king of Israel advanced, and he and Amaziah king of Judah faced each other at Beth-shemesh in Judah. 22 And Judah was routed before Israel, and every man fled to his own home.
23 There at Beth-shemesh, Jehoash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Joash, the son of Jehoahaz. d
Then Jehoash brought him to Jerusalem and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate—a section of four hundred cubits. e 24 He took all the gold and silver and all the articles found in the house of God with Obed-edom and in the treasuries of the royal palace, as well as some hostages. Then he returned to Samaria.
The Death of Amaziah
(2 Kings 14:17–20)
25 Amaziah son of Joash king of Judah lived for fifteen years after the death of Jehoash son of Jehoahaz king of Israel. 26 As for the rest of the acts of Amaziah, from beginning to end, are they not written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel?
27 From the time that Amaziah turned from following the LORD, a conspiracy was formed against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish. But men were sent after him to Lachish, and they killed him there. 28 They carried him back on horses and buried him with his fathers in the City of Judah. f
Footnotes:
4 a Deuteronomy 24:16
6 b 100 talents is approximately 3.77 tons or 3.42 metric tons of silver; also in verse 9.
17 c Jehoash is a variant of Joash ; also in verses 18, 21, 23, and 25.
23 d Jehoahaz is a variant of Ahaziah .
23 e 400 cubits is approximately 600 feet or 182.9 meters.
28 f Most Hebrew manuscripts; some Hebrew manuscripts, LXX, Vulgate, and Syriac City of David ; see 2 Kings 14:20.
2 Chronicles 26
Uzziah Reigns in Judah
(2 Kings 14:21–22; 2 Kings 15:1–7)
1 All the people of Judah took Uzziah, a who was sixteen years old, and made him king in place of his father Amaziah. 2 Uzziah was the one who rebuilt Eloth b and restored it to Judah after King Amaziah c rested with his fathers.
3 Uzziah was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-two years. His mother’s name was Jecoliah; she was from Jerusalem. 4 And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father Amaziah had done. 5 He sought God throughout the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear d of God. And as long as he sought the LORD, God gave him success.
6 Uzziah went out to wage war against the Philistines, and he tore down the walls of Gath, Jabneh, and Ashdod. Then he built cities near Ashdod and among the Philistines. 7 God helped him against the Philistines, against the Arabs living in Gur-baal, and against the Meunites. 8 The Ammonites brought tribute to Uzziah, and his fame spread as far as the border of Egypt, for he had become exceedingly powerful.
9 Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the Corner Gate, the Valley Gate, and the angle in the wall, and he fortified them. 10 Since he had much livestock in the foothills e and in the plain, he built towers in the desert and dug many cisterns. And since he was a lover of the soil, he had farmers and vinedressers in the hill country and in the fertile fields.
11 Uzziah had an army ready for battle that went out to war by assigned divisions, as recorded by Jeiel the scribe and Maaseiah the officer under the direction of Hananiah, one of the royal officers. 12 The total number of family leaders of the mighty men of valor was 2,600. 13 Under their authority was an army of 307,500 trained for war, a powerful force to support the king against his enemies.
14 Uzziah supplied the entire army with shields, spears, helmets, armor, bows, and slingstones. 15 And in Jerusalem he made skillfully designed devices to shoot f arrows and catapult large stones from the towers and corners. So his fame spread far and wide, for he was helped tremendously so that he became powerful.
16 But when Uzziah grew powerful, his arrogance led to his own destruction. He was unfaithful to the LORD his God, for he entered the temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar of incense.
17 Then Azariah the priest, along with eighty brave priests of the LORD, went in after him. 18 They took their stand against King Uzziah and said, “Uzziah, you have no right to offer incense to the LORD. Only the priests, the descendants of Aaron, are consecrated to burn incense. Leave the sanctuary, for you have acted unfaithfully; you will not receive honor from the LORD God.”
19 Uzziah, with a censer in his hand to offer incense, was enraged. But while he raged against the priests in their presence in the house of the LORD before the altar of incense, leprosy g broke out on his forehead. 20 When Azariah the chief priest and all the priests turned to him and saw his leprous forehead, they rushed him out. Indeed, he himself hurried to get out, because the LORD had afflicted him.
21 So King Uzziah was a leper until the day of his death. He lived in isolation, leprous and cut off from the house of the LORD, while his son Jotham had charge of the royal palace to govern the people of the land.
22 As for the rest of the acts of Uzziah, from beginning to end, they are recorded by the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz. 23 And Uzziah rested with his fathers and was buried near them h in a field of burial that belonged to the kings; for the people said, “He was a leper.” And his son Jotham reigned in his place.
Footnotes:
1 a Uzziah is also called Azariah ; throughout this chapter; see 2 Kings 14:21.
2 b Eloth is a variant of Elath ; see LXX, 2 Kings 14:22, and 2 Kings 16:6.
2 c Literally after the king
5 d Many Hebrew manuscripts, LXX, and Syriac; other Hebrew manuscripts through the vision
10 e Hebrew Shephelah or lowlands ; that is, the western foothills of Judea
15 f Or to protect those who shoot
19 g Leprosy was a term used for various skin diseases; see Leviticus 13.
23 h Literally with his fathers
2 Chronicles 27
Jotham Reigns in Judah
(2 Kings 15:32–38)
1 Jotham was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. His mother’s name was Jerushah a daughter of Zadok. 2 And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father Uzziah b had done. In addition, he did not enter the temple of the LORD. But the people still behaved corruptly.
3 Jotham rebuilt the Upper Gate of the house of the LORD, and he worked extensively on the wall at the hill of Ophel. 4 He also built cities in the hill country of Judah and fortresses and towers in the forests.
5 Jotham waged war against the king of the Ammonites and defeated them, and that year they gave him a hundred talents of silver, c ten thousand cors of wheat, d and ten thousand cors of barley. e They paid him the same in the second and third years. 6 So Jotham grew powerful because he ordered his ways before the LORD his God.
7 As for the rest of the acts of Jotham, along with all his wars and his ways, they are indeed written in the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah. 8 He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. 9 And Jotham rested with his fathers and was buried in the City of David. And his son Ahaz reigned in his place.
Footnotes:
1 a Jerushah is a variant of Jerusha ; see 2 Kings 15:33.
2 b Uzziah is also called Azariah ; see 2 Kings 14:21.
5 c 100 talents is approximately 3.77 tons or 3.42 metric tons of silver.
5 d 10,000 cors is approximately 62,400 bushels or 2.2 million liters (probably about 1,920 tons or 1,740 metric tons of wheat).
5 e 10,000 cors is approximately 62,400 bushels or 2.2 million liters (probably about 1,450 tons or 1,315 metric tons of barley).
2 Chronicles 28
Ahaz Reigns in Judah
(2 Kings 16:1–9)
1 Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. And unlike David his father, he did not do what was right in the eyes of the LORD. 2 Instead, he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel and even made cast images of the Baals.
3 Moreover, Ahaz burned incense in the Valley of Hinnom and sacrificed his sons in the fire, a according to the abominations of the nations that the LORD had driven out before the Israelites. 4 And he sacrificed and burned incense on the high places, on the hills, and under every green tree.
Aram Defeats Judah
(Isaiah 1:1–9)
5 So the LORD his God delivered Ahaz into the hand of the king of Aram, who attacked him and took many captives to Damascus.
Ahaz was also delivered into the hand of the king of Israel, who struck him with great force. 6 For in one day Pekah son of Remaliah killed 120,000 valiant men in Judah. This happened because they had forsaken the LORD, the God of their fathers. 7 Zichri, a mighty man of Ephraim, killed Maaseiah the son of the king, Azrikam the governor of the palace, and Elkanah the second to the king. 8 Then the Israelites took 200,000 captives from their kinsmen—women, sons, and daughters. They also carried off a great deal of plunder and brought it to Samaria.
9 But a prophet of the LORD named Oded was there, and he went out to meet the army that returned to Samaria. “Look,” he said to them, “because of His wrath against Judah, the LORD, the God of your fathers, has delivered them into your hand. But you have slaughtered them in a rage that reaches up to heaven. 10 And now you intend to reduce to slavery the men and women of Judah and Jerusalem. But are you not also guilty before the LORD your God? 11 Now therefore, listen to me and return the captives you took from your kinsmen, for the fierce anger of the LORD is upon you.”
12 Then some of the leaders of the Ephraimites b—Azariah son of Jehohanan, Berechiah son of Meshillemoth, c Jehizkiah son of Shallum, and Amasa son of Hadlai—stood in opposition to those arriving from the war. 13 “You must not bring the captives here,” they said, “for you are proposing to bring guilt upon us from the LORD and to add to our sins and our guilt. For our guilt is great, and fierce anger is upon Israel.”
14 So the armed men left the captives and the plunder before the leaders and all the assembly. 15 Then the men who were designated by name arose, took charge of the captives, and provided from the plunder clothing for the naked. They clothed them, gave them sandals and food and drink, anointed their wounds, and put all the feeble on donkeys. So they brought them to Jericho, the City of Palms, to their brothers. Then they returned to Samaria.
The Idolatry of Ahaz
(2 Kings 16:10–20)
16 At that time King Ahaz sent for help from the king d of Assyria. 17 The Edomites had again come and attacked Judah and carried away captives. 18 The Philistines had also raided the cities of the foothills e and the Negev of Judah, capturing and occupying Beth-shemesh, Aijalon, and Gederoth, as well as Soco, Timnah, and Gimzo with their villages. 19 For the LORD humbled Judah because Ahaz king of Israel f had thrown off restraint in Judah and had been most unfaithful to the LORD.
20 Then Tiglath-pileser g king of Assyria came to Ahaz but afflicted him rather than strengthening him. 21 Although Ahaz had taken a portion from the house of the LORD, from the royal palace, and from the princes and had presented it to the king of Assyria, it did not help him.
22 In the time of his distress, King Ahaz became even more unfaithful to the LORD. 23 Since Damascus had defeated him, he sacrificed to their gods and said, “Because the gods of the kings of Aram have helped them, I will sacrifice to them that they may help me.” But these gods were the downfall of Ahaz and of all Israel.
24 Then Ahaz gathered up the articles of the house of God, cut them into pieces, shut the doors of the house of the LORD, and set up altars of his own on every street corner in Jerusalem. 25 In every city of Judah he built high places to offer incense to other gods, and so he provoked the LORD, the God of his fathers.
26 As for the rest of the acts of Ahaz and all his ways, from beginning to end, they are indeed written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel. 27 And Ahaz rested with his fathers and was buried in the city of Jerusalem, but he was not placed in the tombs of the kings of Israel. And his son Hezekiah reigned in his place.
Footnotes:
3 a Literally passed his sons through the fire
12 b That is, the leaders of the northern kingdom of Israel
12 c Meshillemoth is a variant of Meshillemith ; see 1 Chronicles 9:12.
16 d LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate (see also 2 Kings 16:7); Hebrew kings
18 e Hebrew Shephelah or lowlands ; that is, the western foothills of Judea
19 f That is, Judah; in 2 Chronicles, Judah is occasionally called Israel, as representative of the true Israel.
20 g Hebrew Tilgath-pilneser , a variant spelling of Tiglath-pileser
2 Chronicles 29
Hezekiah Cleanses the Temple
(2 Kings 18:1–12)
1 Hezekiah was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother’s name was Abijah, a the daughter of Zechariah. 2 And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father David had done.
3 In the first month of the first year of his reign, Hezekiah opened and repaired the doors of the house of the LORD. 4 Then he brought in the priests and Levites and gathered them in the square on the east side.
5 “Listen to me, O Levites,” he said. “Consecrate yourselves now and consecrate the house of the LORD, the God of your fathers. Remove from the Holy Place every impurity.
6 For our fathers were unfaithful and did evil in the sight of the LORD our God. They abandoned Him, turned their faces away from the dwelling place of the LORD, and turned their backs on Him. 7 They also shut the doors of the portico and extinguished the lamps. They did not burn incense or present burnt offerings in the Holy Place of the God of Israel.
8 Therefore, the wrath of the LORD has fallen upon Judah and Jerusalem, and He has made them an object of terror, horror, and mockery, as you can see with your own eyes. 9 For behold, this is why our fathers have fallen by the sword, and our sons and daughters and wives are in captivity.
10 Now it is in my heart to make a covenant with the LORD, the God of Israel, so that His fierce anger will turn away from us. 11 Now, my sons, do not be negligent, for the LORD has chosen you to stand before Him, to serve Him, to minister before Him, and to burn incense.”
12 Then the Levites set to work:
Mahath son of Amasai and Joel son of Azariah from the Kohathites;
Kish son of Abdi and Azariah son of Jehallelel from the Merarites;
Joah son of Zimmah and Eden son of Joah from the Gershonites;
13 Shimri and Jeuel from the Elizaphanites;
Zechariah and Mattaniah from the Asaphites;
14 Jehiel and Shimei from the Hemanites;
and Shemaiah and Uzziel from the Jeduthunites.
15 When they had assembled their brothers and consecrated themselves, they went in to cleanse the house of the LORD, according to the command of the king by the words of the LORD.
16 So the priests went inside the house of the LORD to cleanse it, and they brought out to the courtyard all the unclean things that they found in the temple of the LORD. Then the Levites took these things and carried them out to the Kidron Valley. 17 They began the consecration on the first day of the first month, and on the eighth day of the month they reached the portico of the LORD. For eight more days they consecrated the house of the LORD itself, finishing on the sixteenth day of the first month.
18 Then they went in to King Hezekiah and reported, “We have cleansed the entire house of the LORD, the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the table of the showbread with all its utensils. 19 Moreover, we have prepared and consecrated all the articles that King Ahaz in his unfaithfulness cast aside during his reign. They are now in front of the altar of the LORD.”
Hezekiah Restores Temple Worship
20 Early the next morning King Hezekiah gathered the city officials and went up to the house of the LORD. 21 They brought seven bulls, seven rams, seven lambs, and seven male goats as a sin offering for the kingdom, for the sanctuary, and for Judah. And the king commanded the priests, the descendants of Aaron, to offer them on the altar of the LORD.
22 So they slaughtered the bulls, and the priests took the blood and sprinkled it on the altar. They slaughtered the rams and sprinkled the blood on the altar. And they slaughtered the lambs and sprinkled the blood on the altar.
23 Then they brought the goats for the sin offering before the king and the assembly, who laid their hands on them. 24 And the priests slaughtered the goats and put their blood on the altar for a sin offering, to make atonement for all Israel, because the king had ordered the burnt offering and the sin offering for all Israel.
25 Hezekiah stationed the Levites in the house of the LORD with cymbals, harps, and lyres according to the command of David, of Gad the king’s seer, and of Nathan the prophet. For the command had come from the LORD through His prophets. 26 The Levites stood with the instruments of David, and the priests with the trumpets.
27 And Hezekiah ordered that the burnt offering be sacrificed on the altar. When the burnt offering began, the song of the LORD and the trumpets began as well, accompanied by the instruments of David king of Israel. 28 The whole assembly was worshiping, the singers were singing, and the trumpeters were playing. All this continued until the burnt offering was completed.
29 When the offerings were completed, the king and all those present with him bowed down and worshiped. 30 Then King Hezekiah and his officials ordered the Levites to sing praises to the LORD in the words of David and of Asaph the seer. So they sang praises with gladness and bowed their heads and worshiped.
31 Then Hezekiah said, “Now that you have consecrated yourselves to the LORD, b come near and bring sacrifices and thank offerings to the house of the LORD.”
So the assembly brought sacrifices and thank offerings, and all whose hearts were willing brought burnt offerings. 32 The number of burnt offerings the assembly brought was seventy bulls, a hundred rams, and two hundred lambs; all these were for a burnt offering to the LORD. 33 And the consecrated offerings were six hundred bulls and three thousand sheep.
34 However, since there were not enough priests to skin all the burnt offerings, their Levite brothers helped them until the work was finished and until the priests had been consecrated. For the Levites had been more diligent in consecrating themselves than the priests had been.
35 Furthermore, the burnt offerings were abundant, along with the fat of the peace offerings and the drink offerings for the burnt offerings. So the service of the house of the LORD was established. 36 Then Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced at what God had prepared for the people, because everything had been accomplished so quickly.
Footnotes:
1 a Abijah is a variant of Abi ; see 2 Kings 18:2.
31 b Or filled your hand for the LORD
2 Chronicles 30
Hezekiah Proclaims a Passover
1 Then Hezekiah sent word throughout all Israel and Judah, and he also wrote letters to Ephraim and Manasseh inviting them to come to the house of the LORD in Jerusalem to keep the Passover of the LORD, the God of Israel. 2 For the king and his officials and the whole assembly in Jerusalem had decided to keep the Passover in the second month, a 3 since they had been unable to observe it at the regular time, because not enough priests had consecrated themselves and the people had not been gathered in Jerusalem.
4 This proposal pleased the king and the whole assembly. 5 So they established a decree to circulate a proclamation throughout Israel, from Beersheba to Dan, that the people should come to keep the Passover of the LORD, the God of Israel, in Jerusalem. For they had not observed it as a nation as prescribed.
6 So the couriers went throughout Israel and Judah with letters from the king and his officials, which read:
“Children of Israel, return to the LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, so that He may return to those of you who remain, who have escaped the grasp of the kings of Assyria. 7 Do not be like your fathers and brothers who were unfaithful to the LORD, the God of their fathers, so that He made them an object of horror, as you can see.
8 Now do not stiffen your necks as your fathers did. Submit to the LORD and come to His sanctuary, which He has consecrated forever. Serve the LORD your God, so that His fierce anger will turn away from you. 9 For if you return to the LORD, your brothers and sons will receive mercy in the presence of their captors and will return to this land. For the LORD your God is gracious and merciful; He will not turn His face away from you if you return to Him.”
10 And the couriers traveled from city to city through the land of Ephraim and Manasseh as far as Zebulun; but the people scorned and mocked them. 11 Nevertheless, some from Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem. 12 Moreover, the power of God was on the people in Judah to give them one heart to obey the command of the king and his officials according to the word of the LORD.
Hezekiah Celebrates the Passover
13 In the second month, a very great assembly gathered in Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread. b 14 They proceeded to remove the altars in Jerusalem and to take away the incense altars and throw them into the Kidron Valley. 15 And on the fourteenth day of the second month they slaughtered the Passover lamb. The priests and Levites were ashamed, and they consecrated themselves and brought burnt offerings to the house of the LORD.
16 They stood at their prescribed posts, according to the Law of Moses the man of God. The priests sprinkled the blood, which they received from the hand of the Levites. 17 Since there were many in the assembly who had not consecrated themselves, the Levites were in charge of slaughtering the Passover lambs for every unclean person to consecrate the lambs to the LORD.
18 A large number of the people—many from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun—had not purified themselves, yet they ate the Passover, contrary to what was written. But Hezekiah interceded for them, saying, “May the LORD, who is good, provide atonement for everyone 19 who sets his heart on seeking God—the LORD, the God of his fathers—even if he is not cleansed according to the purification rules of the sanctuary.”
20 And the LORD heard Hezekiah and healed the people. 21 The Israelites who were present in Jerusalem celebrated the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days with great joy, and the Levites and priests praised the LORD day after day, accompanied by loud instruments of praise to the LORD. c 22 And Hezekiah encouraged all the Levites who performed skillfully before the LORD. For seven days they ate their assigned portion, sacrificing fellowship offerings and giving thanks to the LORD, the God of their fathers.
23 The whole assembly agreed to observe seven more days, so they observed seven days with joy. 24 For Hezekiah king of Judah contributed a thousand bulls and seven thousand sheep for the assembly, and the officials contributed a thousand bulls and ten thousand sheep for the assembly, and a great number of priests consecrated themselves.
25 Then the whole assembly of Judah rejoiced along with the priests and Levites and the whole assembly that had come from Israel, including the foreigners who had come from Israel and those who lived in Judah. 26 So there was great rejoicing in Jerusalem, for nothing like this had happened there since the days of Solomon son of David king of Israel.
27 Then the priests and the Levites stood to bless the people, and God heard their voice, and their prayer came into His holy dwelling place in heaven.
Footnotes:
2 a See Numbers 9:9–12.
13 b That is, the seven-day period after the Passover during which no leaven may be eaten; see Exodus 12:14–20.
21 c Or day after day, with all their strength to the LORD. Literally day after day, with loud instruments to the LORD.
2 Chronicles 31
The Destruction of Idols
1 When all this had ended, the Israelites in attendance went out to the cities of Judah and broke up the sacred pillars, chopped down the Asherah poles, and tore down the high places and altars throughout Judah and Benjamin, as well as in Ephraim and Manasseh, until they had utterly destroyed them all. Then all the Israelites returned to their cities, each to his own property.
2 Hezekiah reestablished the divisions of the priests and Levites—each of them according to their duties as priests or Levites—for the burnt offerings and peace offerings, for ministry, for giving thanks, and for singing praises at the gates of the LORD’s dwelling.
Contributions for Worship
3 The king contributed from his own possessions for the regular morning and evening burnt offerings and for the burnt offerings on the Sabbaths, New Moons, and appointed feasts, as written in the Law of the LORD. 4 Moreover, he commanded the people living in Jerusalem to make a contribution for the priests and Levites so that they could devote themselves to the Law of the LORD.
5 As soon as the order went out, the Israelites generously provided the firstfruits of the grain, new wine, oil, and honey, and of all the produce of the field, and they brought in an abundance—a tithe of everything. 6 And the Israelites and Judahites who lived in the cities of Judah also brought a tithe of their herds and flocks and a tithe of the holy things consecrated to the LORD their God, and they laid them in large heaps.
7 In the third month they began building up the heaps, and they finished in the seventh month. 8 When Hezekiah and his officials came and viewed the heaps, they blessed the LORD and His people Israel.
9 Then Hezekiah questioned the priests and Levites about the heaps, 10 and Azariah, the chief priest of the household of Zadok, answered him, “Since the people began to bring their contributions into the house of the LORD, we have had enough to eat and there is plenty left over, because the LORD has blessed His people;this great abundance is what is left over.”
Hezekiah Organizes the Priests
11 Then Hezekiah commanded them to prepare storerooms in the house of the LORD, and they did so. 12 And they faithfully brought in the contributions, tithes, and dedicated gifts. Conaniah the Levite was the officer in charge of them, and his brother Shimei was second. 13 Jehiel, Azaziah, Nahath, Asahel, Jerimoth, Jozabad, Eliel, Ismachiah, Mahath, and Benaiah were overseers under the authority of Conaniah and his brother Shimei, by appointment of King Hezekiah and of Azariah the chief official of the house of God.
14 Kore son of Imnah the Levite, the keeper of the East Gate, was in charge of the freewill offerings given to God, distributing the contributions to the LORD and the consecrated gifts. 15 Under his authority, Eden, Miniamin, Jeshua, Shemaiah, Amariah, and Shecaniah faithfully distributed portions to their fellow priests in their cities, according to their divisions, old and young alike. a
16 In addition, they distributed portions to the males registered by genealogy who were three years of age or older—to all who would enter the house of the LORD for their daily duties for service in the responsibilities of their divisions— 17 and to the priests enrolled according to their families in the genealogy, as well as to the Levites twenty years of age or older, according to their duties and divisions. 18 The genealogy included all the little ones, wives, sons, and daughters in the whole assembly. For they had faithfully consecrated themselves as holy.
19 As for the priests, the descendants of Aaron, who lived on the farmlands around each of their cities or in any other city, men were designated by name to distribute a portion to every male among the priests and to every Levite listed by the genealogies.
20 So this is what Hezekiah did throughout Judah. He did what was good and upright and true before the LORD his God. 21 He was diligent in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, and in the law and the commandments, in order to seek his God. And so he prospered.
Footnotes:
15 a Or whether large or small
2 Chronicles 32
Sennacherib Invades Judah
(2 Kings 18:13–16; Psalm 46:1–11)
1 After all these acts of faithfulness, Sennacherib king of Assyria came and invaded Judah. He laid siege to the fortified cities, intending to conquer them for himself.
2 When Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come to make war against Jerusalem, 3 he consulted with his leaders and commanders about stopping up the waters of the springs outside the city, and they helped him carry it out. 4 Many people assembled and stopped up all the springs and the stream that flowed through the land. “Why should the kings a of Assyria come and find plenty of water?” they said.
5 Then Hezekiah worked resolutely to rebuild all the broken sections of the wall and to raise up towers on it. He also built an outer wall and reinforced the supporting terraces b of the City of David, and he produced an abundance of weapons and shields.
6 Hezekiah appointed military commanders over the people and gathered the people in the square of the city gate. Then he encouraged them, saying, 7 “Be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged before the king of Assyria and the vast army with him, for there is a greater One with us than with him. 8 With him is only the arm of flesh, c but with us is the LORD our God to help us and to fight our battles.”
So the people were strengthened by the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.
Sennacherib Threatens Jerusalem
(2 Kings 18:17–37; Isaiah 36:1–22)
9 Later, as Sennacherib king of Assyria and all his forces besieged Lachish, he sent his servants to Jerusalem with a message for King Hezekiah of Judah and all the people of Judah who were in Jerusalem: 10 “This is what Sennacherib king of Assyria says: What is the basis of your confidence, that you remain in Jerusalem under siege? 11 Is not Hezekiah misleading you to give you over to death by famine and thirst when he says, ‘The LORD our God will deliver us from the hand of the king of Assyria?’ 12 Did not Hezekiah himself remove His high places and His altars and say to Judah and Jerusalem, ‘You must worship before one altar, and on it you shall burn sacrifices’?
13 Do you not know what I and my fathers have done to all the peoples of the lands? Have the gods of these nations ever been able to deliver their land from my hand? 14 Who among all the gods of these nations that my fathers devoted to destruction d has been able to deliver his people from my hand? How then can your God deliver you from my hand?
15 So now, do not let Hezekiah deceive you, and do not let him mislead you like this. Do not believe him, for no god of any nation or kingdom has been able to deliver his people from my hand or from the hand of my fathers. How much less will your God deliver you from my hand!”
16 And the servants of Sennacherib spoke further against the LORD God and against His servant Hezekiah. 17 He also wrote letters mocking the LORD, the God of Israel, and saying against Him: “Just as the gods of the nations did not deliver their people from my hand, so the God of Hezekiah will not deliver His people from my hand.”
18 Then the Assyrians called out loudly in Hebrew e to the people of Jerusalem who were on the wall, to frighten and terrify them in order to capture the city. 19 They spoke against the God of Jerusalem as they had spoken against the gods of the peoples of the earth—the work of human hands.
Jerusalem Delivered from the Assyrians
(2 Kings 19:35–37; Isaiah 37:36–38)
20 In response, King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz cried out to heaven in prayer, 21 and the LORD sent an angel who annihilated every mighty man of valor and every leader and commander in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he withdrew to his own land in disgrace. And when he entered the temple of his god, some of his own sons struck him down with the sword.
22 So the LORD saved Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem from the hands of King Sennacherib of Assyria and all the others, and He gave them rest on every side. 23 Many brought offerings to Jerusalem for the LORD and valuable gifts for Hezekiah king of Judah, and from then on he was exalted in the eyes of all nations.
Hezekiah’s Illness and Recovery
(2 Kings 20:1–11; Isaiah 38:1–8)
24 In those days Hezekiah became mortally ill. So he prayed to the LORD, who spoke to him and gave him a sign. 25 But because his heart was proud, Hezekiah did not repay the favor shown to him. Therefore wrath came upon him and upon Judah and Jerusalem.
26 Then Hezekiah humbled the pride of his heart—he and the people of Jerusalem—so that the wrath of the LORD did not come upon them during the days of Hezekiah.
27 Hezekiah had very great riches and honor, and he made treasuries for his silver, gold, precious stones, spices, shields, and all kinds of valuable articles. 28 He also made storehouses for the harvest of grain and new wine and oil, stalls for all kinds of livestock, and pens for the flocks. 29 He made cities for himself, and he acquired herds of sheep and cattle in abundance, for God gave him very great wealth.
30 It was Hezekiah who blocked the upper outlet of the Spring of Gihon and channeled it down to the west side of the City of David. And Hezekiah prospered in all that he did. 31 And so when ambassadors of the rulers of Babylon were sent to him to inquire about the wonder that had happened in the land, God left him alone to test him, that He might know all that was in Hezekiah’s heart.
Hezekiah’s Death
32 As for the rest of the acts of Hezekiah and his deeds of loving devotion, they are indeed written in the vision of the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel. 33 And Hezekiah rested with his fathers and was buried in the upper tombs of David’s descendants. All Judah and the people of Jerusalem paid him honor at his death. And his son Manasseh reigned in his place.
Footnotes:
4 a Hebrew; LXX and Syriac king
5 b Hebrew the Millo
8 c Or He has only the strength of his own flesh
14 d Forms of the Hebrew cherem refer to the giving over of things or persons to the LORD, either by destroying them or by giving them as an offering.
18 e Or in the dialect of Judah
2 Chronicles 33
Manasseh Reigns in Judah
(2 Kings 21:1–9)
1 Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-five years. 2 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD by following the abominations of the nations that the LORD had driven out before the Israelites. 3 For he rebuilt the high places that his father Hezekiah had torn down, and he raised up altars for the Baals and made Asherah poles. And he worshiped and served all the host of heaven.
4 Manasseh also built altars in the house of the LORD, of which the LORD had said, “My Name will remain in Jerusalem forever.” 5 In both courtyards of the house of the LORD, he built altars to all the host of heaven. 6 He sacrificed his sons in the fire a in the Valley of Hinnom. He practiced sorcery, divination, and witchcraft, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did great evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking Him to anger.
7 Manasseh even took the carved image he had made and set it up in the house of God, of which God had said to David and his son Solomon, “In this temple and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will establish My Name forever. 8 I will never again cause the feet of the Israelites to leave the land that I assigned to your fathers, if only they are careful to do all that I have commanded them through Moses—all the laws, statutes, and judgments.”
9 So Manasseh led the people of Judah and Jerusalem astray, so that they did greater evil than the nations that the LORD had destroyed before the Israelites.
Manasseh’s Repentance and Restoration
(2 Kings 21:10–18)
10 And the LORD spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they did not listen. 11 So the LORD brought against them the military commanders of the king of Assyria, who captured Manasseh, put a hook in his nose, bound him with bronze shackles, and took him to Babylon. 12 And in his distress, Manasseh sought the favor of the LORD his God and earnestly humbled himself before the God of his fathers. 13 And when he prayed to Him, the LORD received his plea and heard his petition; so He brought him back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD is God.
14 After this, Manasseh rebuilt the outer wall of the City of David from west of Gihon in the valley to the entrance of the Fish Gate, and he brought it around the hill of Ophel and heightened it considerably. He also stationed military commanders in all the fortified cities of Judah.
15 He removed the foreign gods and the idol from the house of the LORD, along with all the altars he had built on the temple mount b and in Jerusalem, and he dumped them outside the city. 16 Then he restored the altar of the LORD and sacrificed peace offerings and thank offerings on it, and he told Judah to serve the LORD, the God of Israel. 17 Nevertheless, the people still sacrificed at the high places, but only to the LORD their God.
18 As for the rest of the acts of Manasseh, along with his prayer to his God and the words of the seers who spoke to him in the name of the LORD, the God of Israel, they are indeed written in the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel. c 19 His prayer and how God received his plea, as well as all his sin and unfaithfulness, and the sites where he built high places and set up Asherah poles and idols before he humbled himself, they are indeed written in the Records of the Seers. d 20 And Manasseh rested with his fathers and was buried at his palace. And his son Amon reigned in his place.
Amon Reigns in Judah
(2 Kings 21:19–26)
21 Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem two years. 22 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, as his father Manasseh had done.
Amon served and sacrificed to all the idols that his father Manasseh had made, 23 but he did not humble himself before the LORD as his father Manasseh had done; instead, Amon increased his guilt.
24 Then the servants of Amon conspired against him and killed him in his palace. 25 But the people of the land killed all those who had conspired against King Amon, and they made his son Josiah king in his place.
Footnotes:
6 a Literally made his sons pass through the fire
15 b Literally the mountain of the house of the LORD
18 c That is, Judah; in 2 Chronicles, Judah is occasionally called Israel, as representative of the true Israel.
19 d Or the Records of the Hozai or the Annals of the Prophets
2 Chronicles 34
Josiah Reigns in Judah
(2 Kings 22:1–2)
1 Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years. 2 And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD and walked in the ways of his father David; he did not turn aside to the right or to the left.
Josiah Destroys Idolatry
(1 Kings 13:1–10; 2 Kings 23:4–20)
3 In the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, Josiah began to seek the God of his father David, and in the twelfth year he began to cleanse Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the Asherah poles, the carved idols, and the cast images. 4 Then in his presence the altars of the Baals were torn down, and he cut to pieces the incense altars that were above them. He shattered the Asherah poles, the carved idols, and the cast images, crushed them to dust, and scattered them over the graves of those who had sacrificed to them. 5 Then he burned the bones of the priests on their altars. So he cleansed Judah and Jerusalem.
6 Josiah did the same in the cities of Manasseh, Ephraim, and Simeon, as far as Naphtali, and in the ruins a around them. 7 He tore down the altars and Asherah poles, crushed the idols to powder, and cut to pieces all the incense altars throughout the land of Israel. Then he returned to Jerusalem.
Josiah Repairs the Temple
(2 Kings 22:3–7)
8 Now in the eighteenth year of his reign, in order to cleanse the land and the temple, Josiah sent Shaphan son of Azaliah, Maaseiah the governor of the city, and Joah son of Joahaz, the recorder, to repair the house of the LORD his God.
9 So they went to Hilkiah the high priest and gave him the money that had been brought into the house of God, which the Levites at the doors had collected from the people of Manasseh and Ephraim, from all the remnant of Israel, Judah, and Benjamin, and from the people of Jerusalem. 10 They put it into the hands of the supervisors of those doing the work of the house of the LORD, who in turn gave it to the workmen restoring and repairing the house of the LORD. 11 They also gave money to the carpenters and builders to buy dressed stone, as well as timbers for couplings and beams for the buildings that the kings of Judah had allowed to deteriorate.
12 And the men did the work faithfully. The Levites overseeing them were Jahath and Obadiah, descendants of Merari, and Zechariah and Meshullam, descendants of Kohath. Other Levites, all skilled with musical instruments, 13 were over the laborers and supervised all who did the work, task by task. Some of the Levites were secretaries, officers, and gatekeepers.
Hilkiah Finds the Book of the Law
(2 Kings 22:8–13)
14 While they were bringing out the money that had been taken into the house of the LORD, Hilkiah the priest found the Book of the Law of the LORD written by b Moses. 15 And Hilkiah said to Shaphan the scribe, “I have found the Book of the Law in the house of the LORD!” And he gave it to Shaphan.
16 Then Shaphan brought the book to the king and reported, “Your servants are doing all that has been placed in their hands. 17 They have paid out the money that was found in the house of the LORD and have put it into the hands of the supervisors and workers.”
18 Moreover, Shaphan the scribe told the king, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” And Shaphan read it in the presence of the king.
19 When the king heard the words of the Law, he tore his clothes 20 and commanded Hilkiah, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Abdon c son of Micah, d Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah the servant of the king: 21 “Go and inquire of the LORD for me and for those remaining in Israel and Judah concerning the words in the book that has been found. For great is the wrath of the LORD that has been poured out on us because our fathers have not kept the word of the LORD by doing all that is written in this book.”
Huldah’s Prophecy
(2 Kings 22:14–20)
22 So Hilkiah and those the king had designated went and spoke to Huldah e the prophetess, the wife of Shallum son of Tokhath, f the son of Hasrah, g the keeper of the wardrobe. She lived in Jerusalem, in the Second District. h
23 And Huldah said to them, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Tell the man who sent you 24 that this is what the LORD says: I am about to bring calamity on this place and on its people, according to all the curses written in the book that has been read in the presence of the king of Judah, 25 because they have forsaken Me and burned incense to other gods, that they might provoke Me to anger with all the works of their hands. My wrath will be poured out upon this place and will not be quenched.’
26 But as for the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the LORD, tell him that this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘As for the words that you heard, 27 because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before God when you heard His words against this place and against its people, and because you have humbled yourself before Me and you have torn your clothes and wept before Me, I have heard you,’ declares the LORD.
28 ‘Now I will indeed gather you to your fathers, and you will be gathered to your grave in peace. Your eyes will not see all the calamity that I will bring on this place and on its inhabitants.’ ”
So they brought her answer back to the king.
Josiah Renews the Covenant
(2 Kings 23:1–3)
29 Then the king summoned all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. 30 And he went up to the house of the LORD with all the people of Judah and Jerusalem, as well as the priests and the Levites—all the people small and great—and in their hearing he read all the words of the Book of the Covenant that had been found in the house of the LORD.
31 So the king stood by the pillar and made a covenant before the LORD to follow the LORD and to keep His commandments, decrees, and statutes with all his heart and all his soul, and to carry out the words of this covenant that were written in this book.
32 Then he had everyone in Jerusalem and Benjamin take a stand in agreement to it. So all the people of Jerusalem carried out the covenant of God, the God of their fathers.
33 And Josiah removed all the abominations from all the lands belonging to the Israelites, and he required everyone in Israel to serve the LORD their God. Throughout his reign they did not turn aside from following the LORD, the God of their fathers.
Footnotes:
6 a Or in the regions
14 b Hebrew the Law of the LORD by the hand of
20 c Abdon is a variant of Achbor ; see 2 Kings 22:12.
20 d Micah is a variant of Micaiah ; see 2 Kings 22:12.
22 e One Hebrew manuscript, Vulgate, and Syriac; most Hebrew manuscripts and those the king had told went to Huldah
22 f Tokhath is a variant of Tikvah ; see 2 Kings 22:14.
22 g Hasrah is a variant of Harhas ; see 2 Kings 22:14.
22 h Or the Second Quarter , a newer section of Jerusalem; Hebrew the Mishneh
2 Chronicles 35
Josiah Restores the Passover
(2 Kings 23:21–27)
1 Then Josiah celebrated the Passover to the LORD in Jerusalem, and the Passover lamb was slaughtered on the fourteenth day of the first month. 2 He appointed the priests to their duties and encouraged them in the service of the house of the LORD.
3 To the Levites who taught all Israel and were holy to the LORD, Josiah said: “Put the holy ark in the temple built by Solomon son of David king of Israel. It is not to be carried around on your shoulders. Now serve the LORD your God and His people Israel. 4 Prepare yourselves by families in your divisions, according to the instructions written by David king of Israel and Solomon his son.
5 Moreover, stand in the Holy Place by the divisions of the families of your kinsmen the lay people, and by the divisions of the families of the Levites. 6 Slaughter the Passover lambs, consecrate yourselves, and make preparations for your fellow countrymen to carry out the word of the LORD given by a Moses.”
7 From his own flocks and herds Josiah contributed 30,000 lambs and goats plus 3,000 bulls for the Passover offerings for all the people who were present.
8 His officials also contributed willingly to the people and priests and Levites. Hilkiah, Zechariah, and Jehiel, the administrators of the house of God, gave the priests 2,600 Passover offerings and 300 bulls. 9 Additionally, Conaniah and his brothers Shemaiah and Nethanel, as well as Hashabiah, Jeiel, and Jozabad, officers of the Levites, donated to the Levites 5,000 Passover offerings and 500 bulls.
10 So the service was prepared; the priests stood in their places and the Levites in their divisions according to the king’s command. 11 And they slaughtered the Passover lambs, while the priests sprinkled the blood handed to them and the Levites skinned the animals. 12 They set aside the burnt offerings to be given to the divisions of the families of the people to offer to the LORD, as is written in the Book of Moses; and they did the same with the bulls.
13 They roasted the Passover animals on the fire according to the regulation, and they boiled the other holy offerings in pots, kettles, and bowls and quickly brought them to all the people. 14 Afterward, they made preparations for themselves and for the priests, since the priests, the descendants of Aaron, were offering up burnt offerings and fat until nightfall. So the Levites made preparations for themselves and for the priests, the descendants of Aaron.
15 The singers, the descendants of Asaph, were at their stations according to the command of David, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun the king’s seer. And the gatekeepers at each gate did not need to leave their position, because their fellow Levites made preparations for them.
16 So on that day the entire service of the LORD was carried out for celebrating the Passover and offering burnt offerings on the altar of the LORD, according to the command of King Josiah. 17 The Israelites who were present also observed the Passover at that time, as well as the Feast of Unleavened Bread b for seven days. 18 No such Passover had been observed in Israel since the days of Samuel the prophet. None of the kings of Israel ever observed a Passover like the one that Josiah observed with the priests, the Levites, all Judah, the Israelites who were present, and the people of Jerusalem. 19 In the eighteenth year of Josiah’s reign, this Passover was observed.
The Death of Josiah
(2 Kings 23:28–30)
20 After all this, when Josiah had set the temple in order, Neco king of Egypt marched up to fight at Carchemish by the Euphrates, and Josiah went out to confront him. 21 But Neco sent messengers to him, saying, “What is the issue between you and me, O king of Judah? I have not come against you today, but I am fighting another dynasty. God told me to hurry; so stop opposing God, who is with me, or He will destroy you!”
22 Josiah, however, did not turn away from him; instead, in order to engage him in battle, he disguised himself. He did not listen to Neco’s words from the mouth of God, but went to fight him on the Plain of Megiddo. 23 There the archers shot King Josiah, who said to his servants, “Take me away, for I am badly wounded!”
24 So his servants took him out of his chariot, put him in his second chariot, and brought him to Jerusalem, where he died. And Josiah was buried in the tomb of his fathers, and all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for him.
Laments over Josiah
25 Then Jeremiah lamented over Josiah, and to this day all the choirs of men and women sing laments over Josiah. They established them as a statute for Israel, and indeed they are written in the Book of Laments.
26 As for the rest of the acts of Josiah, along with his deeds of loving devotion according to what is written in the Law of the LORD— 27 his acts from beginning to end—they are indeed written in the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah.
Footnotes:
6 a Hebrew the word of the LORD by the hand of
17 b That is, the seven-day period after the Passover during which no leaven may be eaten; see Exodus 12:14–20.
2 Chronicles 36
Jehoahaz Succeeds Josiah
(2 Kings 23:31–35)
1 Then the people of the land took Jehoahaz son of Josiah and made him king in Jerusalem in place of his father.
2 Jehoahaz a was twenty-three years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. 3 And the king of Egypt dethroned him in Jerusalem and imposed on Judah a levy of a hundred talents of silver b and a talent of gold. c
4 Then Neco king of Egypt made Eliakim brother of Jehoahaz king over Judah and Jerusalem, and he changed Eliakim’s name to Jehoiakim. But Neco took Eliakim’s brother Jehoahaz and carried him off to Egypt.
Jehoiakim Reigns in Judah
(2 Kings 23:36–37)
5 Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. And he did evil in the sight of the LORD his God.
6 Then Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against Jehoiakim and bound him with bronze shackles to take him to Babylon. 7 Nebuchadnezzar also took to Babylon some of the articles from the house of the LORD, and he put them in his temple d in Babylon.
8 As for the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, the abominations he committed, and all that was found against him, they are indeed written in the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah. And his son Jehoiachin reigned in his place.
Jehoiachin Reigns in Judah
(2 Kings 24:6–9)
9 Jehoiachin was eighteen e years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months and ten days. And he did evil in the sight of the LORD.
10 In the spring, f King Nebuchadnezzar summoned Jehoiachin and brought him to Babylon, along with the articles of value from the house of the LORD. And he made Jehoiachin’s relative g Zedekiah king over Judah and Jerusalem.
Zedekiah Reigns in Judah
(2 Kings 24:18–20; Jeremiah 52:1–3)
11 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. 12 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD his God and did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet, who spoke for the LORD.
13 He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by God. But Zedekiah stiffened his neck and hardened h his heart against turning to the LORD, the God of Israel. 14 Furthermore, all the leaders of the priests and the people multiplied their unfaithful deeds, following all the abominations of the nations, and they defiled the house of the LORD, which He had consecrated in Jerusalem.
The Fall of Jerusalem
(2 Kings 25:1–7)
15 Again and again i the LORD, the God of their fathers, sent word to His people through His messengers because He had compassion on them and on His dwelling place. 16 But they mocked the messengers of God, despising His words and scoffing at His prophets, until the wrath of the LORD against His people was stirred up beyond remedy.
17 So He brought up against them the king of the Chaldeans, j who put their young men to the sword in the sanctuary, sparing neither young men nor young women, neither elderly nor infirm. God gave them all into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, 18 who carried off everything to Babylon—all the articles of the house of God, both large and small, and the treasures of the house of the LORD and of the king and his officials. 19 Then the Chaldeans set fire to the house of God and broke down the wall of Jerusalem. They burned down all the palaces and destroyed every article of value.
20 Those who escaped the sword were carried by Nebuchadnezzar into exile in Babylon, and they became servants to him and his sons until the kingdom of Persia came to power.
21 So the land enjoyed its Sabbath rest all the days of the desolation, until seventy years were completed, in fulfillment of the word of the LORD through Jeremiah. k
The Proclamation of Cyrus
(Ezra 1:1–4;Isaiah 45:1–25)
22 In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken through Jeremiah, the LORD stirred the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia to send a proclamation throughout his kingdom and to put it in writing as follows:
23 “This is what Cyrus king of Persia says:
‘The LORD, the God of heaven, who has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, has appointed me to build a house for Him at Jerusalem in Judah.
Whoever among you belongs to His people, may the LORD his God be with him, and may he go up.’ ”
Footnotes:
2 a Hebrew Joahaz , a variant of Jehoahaz ; also in verse 4
3 b 100 talents is approximately 3.77 tons or 3.42 metric tons of silver.
3 c A talent is approximately 75.4 pounds or 34.2 kilograms of gold.
7 d Or palace
9 e One Hebrew manuscript, some LXX manuscripts, and Syriac (see also 2 Kings 24:8); most Hebrew manuscripts eight
10 f Literally At the turn of the year
10 g Or brother or uncle
13 h Or made strong or made courageous
15 i Literally Rising up early and sending (it),
17 j That is, the Babylonians; also clarified in verse 19
21 k See Jeremiah 25:12 and Jeremiah 29:10.
Ezra
Ezra 1
The Proclamation of Cyrus
(2 Chronicles 36:22–23; Isaiah 45:1–25)
1 In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken through Jeremiah, the LORD stirred the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia to send a proclamation throughout his kingdom and to put it in writing as follows:
2 “This is what Cyrus king of Persia says:
‘The LORD, the God of heaven, who has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, has appointed me to build a house for Him at Jerusalem in Judah.
3 Whoever among you belongs to His people, may his God be with him, and may he go to Jerusalem in Judah and build the house of the LORD, the God of Israel; He is the God who is in Jerusalem. 4 And let every survivor, wherever he lives, be assisted by the men of that region with silver, gold, goods, and livestock, along with a freewill offering for the house of God in Jerusalem.’ ”
5 So the family heads of Judah and Benjamin, along with the priests and Levites—everyone whose spirit God had stirred—prepared to go up and rebuild the house of the LORD in Jerusalem.
6 And all their neighbors supported them with articles of silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with valuables, in addition to all their freewill offerings.
Cyrus Restores the Holy Vessels
7 King Cyrus also brought out the articles belonging to the house of the LORD that Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusalem and placed in the temple of his gods. 8 Cyrus king of Persia had them brought out by the hand of Mithredath the treasurer, who counted them out to Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah. a 9 This was the inventory:
30 gold dishes, b
1,000 silver dishes,
29 silver utensils,
10 30 gold bowls,
410 matching silver bowls,
and 1,000 other articles.
11 In all, there were 5,400 gold and silver articles. Sheshbazzar brought all these along when the exiles went up from Babylon to Jerusalem.
Footnotes:
8 a That is, the leader of the exiles returning to Judah
9 b Or basins ; twice in this verse
Ezra 2
The List of Returning Exiles
(Nehemiah 7:4–69)
1 Now these are the people of the province who came up from the captivity of the exiles carried away to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar its king. They returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own town, 2 accompanied by Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, and Baanah. a
This is the count of the men of Israel:
3 the descendants of Parosh, 2,172;
4 the descendants of Shephatiah, 372;
5 the descendants of Arah, 775;
6 the descendants of Pahath-moab (through the line of Jeshua and Joab), 2,812;
7 the descendants of Elam, 1,254;
8 the descendants of Zattu, 945;
9 the descendants of Zaccai, 760;
10 the descendants of Bani, b 642;
11 the descendants of Bebai, 623;
12 the descendants of Azgad, 1,222;
13 the descendants of Adonikam, 666;
14 the descendants of Bigvai, 2,056;
15 the descendants of Adin, 454;
16 the descendants of Ater (through Hezekiah), 98;
17 the descendants of Bezai, 323;
18 the descendants of Jorah, c 112;
19 the descendants of Hashum, 223;
20 the descendants of Gibbar, d 95;
21 the men e of Bethlehem, 123;
22 the men of Netophah, 56;
23 the men of Anathoth, 128;
24 the descendants of Azmaveth, f 42;
25 the men of Kiriath-jearim, g Chephirah, and Beeroth, 743;
26 the men of Ramah and Geba, 621;
27 the men of Michmash, 122;
28 the men of Bethel and Ai, 223;
29 the descendants of Nebo, 52;
30 the descendants of Magbish, 156;
31 the descendants of the other Elam, h 1,254;
32 the descendants of Harim, 320;
33 the men of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, 725;
34 the men of Jericho, 345;
35 and the descendants of Senaah, 3,630.
36 The priests:
The descendants of Jedaiah (through the house of Jeshua), 973;
37 the descendants of Immer, 1,052;
38 the descendants of Pashhur, 1,247;
39 and the descendants of Harim, 1,017.
40 The Levites:
the descendants of Jeshua and Kadmiel (through the line of Hodaviah i), 74.
41 The singers:
the descendants of Asaph, 128.
42 The gatekeepers:
the descendants of Shallum,
the descendants of Ater,
the descendants of Talmon,
the descendants of Akkub,
the descendants of Hatita,
and the descendants of Shobai,
139 in all.
the descendants of Ziha,
the descendants of Hasupha,
44 the descendants of Keros,
the descendants of Siaha, k
the descendants of Padon,
45 the descendants of Lebanah,
the descendants of Hagabah,
the descendants of Akkub,
46 the descendants of Hagab,
the descendants of Shalmai, l
the descendants of Hanan,
47 the descendants of Giddel,
the descendants of Gahar,
the descendants of Reaiah,
48 the descendants of Rezin,
the descendants of Nekoda,
the descendants of Gazzam,
49 the descendants of Uzza,
the descendants of Paseah,
50 the descendants of Asnah,
the descendants of Meunim,
the descendants of Nephusim, m
51 the descendants of Bakbuk,
the descendants of Hakupha,
52 the descendants of Bazluth, n
the descendants of Mehida,
the descendants of Harsha,
53 the descendants of Barkos,
the descendants of Sisera,
the descendants of Temah,
54 the descendants of Neziah,
and the descendants of Hatipha.
55 The descendants of the servants of Solomon:
the descendants of Sotai,
the descendants of Sophereth,
the descendants of Peruda, o
56 the descendants of Jaala,
the descendants of Darkon,
57 the descendants of Shephatiah,
the descendants of Hattil,
the descendants of Pochereth-hazzebaim,
and the descendants of Ami. p
58 The temple servants and descendants of the servants of Solomon numbered 392 in all.
59 The following came up from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addan, q and Immer, but could not prove that their families were descended from Israel:
60 the descendants of Delaiah,
the descendants of Tobiah,
and the descendants of Nekoda,
652 in all.
61 And from among the priests: the descendants of Hobaiah,
the descendants of Hakkoz,
and the descendants of Barzillai (who had married a daughter of Barzillai the Gileadite and was called by their name).
62 These men searched for their family records, but they could not find them and so were excluded from the priesthood as unclean. 63 The governor ordered them not to eat the most holy things until there was a priest to consult the Urim and Thummim. r
64 The whole assembly numbered 42,360, 65 in addition to their 7,337 menservants and maidservants, as well as their 200 male and female singers. 66 They had 736 horses, 245 mules, 67 435 camels, and 6,720 donkeys.
Offerings by the Exiles
(Exodus 38:21–31; Nehemiah 7:70–73)
68 When they arrived at the house of the LORD in Jerusalem, some of the heads of the families gave freewill offerings to rebuild the house of God on its original site. 69 According to their ability, they gave to the treasury for this work 61,000 darics of gold, s 5,000 minas of silver, t and 100 priestly garments.
70 So the priests, the Levites, the singers, the gatekeepers, and the temple servants, along with some of the people, settled in their own towns; and the rest of the Israelites u settled in their towns.
Footnotes:
2 a Parallel text at Nehemiah 7:7 accompanied by Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, and Baanah
10 b Bani is a variant of Binnui ; see Nehemiah 7:15.
18 c Jorah is a variant of Hariph ; see Nehemiah 7:24.
20 d Gibbar is a variant of Gibeon ; see Nehemiah 7:25.
21 e Literally the sons ; here and in verses 25, 26, 33, and 34
24 f Azmaveth is a variant of Beth-azmaveth ; see Nehemiah 7:28.
25 g LXX (see also Nehemiah 7:29); Hebrew Kiriath-arim
31 h Or of West Elam
40 i Hodaviah is a variant of Hodevah ; see Nehemiah 7:43.
43 j Hebrew The Nethinim ; also in verses 58 and 70
44 k Siaha is a variant of Sia ; see Nehemiah 7:47.
46 l Alternate MT reading (see also Nehemiah 7:48); the other alternate reads Shamlai
50 m Nephusim is a variant of Nephushesim ; see Nehemiah 7:52.
52 n Bazluth is a variant of Bazlith ; see Nehemiah 7:54.
55 o Peruda is a variant of Perida ; see Nehemiah 7:57.
57 p Ami is a variant of Amon ; see Nehemiah 7:59.
59 q Addan is a variant of Addon ; see Nehemiah 7:61.
63 r Literally Lights and Perfections
69 s Or 61,000 gold drachmas ; that is, approximately 1,129.7 pounds or 512.4 kilograms of gold coins
69 t 5,000 minas is approximately 3.14 tons or 2.85 metric tons of silver.
70 u Or all Israel
Ezra 3
Sacrifices Restored
1 By the seventh month, the Israelites had settled in their towns, and the people assembled as one man in Jerusalem.
2 Then Jeshua son of Jozadak a and his fellow priests, along with Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and his associates, began to build the altar of the God of Israel to sacrifice burnt offerings on it, as it is written in the Law of Moses the man of God. 3 They set up the altar on its foundation and sacrificed burnt offerings on it to the LORD—both the morning and evening burnt offerings—even though they feared the people of the land.
4 They also celebrated the Feast of Tabernacles b in accordance with what is written, and they offered burnt offerings daily based on the number prescribed for each day.
5 After that, they presented the regular burnt offerings and those for New Moons and for all the appointed sacred feasts of the LORD, as well as all the freewill offerings brought to the LORD.
6 On the first day of the seventh month, the Israelites began to offer burnt offerings to the LORD, although the foundation of the temple of the LORD had not been laid. 7 They gave money to the masons and carpenters, and food and drink and oil to the people of Sidon and Tyre to bring cedar logs from Lebanon to Joppa by sea, as authorized by Cyrus king of Persia.
Temple Restoration Begins
8 In the second month of the second year after they had arrived at the house of God in Jerusalem, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Jeshua son of Jozadak, and the rest of their associates including the priests, the Levites, and all who had returned to Jerusalem from the captivity, began the work. They appointed Levites twenty years of age or older to supervise the construction of the house of the LORD. 9 So Jeshua and his sons and brothers, Kadmiel and his sons (descendants of Yehudah), c and the sons of Henadad and their sons and brothers—all Levites—joined together to supervise those working on the house of God.
10 When the builders had laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD, the priests in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites (the sons of Asaph) with cymbals, took their positions to praise the LORD, as David king of Israel had prescribed. 11 And they sang responsively with praise and thanksgiving to the LORD:
“For He is good;
for His loving devotion d to Israel endures forever.”
Then all the people gave a great shout of praise to the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD had been laid.
12 But many of the older priests, Levites, and family heads who had seen the first temple wept loudly when they saw the foundation of this temple. Still, many others shouted joyfully. 13 The people could not distinguish the shouts of joy from the sound of weeping, because the people were making so much noise. And the sound was heard from afar.
Footnotes:
2 a Jozadak is a variant of Jehozadak ; also in verse 8; see 1 Chronicles 6:14.
4 b That is, Sukkot, the autumn feast of pilgrimage to Jerusalem; also translated as the Feast of Booths or the Feast of Shelters and originally called the Feast of Ingathering (see Exodus 23:16 and Exodus 34:22).
9 c Hebrew sons of Judah ; that is, most likely, sons of Yehudah , another name for Hodevah or Hodaviah ; see Ezra 2:40 and Nehemiah 7:43.
11 d Forms of the Hebrew chesed are translated here and in most cases throughout the Scriptures as loving devotion ; the range of meaning includes love , goodness , kindness , faithfulness , and mercy , as well as loyalty to a covenant .
Ezra 4
Adversaries Hinder the Work
1 When the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the exiles were building a temple for the LORD, the God of Israel, 2 they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of the families, saying, “Let us build with you because, like you, we seek your God and have been sacrificing to Him since the time of King Esar-haddon of Assyria, who brought us here.”
3 But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the other heads of the families of Israel replied, “You have no part with us in building a house for our God, since we alone must build it for the LORD, the God of Israel, as Cyrus king of Persia has commanded us.”
4 Then the people of the land set out to discourage the people of Judah and make them afraid to build. 5 They hired counselors against them to frustrate their plans throughout the reign of Cyrus king of Persia and down to the reign of Darius king of Persia.
Opposition under Xerxes and Artaxerxes
6 At the beginning of the reign of Xerxes, a an accusation was lodged against the people of Judah and Jerusalem.
7 And in the days of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of his associates wrote a letter to Artaxerxes. It was written in Aramaic and then translated. b
8 Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe wrote the letter against Jerusalem to King Artaxerxes as follows:
9 From Rehum the commander, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their associates—the judges and officials over Tripolis, Persia, Erech and Babylon, the Elamites of Susa, 10 and the rest of the peoples whom the great and honorable Ashurbanipal c deported and settled in the cities of Samaria and elsewhere west of the Euphrates. d
11 (This is the text of the letter they sent to him.)
To King Artaxerxes,
From your servants, the men west of the Euphrates:
12 Let it be known to the king that the Jews who came from you to us have returned to Jerusalem. And they are rebuilding that rebellious and wicked city, restoring its walls, and repairing its foundations.
13 Let it now be known to the king that if that city is rebuilt and its walls are restored, they will not pay tribute, duty, or toll, and the royal treasury will suffer.
14 Now because we are in the service of the palace e and it is not fitting for us to allow the king to be dishonored, we have sent to inform the king 15 that a search should be made of the record books of your fathers. In these books you will discover and verify that the city is a rebellious city, harmful to kings and provinces, inciting sedition from ancient times. That is why this city was destroyed.
16 We advise the king that if this city is rebuilt and its walls are restored, you will have no dominion west of the Euphrates.
The Decree of Artaxerxes
17 Then the king sent this reply:
To Rehum the commander, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of your associates living in Samaria and elsewhere in the region west of the Euphrates:
Greetings.
18 The letter you sent us has been translated and read in my presence. 19 I issued a decree, and a search was conducted. It was discovered that this city has revolted against kings from ancient times, engaging in rebellion and sedition. 20 And mighty kings have ruled over Jerusalem and exercised authority over the whole region west of the Euphrates;and tribute, duty, and toll were paid to them.
21 Now, therefore, issue an order for these men to stop, so that this city will not be rebuilt until I so order. 22 See that you do not neglect this matter. Why allow this threat to increase and the royal interests to suffer?
23 When the text of the letter from King Artaxerxes was read to Rehum, Shimshai the scribe, and their associates, they went immediately to the Jews in Jerusalem and forcibly stopped them.
24 Thus the construction of the house of God in Jerusalem ceased, and it remained at a standstill until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.
Footnotes:
6 a Hebrew Ahasuerus
7 b The original text of Ezra 4:8 through Ezra 6:18 is in Aramaic.
10 c Aramaic Osnappar , another name for Ashurbanipal
10 d Aramaic beyond the River ; also in verses 11, 16, 17, and 20
14 e Literally because the salt of the palace is the salt we eat
Ezra 5
Temple Rebuilding Resumes
(Haggai 1:1–11)
1 Later, the prophets Haggai and Zechariah son of Iddo prophesied to the Jews in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, who was over them. 2 Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Jeshua son of Jozadak a rose up and began to rebuild the house of God in Jerusalem. And the prophets of God were with them, helping them.
3 At that time Tattenai the governor of the region west of the Euphrates, b Shethar-bozenai, and their associates went to the Jews and asked, “Who authorized you to rebuild this temple and restore this structure?”
4 They also asked, c “What are the names of the men who are constructing this building?”
5 But the eye of their God was on the elders of the Jews, so that they were not stopped until a report was sent to Darius and written instructions about this matter were returned.
Tattenai’s Letter to Darius
6 This is the text of the letter that Tattenai the governor of the region west of the Euphrates, Shethar-bozenai, and their associates, the officials in the region, sent to King Darius. 7 The report they sent him read as follows:
To King Darius:
All peace.
8 Let it be known to the king that we went into the province of Judah, to the house of the great God. The people are rebuilding it with large stones, and placing timbers in the walls. This work is being carried out diligently and is prospering in their hands.
9 So we questioned the elders and asked, “Who authorized you to rebuild this temple and restore this structure?”
10 We also asked for their names, so that we could write down the names of their leaders d for your information.
11 And this is the answer they returned:
“We are servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding the temple that was built many years ago, which a great king of Israel built and completed. 12 But since our fathers angered the God of heaven, He delivered them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Chaldean who destroyed this temple and carried away the people to Babylon.
13 In his first year, however, Cyrus king of Babylon issued a decree to rebuild this house of God. 14 He also removed from the temple e of Babylon the gold and silver articles belonging to the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken and carried there from the temple in Jerusalem. King Cyrus gave these articles to a man named Sheshbazzar, whom he appointed governor 15 and instructed, ‘Take these articles, put them in the temple in Jerusalem, and let the house of God be rebuilt on its original site.’
16 So this Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundation of the house of God in Jerusalem, and from that time until now it has been under construction, but it has not yet been completed.”
17 Now, therefore, if it pleases the king, let a search be made of the royal archives in Babylon to see if King Cyrus did indeed issue a decree to rebuild the house of God in Jerusalem. Then let the king send us his decision in this matter.
Footnotes:
2 a Jozadak is a variant of Jehozadak ; see 1 Chronicles 6:14.
3 b Aramaic the governor beyond the River ; also in verse 6
4 c LXX and Syriac; Aramaic Then we told them,
10 d Aramaic the names of the men at their heads
14 e Or palace
Ezra 6
The Decree of Darius
1 Thus King Darius ordered a search of the archives stored in the treasury of Babylon. 2 And a scroll was found in the fortress of Ecbatana, in the province of Media, with the following written on it:
Memorandum:
3 In the first year of King Cyrus, he issued a decree concerning the house of God in Jerusalem:
Let the house be rebuilt as a place for offering sacrifices, and let its foundations be firmly laid. It is to be sixty cubits high and sixty cubits wide, a 4 with three layers of cut stones and one of timbers. The costs are to be paid from the royal treasury.
5 Furthermore, the gold and silver articles of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took from the temple in Jerusalem and carried to Babylon, must also be returned to the temple in Jerusalem and deposited in the house of God.
6 Therefore Darius decreed:
To Tattenai governor of the region west of the Euphrates, b Shethar-bozenai, and your associates and officials in the region:
You must stay away from that place! 7 Leave this work on the house of God alone. Let the governor and elders of the Jews rebuild this house of God on its original site.
8 I hereby decree what you must do for these elders of the Jews who are rebuilding this house of God:
The cost is to be paid in full to these men from the royal treasury out of the taxes of the provinces west of the Euphrates, so that the work will not be hindered. 9 Whatever is needed—young bulls, rams, and lambs for burnt offerings to the God of heaven, as well as wheat, salt, wine, and oil, as requested by the priests in Jerusalem—must be given to them daily without fail. 10 Then they will be able to offer sacrifices of a sweet aroma to the God of heaven and to pray for the lives of the king and his sons.
11 I also decree that if any man interferes with this directive, a beam is to be torn from his house and raised up, and he is to be impaled on it. And his own house shall be made a pile of rubble for this offense. c 12 May God, who has caused His Name to dwell there, overthrow any king or people who lifts a hand to alter this decree or to destroy this house of God in Jerusalem.
I, Darius, have issued the decree. Let it be carried out with diligence.
The Temple Completed
13 In response, Tattenai the governor of the region west of the Euphrates, Shethar-bozenai, and their associates diligently carried out what King Darius had decreed. 14 So the Jewish elders built and prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah son of Iddo.
They finished building according to the command of the God of Israel and the decrees of Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes, kings of Persia. 15 And this temple was completed on the third day of the month of Adar, d in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius.
Dedication of the Temple
16 Then the people of Israel—the priests, the Levites, and the rest of the exiles—celebrated the dedication of the house of God with joy.
17 For the dedication of the house of God they offered a hundred bulls, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs, and a sin offering for all Israel of twelve male goats, one for each tribe of Israel.
18 They also appointed the priests by their divisions and the Levites by their groups to the service of God in Jerusalem, according to what is written in the Book of Moses.
The Returned Exiles Keep the Passover
19 On the fourteenth day of the first month, the exiles kept the Passover. 20 All the priests and Levites had purified themselves and were ceremonially clean.
And the Levites slaughtered the Passover lamb for all the exiles, for their priestly brothers, and for themselves. 21 The Israelites who had returned from exile ate it, together with all who had separated themselves from the uncleanness of the peoples e of the land to seek the LORD, the God of Israel.
22 For seven days they kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread f with joy, because the LORD had made them joyful and turned the heart of the king of Assyria toward them to strengthen their hands in the work on the house of the God of Israel.
Footnotes:
3 a The house was to be approximately 90 feet or 27.4 meters in height and width; Syriac (see also 1 Kings 6:2) It is to be sixty cubits long, twenty cubits wide, and thirty cubits high .
6 b Aramaic governor beyond the River ; similarly in verses 8 and 13
11 c Literally shall be made a dunghill because of this
15 d Adar is the twelfth month of the Hebrew lunar calendar, usually occurring within the months of February and March.
21 e Or nations
22 f That is, the seven-day period after the Passover during which no leaven may be eaten; see Exodus 12:14–20.
Ezra 7
Ezra Arrives in Jerusalem
1 Many years later, a during the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra son of Seraiah, the son of Azariah, the son of Hilkiah, 2 the son of Shallum, the son of Zadok, the son of Ahitub, 3 the son of Amariah, the son of Azariah, the son of Meraioth, 4 the son of Zerahiah, the son of Uzzi, the son of Bukki, 5 the son of Abishua, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the chief priest— 6 this Ezra came up from Babylon. He was a scribe skilled in the Law of Moses, which the LORD, the God of Israel, had given.
The king had granted Ezra all his requests, for the hand of the LORD his God was upon him. 7 So in the seventh year of King Artaxerxes, he went up to Jerusalem with some of the Israelites, including priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, and temple servants. b
8 Ezra arrived in Jerusalem in the fifth month of the seventh year of the king. 9 He had begun the journey from Babylon on the first day of the first month, and he arrived in Jerusalem on the first day of the fifth month, for the gracious hand of his God was upon him. 10 For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the LORD, to practice it, and to teach its statutes and ordinances in Israel.
Artaxerxes’ Letter for Ezra
11 This is the text of the letter King Artaxerxes had given to Ezra the priest and scribe, an expert in the commandments and statutes of the LORD to Israel: c
12 Artaxerxes, king of kings.
To Ezra the priest, the scribe of the Law of the God of heaven:
Greetings. d
13 I hereby decree that any volunteers among the Israelites in my kingdom, including the priests and Levites, may go up with you to Jerusalem. 14 You are sent by the king and his seven counselors to evaluate Judah and Jerusalem according to the Law of your God, which is in your hand.
15 Moreover, you are to take with you the silver and gold that the king and his counselors have freely offered to the God of Israel, whose dwelling is in Jerusalem, 16 together with all the silver and gold you may find in all the province of Babylon, as well as the freewill offerings of the people and priests to the house of their God in Jerusalem. 17 With this money, therefore, you are to buy as many bulls, rams, and lambs as needed, together with their grain offerings and drink offerings, and offer them on the altar at the house of your God in Jerusalem. 18 You and your brothers may do whatever seems best with the rest of the silver and gold, according to the will of your God.
19 You must deliver to the God of Jerusalem all the articles given to you for the service of the house of your God. 20 And if anything else is needed for the house of your God that you may have occasion to supply, you may pay for it from the royal treasury.
21 I, King Artaxerxes, decree to all the treasurers west of the Euphrates: e Whatever Ezra the priest, the scribe of the Law of the God of heaven, may require of you, it must be provided promptly, 22 up to a hundred talents of silver, f a hundred cors of wheat, g a hundred baths of wine, h a hundred baths of olive oil, i and salt without limit. 23 Whatever is commanded by the God of heaven must be done diligently for His house. For why should wrath fall on the realm of the king and his sons? 24 And be advised that you have no authority to impose tribute, duty, or toll on any of the priests, Levites, singers, doorkeepers, temple servants, or other servants of this house of God.
25 And you, Ezra, according to the wisdom of your God which you possess, are to appoint magistrates and judges to judge all the people west of the Euphrates—all who know the laws of your God. And you are to teach these laws to anyone who does not know them. 26 If anyone does not keep the law of your God and the law of the king, let a strict judgment be executed against him, whether death, banishment, confiscation of property, or imprisonment.
Ezra Blesses God
27 Blessed be the LORD, the God of our fathers, who has put into the heart of the king to so honor the house of the LORD in Jerusalem, 28 and who has shown me favor before the king, his counselors, and all his powerful officials.
And because the hand of the LORD my God was upon me, I took courage and gathered the leaders of Israel to return with me.
Footnotes:
1 a Literally After these things
7 b Hebrew Nethinim ; also in verse 24
11 c The original text of Ezra 7:12–26 is in Aramaic.
12 d Aramaic Perfect now (probably a greeting)
21 e Aramaic beyond the River ; also in verse 25
22 f 100 talents is approximately 3.77 tons or 3.42 metric tons of silver.
22 g 100 cors is approximately 624 bushels or 22,000 liters (probably about 19.2 tons or 17.4 metric tons of wheat).
22 h 100 baths is approximately 580 gallons or 2,200 liters of wine.
22 i Or 100 baths of oil ; that is, approximately 580 gallons or 2,200 liters
Ezra 8
The Exiles Who Returned with Ezra
1 These are the family heads and genealogical records of those who returned with me from Babylon during the reign of King Artaxerxes:
2 from the descendants of Phinehas, Gershom;
from the descendants of Ithamar, Daniel;
from the descendants of David, Hattush 3 of the descendants of Shecaniah;
from the descendants of Parosh, Zechariah, and with him were registered 150 men;
4 from the descendants of Pahath-Moab, Eliehoenai son of Zerahiah, and with him 200 men;
5 from the descendants of Zattu, Shecaniah son of Jahaziel, a and with him 300 men;
6 from the descendants of Adin, Ebed son of Jonathan, and with him 50 men;
7 from the descendants of Elam, Jeshaiah son of Athaliah, and with him 70 men;
8 from the descendants of Shephatiah, Zebadiah son of Michael, and with him 80 men;
9 from the descendants of Joab, Obadiah son of Jehiel, and with him 218 men;
10 from the descendants of Bani, Shelomith son of Josiphiah, b and with him 160 men;
11 from the descendants of Bebai, Zechariah son of Bebai, and with him 28 men;
12 from the descendants of Azgad, Johanan son of Hakkatan, and with him 110 men;
13 from the later c descendants of Adonikam, these were their names: Eliphelet, Jeiel, and Shemaiah, and with them 60 men;
14 and from the descendants of Bigvai, both Uthai and Zaccur, d and with them 70 men.
Ezra Sends for the Levites
15 Now I assembled these exiles at the canal that flows to Ahava, and we camped there three days. And when I searched among the people and priests, I found no Levites there.
16 Then I summoned the leaders: Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, e Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah, and Meshullam, as well as the teachers Joiarib and Elnathan. 17 And I sent them to Iddo, the leader at Casiphia, with a message for him and his kinsmen, the temple servants f at Casiphia, that they should bring to us ministers for the house of our God.
18 And since the gracious hand of our God was upon us, they brought us Sherebiah—a man of insight from the descendants of Mahli son of Levi, the son of Israel—along with his sons and brothers, 18 men; 19 also Hashabiah, together with Jeshaiah, from the descendants of Merari, and his brothers and their sons, 20 men. 20 They also brought 220 of the temple servants, all designated by name. David and the officials had appointed them to assist the Levites.
Fasting for Protection
21 And there by the Ahava Canal I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask Him for a safe journey for us and our children, with all our possessions. 22 For I was ashamed to ask the king for an escort of soldiers and horsemen to protect us from our enemies on the road, since we had told him, “The hand of our God is gracious to all who seek Him, but His great anger is against all who forsake Him.”
23 So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and He granted our request.
Priests to Guard the Offerings
24 Then I set apart twelve of the leading priests, together with Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their brothers, 25 and I weighed out to them the contribution of silver and gold and the articles that the king, his counselors, his leaders, and all the Israelites there had offered for the house of our God.
26 I weighed out into their hands 650 talents of silver, g articles of silver weighing 100 talents, h 100 talents of gold, i 27 20 gold bowls valued at 1,000 darics, j and two articles of fine polished bronze, as precious as gold.
28 Then I told them, “You are holy to the LORD, and these articles are holy. The silver and gold are a freewill offering to the LORD, the God of your fathers. 29 Guard them carefully until you weigh them out in the chambers of the house of the LORD in Jerusalem before the leading priests, Levites, and heads of the Israelite families.”
30 So the priests and Levites took charge of the silver and gold and sacred articles that had been weighed out to be taken to the house of our God in Jerusalem.
31 On the twelfth day of the first month we set out from the Ahava Canal to go to Jerusalem, and the hand of our God was upon us to protect us from the hands of the enemies and bandits along the way.
Arrival in Jerusalem
32 So we arrived at Jerusalem and rested there for three days.
33 On the fourth day, in the house of our God, we weighed out the silver and gold and sacred articles into the hand of Meremoth son of Uriah, the priest. Eleazar son of Phinehas was with him, along with the Levites Jozabad son of Jeshua and Noadiah son of Binnui. 34 Everything was verified by number and weight, and the total weight was recorded at that time.
35 Then the exiles who had returned from captivity sacrificed burnt offerings to the God of Israel: 12 bulls for all Israel, 96 rams, 77 lambs, and a sin offering of 12 male goats. All this was a burnt offering to the LORD.
36 They also delivered the king’s edicts to the royal satraps k and governors of the region west of the Euphrates, l who proceeded to assist the people and the house of God.
Footnotes:
5 a Some LXX manuscripts (see also 1 Esdras 8:32); Hebrew from the descendants of Shecaniah, the son of Jahaziel
10 b Some LXX manuscripts (see also 1 Esdras 8:36); Hebrew from the descendants of Shelomith, the son of Josiphiah
13 c Or the last
14 d LXX, Syriac, and an alternate MT reading; the other alternate reads Zabbud .
16 e Elnathan appears three times in verse, either as a repetition for emphasis or as a record of multiple men with this name.
17 f Hebrew the Nethinim ; also in verse 20
26 g 650 talents is approximately 24.5 tons or 22.2 metric tons of silver.
26 h 100 talents is approximately 3.77 tons or 3.42 metric tons of silver articles.
26 i 100 talents is approximately 3.77 tons or 3.42 metric tons of gold.
27 j Or worth 1,000 drachmas ; that is, approximately 18.5 pounds or 8.4 kilograms of gold
36 k A satrap was a Persian official.
36 l Hebrew governors beyond the River
Ezra 9
Intermarriage with Neighboring Peoples
(Nehemiah 13:23–31)
1 After these things had been accomplished, the leaders approached me and said, “The people of Israel, including the priests and Levites, have not kept themselves separate from the surrounding peoples whose abominations are like those of the Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Jebusites, Ammonites, Moabites, Egyptians, and Amorites. 2 Indeed, the Israelites have taken some of their daughters as wives for themselves and their sons, so that the holy seed has been mixed with the people of the land. And the leaders and officials have taken the lead in this unfaithfulness!”
3 When I heard this report, I tore my tunic and cloak, pulled out some hair from my head and beard, and sat down in horror.
4 Then everyone who trembled at the words of the God of Israel gathered around me because of the unfaithfulness of the exiles, while I sat there in horror until the evening offering.
Ezra’s Prayer of Confession
5 At the evening offering, I got up from my humiliation with my tunic and cloak torn, and I fell on my knees, spread out my hands to the LORD my God, 6 and said:
“O my God, I am ashamed and embarrassed to lift up my face to You, my God, because our iniquities are higher than our heads, and our guilt has reached the heavens. 7 From the days of our fathers to this day, our guilt has been great. Because of our iniquities, we and our kings and priests have been delivered into the hands of the kings of the earth and put to the sword and captivity, to pillage and humiliation, as we are this day.
8 But now, for a brief moment, grace has come from the LORD our God to preserve for us a remnant and to give us a stake a in His holy place. Even in our bondage, our God has given us new life and light to our eyes. 9 Though we are slaves, our God has not forsaken us in our bondage, but He has extended to us grace in the sight of the kings of Persia, giving us new life to rebuild the house of our God and repair its ruins, and giving us a wall of protection in Judah and Jerusalem.
10 And now, our God, what can we say after this? For we have forsaken the commandments 11 that You gave through Your servants the prophets, saying: ‘The land that you are entering to possess is a land polluted by the impurity of its peoples and the abominations with which they have filled it from end to end. 12 Now, therefore, do not give your daughters in marriage to their sons or take their daughters for your sons. Never seek their peace or prosperity, so that you may be strong and may eat the good things of the land, leaving it as an inheritance to your sons forever.’
13 After all that has come upon us because of our evil deeds and our great guilt (though You, our God, have punished us less than our iniquities deserve and have given us such a remnant as this), 14 shall we again break Your commandments and intermarry with the peoples who commit these abominations? Would You not become so angry with us as to wipe us out, leaving no remnant or survivor?
15 O LORD, God of Israel, You are righteous! For we remain this day as a remnant. Here we are before You in our guilt, though because of it no one can stand before You.”
Footnotes:
8 a Or nail or foothold
Ezra 10
Shecaniah’s Encouragement
1 While Ezra prayed and made this confession, weeping and falling facedown before the house of God, a very large assembly of Israelites—men, women, and children—gathered around him, and the people wept bitterly as well.
2 Then Shecaniah son of Jehiel, an Elamite, said to Ezra: “We have been unfaithful to our God by marrying foreign women from the people of the land, yet in spite of this, there is hope for Israel. 3 So now let us make a covenant before our God to send away all the foreign wives and their children, according to the counsel of my lord and of those who tremble at the command of our God. Let it be done according to the Law. 4 Get up, for this matter is your responsibility, and we will support you. Be strong and take action!”
5 So Ezra got up and made the leading priests, Levites, and all Israel take an oath to do what had been said. And they took the oath.
The People’s Confession of Sin
6 Then Ezra withdrew from before the house of God and walked to the chamber of Jehohanan son of Eliashib. And while he stayed a there, he ate no food and drank no water, because he was mourning over the unfaithfulness of the exiles.
7 And a proclamation was issued throughout Judah and Jerusalem that all the exiles should gather at Jerusalem. 8 Whoever failed to appear within three days would forfeit all his property, according to the counsel of the leaders and elders, and would himself be expelled from the assembly of the exiles.
9 So within the three days, all the men of Judah and Benjamin assembled in Jerusalem, and on the twentieth day of the ninth month, all the people sat in the square at the house of God, trembling regarding this matter and because of the heavy rain.
10 Then Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, “You have been unfaithful by marrying foreign women, adding to the guilt of Israel. 11 Now, therefore, make a confession to the LORD, the God of your fathers, and do His will. Separate yourselves from the people of the land and from your foreign wives.”
12 And the whole assembly responded in a loud voice: “Truly we must do as you say! 13 But there are many people here, and it is the rainy season. We are not able to stay out in the open. Nor is this the work of one or two days, for we have transgressed greatly in this matter. 14 Let our leaders represent the whole assembly. Then let everyone in our towns who has married a foreign woman come at an appointed time, together with the elders and judges of each town, until the fierce anger of our God in this matter is turned away from us.”
15 (Only Jonathan son of Asahel and Jahzeiah son of Tikvah, supported by Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite, opposed this plan.)
16 So the exiles did as proposed. Ezra the priest selected men who were family heads, each of them identified by name, to represent their families. On the first day of the tenth month they launched the investigation, 17 and by the first day of the first month they had dealt with all the men who had married foreign women.
Those Guilty of Intermarriage
18 Among the descendants of the priests who had married foreign women were found these descendants of Jeshua son of Jozadak b and his brothers:
Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib, and Gedaliah. 19 They pledged to send their wives away, and for their guilt they presented a ram from the flock as a guilt offering.
20 From the descendants of Immer:
Hanani and Zebadiah.
21 From the descendants of Harim:
Maaseiah, Elijah, Shemaiah, Jehiel, and Uzziah.
22 From the descendants of Pashhur:
Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethanel, Jozabad, and Elasah.
23 Among the Levites:
Jozabad, Shimei, Kelaiah (that is, Kelita), Pethahiah, Judah, and Eliezer.
24 From the singers:
Eliashib.
From the gatekeepers:
Shallum, Telem, and Uri.
25 And among the other Israelites, from the descendants of Parosh:
Ramiah, Izziah, Malchijah, Mijamin, Eleazar, Malchijah, c and Benaiah.
26 From the descendants of Elam:
Mattaniah, Zechariah, Jehiel, Abdi, Jeremoth, and Elijah.
27 From the descendants of Zattu:
Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, Jeremoth, Zabad, and Aziza.
28 From the descendants of Bebai:
Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai, and Athlai.
29 From the descendants of Bani:
Meshullam, Malluch, Adaiah, Jashub, Sheal, and Jeremoth.
30 From the descendants of Pahath-moab:
Adna, Chelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezalel, Binnui, and Manasseh.
31 From the descendants of Harim:
Eliezer, Isshijah, Malchijah, Shemaiah, Shimeon, 32 Benjamin, Malluch, and Shemariah.
33 From the descendants of Hashum:
Mattenai, Mattattah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh, and Shimei.
34 From the descendants of Bani:
Maadai, Amram, Uel, 35 Benaiah, Bedeiah, Cheluhi, 36 Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib, 37 Mattaniah, Mattenai, and Jaasu.
38 From the descendants of Binnui:
Shimei, d 39 Shelemiah, Nathan, Adaiah, 40 Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai, 41 Azarel, Shelemiah, Shemariah, 42 Shallum, Amariah, and Joseph.
43 And from the descendants of Nebo:
Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Jaddai, Joel, and Benaiah.
44 All these men had married foreign women, and some of them had children by these wives. e
Footnotes:
6 a Or went
18 b Jozadak is a variant of Jehozadak ; see 1 Chronicles 6:14.
25 c Hebrew; LXX Hashabiah
38 d See LXX; Hebrew And Bani, and Binnui, (and) Shimei,
44 e Or and they sent them away with their children
Nehemiah
Nehemiah 1
Nehemiah’s Prayer
(Deuteronomy 30:1–10)
1 These are the words of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah:
In the month of Chislev, a in the twentieth year, while I was in the citadel of Susa, 2 Hanani, one of my brothers, arrived with men from Judah. So I questioned them about the remnant of the Jews who had survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem.
3 And they told me, “The remnant who survived the exile are there in the province, in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates are burned with fire.”
4 When I heard these words, I sat down and wept. I mourned for days, fasting and praying before the God of heaven.
5 Then I said:
“O LORD, God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps His covenant of loving devotion b with those who love Him and keep His commandments, 6 let Your eyes be open and Your ears attentive to hear the prayer that I, Your servant, now pray before You day and night for Your servants, the Israelites.
I confess the sins that we Israelites have committed against You. Both I and my father’s house have sinned. 7 We have behaved corruptly against You and have not kept the commandments, statutes, and ordinances that You gave Your servant Moses.
8 Remember, I pray, the word that You commanded Your servant Moses when You said, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations, 9 but if you return to Me and keep and practice My commandments, then even if your exiles have been banished to the farthest horizon, c I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for My Name.’ d
10 They are Your servants and Your people. You redeemed them by Your great power and mighty hand. 11 O Lord, may Your ear be attentive to my prayer and to the prayers of Your servants e who delight to revere Your name. Give Your servant success this day, I pray, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.”
(At that time I was the cupbearer to the king.)
Footnotes:
1 a Chislev is the ninth month of the Hebrew lunar calendar, usually occurring within the months of November and December.
5 b Forms of the Hebrew chesed are translated here and in most cases throughout the Scriptures as loving devotion ; the range of meaning includes love , goodness , kindness , faithfulness , and mercy , as well as loyalty to a covenant .
9 c Or to the extremity of the heavens
9 d Deuteronomy 30:1–4
11 e Literally to the prayer of Your servant and to the prayer of Your servants
Nehemiah 2
Nehemiah Sent to Jerusalem
1 Now in the month of Nisan, a in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was set before him, I took the wine and gave it to the king. I had never been sad in his presence, 2 so the king said to me, “Why is your face sad, though you are not ill? This could only be sadness of the heart.”
I was overwhelmed with fear 3 and replied to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should I not be sad when the city where my fathers are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?”
4 “What is your request?” replied the king.
So I prayed to the God of heaven 5 and answered the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, I ask that you send me to Judah, to the city where my fathers are buried, so that I may rebuild it.”
6 Then the king, with the queen seated beside him, asked me, “How long will your journey take, and when will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me, and I set a time.
7 I also said to him, “If it pleases the king, may letters be given to me for the governors west of the Euphrates, b so that they will grant me safe passage until I reach Judah. 8 And may I have a letter to Asaph, keeper of the king’s forest, so that he will give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel to the temple, for the city wall, and for the house I will occupy.”
And because the gracious hand of my God was upon me, the king granted my requests.
9 Then I went to the governors west of the Euphrates and gave them the king’s letters. The king had also sent army officers and cavalry with me.
10 But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard about this, they were deeply disturbed that someone had come to seek the well-being of the Israelites.
Nehemiah Inspects the Walls
11 After I had arrived in Jerusalem and had been there three days, 12 I set out at night with a few men. I did not tell anyone what my God had laid on my heart to do for Jerusalem. The only animal with me was the one on which I was riding.
13 So I went out at night through the Valley Gate toward the Well of the Serpent c and the Dung Gate, and I inspected the walls of Jerusalem that had been broken down and the gates that had been destroyed by fire.
14 Then I went on to the Fountain Gate and the King’s Pool, but there was no room for the animal under me to get through; 15 so I went up the valley by night and inspected the wall. Then I headed back and reentered through the Valley Gate.
16 The officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing, for I had not yet told the Jews or priests or nobles or officials or any other workers. 17 Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in. Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned down. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, so that we will no longer be a disgrace.”
18 I also told them about the gracious hand of my God upon me, and what the king had said to me.
“Let us start rebuilding,” they replied, and they set their hands to this good work.
19 But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official, and Geshem the Arab heard about this, they mocked us and ridiculed us, saying, “What is this you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?”
20 So I answered them and said, “The God of heaven is the One who will grant us success. We, His servants, will start rebuilding, but you have no portion, right, or claim in Jerusalem.”
Footnotes:
1 a Nisan is the first month of the Hebrew lunar calendar, usually occurring within the months of March and April.
7 b Hebrew beyond the River ; also in verse 9
13 c Or Dragon or Jackal
Nehemiah 3
The Builders of the Walls
1 At the Sheep Gate, Eliashib the high priest and his fellow priests began rebuilding. They dedicated it and installed its doors. After building as far as the Tower of the Hundred and the Tower of Hananel, they dedicated the wall. 2 The men of Jericho built next to Eliashib, and Zaccur son of Imri built next to them.
3 The Fish Gate was rebuilt by the sons of Hassenaah. They laid its beams and installed its doors, bolts, and bars. 4 Next to them, Meremoth son of Uriah, the son of Hakkoz, made repairs. Next to him, Meshullam son of Berechiah, the son of Meshezabel, made repairs; and next to him, Zadok son of Baana made repairs as well. 5 Next to him, the Tekoites made repairs, but their nobles did not put their shoulders to the work under their supervisors. a
6 The Jeshanah Gate b was repaired by Joiada son of Paseah and Meshullam son of Besodeiah. They laid its beams and installed its doors, bolts, and bars. 7 Next to them, repairs were made by Melatiah the Gibeonite, Jadon the Meronothite, and the men of Gibeon and Mizpah, who were under the authority of the governor of the region west of the Euphrates. c 8 Next to them, Uzziel son of Harhaiah, one of the goldsmiths, made repairs, and next to him, Hananiah son of the perfumer made repairs. They fortified Jerusalem as far as the Broad Wall.
9 Next to them, Rephaiah son of Hur, ruler of a half-district of Jerusalem, made repairs; 10 next to him, Jedaiah son of Harumaph made repairs across from his house; and next to him, Hattush son of Hashabneiah made repairs. 11 Malchijah son of Harim and Hasshub son of Pahath-moab repaired another section, as well as the Tower of the Ovens. 12 And next to them, Shallum son of Hallohesh, ruler of the other half-district of Jerusalem, made repairs, with the help of his daughters.
13 The Valley Gate was repaired by Hanun and the residents of Zanoah. They rebuilt it, installed its doors, bolts, and bars, and repaired a thousand cubits d of the wall as far as the Dung Gate.
14 The Dung Gate was repaired by Malchijah son of Rechab, ruler of the district of Beth-haccherem. He rebuilt it and installed its doors, bolts, and bars.
15 The Fountain Gate was repaired by Shallun e son of Col-hozeh, ruler of the district of Mizpah. He rebuilt it, roofed it, and installed its doors, bolts, and bars. He also repaired the wall of the Pool of Shelah f near the king’s garden, as far as the stairs that descend from the City of David.
16 Beyond him, Nehemiah son of Azbuk, ruler of a half-district of Beth-zur, made repairs up to a point opposite the tombs of David, as far as the artificial pool and the House of the Mighty.
17 Next to him, the Levites made repairs under Rehum son of Bani, and next to him, Hashabiah, ruler of a half-district of Keilah, made repairs for his district. 18 Next to him, their countrymen made repairs under Binnui g son of Henadad, ruler of the other half-district of Keilah. 19 And next to him, Ezer son of Jeshua, ruler of Mizpah, repaired another section opposite the Ascent to the Armory, near the angle in the wall.
20 Next to him, Baruch son of Zabbai diligently repaired another section, from the angle to the doorway of the house of Eliashib the high priest. 21 Next to him, Meremoth son of Uriah, the son of Hakkoz, repaired another section, from the doorway of the house of Eliashib to the end of the house. 22 And next to him, the priests from the surrounding area made repairs.
23 Beyond them, Benjamin and Hasshub made repairs in front of their house, and next to them, Azariah son of Maaseiah, the son of Ananiah, made repairs beside his house. 24 After him, Binnui son of Henadad repaired another section, from the house of Azariah to the angle and the corner, 25 and Palal son of Uzai made repairs opposite the angle and the tower that juts out from the upper palace of the king near the courtyard of the guard. Next to him, Pedaiah son of Parosh 26 and the temple servants h living on the hill of Ophel made repairs opposite the Water Gate toward the east and the tower that juts out. 27 And next to them, the Tekoites repaired another section, from a point opposite the great tower that juts out to the wall of Ophel.
28 Above the Horse Gate, each of the priests made repairs in front of his own house. 29 Next to them, Zadok son of Immer made repairs opposite his house, and next to him, Shemaiah son of Shecaniah, the guard of the East Gate, made repairs.
30 Next to him, Hananiah son of Shelemiah, as well as Hanun the sixth son of Zalaph, repaired another section. Next to them, Meshullam son of Berechiah made repairs opposite his own quarters. 31 Next to him, Malchijah, one of the goldsmiths, made repairs as far as the house of the temple servants and the merchants, opposite the Inspection Gate, and as far as the upper room above the corner. 32 And between the upper room above the corner and the Sheep Gate, the goldsmiths and merchants made repairs.
Footnotes:
5 a Or their Lord or the governor
6 b Or The Old City Gate
7 c Hebrew the governor beyond the River
13 d 1,000 cubits is approximately 1,500 feet or 457.2 meters.
15 e Hebrew; Syriac Shallum
15 f Pool of Shelah is another name for the Pool of Siloam.
18 g Two Hebrew manuscripts and Syriac (see also LXX and Nehemiah 3:24); most Hebrew manuscripts Bavvai
26 h Hebrew the Nethinim ; also in verse 31
Nehemiah 4
The Work Ridiculed
1 Now when Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he was furious and filled with indignation. He ridiculed the Jews 2 before his associates and the army of Samaria, saying, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Can they restore the wall by themselves? a Will they offer sacrifices? Will they complete it in a day? Can they bring these burnt stones back to life from the mounds of rubble?”
3 Then Tobiah the Ammonite, who was beside him, said, “If even a fox were to climb up on what they are building, it would break down their wall of stones!”
4 Hear us, O God, for we are despised. Turn their scorn back upon their own heads, and let them be taken as plunder to a land of captivity. 5 Do not cover up their iniquity or let their sin be blotted out from Your sight, for they have provoked the builders. b
6 So we rebuilt the wall until all of it was joined together up to half its height, for the people had a mind to work.
7 When Sanballat and Tobiah, together with the Arabs, Ammonites, and Ashdodites, heard that the repair to the walls of Jerusalem was progressing and that the gaps were being closed, they were furious, 8 and all of them conspired to come and fight against Jerusalem and create a hindrance.
Discouragement Overcome
9 So we prayed to our God and posted a guard against them day and night.
10 Meanwhile, the people of Judah said: c
“The strength of the laborer fails,
and there is so much rubble
that we will never be able
to rebuild the wall.”
11 And our enemies said, “Before they know or see a thing, we will come into their midst, kill them, and put an end to the work.”
12 At that time the Jews who lived nearby came and told us ten times over, “Wherever you turn, they will attack us.”
13 So I stationed men behind the lowest sections of the wall, at the vulnerable areas. I stationed them by families with their swords, spears, and bows.
14 After I had made an inspection, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials, and the rest of the people, “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.”
15 When our enemies heard that we were aware of their scheme and that God had frustrated it, each of us returned to his own work on the wall. 16 And from that day on, half of my servants did the work while the other half held spears, shields, bows, and armor.
The officers stationed themselves behind all the people of Judah 17 who were rebuilding the wall. The laborers who carried materials worked with one hand and held a weapon with the other. 18 And each of the builders worked with his sword strapped at his side. But the trumpeter stayed beside me.
19 Then I said to the nobles, the officials, and the rest of the people: “The work is great and extensive, and we are spread out far from one another along the wall. 20 Wherever you hear the sound of the horn, rally to us there. Our God will fight for us!”
21 So we continued the work, while half of the men held spears from the break of dawn until the stars came out. 22 At that time I also said to the people, “Let every man and his servant spend the night inside Jerusalem, so that they can stand guard by night and work by day.”
23 So neither I nor my brothers nor my servants nor the guards with me changed out of our clothes; each carried his weapon, even to go for water. d
Footnotes:
2 a Or Will they commit themselves to God?
5 b Or have provoked You to anger before the builders
10 c Or Meanwhile, Judah said
23 d Or each carried his weapon in his right hand
Nehemiah 5
Nehemiah Defends the Oppressed
1 About that time there was a great outcry from the people and their wives against their fellow Jews.
2 Some were saying, “We and our sons and daughters are numerous. We must get grain in order to eat and stay alive.”
3 Others were saying, “We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards, and our homes to get grain during the famine.”
4 Still others were saying, “We have borrowed money to pay the king’s tax on our fields and vineyards. 5 We and our children are just like our countrymen and their children, yet we are subjecting our sons and daughters to slavery. Some of our daughters are already enslaved, but we are powerless to redeem them because our fields and vineyards belong to others.”
6 When I heard their outcry and these complaints, I became extremely angry, 7 and after serious thought I rebuked the nobles and officials, saying, “You are exacting usury from your own brothers!”
So I called a large assembly against them 8 and said, “We have done our best to buy back our Jewish brothers who were sold to foreigners, but now you are selling your own brothers, that they may be sold back to us!”
But they remained silent, for they could find nothing to say.
9 So I continued, “What you are doing is not right. Shouldn’t you walk in the fear of our God to avoid the reproach of our foreign enemies? 10 I, as well as my brothers and my servants, have been lending the people money and grain. Please, let us stop this usury. 11 Please restore to them immediately their fields, vineyards, olive groves, and houses, along with the percentage of the money, grain, new wine, and oil that you have been assessing them.”
12 “We will restore it,” they replied, “and will require nothing more from them. We will do as you say.”
So I summoned the priests and required of the nobles and officials an oath that they would do what they had promised. 13 I also shook out the folds of my robe and said, “May God likewise shake out of His house and possession every man who does not keep this promise. May such a man be shaken out and have nothing!”
The whole assembly said, “Amen,” and they praised the LORD. And the people did as they had promised.
Nehemiah’s Generosity
14 Furthermore, from the day King Artaxerxes appointed me to be their governor in the land of Judah, from his twentieth year until his thirty-second year (twelve years total), neither I nor my brothers ate the food allotted to the governor.
15 The governors before me had heavily burdened the people, taking from them bread and wine plus forty shekels of silver. a Their servants also oppressed the people, but I did not do this because of my fear of God. 16 Instead, I devoted myself to the construction of the wall, and all my servants were gathered there for the work; we did not acquire any land.
17 There were 150 Jews and officials at my table, besides the guests from the surrounding nations. 18 Each day one ox, six choice sheep, and some fowl were prepared for me, and once every ten days an abundance of all kinds of wine was provided. But I did not demand the food allotted to the governor, because the burden on the people was so heavy.
19 Remember me favorably, O my God, for all that I have done for this people.
Footnotes:
15 a 40 shekels is approximately 1 pound or 453.6 grams of silver.
Nehemiah 6
Sanballat’s Conspiracy
1 When Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and the rest of our enemies heard that I had rebuilt the wall and not a gap was left—though to that time I had not yet installed the doors in the gates— 2 Sanballat and Geshem sent me this message: “Come, let us meet together in one of the villages a on the plain b of Ono.”
But they were planning to harm me.
3 So I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work and cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it to go down to you?”
4 Four times they sent me the same message, and each time I gave the same reply.
5 The fifth time, Sanballat sent me this same message by his young servant, who had in his hand an unsealed letter 6 that read:
“It is reported among the nations—and Geshem c agrees—that you and the Jews are plotting to revolt, and this is why you are building the wall. According to these reports, you are to become their king, 7 and you have even appointed prophets in Jerusalem to proclaim on your behalf: ‘There is a king in Judah.’ Soon these rumors will reach the ears of the king. So come, let us confer together.”
8 Then I sent him this reply: “There is nothing to these rumors you are spreading; you are inventing them in your own mind.”
9 For they were all trying to frighten us, saying, “Their hands will be weakened in the work, and it will never be finished.”
But now, my God, d strengthen my hands.
10 Later, I went to the house of Shemaiah son of Delaiah, the son of Mehetabel, who was confined to his house. He said:
“Let us meet at the house of God
inside the temple.
Let us shut the temple doors
because they are coming to kill you—
by night they are coming to kill you!”
11 But I replied, “Should a man like me run away? Should one like me go into the temple to save his own life? I will not go!”
12 I realized that God had not sent him, but that he had uttered this prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. 13 He had been hired to intimidate me so that I would sin by doing as he suggested, so they could give me a bad name in order to discredit me.
14 O my God, remember Tobiah and Sanballat for what they have done, and also Noadiah the prophetess and the other prophets who tried to intimidate me.
Completion of the Wall
15 So the wall was completed in fifty-two days, on the twenty-fifth of Elul. e 16 When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and disheartened, for they realized that this task had been accomplished by our God.
17 Also in those days, the nobles of Judah sent many letters to Tobiah, and Tobiah’s letters came back to them. 18 For many in Judah were bound by oath to him, since he was a son-in-law of Shecaniah son of Arah, and his son Jehohanan had married the daughter of Meshullam son of Berechiah.
19 Moreover, these nobles kept reporting to me Tobiah’s good deeds, and they relayed my words to him. And Tobiah sent letters to intimidate me.
Footnotes:
2 a Or in Kephirim
2 b Or in the valley
6 c Hebrew Gashmu , a variant of Geshem ; see verse 1.
9 d Hebrew But now ; for clarity, my God has been included.
15 e Elul is the sixth month of the Hebrew lunar calendar, usually occurring within the months of August and September.
Nehemiah 7
Securing the City
1 When the wall had been rebuilt and I had set the doors in place, the gatekeepers, singers, and Levites were appointed.
2 Then I put my brother Hanani in charge of Jerusalem, along with Hananiah the commander of the fortress, because he was a faithful man who feared God more than most. 3 And I told them, “Do not open the gates of Jerusalem until the sun is hot. While the guards are on duty, keep the doors shut and securely fastened. And appoint the residents of Jerusalem as guards, some at their posts and some at their own homes.”
The List of Returning Exiles
(Ezra 2:1–67)
4 Now the city was large and spacious, but there were few people in it, and the houses had not yet been rebuilt. 5 Then my God put it into my heart to assemble the nobles, the officials, and the people to be enrolled by genealogy. I found the genealogical register of those who had first returned, and I found the following written in it:
6 These are the people of the province who came up from the captivity of the exiles carried away to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar its king. They returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own town, 7 accompanied by Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, and Baanah. a
This is the count of the men of Israel:
8 the descendants of Parosh, 2,172;
9 the descendants of Shephatiah, 372;
10 the descendants of Arah, 652;
11 the descendants of Pahath-moab (through the line of Jeshua and Joab), 2,818;
12 the descendants of Elam, 1,254;
13 the descendants of Zattu, 845;
14 the descendants of Zaccai, 760;
15 the descendants of Binnui, b 648;
16 the descendants of Bebai, 628;
17 the descendants of Azgad, 2,322;
18 the descendants of Adonikam, 667;
19 the descendants of Bigvai, 2,067;
20 the descendants of Adin, 655;
21 the descendants of Ater (through Hezekiah), 98;
22 the descendants of Hashum, 328;
23 the descendants of Bezai, 324;
24 the descendants of Hariph, c 112;
25 the descendants of Gibeon, d 95;
26 the men of Bethlehem and Netophah, 188;
27 the men of Anathoth, 128;
28 the men of Beth-azmaveth, e 42;
29 the men of Kiriath-jearim, Chephirah, and Beeroth, 743;
30 the men of Ramah and Geba, 621;
31 the men of Michmash, 122;
32 the men of Bethel and Ai, 123;
33 the men of the other Nebo, f 52;
34 the descendants of the other Elam, g 1,254;
35 the descendants of Harim, 320;
37 the men of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, 721;
38 and the descendants of Senaah, 3,930.
39 The priests:
the descendants of Jedaiah (through the house of Jeshua), 973;
40 the descendants of Immer, 1,052;
41 the descendants of Pashhur, 1,247;
42 and the descendants of Harim, 1,017.
43 The Levites:
the descendants of Jeshua (through Kadmiel, through the line of Hodevah i), 74.
44 The singers:
the descendants of Asaph, 148.
45 The gatekeepers:
the descendants of Shallum,
the descendants of Ater,
the descendants of Talmon,
the descendants of Akkub,
the descendants of Hatita,
and the descendants of Shobai,
138 in all.
the descendants of Ziha,
the descendants of Hasupha,
47 the descendants of Keros,
the descendants of Sia, k
48 the descendants of Lebanah,
the descendants of Hagabah,
the descendants of Shalmai,
49 the descendants of Hanan,
the descendants of Giddel,
the descendants of Gahar,
50 the descendants of Reaiah,
the descendants of Rezin,
the descendants of Nekoda,
51 the descendants of Gazzam,
the descendants of Uzza,
52 the descendants of Besai,
the descendants of Meunim,
the descendants of Nephushesim, l
53 the descendants of Bakbuk,
the descendants of Hakupha,
54 the descendants of Bazlith, m
the descendants of Mehida,
the descendants of Harsha,
55 the descendants of Barkos,
the descendants of Sisera,
the descendants of Temah,
56 the descendants of Neziah,
and the descendants of Hatipha.
57 The descendants of the servants of Solomon:
the descendants of Sotai,
the descendants of Sophereth,
the descendants of Perida, n
58 the descendants of Jaala,
the descendants of Darkon,
59 the descendants of Shephatiah,
the descendants of Hattil,
the descendants of Pochereth-hazzebaim,
and the descendants of Amon. o
60 The temple servants and descendants of the servants of Solomon numbered 392 in all.
61 The following came up from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addon, p and Immer, but could not prove that their families were descended from Israel:
62 the descendants of Delaiah,
the descendants of Tobiah,
and the descendants of Nekoda,
642 in all.
63 And from among the priests: the descendants of Hobaiah,
the descendants of Hakkoz,
and the descendants of Barzillai (who had married a daughter of Barzillai the Gileadite and was called by their name).
64 These men searched for their family records, but they could not find them and so were excluded from the priesthood as unclean. 65 The governor ordered them not to eat the most holy things until there was a priest to consult the Urim and Thummim. q
66 The whole assembly numbered 42,360, 67 in addition to their 7,337 menservants and maidservants, as well as their 245 male and female singers. 68 They had 736 horses, 245 mules, r 69 435 camels, and 6,720 donkeys.
Offerings by the Exiles
(Exodus 38:21–31; Ezra 2:68–70)
70 Some of the heads of the families contributed to the project. The governor gave to the treasury 1,000 darics of gold, s 50 bowls, and 530 priestly garments. 71 And some of the heads of the families gave to the treasury for the project 20,000 darics of gold t and 2,200 minas of silver. u 72 The rest of the people gave a total of 20,000 darics of gold, 2,000 minas of silver, v and 67 priestly garments.
73 So the priests, Levites, gatekeepers, singers, and temple servants, along with some of the people and the rest of the Israelites, settled in their own towns. And by the seventh month the Israelites had settled in their towns.
Footnotes:
7 a Parallel text at Ezra 2:2 accompanied by Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, and Baanah
15 b Binnui is a variant of Bani ; see Ezra 2:10.
24 c Hariph is a variant of Jorah ; see Ezra 2:18.
25 d Gibeon is a variant of Gibbar ; see Ezra 2:20.
28 e Beth-azmaveth is a variant of Azmaveth ; see Ezra 2:24.
33 f Or of West Nebo
34 g Or of West Elam
36 h Literally the sons ; here and in verse 37
43 i Hodevah is a variant of Hodaviah ; see Ezra 2:40.
46 j Hebrew The Nethinim ; also in verses 60 and 73
47 k Sia is a variant of Siaha ; see Ezra 2:44.
52 l Nephushesim is a variant of Nephusim ; see Ezra 2:50.
54 m Bazlith is a variant of Bazluth ; see Ezra 2:52.
57 n Perida is a variant of Peruda ; see Ezra 2:55.
59 o Amon is a variant of Ami ; see Ezra 2:57.
61 p Addon is a variant of Addan ; see Ezra 2:59.
65 q Literally Lights and Perfections
68 r Some Hebrew manuscripts (see also Ezra 2:66); most Hebrew manuscripts do not include this verse.
70 s Or 1,000 gold drachmas ; that is, approximately 18.5 pounds or 8.4 kilograms of gold coins
71 t Or 20,000 gold drachmas ; that is, approximately 370.4 pounds or 168 kilograms of gold coins; also in verse 72
71 u Or 2,200 silver minas ; that is, approximately 1.38 tons or 1.25 metric tons of silver
72 v Or 2,000 silver minas ; that is, approximately 1.26 tons or 1.14 metric tons of silver
Nehemiah 8
Ezra Reads the Law
(Deuteronomy 31:9–13)
1 At that time all the people gathered together in the square before the Water Gate, and they asked Ezra the scribe to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses, which the LORD had commanded for Israel.
2 On the first day of the seventh month, Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly of men and women and all who could listen and understand. 3 So Ezra read it aloud from daybreak until noon as he faced the square before the Water Gate, in front of the men and women and those who could understand.
And all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law.
4 Ezra the scribe stood on a high wooden platform built for this occasion. At his right side stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah, and at his left were Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hash-baddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam.
5 Ezra opened the book in full view of all the people, since he was standing above them all, and as he opened it, all the people stood up. 6 Then Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God, and with their hands uplifted, all the people said, “Amen, Amen!” Then they bowed down and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground.
7 The Levites—Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, and Pelaiah—instructed the people in the Law as they stood in their places. 8 So they read from the Book of the Law of God, explaining it a and giving insight, so that the people could understand what was being read.
9 Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were instructing the people said to all of them, “This day is holy to the LORD your God. Do not mourn or weep.”
For all the people were weeping as they heard the words of the Law.
10 Then Nehemiah told them, “Go and eat what is rich, drink what is sweet, and send out portions to those who have nothing prepared, since today is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”
11 And the Levites calmed all the people, saying, “Be still, since today is holy. Do not grieve.”
12 Then all the people began to eat and drink, to send out portions, and to rejoice greatly, because they understood the words that had been made known to them.
The Feast of Tabernacles
(Leviticus 23:33–44; Zechariah 14:16–21)
13 On the second day of the month, the heads of all the families, along with the priests and Levites, gathered around Ezra the scribe to study the words of the Law. 14 And they found written in the Law, which the LORD had commanded through Moses, that the Israelites were to dwell in booths b during the feast of the seventh month.
15 So they proclaimed this message and spread it throughout their towns and in Jerusalem, saying, “Go out to the hill country and bring back branches of olive, wild olive, c myrtle, palm, and other leafy trees, to make booths, as it is written.” d
16 And the people went out, brought back branches, and made booths on their own rooftops, in their courtyards, in the court of the house of God, and in the squares by the Water Gate and by the Gate of Ephraim. 17 The whole assembly who had returned from exile made booths and lived in them. From the days of Joshua e son of Nun until that day, the Israelites had not celebrated like this. And there was great rejoicing.
18 Day after day, from the first day to the last, Ezra read from the Book of the Law of God. The Israelites kept the feast for seven days, and on the eighth day they held an assembly, according to the ordinance.
Footnotes:
8 a Or translating it or paragraph by paragraph
14 b Or tabernacles or shelters ; also in verses 15, 16, and 17
15 c Or pine ; literally oil tree
15 d See Leviticus 23:37–40.
17 e Hebrew Jeshua , a variant of Joshua
Nehemiah 9
The People Confess Their Sins
1 On the twenty-fourth day of the same month, the Israelites gathered together, fasting and wearing sackcloth, with dust on their heads. 2 Those of Israelite descent separated themselves from all the foreigners, and they stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers.
3 While they stood in their places, they read from the Book of the Law of the LORD their God for a quarter of the day, and they spent another quarter of the day in confession and worship of the LORD their God.
4 And the Levites—Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani—stood on the raised platform and cried out in a loud voice to the LORD their God. 5 Then the Levites—Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah—said, “Stand up and bless the LORD your God from everlasting to everlasting:
Blessed be Your glorious name,
and may it be exalted
above all blessing and praise.
6 You alone are the LORD.
You created the heavens,
the highest heavens with all their host,
the earth and all that is on it,
the seas and all that is in them.
You give life to all things,
and the host of heaven worships You.
7 You are the LORD,
the God who chose Abram,
who brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans
and gave him the name Abraham.
8 You found his heart faithful before You,
and made a covenant with him
to give the land of the Canaanites and Hittites,
of the Amorites and Perizzites,
of the Jebusites and Girgashites—
to give it to his descendants.
You have kept Your promise,
because You are righteous.
9 You saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt;
You heard their cry at the Red Sea. a
10 You performed signs and wonders against Pharaoh,
all his officials, and all the people of his land,
for You knew they had acted with arrogance
against our fathers.
You made a name for Yourself
that endures to this day.
11 You divided the sea before them,
and they crossed through it on dry ground.
You hurled their pursuers into the depths
like a stone into raging waters.
12 You led them with a pillar of cloud by day
and a pillar of fire by night,
to light for them the way
in which they should travel.
13 You came down on Mount Sinai
and spoke with them from heaven.
You gave them just ordinances, true laws,
and good statutes and commandments.
14 You revealed to them Your holy Sabbath
and gave them commandments and statutes and laws
through Your servant Moses.
15 In their hunger You gave them bread from heaven;
in their thirst You brought them water from the rock.
You told them to go in and possess the land
which You had sworn to give them.
16 But they and our fathers became arrogant and stiff-necked
and did not obey Your commandments.
17 They refused to listen and failed to remember
the wonders You performed among them.
They stiffened their necks and appointed a leader
to return them to their bondage in Egypt. b
But You are a forgiving God,
gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and rich in loving devotion,
and You did not forsake them.
18 Even when they cast for themselves
an image of a calf and said,
‘This is your God who brought you up out of Egypt,’
and when they committed terrible blasphemies,
19 You in Your great compassion
did not forsake them in the wilderness.
By day the pillar of cloud never turned away
from guiding them on their path;
and by the night the pillar of fire
illuminated the way they should go.
20 You gave Your good Spirit to instruct them.
You did not withhold Your manna from their mouths,
and You gave them water for their thirst.
21 For forty years You sustained them in the wilderness,
so that they lacked nothing.
Their clothes did not wear out
and their feet did not swell.
22 You gave them kingdoms and peoples
and allotted to them every corner of the land.
So they took the land of Sihon c king of Heshbon
and of Og king of Bashan.
23 You multiplied their descendants
like the stars of heaven
and brought them to the land
You had told their fathers to enter and possess.
24 So their descendants went in and possessed the land;
You subdued before them the Canaanites dwelling in the land.
You delivered into their hands the kings and peoples of the land,
to do with them as they wished.
25 They captured fortified cities and fertile land
and took houses full of all goods,
wells already dug,
vineyards, olive groves, and fruit trees in abundance.
So they ate and were filled;
they grew fat and delighted in Your great goodness.
26 But they were disobedient and rebelled against You;
they flung Your law behind their backs.
They killed Your prophets,
who had admonished them to return to You.
They committed terrible blasphemies.
27 So You delivered them into the hands
of enemies who oppressed them,
and in their time of distress they cried out to You.
From heaven You heard them,
and in Your great compassion You gave them deliverers
who saved them from the hands of their enemies.
28 But as soon as they had rest,
they again did evil in Your sight.
So You abandoned them to the hands of their enemies,
who had dominion over them.
When they cried out to You again,
You heard from heaven,
and You delivered them many times
in Your compassion.
29 You admonished them to turn back to Your law,
but they were arrogant and disobeyed Your commandments.
They sinned against Your ordinances,
by which a man will live if he practices them.
They stubbornly shrugged their shoulders;
they stiffened their necks and would not obey.
30 You were patient with them for many years,
and Your Spirit admonished them through Your prophets.
Yet they would not listen,
so You gave them into the hands of the neighboring peoples. d
31 But in Your great compassion,
You did not put an end to them;
nor did You forsake them,
for You are a gracious and compassionate God.
32 So now, our God, the great and mighty and awesome God
who keeps His gracious covenant,
do not view lightly all the hardship
that has come upon us,
and upon our kings and leaders,
our priests and prophets,
our ancestors and all Your people,
from the days of the kings of Assyria until today.
33 You are just in all that has befallen us,
because You have acted faithfully,
while we have acted wickedly.
34 Our kings and leaders and priests and fathers
did not obey Your law
or listen to Your commandments
and warnings that You gave them.
35 For even while they were in their kingdom,
with the abundant goodness
that You had given them,
and in the spacious and fertile land
that You had set before them,
they would not serve You
or turn from their wicked ways.
36 So here we are today as slaves
in the land You gave our fathers to enjoy its fruit and goodness—
here we are as slaves!
37 Its abundant harvest goes to the kings
You have set over us because of our sins.
And they rule over our bodies and our livestock as they please.
We are in great distress.
38 In view of all this, we make a binding agreement, putting it in writing and sealing it with the names of e our leaders, Levites, and priests.”
Footnotes:
9 a Or the Sea of Reeds
17 b LXX and a few Hebrew manuscripts; MT to return them to their bondage in their rebellion
22 c One Hebrew manuscript and LXX; most Hebrew manuscripts Sihon, the country of the
30 d Literally into the hands of the peoples of the lands
38 e Hebrew does not include the names of .
Nehemiah 10
Signers of the Covenant
1 Now these were the ones who sealed the document:
Nehemiah the governor, son of Hacaliah,
and also Zedekiah,
2 Seraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah,
3 Pashhur, Amariah, Malchijah,
4 Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluch,
5 Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah,
6 Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch,
7 Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin,
8 Maaziah, Bilgai, a and Shemaiah.
These were the priests.
9 The Levites:
Jeshua son of Azaniah,
Binnui of the sons of Henadad, Kadmiel,
10 and their associates: Shebaniah, Hodiah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan,
11 Mica, Rehob, Hashabiah,
12 Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah,
13 Hodiah, Bani, and Beninu.
14 And the leaders of the people:
Parosh, Pahath-moab, Elam, Zattu, Bani,
15 Bunni, Azgad, Bebai,
16 Adonijah, Bigvai, Adin,
17 Ater, Hezekiah, Azzur,
18 Hodiah, Hashum, Bezai,
19 Hariph, Anathoth, Nebai,
20 Magpiash, Meshullam, Hezir,
21 Meshezabel, Zadok, Jaddua,
22 Pelatiah, Hanan, Anaiah,
23 Hoshea, Hananiah, Hasshub,
24 Hallohesh, Pilha, Shobek,
25 Rehum, Hashabnah, Maaseiah,
26 Ahijah, Hanan, Anan,
27 Malluch, Harim, and Baanah.
The Vows of the Covenant
28 “The rest of the people—the priests, Levites, gatekeepers, singers, temple servants, b and all who had separated themselves from the people of the land to obey the Law of God—along with their wives and all their sons and daughters who are able to understand, 29 hereby join with their noble brothers and commit themselves with a sworn oath to follow the Law of God given through His servant Moses and to carefully obey all the commandments, ordinances, and statutes of the LORD our Lord.
30 We will not give our daughters in marriage to the people of the land, and we will not take their daughters for our sons.
31 When the people of the land bring merchandise or any kind of grain to sell on the Sabbath day, we will not buy from them on a Sabbath or holy day. Every seventh year we will let the fields lie fallow, and will cancel every debt.
32 We also place ourselves under the obligation to contribute a third of a shekel c yearly for the service of the house of our God: 33 for the showbread, for the regular grain offerings and burnt offerings, for the Sabbath offerings, for the New Moons and appointed feasts, for the holy offerings, for the sin offerings to make atonement for Israel, and for all the duties of the house of our God.
34 We have cast lots among the priests, Levites, and people for the donation of wood by our families at the appointed times each year. They are to bring it to the house of our God to burn on the altar of the LORD our God, as it is written in the Law.
35 We will also bring the firstfruits of our land and of every fruit tree to the house of the LORD year by year. 36 And we will bring the firstborn of our sons and our livestock, as it is written in the Law, and will bring the firstborn of our herds and flocks to the house of our God, to the priests who minister in the house of our God.
37 Moreover, we will bring to the priests at the storerooms of the house of our God the firstfruits of our dough, of our grain offerings, of the fruit of all our trees, and of our new wine and oil. A tenth of our produce belongs to the Levites, so that they shall receive tithes in all the towns where we labor. 38 A priest of Aaron’s line is to accompany the Levites when they collect the tenth, and the Levites are to bring a tenth of these tithes to the storerooms of the treasury in the house of our God. 39 For the Israelites and the Levites are to bring the contributions of grain, new wine, and oil to the storerooms where the articles of the sanctuary are kept and where the ministering priests, the gatekeepers, and the singers stay.
Thus we will not neglect the house of our God.”
Footnotes:
8 a Bilgai is a variant of Bilgah ; see Nehemiah 12:5.
28 b Hebrew Nethinim
32 c A third of a shekel is approximately 0.13 ounces or 3.8 grams, probably of silver.
Nehemiah 11
Jerusalem’s New Settlers
1 Now the leaders of the people settled in Jerusalem, and the rest of the people cast lots to bring one out of ten to live in the holy city of Jerusalem, while the remaining nine a were to dwell in their own towns. 2 And the people blessed all the men who volunteered to live in Jerusalem.
3 These are the heads of the provinces who settled in Jerusalem. (In the villages of Judah, however, each lived on his own property in their towns—the Israelites, priests, Levites, temple servants, b and descendants of Solomon’s servants— 4 while some of the descendants of Judah and Benjamin settled in Jerusalem.)
From the descendants of Judah:
Athaiah son of Uzziah, the son of Zechariah, the son of Amariah, the son of Shephatiah, the son of Mahalalel, a descendant of Perez; 5 and Maaseiah son of Baruch, the son of Col-hozeh, the son of Hazaiah, the son of Adaiah, the son of Joiarib, the son of Zechariah, a descendant of Shelah. c 6 The descendants of Perez who settled in Jerusalem totaled 468 men of valor.
7 From the descendants of Benjamin:
Sallu son of Meshullam, the son of Joed, the son of Pedaiah, the son of Kolaiah, the son of Maaseiah, the son of Ithiel, the son of Jeshaiah; 8 and his followers Gabbai and Sallai—928 men. 9 Joel son of Zichri was the officer over them, and Judah son of Hassenuah was over the Second District of the city. d
10 From the priests:
Jedaiah son of Joiarib; e Jachin; 11 Seraiah son of Hilkiah, the son of Meshullam, the son of Zadok, the son of Meraioth, the son of Ahitub, the chief official of the house of God; 12 and their associates who did the work at the temple—822 men;
Adaiah son of Jeroham, the son of Pelaliah, the son of Amzi, the son of Zechariah, the son of Pashhur, the son of Malchijah; 13 and his associates, the leaders of families—242 men;
Amashai son of Azarel, the son of Ahzai, the son of Meshillemoth, the son of Immer; 14 and his associates f —128 mighty men of valor. Zabdiel son of Haggedolim was their overseer.
15 From the Levites:
Shemaiah son of Hasshub, the son of Azrikam, the son of Hashabiah, the son of Bunni; 16 Shabbethai and Jozabad, two leaders of the Levites, who supervised the work outside the house of God; 17 Mattaniah son of Mica, the son of Zabdi, the son of Asaph, who led in thanksgiving and prayer; Bakbukiah, second among his associates; and Abda son of Shammua, the son of Galal, the son of Jeduthun. 18 The Levites in the holy city totaled 284.
19 And the gatekeepers:
Akkub, Talmon, and their associates, who kept watch at the gates—172 men.
Residents Outside Jerusalem
20 The rest of the Israelites, with the priests and Levites, were in all the villages of Judah, each on his own inheritance. 21 The temple servants lived on the hill of Ophel, with Ziha and Gishpa over them.
22 Now the overseer of the Levites in Jerusalem was Uzzi son of Bani, the son of Hashabiah, the son of Mattaniah, the son of Mica. g He was one of Asaph’s descendants, who were the singers in charge of the service of the house of God. 23 For there was a command from the king concerning the singers, an ordinance regulating their daily activities. 24 Pethahiah son of Meshezabel, a descendant of Zerah son of Judah, was the king’s agent h in every matter concerning the people.
25 As for the villages with their fields, some of the people of Judah lived in Kiriath-arba, Dibon, Jekabzeel, and their villages; 26 in Jeshua, Moladah, and Beth-pelet; 27 in Hazar-shual; in Beersheba and its villages; 28 in Ziklag; in Meconah and its villages; 29 in En-rimmon, Zorah, Jarmuth, 30 Zanoah, Adullam, and their villages; in Lachish and its fields; and in Azekah and its villages. So they settled from Beersheba all the way to the Valley of Hinnom.
31 The descendants of Benjamin from Geba lived in Michmash, Aija, and Bethel with its villages; 32 in Anathoth, Nob, Ananiah, 33 Hazor, Ramah, Gittaim, 34 Hadid, Zeboim, Neballat, 35 Lod, and Ono; and in the Valley of the Craftsmen. i
36 And some divisions of the Levites of Judah settled in Benjamin.
Footnotes:
1 a Hebrew nine hands
3 b Hebrew Nethinim ; also in verse 21
5 c Or of the Shilonite
9 d Or was over the Second Quarter of the city , a newer section of Jerusalem; or was second in command of the city
10 e Or Jedaiah; the son of Joiarib;
14 f Most LXX manuscripts; Hebrew their associates
22 g Mica is a variant of Micaiah ; see Nehemiah 12:35.
24 h Hebrew hand
35 i Hebrew in Ge-harashim
Nehemiah 12
The Priests and Levites Who Returned
1 Now these are the priests and Levites who went up with Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and with Jeshua:
Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra,
2 Amariah, Malluch, a Hattush,
3 Shecaniah, Rehum, b Meremoth,
5 Mijamin, d Maadiah, e Bilgah, f
6 Shemaiah, Joiarib, Jedaiah,
7 Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah, and Jedaiah.
These were the leaders of the priests and their associates in the days of Jeshua.
8 The Levites were Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and Mattaniah, who, with his associates, led the songs of thanksgiving. 9 Bakbukiah and Unni, their associates, stood across from them in the services.
10 Jeshua was the father of Joiakim,
Joiakim was the father of Eliashib,
Eliashib was the father of Joiada,
11 Joiada was the father of Jonathan, g
and Jonathan was the father of Jaddua.
12 In the days of Joiakim, these were the heads of the priestly families:
of the family of Seraiah, Meraiah;
of Jeremiah, Hananiah;
13 of Ezra, Meshullam;
of Amariah, Jehohanan;
of Shebaniah, i Joseph;
15 of Harim, Adna;
of Meraioth, j Helkai;
16 of Iddo, Zechariah;
of Ginnethon, Meshullam;
17 of Abijah, Zichri;
of Miniamin and of Moadiah, k Piltai;
18 of Bilgah, Shammua;
of Shemaiah, Jonathan;
19 of Joiarib, Mattenai;
of Jedaiah, Uzzi;
of Amok, Eber;
21 of Hilkiah, Hashabiah;
and of Jedaiah, Nethanel.
22 In the days of Eliashib, Joiada, Johanan, m and Jaddua, during the reign of Darius the Persian, the heads of the families of the Levites and priests were recorded.
23 As for the descendants of Levi, the family heads up to the days of Johanan son of Eliashib were recorded in the Book of the Chronicles. n 24 The leaders of the Levites were Hashabiah, Sherebiah, and Jeshua son of Kadmiel, o along with their associates, who stood across from them to give praise and thanksgiving as one section alternated with the other, as prescribed by David the man of God.
25 Mattaniah, Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon, and Akkub were gatekeepers who guarded the storerooms at the gates. 26 They served in the days of Joiakim son of Jeshua, the son of Jozadak, p and in the days of Nehemiah the governor and Ezra the priest and scribe.
The Dedication of the Wall
27 At the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem, the Levites were sought out from all their homes and brought to Jerusalem to celebrate the joyous dedication with thanksgiving and singing, accompanied by cymbals, harps, and lyres. 28 The singers were also assembled from the region around Jerusalem, from the villages of the Netophathites, 29 from Beth-gilgal, and from the fields of Geba and Azmaveth, for they had built villages for themselves around Jerusalem. 30 After the priests and Levites had purified themselves, they purified the people, the gates, and the wall.
31 Then I brought the leaders of Judah up on the wall, and I appointed two great thanksgiving choirs. One was to proceed along the top of the wall q to the right, toward the Dung Gate. 32 Hoshaiah and half the leaders of Judah followed, 33 along with Azariah, Ezra, Meshullam, 34 Judah, Benjamin, Shemaiah, Jeremiah, 35 and some of the priests with trumpets, and also Zechariah son of Jonathan, the son of Shemaiah, the son of Mattaniah, the son of Micaiah, r the son of Zaccur, the son of Asaph, 36 and his associates—Shemaiah, Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, Judah, and Hanani—with the musical instruments prescribed by David the man of God. Ezra the scribe led the procession. 37 At the Fountain Gate they climbed the steps of the City of David on the ascent to the wall and passed above the house of David to the Water Gate on the east.
38 The second thanksgiving choir proceeded to the left, and I followed it with half the people along the top of the wall, past the Tower of the Ovens to the Broad Wall, 39 over the Gate of Ephraim, the Jeshanah Gate, s the Fish Gate, the Tower of Hananel, and the Tower of the Hundred, as far as the Sheep Gate. And they stopped at the Gate of the Guard.
40 The two thanksgiving choirs then stood in the house of God, as did I, along with the half of the officials accompanying me, 41 as well as the priests with their trumpets—Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah, and Hananiah— 42 and also Maaseiah, Shemaiah, Eleazar, Uzzi, Jehohanan, Malchijah, Elam, and Ezer. Then the choirs sang out under the direction of Jezrahiah.
43 On that day they offered great sacrifices, rejoicing because God had given them great joy. The women and children also rejoiced, so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard from afar.
Provisions for Temple Worship
44 And on that same day men were appointed over the rooms that housed the supplies, contributions, firstfruits, and tithes. The portions specified by the Law for the priests and Levites were gathered into these storerooms from the fields of the villages, because Judah rejoiced over the priests and Levites who were serving.
45 They performed the service of their God and the service of purification, along with the singers and gatekeepers, as David and his son Solomon had prescribed. 46 For long ago, in the days of David and Asaph, there were directors for the singers and for the songs of praise and thanksgiving to God.
47 So in the days of Zerubbabel and Nehemiah, all Israel contributed the daily portions for the singers and gatekeepers. They also set aside daily portions for the Levites, and the Levites set aside daily portions for the descendants of Aaron.
Footnotes:
2 a Malluch is a variant of Malluchi ; see verse 14.
3 b Rehum is a variant of Harim ; see verse 15, Nehemiah 7:42, and Ezra 2:39.
4 c Many Hebrew manuscripts and Vulgate (see also verse 16); most MT manuscripts Ginnethoi
5 d Mijamin is a variant of Miniamin ; see verse 17.
5 e Maadiah is a variant of Moadiah ; see verse 17.
5 f Bilgah is a variant of Bilgai ; also in verse 18; see Nehemiah 10:8.
11 g Jonathan is a variant of Johanan ; see verse 22.
14 h Malluchi is a variant of Malluch ; see verse 2.
14 i Shebaniah is a variant of Shecaniah ; see verse 3; see also Syriac and some Hebrew and LXX manuscripts.
15 j Meraioth is a variant of Meremoth ; see verse 3 and also some LXX manuscripts.
17 k Moadiah is a variant of Maadiah ; see verse 5.
20 l Sallai is a variant of Sallu ; see verse 7.
22 m Johanan is a variant of Jonathan ; see verse 11.
23 n Or the Book of the Annals or the Book of the Historical Events
24 o Or Sherebiah, Jeshua, Binnui, and Kadmiel
26 p Jozadak is a variant of Jehozadak ; see 1 Chronicles 6:14.
31 q Or alongside the wall ; also in verse 38
35 r Micaiah is a variant of Mica ; see Nehemiah 11:22.
39 s Or the Old City Gate
Nehemiah 13
Foreigners Excluded
1 At that time the Book of Moses was read aloud in the hearing of the people, and in it they found the passage stating that no Ammonite or Moabite should ever enter the assembly of God, a 2 because they had not met the Israelites with food and water, but had hired Balaam to call down a curse against them (although our God had turned the curse into a blessing).
3 As soon as the people heard this law, they excluded from Israel all of foreign descent.
The Temple Cleansed
4 Now before this, Eliashib the priest, a relative of Tobiah, had been put in charge of the storerooms of the house of our God 5 and had prepared for Tobiah a large room where they had previously stored the grain offerings, the frankincense, the temple articles, and the tithes of grain, new wine, and oil prescribed for the Levites, singers, and gatekeepers, along with the contributions for the priests.
6 While all this was happening, I was not in Jerusalem, because I had returned to Artaxerxes king of Babylon b in the thirty-second year of his reign. Some time later I obtained leave from the king 7 to return to Jerusalem. Then I discovered the evil that Eliashib had done on behalf of Tobiah by providing him a room in the courts of the house of God.
8 And I was greatly displeased and threw all of Tobiah’s household goods out of the room. 9 Then I ordered that the rooms be purified, and I had the articles of the house of God restored to them, along with the grain offerings and frankincense.
Tithes Restored
(Leviticus 27:30–34; Deuteronomy 14:22–29; Deuteronomy 26:1–15)
10 I also learned that because the portions for the Levites had not been given to them, all the Levites and singers responsible for performing the service had gone back to their own fields. 11 So I rebuked the officials and asked, “Why has the house of God been neglected?”
Then I gathered the Levites and singers together and stationed them at their posts, 12 and all Judah brought a tenth of the grain, new wine, and oil into the storerooms. 13 I appointed as treasurers over the storerooms Shelemiah the priest, Zadok the scribe, and Pedaiah of the Levites, with Hanan son of Zaccur, the son of Mattaniah, to assist them, because they were considered trustworthy. They were responsible for distributing the supplies to their fellow Levites.
14 Remember me for this, O my God, and do not blot out my deeds of loving devotion for the house of my God and for its services.
The Sabbath Restored
(Jeremiah 17:19–27)
15 In those days I saw people in Judah treading winepresses on the Sabbath and bringing in grain and loading it on donkeys, along with wine, grapes, and figs. All kinds of goods were being brought into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. So I warned them against selling food on that day. 16 Additionally, men of Tyre who lived there were importing fish and all kinds of merchandise and selling them on the Sabbath to the people of Judah in Jerusalem.
17 Then I rebuked the nobles of Judah and asked, “What is this evil you are doing—profaning the Sabbath day? 18 Did not your forefathers do the same things, so that our God brought all this disaster on us and on this city? And now you are rekindling His wrath against Israel by profaning the Sabbath!”
19 When the evening shadows began to fall on the gates of Jerusalem, just before the Sabbath, I ordered that the gates be shut and not opened until after the Sabbath. I posted some of my servants at the gates so that no load could enter on the Sabbath day.
20 Once or twice, the merchants and those who sell all kinds of goods camped outside Jerusalem, 21 but I warned them, “Why are you camping in front of the wall? If you do it again, I will lay hands on you.” From that time on, they did not return on the Sabbath. 22 Then I instructed the Levites to purify themselves and guard the gates in order to keep the Sabbath day holy.
Remember me for this as well, O my God, and show me mercy according to Your abundant loving devotion.
Intermarriage Forbidden
(Ezra 9:1–4)
23 In those days I also saw Jews who had married women from Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab. 24 Half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod or of the other peoples, but could not speak the language of Judah. 25 I rebuked them and called down curses on them. I beat some of these men and pulled out their hair.
Then I made them take an oath before God and said, “You must not give your daughters in marriage to their sons or take their daughters as wives for your sons or for yourselves! 26 Did not King Solomon of Israel sin in matters like this? There was not a king like him among many nations, and he was loved by his God, who made him king over all Israel—yet foreign women drew him into sin. 27 Must we now hear that you too are doing all this terrible evil and acting unfaithfully against our God by marrying foreign women?”
28 Even one of the sons of Jehoiada son of Eliashib the high priest had become a son-in-law to Sanballat the Horonite. Therefore I drove him away from me.
29 Remember them, O my God, because they have defiled the priesthood and the covenant of the priesthood and of the Levites.
30 Thus I purified the priests and Levites from everything foreign, and I assigned specific duties to each of the priests and Levites. 31 I also arranged for contributions of wood at the appointed times, and for the firstfruits.
Remember me, O my God, with favor.
Footnotes:
1 a See Deuteronomy 23:3–6.
6 b Artaxerxes king of Persia is identified here as the king of Babylon because Persia had conquered the Babylonian Empire.
Esther
Esther 1
Xerxes’ Royal Feast
1 This is what happened in the days of Xerxes, a who reigned over 127 provinces from India to Cush. b 2 In those days King Xerxes sat on his royal throne in the citadel of Susa.
3 In the third year of his reign, Xerxes held a feast for all his officials and servants. The military leaders of Persia and Media were there, along with the nobles and princes of the provinces. 4 And for a full 180 days he displayed the glorious riches of his kingdom and the magnificent splendor of his greatness.
5 At the end of this time, in the garden court of the royal palace, the king held a seven-day feast for all the people in the citadel of Susa, from the least to the greatest. 6 Hangings of white and blue linen were fastened with cords of fine white and purple material to silver rings on the marble pillars. Gold and silver couches were arranged on a mosaic pavement of porphyry, marble, mother-of-pearl, and other costly stones.
7 Beverages were served in an array of goblets of gold, each with a different design, and the royal wine flowed freely, according to the king’s bounty. 8 By order of the king, no limit was placed on the drinking, and every official of his household was to serve each man whatever he desired.
Queen Vashti’s Refusal
9 Queen Vashti also gave a banquet for the women in the royal palace of King Xerxes.
10 On the seventh day, when the king’s heart was merry with wine, he ordered the seven eunuchs who served him—Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar, and Carkas— 11 to bring Queen Vashti before him, wearing her royal crown, to display her beauty to the people and officials. For she was beautiful to behold.
12 Queen Vashti, however, refused to come at the king’s command brought by his eunuchs. And the king became furious, and his anger burned within him.
Queen Vashti Deposed
13 Then the king consulted the wise men who knew the times, for it was customary for him to confer with the experts in law and justice. 14 His closest advisors were Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan, the seven princes of Persia and Media who had personal access to the king and ranked highest in the kingdom.
15 “According to law,” he asked, “what should be done with Queen Vashti, since she refused to obey the command of King Xerxes delivered by the eunuchs?”
16 And in the presence of the king and his princes, Memucan replied, “Queen Vashti has wronged not only the king, but all the princes and the peoples in all the provinces of King Xerxes. 17 For the conduct of the queen will become known to all women, causing them to despise their husbands c and say, ‘King Xerxes ordered Queen Vashti to be brought before him, but she did not come.’
18 This very day the noble women of Persia and Media who have heard about the queen’s conduct will say the same thing to all the king’s officials, resulting in much contempt and wrath.
19 So if it pleases the king, let him issue a royal decree, and let it be recorded in the laws of Persia and Media so that it cannot be repealed, that Vashti shall never again enter the presence of King Xerxes, and that her royal position shall be given to a woman better than she. 20 The edict the king issues will be heard throughout his vast kingdom—and so all women, from the least to the greatest, will honor their husbands.”
21 The king and his princes were pleased with this counsel; so the king did as Memucan had advised. 22 He sent letters to all the provinces of the kingdom, to each province in its own script and to each people in their own language, proclaiming d that every man should be master of his own household.
Footnotes:
1 a Hebrew Ahasuerus ; here and throughout Esther
1 b That is, the upper Nile region
17 c Or to disdain their husbands in their eyes
22 d Literally proclaiming in the language of his own people
Esther 2
Seeking Vashti’s Successor
1 Some time later, when the anger of King Xerxes had subsided, he remembered Vashti and what she had done, and what had been decreed against her.
2 Then the king’s attendants proposed, “Let a search be made for beautiful young virgins for the king, 3 and let the king appoint commissioners in each province of his kingdom to assemble all the beautiful young women into the harem at the citadel of Susa. Let them be placed under the care of Hegai, the king’s eunuch in charge of the women, and let them be given beauty treatments. 4 Then let the young woman who pleases the king become queen in place of Vashti.”
This suggestion pleased the king, and he acted accordingly.
Esther Finds Favor
5 Now there was at the citadel of Susa a Jewish man from the tribe of Benjamin named Mordecai son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish. 6 He had been carried into exile from Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon among those taken captive with Jeconiah a king of Judah.
7 And Mordecai had brought up Hadassah (that is, Esther), the daughter of his uncle, because she did not have a father or mother. The young woman was lovely in form and appearance, and when her father and mother had died, Mordecai had taken her in as his own daughter.
8 When the king’s command and edict had been proclaimed, many young women gathered at the citadel of Susa under the care of Hegai. Esther was also taken to the palace and placed under the care of Hegai, the custodian of the women. 9 And the young woman pleased him and obtained his favor, so he quickly provided her with beauty treatments and the special diet. He assigned to her seven select maidservants from the palace and transferred her with them to the best place in the harem.
10 Esther did not reveal her people or her lineage, because Mordecai had instructed her not to do so. 11 And every day Mordecai would walk back and forth in front of the court of the harem to learn about Esther’s welfare and what was happening to her.
12 In the twelve months before her turn to go to King Xerxes, the harem regulation required each young woman to receive beauty treatments with oil of myrrh for six months, and then with perfumes and cosmetics for another six months. 13 When the young woman would go to the king, she was given whatever she requested to take with her from the harem to the king’s palace. 14 She would go there in the evening, and in the morning she would return to a second harem b under the care of Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch in charge of the concubines. She would not return to the king unless he delighted in her and summoned her by name.
15 Now Esther was the daughter of Abihail, the uncle from whom Mordecai had adopted her as his own daughter. And when it was her turn to go to the king, she did not ask for anything except what Hegai, the king’s trusted official in charge of the harem, had advised. And Esther found favor in the eyes of everyone who saw her.
16 She was taken to King Xerxes in the royal palace in the tenth month, the month of Tebeth, c in the seventh year of his reign.
Esther Becomes Queen
17 And the king loved Esther more than all the other women, and she found grace and favor in his sight more than all of the other virgins. So he placed the royal crown upon her head and made her queen in place of Vashti.
18 Then the king held a great banquet, Esther’s banquet, for all his officials and servants. He proclaimed a tax holiday in the provinces and gave gifts worthy of the king’s bounty.
19 When the virgins were assembled a second time, Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate. d 20 Esther still had not revealed her lineage or her people, just as Mordecai had instructed. She obeyed Mordecai’s command, as she had done under his care.
Mordecai Uncovers a Conspiracy
21 In those days, while Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate, Bigthan e and Teresh, two of the king’s eunuchs who guarded the entrance, grew angry and conspired to assassinate King Xerxes.
22 When Mordecai learned of the plot, he reported it to Queen Esther, and she informed the king on Mordecai’s behalf.
23 After the report had been investigated and verified, both officials were hanged on the gallows. And all this was recorded in the Book of the Chronicles f in the presence of the king.
Footnotes:
6 a Jeconiah is a variant of Jehoiachin ; see 2 Kings 24:12.
14 b Or to another part of the harem
16 c Tebeth is the tenth month of the Hebrew lunar calendar, usually occurring within the months of December and January.
19 d Or Mordecai had become a palace official
21 e Bigthan is a variant of Bigthana ; see Esther 6:2.
23 f Or the Book of the Annals or the Book of the Historical Events
Esther 3
Haman’s Plot against the Jews
1 After these events, King Xerxes honored Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, elevating him to a position above all the princes who were with him. 2 All the royal servants at the king’s gate bowed down and paid homage to Haman, because the king had commanded that this be done for him. But Mordecai would not bow down or pay homage.
3 Then the royal servants at the king’s gate asked Mordecai, “Why do you disobey the command of the king?”
4 Day after day they warned him, but he would not comply. So they reported it to Haman to see whether Mordecai’s behavior would be tolerated, since he had told them he was a Jew.
5 When Haman saw that Mordecai would not bow down or pay him homage, he was filled with rage. 6 And when he learned the identity of Mordecai’s people, he scorned the notion of a laying hands on Mordecai alone. Instead, he sought to destroy all of Mordecai’s people, the Jews, throughout the kingdom of Xerxes.
7 In the twelfth year of King Xerxes, in the first month, the month of Nisan, b the Pur (that is, the lot) was cast before Haman to determine a day and month. And the lot fell on the twelfth month, the month of Adar. c
8 Then Haman informed King Xerxes, “There is a certain people scattered and dispersed among the peoples of every province of your kingdom. Their laws are different from everyone else’s, and they do not obey the king’s laws. So it is not in the king’s best interest to tolerate them. 9 If it pleases the king, let a decree be issued to destroy them, and I will deposit ten thousand talents of silver d into the royal treasury to pay those who carry it out.”
10 So the king removed the signet ring from his finger and gave it to Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews. 11 “Keep your money,” said the king to Haman. “These people are given to you to do with them as you please.”
12 On the thirteenth day of the first month, the royal scribes were summoned and the order was written exactly as Haman commanded the royal satraps, the governors of each province, and the officials of each people, in the script of each province and the language of every people. It was written in the name of King Xerxes and sealed with the royal signet ring.
13 And the letters were sent by couriers to each of the royal provinces with the order to destroy, kill, and annihilate all the Jews—young and old, women and children—and to plunder their possessions on a single day, the thirteenth day of Adar, the twelfth month.
14 A copy of the text of the edict was to be issued in every province and published to all the people, so that they would be ready on that day. 15 The couriers left, spurred on by the king’s command, and the edict was issued in the citadel of Susa. Then the king and Haman sat down to drink, but the city of Susa was in confusion.
Footnotes:
6 a Hebrew he disdained in his eyes
7 b Nisan is the first month of the Hebrew lunar calendar, usually occurring within the months of March and April.
7 c LXX were cast before Haman—a day and month—and the lot fell on the fourteenth of the month of Adar ; Hebrew were cast before Haman a day and month—the twelfth, Adar ; the month of Adar (also in verse 13) is the twelfth month of the Hebrew lunar calendar, usually occurring within the months of February and March.
9 d 10,000 talents is approximately 377 tons or 342 metric tons of silver.
Esther 4
Mordecai Appeals to Esther
1 When Mordecai learned of all that had happened, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the middle of the city, wailing loudly and bitterly. 2 But he went only as far as the king’s gate, because the law prohibited anyone wearing sackcloth from entering that gate.
3 In every province to which the king’s command and edict came, there was great mourning among the Jews. They fasted, wept, and lamented, and many lay in sackcloth and ashes.
4 When Esther’s maidens and eunuchs came and told her about Mordecai, the queen was overcome with distress. She sent clothes for Mordecai to wear instead of his sackcloth, but he would not accept them.
5 Then Esther summoned Hathach, one of the king’s eunuchs appointed to her, and she dispatched him to Mordecai to learn what was troubling him and why. 6 So Hathach went out to Mordecai in the city square in front of the king’s gate, 7 and Mordecai told him all that had happened to him, including the exact amount of money that Haman had promised to pay into the royal treasury in order to destroy the Jews.
8 Mordecai also gave Hathach a copy of the written decree issued in Susa for the destruction of the Jews, to show and explain to Esther, urging her to approach the king, implore his favor, and plead before him for her people.
9 So Hathach went back and relayed Mordecai’s response to Esther.
10 Then Esther spoke to Hathach and instructed him to tell Mordecai, 11 “All the royal officials and the people of the king’s provinces know that one law applies to every man or woman who approaches the king in the inner court without being summoned—that he be put to death. Only if the king extends the gold scepter may that person live. But I have not been summoned to appear before the king for the past thirty days.”
12 When Esther’s words were relayed to Mordecai, 13 he sent back to her this reply: “Do not imagine that because you are in the king’s palace you alone will escape the fate of all the Jews. 14 For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows if perhaps you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”
15 Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: 16 “Go and assemble all the Jews who can be found in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day, and I and my maidens will fast as you do. After that, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish! a”
17 So Mordecai went and did all that Esther had instructed him.
Footnotes:
16 a Or if I am destroyed, then I will be destroyed!
Esther 5
Esther Approaches the King
1 On the third day, Esther put on her royal attire and stood in the inner court of the palace across from the king’s quarters. The king was sitting on his royal throne in the royal courtroom, facing the entrance.
2 As soon as the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court, she found favor in his sight. The king extended the gold scepter in his hand toward Esther, and she approached and touched the tip of the scepter.
3 “What is it, Queen Esther?” the king inquired. “What is your request? Even up to half the kingdom, it will be given to you.”
4 “If it pleases the king,” Esther replied, “may the king and Haman come today to the banquet I have prepared for the king.”
5 “Hurry,” commanded the king, “and bring Haman, so we can do as Esther has requested.”
So the king and Haman went to the banquet that Esther had prepared. 6 And as they drank their wine, the king said to Esther, “What is your petition? It will be given to you. What is your request? Even up to half the kingdom, it will be fulfilled.”
7 Esther replied, “This is my petition and my request: 8 If I have found favor in the sight of the king, and if it pleases the king to grant my petition and fulfill my request, may the king and Haman come tomorrow to the banquet I will prepare for them. Then I will answer the king’s question.”
Haman’s Plot against Mordecai
9 That day Haman went out full of joy and glad of heart. At the king’s gate, however, he saw Mordecai, who did not rise or tremble in fear at his presence. And Haman was filled with rage toward Mordecai.
10 Nevertheless, Haman restrained himself and went home. And calling for his friends and his wife Zeresh, 11 Haman recounted to them his glorious wealth, his many sons, and all the ways the king had honored and promoted him over the other officials and servants.
12 “What is more,” Haman added, “Queen Esther invited no one but me to join the king at the banquet she prepared, and I am invited back tomorrow along with the king. 13 Yet none of this satisfies me as long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king’s gate.”
14 His wife Zeresh and all his friends told him, “Have them build a gallows fifty cubits high, a and ask the king in the morning to have Mordecai hanged on it. Then go to the banquet with the king and enjoy yourself.”
The advice pleased Haman, and he had the gallows constructed.
Footnotes:
14 a 50 cubits is approximately 75 feet or 22.9 meters high.
Esther 6
Mordecai Is Honored
1 That night sleep escaped the king; so he ordered the Book of Records, the Chronicles, a to be brought in and read to him. 2 And there it was found recorded that Mordecai had exposed Bigthana b and Teresh, two of the eunuchs who guarded the king’s entrance, when they had conspired to assassinate King Xerxes.
3 The king inquired, “What honor or dignity has been bestowed on Mordecai for this act?”
“Nothing has been done for him,” replied the king’s attendants.
4 “Who is in the court?” the king asked.
Now Haman had just entered the outer court of the palace to ask the king to hang Mordecai on the gallows he had prepared for him. 5 So the king’s attendants answered him, “Haman is there, standing in the court.”
“Bring him in,” ordered the king.
6 Haman entered, and the king asked him, “What should be done for the man whom the king is delighted to honor?”
Now Haman thought to himself, “Whom would the king be delighted to honor more than me?”
7 And Haman told the king, “For the man whom the king is delighted to honor, 8 have them bring a royal robe that the king himself has worn and a horse on which the king himself has ridden—one with a royal crest placed on its head. 9 Let the robe and the horse be entrusted to one of the king’s most noble princes. Let them array the man the king wants to honor and parade him on the horse through the city square, proclaiming before him, ‘This is what is done for the man whom the king is delighted to honor!’ ”
10 “Hurry,” said the king to Haman, “and do just as you proposed. Take the robe and the horse to Mordecai the Jew, who is sitting at the king’s gate. Do not neglect anything that you have suggested.”
11 So Haman took the robe and the horse, arrayed Mordecai, and paraded him through the city square, crying out before him, “This is what is done for the man whom the king is delighted to honor!”
12 Then Mordecai returned to the king’s gate. But Haman rushed home, with his head covered in grief.
13 Haman told his wife Zeresh and all his friends everything that had happened. His advisers and his wife Zeresh said to him, “Since Mordecai, before whom your downfall has begun, is Jewish, you will not prevail against him—for surely you will fall before him.”
14 While they were still speaking with Haman, the king’s eunuchs arrived and rushed him to the banquet that Esther had prepared.
Footnotes:
1 a Or the Book of Memorials, the Annals or the Book of Records of Historical Events
2 b Bigthana is a variant of Bigthan ; see Esther 2:21.
Esther 7
Esther Pleads for Her People
1 So the king and Haman went to dine with Esther the queen, 2 and as they drank their wine on that second day, the king asked once more, “Queen Esther, what is your petition? It will be given to you. What is your request? Even up to half the kingdom, it will be fulfilled.”
3 Queen Esther replied, “If I have found favor in your sight, O king, and if it pleases the king, grant me my life as my petition, and the lives of my people as my request. 4 For my people and I have been sold out to destruction, death, and annihilation. If we had merely been sold as menservants and maidservants, I would have remained silent, because no such distress would justify burdening the king.”
5 Then King Xerxes spoke up and asked Queen Esther, “Who is this, and where is the one who would devise a such a scheme?”
6 Esther replied, “The adversary and enemy is this wicked man—Haman!”
And Haman stood in terror before the king and queen.
The Hanging of Haman
7 In his fury, the king arose from drinking his wine and went to the palace garden, while Haman stayed behind to beg Queen Esther for his life, for he realized that the king was planning a terrible fate for him.
8 Just as the king returned from the palace garden to the banquet hall, Haman was falling on the couch where Esther was reclining. The king exclaimed, “Would he actually assault the queen while I am in the palace?”
As soon as the words had left the king’s mouth, they covered Haman’s face.
9 Then Harbonah, one of the eunuchs attending the king, said: “There is a gallows fifty cubits high b at Haman’s house. He had it built for Mordecai, who gave the report that saved the king.”
“Hang him on it!” declared the king.
10 So they hanged Haman on the gallows he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the fury of the king subsided.
Footnotes:
5 a Hebrew whose heart has filled him to do
9 b 50 cubits is approximately 75 feet or 22.9 meters high.
Esther 8
Esther Appeals for the Jews
1 That same day King Xerxes awarded Queen Esther the estate of Haman, the enemy of the Jews. And Mordecai entered the king’s presence because Esther had revealed his relation to her. 2 The king removed the signet ring he had recovered from Haman and presented it to Mordecai. And Esther appointed Mordecai over the estate of Haman.
3 And once again, Esther addressed the king. She fell at his feet weeping and begged him to revoke the evil scheme of Haman the Agagite, which he had devised against the Jews.
4 The king extended the gold scepter toward Esther, and she arose and stood before the king.
5 “If it pleases the king,” she said, “and if I have found favor in his sight, and the matter seems proper to the king, and I am pleasing in his sight, may an order be written to revoke the letters that the scheming Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, wrote to destroy the Jews in all the king’s provinces. 6 For how could I bear to see the disaster that would befall my people? How could I bear to see the destruction of my kindred?”
The Decree of Xerxes
7 So King Xerxes said to Esther the Queen and Mordecai the Jew, “Behold, I have given Haman’s estate to Esther, and he was hanged on the gallows because he attacked the Jews. 8 Now you may write in the king’s name as you please regarding the Jews, and seal it with the royal signet ring. For a decree that is written in the name of the king and sealed with the royal signet ring cannot be revoked.”
9 At once the royal scribes were summoned, and on the twenty-third day of the third month (the month of Sivan a), they recorded all of Mordecai’s orders to the Jews and to the satraps, governors, and princes of the 127 provinces from India to Cush b —writing to each province in its own script, to every people in their own language, and to the Jews in their own script and language.
10 Mordecai wrote in the name of King Xerxes and sealed it with the royal signet ring. He sent the documents by mounted couriers riding on swift horses bred from the royal mares.
11 By these letters the king permitted the Jews in each and every city the right to assemble and defend themselves, to destroy, kill, and annihilate all the forces of any people or province hostile to them, including women and children, and to plunder their possessions. 12 The single day appointed throughout all the provinces of King Xerxes was the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar. c
13 A copy of the text of the edict was to be issued in every province and published to all the people, so that the Jews would be ready on that day to avenge themselves on their enemies. 14 The couriers rode out in haste on their royal horses, pressed on by the command of the king. And the edict was also issued in the citadel of Susa.
15 Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal garments of blue and white, with a large gold crown and a purple robe of fine linen. And the city of Susa shouted and rejoiced.
16 For the Jews it was a time of light and gladness, of joy and honor. 17 In every province and every city, wherever the king’s edict and decree reached, there was joy and gladness among the Jews, with feasting and celebrating. And many of the people of the land themselves became Jews, because the fear of the Jews had fallen upon them.
Footnotes:
9 a Sivan is the third month of the Hebrew lunar calendar, usually occurring within the months of May and June.
9 b That is, to the upper Nile region
12 c Adar is the twelfth month of the Hebrew lunar calendar, usually occurring within the months of February and March.
Esther 9
The Jews Destroy Their Enemies
1 On the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar, a the king’s command and edict were to be executed. On this day the enemies of the Jews had hoped to overpower them, but their plan was overturned and the Jews overpowered those who hated them. 2 In each of the provinces of King Xerxes, the Jews assembled in their cities to attack those who sought to harm them. No man could withstand them, because the fear of them had fallen upon all peoples.
3 And all the officials of the provinces, the satraps, the governors, and the king’s administrators helped the Jews, because the fear of Mordecai had fallen upon them. 4 For Mordecai exercised great power in the palace, and his fame spread throughout the provinces as he became more and more powerful.
5 The Jews put all their enemies to the sword, killing and destroying them, and they did as they pleased to those who hated them. 6 In the citadel of Susa, the Jews killed and destroyed five hundred men, 7 including Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha, 8 Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha, 9 Parmashta, Arisai, Aridai, and Vaizatha. 10 They killed these ten sons of Haman son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews, but they did not lay a hand on the plunder.
Haman’s Sons Hanged
11 On that day the number of those killed in the citadel of Susa was reported to the king, 12 who said to Queen Esther, “In the citadel of Susa the Jews have killed and destroyed five hundred men, including Haman’s ten sons. What have they done in the rest of the royal provinces? Now what is your petition? It will be given to you. And what further do you request? It will be fulfilled.”
13 Esther replied, “If it pleases the king, may the Jews in Susa also have tomorrow to carry out today’s edict, and may the bodies of Haman’s ten sons be hanged on the gallows.”
14 So the king commanded that this be done. An edict was issued in Susa, and they hanged the ten sons of Haman. 15 On the fourteenth day of the month of Adar, the Jews in Susa came together again and put to death three hundred men there, but they did not lay a hand on the plunder.
16 The rest of the Jews in the royal provinces also assembled to defend themselves and rid themselves of their enemies. They killed 75,000 who hated them, but they did not lay a hand on the plunder. 17 This was done on the thirteenth day of the month of Adar, and on the fourteenth day they rested, making it a day of feasting and joy.
The Feast of Purim Instituted
18 The Jews in Susa, however, had assembled on the thirteenth and the fourteenth days of the month. So they rested on the fifteenth day, making it a day of feasting and joy. 19 This is why the rural Jews, who live in the villages, observe the fourteenth day of the month of Adar as a day of joy and feasting. It is a holiday for sending gifts to one another.
20 Mordecai recorded these events and sent letters to all the Jews in all the provinces of King Xerxes, both near and far, 21 to establish among them an annual celebration on the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month of Adar 22 as the days on which the Jews gained rest from their enemies and the month in which their sorrow turned to joy and their mourning into a holiday. He wrote that these were to be days of feasting and joy, of sending gifts to one another and to the poor.
23 So the Jews agreed to continue the custom they had started, as Mordecai had written to them. 24 For Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of all the Jews, had plotted against the Jews to destroy them and had cast the Pur (that is, the lot) to crush and destroy them. 25 But when it came before the king, he commanded by letter that the wicked scheme which Haman had devised against the Jews should come back upon his own head, and that he and his sons should be hanged on the gallows.
26 Therefore these days are called Purim, from the word Pur.
Because of all the instructions in this letter, and because of all they had seen and experienced, 27 the Jews bound themselves to establish the custom that they and their descendants and all who join them should not fail to celebrate these two days at the appointed time each and every year, according to their regulation. 28 These days should be remembered and celebrated by every generation, family, province, and city, so that these days of Purim should not fail to be observed among the Jews, nor should the memory of them fade from their descendants.
29 So Queen Esther daughter of Abihail, along with Mordecai the Jew, wrote with full authority to confirm this second letter concerning Purim. 30 And Mordecai sent letters with words of peace and truth to all the Jews in the 127 provinces of the kingdom of Xerxes, 31 in order to confirm these days of Purim at their appointed time, just as Mordecai the Jew and Queen Esther had established them and had committed themselves and their descendants to the times of fasting and lamentation.
32 So Esther’s decree confirmed these regulations about Purim, which were written into the record.
Footnotes:
1 a Adar is the twelfth month of the Hebrew lunar calendar, usually occurring within the months of February and March; also in verses 15, 17, 19, and 21.
Esther 10
Tribute to Xerxes and Mordecai
1 Now King Xerxes imposed tribute throughout the land, even to its farthest shores.
2 And all of Mordecai’s powerful and magnificent accomplishments, together with the full account of the greatness to which the king had raised him, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Media and Persia? 3 For Mordecai the Jew was second only to King Xerxes, preeminent among the Jews and highly favored by his many kinsmen, seeking the good of his people and speaking peace to all his countrymen.
Job
Job 1
Job’s Character and Wealth
(James 5:7–12)
1 There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job. And this man was blameless and upright, fearing God and shunning evil. 2 He had seven sons and three daughters, 3 and he owned 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, 500 female donkeys, and a very large number of servants. Job was the greatest man of all the people of the East.
4 Job’s sons would take turns holding feasts in their homes, and they would invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them.
5 And when the days of feasting were over, Job would send for his children to purify them, rising early in the morning to offer burnt offerings for all of them. For Job thought, “Perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” This was Job’s regular practice.
Satan’s First Attack
6 One day the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan a also came with them.
7 “Where have you come from?” said the LORD to Satan.
“From roaming through the earth,” he replied, “and walking back and forth in it.”
8 Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one on earth like him, a man who is blameless and upright, who fears God and shuns evil.”
9 Satan answered the LORD, “Does Job fear God for nothing? 10 Have You not placed a hedge on every side around him and his household and all that he owns? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. 11 But stretch out Your hand and strike all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face.”
12 “Very well,” said the LORD to Satan. “Everything he has is in your hands, but you must not lay a hand on the man himself.”
Then Satan went out from the presence of the LORD.
Job Loses His Children and Possessions
13 One day, while Job’s sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, 14 a messenger came and reported to Job:“While the oxen were plowing and the donkeys were grazing nearby, 15 the Sabeans swooped down and took them away. They put the servants to the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you!”
16 While he was still speaking, another messenger came and reported: “The fire of God fell from heaven. It burned and consumed the sheep and the servants, and I alone have escaped to tell you!”
17 While he was still speaking, another messenger came and reported: “The Chaldeans formed three bands, raided the camels, and took them away. They put the servants to the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you!”
18 While he was still speaking, another messenger came and reported: “Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, 19 when suddenly a mighty wind swept in from the desert and struck the four corners of the house. It collapsed on the young people and they are dead, and I alone have escaped to tell you!”
20 Then Job stood up, tore his robe, and shaved his head. He fell to the ground and worshiped, 21 saying:
“Naked I came from my mother’s womb,
and naked I will return.
The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away.
Blessed be the name of the LORD.”
22 In all this, Job did not sin or charge God with wrongdoing.
Footnotes:
6 a That is, the Accuser or the Adversary ; here and throughout Job 1
Job 2
Job Loses His Health
1 On another day the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan a also came with them to present himself before Him.
2 “Where have you come from?” said the LORD to Satan.
“From roaming through the earth,” he replied, “and walking back and forth in it.”
3 Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one on earth like him, a man who is blameless and upright, who fears God and shuns evil. He still retains his integrity, even though you incited Me against him to ruin him without cause.”
4 “Skin for skin!” Satan replied. “A man will give up all he owns in exchange for his life. 5 But stretch out Your hand and strike his flesh and bones, and he will surely curse You to Your face.”
6 “Very well,” said the LORD to Satan. “He is in your hands, but you must spare his life.”
7 So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD and infected Job with terrible boils from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head. 8 And Job took a piece of broken pottery to scrape himself as he sat among the ashes.
9 Then Job’s wife said to him, “Do you still retain your integrity? Curse b God and die!”
10 “You speak as a foolish woman speaks,” he told her. “Should we accept from God only good and not adversity?”
In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.
Job’s Three Friends
11 Now when Job’s three friends—Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite—heard about all this adversity that had come upon him, each of them came from his home, and they met together to go and sympathize with Job and comfort him.
12 When they lifted up their eyes from afar, they could barely recognize Job. They began to weep aloud, and each man tore his robe and threw dust in the air over his head. 13 Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights, but no one spoke a word to him because they saw how intense his suffering was.
Footnotes:
1 a That is, the Accuser or the Adversary ; here and throughout Job 2
9 b Or Bless
Job 3
Job Laments His Birth
1 After this, Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth. 2 And this is what he said:
3 “May the day of my birth perish,
and the night it was said,
‘A boy is conceived.’
4 If only that day had turned to darkness!
May God above disregard it;
may no light shine upon it.
5 May darkness and gloom reclaim it,
and a cloud settle over it;
may the blackness of the day overwhelm it.
6 If only darkness had taken that night away!
May it not appear among the days of the year;
may it never be entered in any of the months.
7 Behold, may that night be barren;
may no joyful voice come into it.
8 May it be cursed by those who curse the day a —
those prepared to rouse Leviathan.
9 May its morning stars grow dark;
may it wait in vain for daylight;
may it not see the breaking of dawn.
10 For that night did not shut the doors of the womb
to hide the sorrow from my eyes.
11 Why did I not perish at birth;
why did I not die as I came from the womb?
12 Why were there knees to receive me,
and breasts that I should be nursed?
13 For now I would be lying down in peace;
I would be asleep and at rest
14 with kings and counselors of the earth,
who built for themselves cities now in ruins,
15 or with princes who had gold,
who filled their houses with silver.
16 Or why was I not hidden like a stillborn child,
like an infant who never sees daylight?
17 There the wicked cease from raging,
and there the weary find rest.
18 The captives enjoy their ease;
they do not hear the voice of the oppressor.
19 Both small and great are there,
and the slave is freed from his master.
20 Why is light given to the miserable,
and life to the bitter of soul,
21 who long for death that does not come,
and search for it like hidden treasure,
22 who rejoice and greatly exult
when they can find the grave?
23 Why is life given to a man whose way is hidden,
whom God has hedged in?
24 I sigh when food is put before me,
and my groans pour out like water.
25 For the thing I feared has overtaken me,
and what I dreaded has befallen me.
26 I am not at ease or quiet;
I have no rest, for trouble has come.”
Footnotes:
8 a Or curse the sea
Job 4
Eliphaz: The Innocent Prosper
1 Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied:
2 “If one ventures a word with you, will you be wearied?
Yet who can keep from speaking?
3 Surely you have instructed many,
and have strengthened their feeble hands.
4 Your words have steadied those who stumbled;
you have braced the knees that were buckling.
5 But now trouble has come upon you, and you are weary.
It strikes you, and you are dismayed.
6 Is your reverence not your confidence,
and the uprightness of your ways your hope?
7 Consider now, I plead:
Who, being innocent, has ever perished?
Or where have the upright been destroyed?
8 As I have observed, those who plow iniquity
and those who sow trouble reap the same.
9 By the breath of God they perish,
and by the blast of His anger they are consumed.
10 The lion may roar, and the fierce lion may growl,
yet the teeth of the young lions are broken.
11 The old lion perishes for lack of prey,
and the cubs of the lioness are scattered.
12 Now a word came to me secretly;
my ears caught a whisper of it.
13 In disquieting visions in the night,
when deep sleep falls on men,
14 fear and trembling came over me
and made all my bones shudder.
15 Then a spirit a glided past my face,
and the hair on my body bristled.
16 It stood still,
but I could not discern its appearance;
a form loomed before my eyes,
and I heard a whispering voice:
17 ‘Can a mortal be more righteous than God,
or a man more pure than his Maker?
18 If God puts no trust in His servants,
and He charges His angels with error,
19 how much more those who dwell in houses of clay,
whose foundations are in the dust,
who can be crushed like a moth!
20 They are smashed to pieces from dawn to dusk;
unnoticed, they perish forever.
21 Are not their tent cords pulled up,
so that they die without wisdom?’
Footnotes:
15 a Or a wind
Job 5
Eliphaz Continues: God Blesses those Who Seek Him
1 “Call out if you please, but who will answer?
To which of the holy ones will you turn?
2 For resentment kills a fool,
and envy slays the simple.
3 I have seen a fool taking root,
but suddenly his house was cursed.
4 His sons are far from safety,
crushed in court without a defender.
5 The hungry consume his harvest,
taking it even from the thorns,
and the thirsty pant after his wealth. a
6 For distress does not spring from the dust,
and trouble does not sprout from the ground.
7 Yet man is born to trouble
as surely as sparks fly upward.
8 However, if I were you, I would appeal to God
and lay my cause before Him—
9 the One who does great and unsearchable things,
wonders without number.
10 He gives rain to the earth
and sends water upon the fields.
11 He sets the lowly on high,
so that mourners are lifted to safety.
12 He thwarts the schemes of the crafty,
so that their hands find no success.
13 He catches the wise in their craftiness, b
and sweeps away the plans of the cunning.
14 They encounter darkness by day
and grope at noon as in the night.
15 He saves the needy from the sword in their mouth
and from the clutches of the powerful.
16 So the poor have hope,
and injustice shuts its mouth.
17 Blessed indeed is the man whom God corrects;
so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty. c
18 For He wounds, but He also binds;
He strikes, but His hands also heal.
19 He will rescue you from six calamities;
no harm will touch you in seven.
20 In famine He will redeem you from death,
and in battle from the stroke of the sword.
21 You will be hidden from the scourge of the tongue,
and will not fear havoc when it comes.
22 You will laugh at destruction and famine,
and need not fear the beasts of the earth.
23 For you will have a covenant with the stones of the field,
and the wild animals will be at peace with you.
24 You will know that your tent is secure,
and find nothing amiss when inspecting your home.
25 You will know that your offspring will be many,
your descendants like the grass of the earth.
26 You will come to the grave in full vigor,
like a sheaf of grain gathered in season.
27 Indeed, we have investigated, and it is true!
So hear it and know for yourself.”
Footnotes:
5 a Or and a snare snatches his wealth
13 b Cited in 1 Corinthians 3:19
17 c Hebrew Shaddai ; here and throughout Job
Job 6
Job Replies: My Complaint Is Just
1 Then Job replied:
2 “If only my grief could be weighed
and placed with my calamity on the scales.
3 For then it would outweigh the sand of the seas—
no wonder my words have been rash.
4 For the arrows of the Almighty have pierced me;
my spirit drinks in their poison;
the terrors of God are arrayed against me.
5 Does a wild donkey bray over fresh grass,
or an ox low over its fodder?
6 Is tasteless food eaten without salt,
or is there flavor in the white of an egg a?
7 My soul refuses to touch them;
they are loathsome food to me.
8 If only my request were granted
and God would fulfill my hope:
9 that God would be willing to crush me,
to unleash His hand and cut me off!
10 It still brings me comfort,
and joy through unrelenting pain,
that I have not denied
the words of the Holy One.
11 What strength do I have, that I should still hope?
What is my future, that I should be patient?
12 Is my strength like that of stone,
or my flesh made of bronze?
13 Is there any help within me
now that success is driven from me?
14 A despairing man should have the kindness of his friend,
even if he forsakes the fear of the Almighty.
15 But my brothers are as faithless as wadis,
as seasonal streams that overflow,
16 darkened because of the ice
and the inflow of melting snow,
17 but ceasing in the dry season
and vanishing from their channels in the heat.
18 Caravans turn aside from their routes;
they go into the wasteland and perish.
19 The caravans of Tema look for water;
the travelers of Sheba hope to find it.
20 They are confounded because they had hoped;
their arrival brings disappointment.
21 For now you are of no help;
you see terror, and you are afraid.
22 Have I ever said, ‘Give me something;
offer me a bribe from your wealth;
23 deliver me from the hand of the enemy;
redeem me from the grasp of the ruthless’?
24 Teach me, and I will be silent.
Help me understand how I have erred.
25 How painful are honest words!
But what does your argument prove?
26 Do you intend to correct my words,
and treat as wind my cry of despair?
27 You would even cast lots for an orphan
and barter away your friend.
28 But now, please look at me.
Would I lie to your face?
29 Reconsider; do not be unjust.
Reconsider, for my righteousness is at stake.
30 Is there iniquity on my tongue?
Can my mouth not discern malice?
Footnotes:
6 a Or in the sap of the mallow plant
Job 7
Job Continues: Life Seems Futile
1 “Is not man consigned to labor on earth?
Are not his days like those of a hired hand?
2 Like a slave he longs for shade;
like a hireling he waits for his wages.
3 So I am allotted months of futility,
and nights of misery are appointed me.
4 When I lie down I think:
‘When will I get up?’
But the night drags on,
and I toss and turn until dawn.
5 My flesh is clothed with worms
and encrusted with dirt;
my skin is cracked and festering.
6 My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle;
they come to an end without hope.
7 Remember that my life is but a breath.
My eyes will never again see happiness.
8 The eye that beholds me will no longer see me.
You will look for me, but I will be no more.
9 As a cloud vanishes and is gone,
so he who goes down to Sheol does not come back up.
10 He never returns to his house;
his place remembers him no more.
11 Therefore I will not restrain my mouth;
I will speak in the anguish of my spirit;
I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.
12 Am I the sea, or the monster of the deep,
that You must keep me under guard?
13 When I think my bed will comfort me
and my couch will ease my complaint,
14 then You frighten me with dreams
and terrify me with visions,
15 so that I would prefer strangling and death
over my life in this body.
16 I loathe my life! I would not live forever.
Leave me alone, for my days are but a breath.
17 What is man that You should exalt him,
that You should set Your heart upon him,
18 that You attend to him every morning,
and test him every moment?
19 Will You never look away from me,
or leave me alone to swallow my spittle?
20 If I have sinned, what have I done to You,
O watcher of mankind?
Why have You made me Your target,
so that I am a burden to You a?
21 Why do You not pardon my transgression
and take away my iniquity?
For soon I will lie down in the dust;
You will seek me, but I will be no more.”
Footnotes:
20 a LXX; Hebrew to myself
Job 8
Bildad: Job Should Repent
1 Then Bildad the Shuhite replied:
2 “How long will you go on saying such things?
The words of your mouth are a blustering wind.
3 Does God pervert justice?
Does the Almighty pervert what is right?
4 When your children sinned against Him,
He gave them over to their rebellion.
5 But if you would earnestly seek God
and ask the Almighty for mercy,
6 if you are pure and upright,
even now He will rouse Himself on your behalf
and restore your righteous estate.
7 Though your beginnings were modest,
your latter days will flourish.
8 Please inquire of past generations
and consider the discoveries of their fathers.
9 For we were born yesterday and know nothing;
our days on earth are but a shadow.
10 Will they not teach you and tell you,
and speak from their understanding?
11 Does papyrus grow where there is no marsh?
Do reeds flourish without water?
12 While the shoots are still uncut,
they dry up quicker than grass.
13 Such is the destiny of all who forget God;
so the hope of the godless will perish.
14 His confidence is fragile;
his security is in a spider’s web.
15 He leans on his web, but it gives way;
he holds fast, but it does not endure.
16 He is a well-watered plant in the sunshine,
spreading its shoots over the garden.
17 His roots wrap around the rock heap;
he looks for a home among the stones.
18 If he is uprooted from his place,
it will disown him, saying, ‘I never saw you.’
19 Surely this is the joy of his way;
yet others will spring from the dust.
20 Behold, God does not reject the blameless,
nor will He strengthen the hand of evildoers.
21 He will yet fill your mouth with laughter,
and your lips with a shout of joy.
22 Your enemies will be clothed in shame,
and the tent of the wicked will be no more.”
Job 9
Job: How Can I Contend with God?
1 Then Job answered:
2 “Yes, I know that it is so,
but how can a mortal be righteous before God?
3 If one wished to contend with God, a
he could not answer Him one time out of a thousand.
4 God is wise in heart and mighty in strength.
Who has resisted Him and prospered?
5 He moves mountains without their knowledge
and overturns them in His anger.
6 He shakes the earth from its place,
so that its foundations tremble.
7 He commands the sun not to shine; b
He seals off the stars.
8 He alone stretches out the heavens
and treads on the waves of the sea.
9 He is the Maker of the Bear and Orion,
of the Pleiades and the constellations of the south.
10 He does great things beyond searching out,
and wonders without number.
11 Were He to pass by me, I would not see Him;
were He to move, I would not recognize Him.
12 If He takes away, c who can stop Him?
Who dares to ask Him, ‘What are You doing?’
13 God does not restrain His anger;
the helpers of Rahab cower beneath Him.
14 How then can I answer Him
or choose my arguments against Him?
15 For even if I were right, I could not answer.
I could only beg my Judge for mercy.
16 If I summoned Him and He answered me,
I do not believe He would listen to my voice.
17 For He would crush me with a tempest
and multiply my wounds without cause.
18 He does not let me catch my breath,
but overwhelms me with bitterness.
19 If it is a matter of strength,
He is indeed mighty!
If it is a matter of justice,
who can summon Him d?
20 Even if I were righteous, my mouth would condemn me;
if I were blameless, it would declare me guilty. e
21 Though I am blameless, I have no concern for myself;
I despise my own life.
22 It is all the same, and so I say,
‘He destroys both the blameless and the wicked.’
23 When the scourge brings sudden death,
He mocks the despair of the innocent.
24 The earth is given into the hand of the wicked;
He blindfolds its judges.
If it is not He, then who is it?
25 My days are swifter than a runner;
they flee without seeing good.
26 They sweep by like boats of papyrus,
like an eagle swooping down on its prey.
27 If I were to say, ‘I will forget my complaint
and change my expression and smile,’
28 I would still dread all my sufferings;
I know that You will not acquit me.
29 Since I am already found guilty,
why should I labor in vain?
30 If I should wash myself with snow f
and cleanse my hands with lye,
31 then You would plunge me into the pit,
and even my own clothes would despise me.
32 For He is not a man like me, that I can answer Him,
that we can take each other to court.
33 Nor is there a mediator between us,
to lay his hand upon us both.
34 Let Him remove His rod from me,
so that His terror will no longer frighten me.
35 Then I would speak without fear of Him.
But as it is, I am on my own.
Footnotes:
3 a Or If God wished to contend with someone
7 b Or rise
12 c Or snatches someone in death
19 d See LXX; Hebrew me
20 e Or He would declare me guilty
30 f Or soap
Job 10
Job’s Plea to God
1 “I loathe my own life;
I will express my complaint
and speak in the bitterness of my soul.
2 I will say to God:
Do not condemn me!
Let me know why You prosecute me.
3 Does it please You to oppress me,
to reject the work of Your hands
and favor the schemes of the wicked?
4 Do You have eyes of flesh?
Do You see as man sees?
5 Are Your days like those of a mortal,
or Your years like those of a man,
6 that You should seek my iniquity
and search out my sin—
7 though You know that I am not guilty,
and there is no deliverance from Your hand?
8 Your hands shaped me and altogether formed me.
Would You now turn and destroy me?
9 Please remember that You molded me like clay.
Would You now return me to dust?
10 Did You not pour me out like milk,
and curdle me like cheese?
11 You clothed me with skin and flesh,
and knit me together with bones and sinews.
12 You have granted me life and loving devotion, a
and Your care has preserved my spirit.
13 Yet You concealed these things in Your heart,
and I know that this was in Your mind:
14 If I sinned, You would take note,
and would not acquit me of my iniquity.
15 If I am guilty, woe to me!
And even if I am righteous, I cannot lift my head.
I am full of shame
and aware of my affliction.
16 Should I hold my head high,
You would hunt me like a lion,
and again display Your power against me.
17 You produce new witnesses against me
and multiply Your anger toward me.
Hardships assault me
in wave after wave.
18 Why then did You bring me from the womb?
Oh, that I had died, and no eye had seen me!
19 If only I had never come to be,
but had been carried from the womb to the grave.
20 Are my days not few?
Withdraw from me, that I may have a little comfort,
21 before I go—never to return—
to a land of darkness and gloom,
22 to a land of utter darkness,
of deep shadow and disorder,
where even the light is like darkness.”
Footnotes:
12 a Forms of the Hebrew chesed are translated here and in most cases throughout the Scriptures as loving devotion ; the range of meaning includes love , goodness , kindness , faithfulness , and mercy , as well as loyalty to a covenant .
Job 11
Zophar Rebukes Job
1 Then Zophar the Naamathite replied:
2 “Should this stream of words go unanswered
and such a speaker be vindicated?
3 Should your babbling put others to silence?
Will you scoff without rebuke?
4 You have said, ‘My doctrine is sound,
and I am pure in Your sight.’
5 But if only God would speak
and open His lips against you,
6 and disclose to you the secrets of wisdom,
for true wisdom has two sides.
Know then that God exacts from you
less than your iniquity deserves.
7 Can you fathom the deep things of God
or discover the limits of the Almighty?
8 They are higher than the heavens—what can you do?
They are deeper than Sheol—what can you know?
9 Their measure is longer than the earth
and wider than the sea.
10 If He comes along to imprison you,
or convenes a court, who can stop Him?
11 Surely He knows the deceit of men.
If He sees iniquity, does He not take note?
12 But a witless man can no more become wise
than the colt of a wild donkey can be born a man! a
13 As for you, if you direct your heart
and lift up your hands to Him,
14 if you put away the iniquity in your hand,
and allow no injustice to dwell in your tents,
15 then indeed you will lift up your face without shame;
you will stand firm and unafraid.
16 For you will forget your misery,
recalling it only as waters gone by.
17 Your life will be brighter than noonday;
its darkness will be like the morning.
18 You will be secure, because there is hope,
and you will look around and lie down in safety.
19 You will lie down without fear,
and many will court your favor.
20 But the eyes of the wicked will fail,
and escape will elude them;
they will hope for their last breath.”
Footnotes:
12 a Or can be born tame
Job 12
Job Presents His Case
1 Then Job answered:
2 “Truly then you are the people
with whom wisdom itself will die!
3 But I also have a mind;
I am not inferior to you.
Who does not know such things as these?
4 I am a laughingstock to my friends,
though I called on God, and He answered.
The righteous and upright man is a laughingstock.
5 The one at ease scorns misfortune
as the fate of those whose feet are slipping.
6 The tents of robbers are safe,
and those who provoke God are secure—
those who carry their god in their hands. a
7 But ask the animals, and they will instruct you;
ask the birds of the air, and they will tell you.
8 Or speak to the earth, and it will teach you;
let the fish of the sea inform you.
9 Which of all these does not know
that the hand of the LORD has done this?
10 The life of every living thing is in His hand,
as well as the breath of all mankind.
11 Does not the ear test words
as the tongue tastes its food?
12 Wisdom is found with the elderly,
and understanding comes with long life.
13 Wisdom and strength belong to God;
counsel and understanding are His.
14 What He tears down cannot be rebuilt;
the man He imprisons cannot be released.
15 If He holds back the waters, they dry up,
and if He releases them, they overwhelm the land.
16 True wisdom and power belong to Him.
The deceived and the deceiver are His.
17 He leads counselors away barefoot
and makes fools of judges.
18 He loosens the bonds placed by kings
and fastens a belt around their waists.
19 He leads priests away barefoot
and overthrows the established.
20 He deprives the trusted of speech
and takes away the discernment of elders.
21 He pours out contempt on nobles
and disarms the mighty.
22 He reveals the deep things of darkness
and brings deep shadows into light.
23 He makes nations great and destroys them;
He enlarges nations, then disperses them.
24 He deprives the earth’s leaders of reason
and makes them wander in a trackless wasteland.
25 They grope in the darkness without light;
He makes them stagger like drunkards.
Footnotes:
6 a Or though God keeps them in His power
Job 13
Job Prepares His Case
1 “Indeed, my eyes have seen all this;
my ears have heard and understood.
2 What you know, I also know;
I am not inferior to you.
3 Yet I desire to speak to the Almighty
and argue my case before God.
4 You, however, smear with lies;
you are all worthless physicians.
5 If only you would remain silent;
for that would be your wisdom!
6 Hear now my argument,
and listen to the plea of my lips.
7 Will you speak wickedly on God’s behalf
or speak deceitfully for Him?
8 Would you show Him partiality
or argue in His defense?
9 Would it be well when He examined you?
Could you deceive Him like a man?
10 Surely He would rebuke you
if you secretly showed partiality.
11 Would His majesty not terrify you?
Would the dread of Him not fall upon you?
12 Your maxims are proverbs of ashes;
your defenses are defenses of clay.
13 Be silent, and I will speak.
Then let come to me what may.
14 Why do I put myself at risk a
and take my life in my own hands?
15 Though He slay me, I will hope in Him. b
I will still defend my ways to His face.
16 Moreover, this will be my salvation,
for no godless man can appear before Him.
17 Listen carefully to my words;
let my declaration ring in your ears.
18 Behold, now that I have prepared my case,
I know that I will be vindicated.
19 Can anyone indict me?
If so, I will be silent and die.
20 Only grant these two things to me,
so that I need not hide from You:
21 Withdraw Your hand from me,
and do not let Your terror frighten me.
22 Then call me, and I will answer,
or let me speak, and You can reply.
23 How many are my iniquities and sins?
Reveal to me my transgression and sin.
24 Why do You hide Your face
and consider me as Your enemy?
25 Would You frighten a windblown leaf?
Would You chase after dry chaff?
26 For You record bitter accusations against me
and bequeath to me the iniquities of my youth.
27 You put my feet in the stocks
and stand watch over all my paths;
You set a limit
for the soles of my feet.
28 So man wastes away like something rotten,
like a moth-eaten garment.
Footnotes:
14 a Literally Why do I take my flesh in my teeth
15 b Or I have no other hope
Job 14
Job Laments the Finality of Death
1 “Man, who is born of woman,
is short of days and full of trouble.
2 Like a flower, he comes forth, then withers away;
like a fleeting shadow, he does not endure.
3 Do You open Your eyes to one like this?
Will You bring him into judgment before You?
4 Who can bring out clean from unclean?
No one!
5 Since his days are determined
and the number of his months is with You,
and since You have set limits
that he cannot exceed,
6 look away from him and let him rest,
so he can enjoy his day as a hired hand.
7 For there is hope for a tree:
If it is cut down, it will sprout again,
and its tender shoots will not fail.
8 If its roots grow old in the ground
and its stump dies in the soil,
9 at the scent of water it will bud
and put forth twigs like a sapling.
10 But a man dies and is laid low;
he breathes his last, and where is he?
11 As water disappears from the sea
and a river becomes parched and dry,
12 so a man lies down
and does not rise.
Until the heavens are no more,
he will not be awakened or roused from sleep.
13 If only You would hide me in Sheol
and conceal me until Your anger has passed!
If only You would appoint a time for me
and then remember me!
14 When a man dies, will he live again?
All the days of my hard service I will wait,
until my renewal a comes.
15 You will call, and I will answer;
You will desire the work of Your hands.
16 For then You would count my steps,
but would not keep track of my sin.
17 My transgression would be sealed in a bag,
and You would cover over my iniquity.
18 But as a mountain erodes and crumbles
and a rock is dislodged from its place,
19 as water wears away the stones
and torrents wash away the soil,
so You destroy a man’s hope.
20 You forever overpower him, and he passes on;
You change his countenance and send him away.
21 If his sons receive honor, he does not know it;
if they are brought low, he is unaware.
22 He feels only the pain of his own body
and mourns only for himself.”
Footnotes:
14 a Or my change or my relief
Job 15
Eliphaz: Job Does Not Fear God
1 Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied:
2 “Does a wise man answer with empty counsel
or fill his belly with the hot east wind?
3 Should he argue with useless words
or speeches that serve no purpose?
4 But you even undermine the fear of God
and hinder meditation before Him.
5 For your iniquity instructs your mouth,
and you choose the language of the crafty.
6 Your own mouth, not mine, condemns you;
your own lips testify against you.
7 Were you the first man ever born?
Were you brought forth before the hills?
8 Do you listen in on the council of God
or limit wisdom to yourself?
9 What do you know that we do not?
What do you understand that is not clear to us?
10 Both the gray-haired and the aged are on our side—
men much older than your father.
11 Are the consolations of God not enough for you,
even words spoken gently to you?
12 Why has your heart carried you away,
and why do your eyes flash, a
13 as you turn your spirit against God
and pour such words from your mouth?
14 What is man, that he should be pure,
or one born of woman, that he should be righteous?
15 If God puts no trust in His holy ones,
if even the heavens are not pure in His eyes,
16 how much less man, who is vile and corrupt,
who drinks injustice like water?
17 Listen to me and I will inform you.
I will describe what I have seen,
18 what was declared by wise men
and was not concealed from their fathers,
19 to whom alone the land was given
when no foreigner passed among them.
20 A wicked man writhes in pain all his days;
only a few years are reserved for the ruthless.
21 Sounds of terror fill his ears;
in his prosperity the destroyer attacks him.
22 He despairs of his return from darkness;
he is marked for the sword.
23 He wanders about as food for vultures;
he knows the day of darkness is at hand.
24 Distress and anguish terrify him,
overwhelming him like a king poised to attack.
25 For he has stretched out his hand against God
and has vaunted himself against the Almighty,
26 rushing headlong at Him
with a thick, studded shield.
27 Though his face is covered with fat
and his waistline bulges with flesh,
28 he will dwell in ruined cities,
in abandoned houses destined to become rubble.
29 He will no longer be rich; his wealth will not endure.
His possessions will not overspread the land.
30 He will not escape from the darkness;
the flame will wither his shoots,
and the breath of God’s mouth
will carry him away.
31 Let him not deceive himself with trust in emptiness,
for emptiness will be his reward.
32 It will be paid in full before his time,
and his branch will not flourish.
33 He will be like a vine stripped of its unripe grapes,
like an olive tree that sheds its blossoms.
34 For the company of the godless will be barren,
and fire will consume the tents of bribery.
35 They conceive trouble and give birth to evil;
their womb is pregnant with deceit.”
Footnotes:
12 a Or blink
Job 16
Job Decries His Comforters
1 Then Job answered:
2 “I have heard many things like these;
miserable comforters are you all.
3 Is there no end to your long-winded speeches?
What provokes you to continue testifying?
4 I could also speak like you
if you were in my place;
I could heap up words against you
and shake my head at you.
5 But I would encourage you with my mouth,
and the consolation of my lips would bring relief.
6 Even if I speak, my pain is not relieved,
and if I hold back, how will it go away?
7 Surely He has now exhausted me;
You have devastated all my family.
8 You have bound me, and it has become a witness;
my frailty rises up and testifies against me.
9 His anger has torn me and opposed me;
He gnashes His teeth at me.
My adversary pierces me with His eyes.
10 They open their mouths against me
and strike my cheeks with contempt;
they join together against me.
11 God has delivered me to unjust men;
He has thrown me to the clutches of the wicked.
12 I was at ease, but He shattered me;
He seized me by the neck and crushed me.
He has set me up as His target;
13 His archers surround me.
He pierces my kidneys without mercy
and spills my gall on the ground.
14 He breaks me with wound upon wound;
He rushes me like a mighty warrior.
15 I have sewn sackcloth over my skin;
I have buried my horn in the dust.
16 My face is red with weeping,
and deep shadows ring my eyes;
17 yet my hands are free of violence
and my prayer is pure.
18 O earth, do not cover my blood;
may my cry for help never be laid to rest.
19 Even now my witness is in heaven,
and my advocate is on high.
20 My friends are my scoffers
as my eyes pour out tears to God.
21 Oh, that a man might plead with God
as he pleads with his neighbor!
22 For when only a few years are past
I will go the way of no return.
Job 17
Job Prepares for Death
1 “My spirit is broken; my days are extinguished;
the grave awaits me.
2 Surely mockers surround me,
and my eyes must gaze at their rebellion.
3 Give me, I pray, the pledge You demand.
Who else will be my guarantor?
4 You have closed their minds to understanding;
therefore You will not exalt them.
5 If a man denounces his friends for a price,
the eyes of his children will fail.
6 He has made me a byword among the people,
a man in whose face they spit.
7 My eyes have grown dim with grief,
and my whole body is but a shadow.
8 The upright are appalled at this,
and the innocent are stirred against the godless.
9 Yet a righteous one holds to his way,
and the one with clean hands grows stronger.
10 But come back and try again, all of you.
For I will not find a wise man among you.
11 My days have passed; my plans are broken off—
even the desires of my heart.
12 They have turned night into day,
making light seem near in the face of darkness.
13 If I look for Sheol as my home,
if I spread out my bed in darkness,
14 and say to corruption, ‘You are my father,’
and to the worm, ‘My mother,’ or ‘My sister,’
15 where then is my hope?
Who can see any hope for me?
16 Will it go down to the gates of Sheol?
Will we go down together into the dust?”
Job 18
Bildad: God Punishes the Wicked
1 Then Bildad the Shuhite replied:
2 “How long until you end these speeches?
Show some sense, and then we can talk.
3 Why are we regarded as cattle,
as stupid in your sight?
4 You who tear yourself in anger—
should the earth be forsaken on your account,
or the rocks be moved from their place?
5 Indeed, the lamp of the wicked is extinguished;
the flame of his fire does not glow.
6 The light in his tent grows dark,
and the lamp beside him goes out.
7 His vigorous stride is shortened,
and his own schemes trip him up.
8 For his own feet lead him into a net,
and he wanders into its mesh.
9 A trap seizes his heel;
a snare grips him.
10 A noose is hidden in the ground,
and a trap lies in his path.
11 Terrors frighten him on every side
and harass his every step.
12 His strength is depleted,
and calamity is ready at his side.
13 It devours patches of his skin;
the firstborn of death devours his limbs.
14 He is torn from the shelter of his tent
and is marched off to the king of terrors.
15 Fire resides in his tent;
burning sulfur rains down on his dwelling.
16 The roots beneath him dry up,
and the branches above him wither away.
17 The memory of him perishes from the earth,
and he has no name in the land.
18 He is driven from light into darkness
and is chased from the inhabited world.
19 He has no offspring or posterity among his people,
no survivor where he once lived.
20 Those in the west are appalled at his fate,
while those in the east tremble in horror.
21 Surely such is the dwelling of the wicked
and the place of one who does not know God.”
Job 19
Job: My Redeemer Lives
1 Then Job answered:
2 “How long will you torment me
and crush me with your words?
3 Ten times now you have reproached me;
you shamelessly mistreat me.
4 Even if I have truly gone astray,
my error concerns me alone.
5 If indeed you would exalt yourselves above me
and use my disgrace against me,
6 then understand that it is God who has wronged me
and drawn His net around me.
7 Though I cry out, ‘Violence!’ I get no response;
though I call for help, there is no justice.
8 He has blocked my way so I cannot pass;
He has veiled my paths with darkness.
9 He has stripped me of my honor
and removed the crown from my head.
10 He tears me down on every side until I am gone;
He uproots my hope like a tree.
11 His anger burns against me,
and He counts me among His enemies.
12 His troops advance together;
they construct a ramp against me
and encamp around my tent.
13 He has removed my brothers from me;
my acquaintances have abandoned me.
14 My kinsmen have failed me,
and my friends have forgotten me.
15 My guests and maidservants count me as a stranger;
I am a foreigner in their sight.
16 I call for my servant, but he does not answer,
though I implore him with my own mouth.
17 My breath is repulsive to my wife,
and I am loathsome to my own family.
18 Even little boys scorn me;
when I appear, they deride me.
19 All my best friends despise me,
and those I love have turned against me.
20 My skin and flesh cling to my bones;
I have escaped by the skin of my teeth.
21 Have pity on me, my friends, have pity,
for the hand of God has struck me.
22 Why do you persecute me as God does?
Will you never get enough of my flesh?
23 I wish that my words were recorded
and inscribed in a book,
24 by an iron stylus on lead,
or chiseled in stone forever.
25 But I know that my Redeemer a lives,
and in the end He will stand upon the earth. b
26 Even after my skin has been destroyed,
yet in my flesh c I will see God.
27 I will see Him for myself;
my eyes will behold Him, and not as a stranger.
How my heart yearns d within me!
28 If you say, ‘Let us persecute him,
since the root of the matter lies with him, e’
29 then you should fear the sword yourselves,
because wrath brings punishment by the sword,
so that you may know there is a judgment.”
Footnotes:
25 a Or Vindicator
25 b Or on my grave
26 c Or without my flesh
27 d Hebrew my kidneys yearn
28 e Many Hebrew manuscripts, LXX, and Vulgate; most Hebrew manuscripts with me
Job 20
Zophar: Destruction Awaits the Wicked
1 Then Zophar the Naamathite replied:
2 “So my anxious thoughts compel me to answer,
because of the turmoil within me.
3 I have heard a rebuke that insults me,
and my understanding prompts a reply.
4 Do you not know that from antiquity,
since man was placed on the earth,
5 the triumph of the wicked has been brief
and the joy of the godless momentary?
6 Though his arrogance reaches the heavens,
and his head touches the clouds,
7 he will perish forever, like his own dung;
those who had seen him will ask, ‘Where is he?’
8 He will fly away like a dream, never to be found;
he will be chased away like a vision in the night.
9 The eye that saw him will see him no more,
and his place will no longer behold him.
10 His sons will seek the favor of the poor,
for his own hands must return his wealth.
11 The youthful vigor that fills his bones
will lie down with him in the dust.
12 Though evil is sweet in his mouth
and he conceals it under his tongue,
13 though he cannot bear to let it go
and keeps it in his mouth,
14 yet in his stomach his food sours
into the venom of cobras within him.
15 He swallows wealth but vomits it out;
God will force it from his stomach.
16 He will suck the poison of cobras;
the fangs of a viper will kill him.
17 He will not enjoy the streams,
the rivers flowing with honey and cream.
18 He must return the fruit of his labor without consuming it;
he cannot enjoy the profits of his trading.
19 For he has oppressed and forsaken the poor;
he has seized houses he did not build.
20 Because his appetite is never satisfied,
he cannot escape with his treasure.
21 Nothing is left for him to consume;
thus his prosperity will not endure.
22 In the midst of his plenty, he will be distressed;
the full force of misery will come upon him.
23 When he has filled his stomach,
God will vent His fury upon him,
raining it down on him as he eats.
24 Though he flees from an iron weapon,
a bronze-tipped arrow will pierce him.
25 It is drawn out of his back,
the gleaming point from his liver. a
Terrors come over him.
26 Total darkness is reserved for his treasures.
A fire unfanned will consume him
and devour what is left in his tent.
27 The heavens will expose his iniquity,
and the earth will rise up against him.
28 The possessions of his house will be removed,
flowing away on the day of God’s wrath.
29 This is the wicked man’s portion from God,
the inheritance God has appointed him.”
Footnotes:
25 a Literally from his gall
Job 21
Job: God Will Punish the Wicked
1 Then Job answered:
2 “Listen carefully to my words;
let this be your consolation to me.
3 Bear with me while I speak;
then, after I have spoken, you may go on mocking.
4 Is my complaint against a man?
Then why should I not be impatient?
5 Look at me and be appalled;
put your hand over your mouth.
6 When I remember, terror takes hold,
and my body trembles in horror.
7 Why do the wicked live on,
growing old and increasing in power?
8 Their descendants are established around them,
and their offspring before their eyes.
9 Their homes are safe from fear;
no rod of punishment from God is upon them.
10 Their bulls breed without fail;
their cows bear calves and do not miscarry.
11 They send forth their little ones like a flock;
their children skip about,
12 singing to the tambourine and lyre
and making merry at the sound of the flute.
13 They spend their days in prosperity
and go down to Sheol in peace. a
14 Yet they say to God: ‘Leave us alone!
For we have no desire to know Your ways.
15 Who is the Almighty, that we should serve Him,
and what would we gain if we pray to Him?’
16 Still, their prosperity is not in their own hands,
so I stay far from the counsel of the wicked.
17 How often is the lamp of the wicked put out?
Does disaster come upon them?
Does God, in His anger, apportion destruction?
18 Are they like straw before the wind,
like chaff swept away by a storm?
19 It is said that God lays up one’s punishment for his children.
Let God repay the man himself, so he will know it.
20 Let his eyes see his own destruction;
let him drink for himself the wrath of the Almighty.
21 For what does he care about his household after him,
when the number of his months has run out?
22 Can anyone teach knowledge to God,
since He judges those on high?
23 One man dies full of vigor,
completely secure and at ease.
24 His body is well nourished, b
and his bones are rich with marrow.
25 Yet another man dies in the bitterness of his soul,
having never tasted prosperity.
26 But together they lie down in the dust,
and worms cover them both.
27 Behold, I know your thoughts full well,
the schemes by which you would wrong me.
28 For you say, ‘Where now is the nobleman’s house,
and where are the tents in which the wicked dwell?’
29 Have you never asked those who travel the roads?
Do you not accept their reports?
30 Indeed, the evil man is spared from the day of calamity,
delivered from the day of wrath.
31 Who denounces his behavior to his face?
Who repays him for what he has done?
32 He is carried to the grave,
and watch is kept over his tomb.
33 The clods of the valley are sweet to him;
everyone follows behind him,
and those before him are without number.
34 So how can you comfort me with empty words?
For your answers remain full of falsehood.”
Footnotes:
13 a Or in an instant
24 b Literally His pails are full of milk
Job 22
Eliphaz: Can a Man Be of Use to God?
1 Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied:
2 “Can a man be of use to God?
Can even a wise man benefit Him?
3 Does it delight the Almighty that you are righteous?
Does He profit if your ways are blameless?
4 Is it for your reverence that He rebukes you
and enters into judgment against you?
5 Is not your wickedness great?
Are not your iniquities endless?
6 For you needlessly demanded security from your brothers
and deprived the naked of their clothing.
7 You gave no water to the weary
and withheld food from the famished,
8 while the land belonged to a mighty man,
and a man of honor lived on it.
9 You sent widows away empty-handed,
and the strength of the fatherless was crushed.
10 Therefore snares surround you,
and sudden peril terrifies you;
11 it is so dark you cannot see,
and a flood of water covers you.
12 Is not God as high as the heavens?
Look at the highest stars, how lofty they are!
13 Yet you say: ‘What does God know?
Does He judge through thick darkness?
14 Thick clouds veil Him so He does not see us
as He traverses the vault of heaven. a’
15 Will you stay on the ancient path
that wicked men have trod?
16 They were snatched away before their time,
and their foundations were swept away by a flood.
17 They said to God, ‘Depart from us.
What can the Almighty do to us?’
18 But it was He who filled their houses with good things;
so I stay far from the counsel of the wicked.
19 The righteous see it and are glad;
the innocent mock them:
20 ‘Surely our foes are destroyed,
and fire has consumed their excess.’
21 Reconcile now and be at peace with Him;
thereby good will come to you.
22 Receive instruction from His mouth,
and lay up His words in your heart.
23 If you return to the Almighty, you will be restored.
If you remove injustice from your tents
24 and consign your gold to the dust
and the gold of Ophir to the stones of the ravines,
25 then the Almighty will be your gold
and the finest silver for you.
26 Surely then you will delight in the Almighty
and lift up your face to God.
27 You will pray to Him, and He will hear you,
and you will fulfill your vows.
28 Your decisions will be carried out,
and light will shine on your ways.
29 When men are brought low and you say, ‘Lift them up!’
then He will save the lowly.
30 He will deliver even one who is not innocent,
rescuing him through the cleanness of your hands.”
Footnotes:
14 a Or heaven’s horizon or the circle of the sky
Job 23
Job Longs for God
1 Then Job answered:
2 “Even today my complaint is bitter.
His hand is heavy despite my groaning.
3 If only I knew where to find Him,
so that I could go to His seat.
4 I would plead my case before Him
and fill my mouth with arguments.
5 I would learn how He would answer,
and consider what He would say.
6 Would He contend with me in His great power?
No, He would certainly take note of me.
7 Then an upright man could reason with Him,
and I would be delivered forever from my Judge.
8 If I go east, He is not there,
and if I go west, I cannot find Him.
9 When He is at work in the north, I cannot behold Him;
when He turns to the south, I cannot see Him.
10 Yet He knows the way I have taken;
when He has tested me, I will come forth as gold.
11 My feet have followed in His tracks;
I have kept His way without turning aside.
12 I have not departed from the command of His lips;
I have treasured the words of His mouth
more than my daily bread.
13 But He is unchangeable, and who can oppose Him?
He does what He desires.
14 For He carries out His decree against me,
and He has many such plans.
15 Therefore I am terrified in His presence;
when I consider this, I fear Him.
16 God has made my heart faint;
the Almighty has terrified me.
17 Yet I am not silenced by the darkness,
by the thick darkness that covers my face.
Job 24
Job: Judgment for the Wicked
1 “Why does the Almighty not reserve times for judgment?
Why may those who know Him never see His days?
2 Men move boundary stones;
they pasture stolen flocks.
3 They drive away the donkey of the fatherless
and take the widow’s ox in pledge.
4 They push the needy off the road
and force all the poor of the land into hiding.
5 Indeed, like wild donkeys in the desert,
the poor go to work foraging for food;
the wasteland is food for their children.
6 They gather fodder in the fields
and glean the vineyards of the wicked.
7 Without clothing, they spend the night naked;
they have no covering against the cold.
8 Drenched by mountain rains,
they huddle against the rocks for want of shelter.
9 The fatherless infant is snatched from the breast;
the nursing child of the poor is seized for a debt.
10 Without clothing, they wander about naked.
They carry the sheaves, but still go hungry.
11 They crush olives within their walls;
they tread the winepresses, but go thirsty.
12 From the city, men groan,
and the souls of the wounded cry out,
yet God charges no one with wrongdoing.
13 Then there are those who rebel against the light,
not knowing its ways or staying on its paths.
14 When daylight is gone, the murderer rises
to kill the poor and needy;
in the night he is like a thief.
15 The eye of the adulterer watches for twilight.
Thinking, ‘No eye will see me,’ he covers his face.
16 In the dark they dig through houses;
by day they shut themselves in,
never to experience the light.
17 For to them, deep darkness is their morning;
surely they are friends with the terrors of darkness!
18 They are but foam on the surface of the water;
their portion of the land is cursed,
so that no one turns toward their vineyards.
19 As drought and heat consume the melting snow,
so Sheol steals those who have sinned.
20 The womb forgets them;
the worm feeds on them;
they are remembered no more.
So injustice is like a broken tree.
21 They prey on the barren and childless,
and show no kindness to the widow.
22 Yet by His power, God drags away the mighty;
though rising up, they have no assurance of life.
23 He gives them a sense of security,
but His eyes are on their ways.
24 They are exalted for a moment,
then they are gone;
they are brought low and gathered up like all others;
they are cut off like heads of grain.
25 If this is not so, then who can prove me a liar
and reduce my words to nothing?”
Job 25
Bildad: Man Cannot Be Righteous
1 Then Bildad the Shuhite replied:
2 “Dominion and awe belong to God;
He establishes harmony in the heights of heaven.
3 Can His troops be numbered?
On whom does His light not rise?
4 How then can a man be just before God?
How can one born of woman be pure?
5 If even the moon does not shine,
and the stars are not pure in His sight,
6 how much less man, who is but a maggot,
and the son of man, who is but a worm!”
Job 26
Job: Who Can Understand God’s Majesty?
1 Then Job answered:
2 “How you have helped the powerless
and saved the arm that is feeble!
3 How you have counseled the unwise
and provided fully sound insight!
4 To whom have you uttered these words?
And whose spirit spoke through you?
5 The dead tremble—
those beneath the waters and those who dwell in them.
6 Sheol is naked before God,
and Abaddon a has no covering.
7 He stretches out the north over empty space;
He hangs the earth upon nothing.
8 He wraps up the waters in His clouds,
yet the clouds do not burst under their own weight.
9 He covers the face of the full moon, b
spreading over it His cloud.
10 He has inscribed a horizon on the face of the waters
at the boundary between light and darkness.
11 The foundations of heaven quake,
astounded at His rebuke.
12 By His power He stirred c the sea;
by His understanding He shattered Rahab.
13 By His breath the skies were cleared;
His hand pierced the fleeing serpent. d
14 Indeed, these are but the fringes of His ways;
how faint is the whisper we hear of Him!
Who then can understand
the thunder of His power?”
Footnotes:
6 a Abaddon means Destruction .
9 b Or of His throne
12 c Or stilled
13 d Hebrew nachash ; translated in most cases as snake
Job 27
Job Affirms His Integrity
1 Job continued his discourse:
2 “As surely as God lives, who has deprived me of justice—
the Almighty, who has embittered my soul—
3 as long as my breath is still within me
and the breath of God remains in my nostrils,
4 my lips will not speak wickedness,
and my tongue will not utter deceit.
5 I will never say that you are right;
I will maintain my integrity until I die.
6 I will cling to my righteousness and never let go.
As long as I live, my conscience will not accuse me.
The Wicked Man’s Portion
7 May my enemy be like the wicked
and my opponent like the unjust.
8 For what is the hope of the godless when he is cut off,
when God takes away his life?
9 Will God hear his cry
when distress comes upon him?
10 Will he delight in the Almighty?
Will he call upon God at all times?
11 I will instruct you in the power of God.
I will not conceal the ways of the Almighty.
12 Surely all of you have seen it for yourselves.
Why then do you keep up this empty talk?
13 This is the wicked man’s portion from God—
the heritage the ruthless receive from the Almighty.
14 Though his sons are many, they are destined for the sword;
and his offspring will never have enough food.
15 His survivors will be buried by the plague,
and their widows will not weep for them.
16 Though he heaps up silver like dust
and piles up a wardrobe like clay,
17 what he lays up, the righteous will wear,
and his silver will be divided by the innocent.
18 The house he built is like a moth’s cocoon,
like a hut set up by a watchman.
19 He lies down wealthy, but will do so no more;
when he opens his eyes, all is gone.
20 Terrors overtake him like a flood;
a tempest sweeps him away in the night.
21 The east wind carries him away, and he is gone;
it sweeps him out of his place.
22 It hurls itself against him without mercy
as he flees headlong from its power.
23 It claps its hands at him
and hisses him out of his place.
Job 28
Where Can Wisdom Be Found?
1 “Surely there is a mine for silver
and a place where gold is refined.
2 Iron is taken from the earth,
and copper is smelted from ore.
3 Man puts an end to the darkness;
he probes the farthest recesses
for ore in deepest darkness.
4 Far from human habitation he cuts a shaft
in places forgotten by the foot of man.
Far from men he dangles and sways.
5 Food may come from the earth,
but from below it is transformed as by fire.
6 Its rocks are the source of sapphires,
containing flecks of gold.
7 No bird of prey knows that path;
no falcon’s eye has seen it.
8 Proud beasts have never trodden it;
no lion has ever prowled over it.
9 The miner strikes the flint;
he overturns mountains at their base.
10 He hews out channels in the rocks,
and his eyes spot every treasure.
11 He stops up a the sources of the streams
to bring what is hidden to light.
12 But where can wisdom be found,
and where does understanding dwell?
13 No man can know its value,
nor is it found in the land of the living.
14 The ocean depths say, ‘It is not in me,’
while the sea declares, ‘It is not with me.’
15 It cannot be bought with gold,
nor can its price be weighed out in silver.
16 It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir,
in precious onyx or sapphire.
17 Neither gold nor crystal can compare to it,
nor jewels of fine gold be exchanged for it.
18 Coral and quartz are unworthy of mention;
the price of wisdom is beyond rubies.
19 Topaz from Cush b cannot compare to it,
nor can it be valued in pure gold.
20 From where then does wisdom come,
and where does understanding dwell?
21 It is hidden from the eyes of every living thing
and concealed from the birds of the air.
‘We have heard a rumor about it.’
23 But God understands its way,
and He knows its place.
24 For He looks to the ends of the earth
and sees everything under the heavens.
25 When God fixed the weight of the wind
and measured out the waters,
26 when He set a limit for the rain
and a path for the thunderbolt,
27 then He looked at wisdom and appraised it;
He established it and searched it out.
28 And He said to man, ‘Behold,
the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom,
and to turn away from evil is understanding.’ ”
Footnotes:
11 a Hebrew; LXX and Vulgate He searches
19 b That is, the upper Nile region
22 c Abaddon means Destruction .
Job 29
Job’s Former Blessings
1 And Job continued his discourse:
2 “How I long for the months gone by,
for the days when God watched over me,
3 when His lamp shone above my head,
and by His light I walked through the darkness,
when the friendship of God rested on my tent,
5 when the Almighty was still with me
and my children were around me,
6 when my steps were bathed in cream
and the rock poured out for me streams of oil!
7 When I went out to the city gate
and took my seat in the public square,
8 the young men saw me and withdrew,
and the old men rose to their feet.
9 The princes refrained from speaking
and covered their mouths with their hands.
10 The voices of the nobles were hushed,
and their tongues stuck to the roofs of their mouths.
11 For those who heard me called me blessed,
and those who saw me commended me,
12 because I rescued the poor who cried out
and the fatherless who had no helper.
13 The dying man blessed me,
and I made the widow’s heart sing for joy.
14 I put on righteousness, and it clothed me;
justice was my robe and my turban.
15 I served as eyes to the blind
and as feet to the lame.
16 I was a father to the needy,
and I took up the case of the stranger.
17 I shattered the fangs of the unjust
and snatched the prey from his teeth.
18 So I thought: ‘I will die in my nest
and multiply my days as the sand.
19 My roots will spread out to the waters,
and the dew will rest nightly on my branches.
20 My glory is ever new within me,
and my bow is renewed in my hand.’
21 Men listened to me with expectation,
waiting silently for my counsel.
22 After my words, they spoke no more;
my speech settled on them like dew.
23 They waited for me as for rain
and drank in my words like spring showers.
24 If I smiled at them, they did not believe it;
the light of my countenance was precious.
25 I chose their course and presided as chief.
So I dwelt as a king among his troops,
as a comforter of the mourners.
Footnotes:
4 a Hebrew in the time of my harvest
Job 30
Job’s Honor Turned to Contempt
1 “But now they mock me,
men younger than I am,
whose fathers I would have refused
to entrust with my sheep dogs.
2 What use to me was the strength of their hands,
since their vigor had left them?
3 Gaunt from poverty and hunger,
they gnawed the dry land,
and the desolate wasteland by night.
4 They plucked mallow among the shrubs,
and the roots of the broom tree were their food. a
5 They were banished from among men,
shouted down like thieves,
6 so that they lived on the slopes of the wadis,
among the rocks and in holes in the ground.
7 They cried out among the shrubs
and huddled beneath the nettles.
8 A senseless and nameless brood,
they were driven off the land.
9 And now they mock me in song;
I have become a byword among them.
10 They abhor me and keep far from me;
they do not hesitate to spit in my face.
11 Because God has unstrung my bow and afflicted me,
they have cast off restraint b in my presence.
12 The rabble arises at my right;
they lay snares for my feet
and build siege ramps against me.
13 They tear up my path;
they profit from my destruction,
with no one to restrain them. c
14 They advance as through a wide breach;
through the ruins they keep rolling in.
Job’s Prosperity Becomes Calamity
15 Terrors are turned loose against me;
they drive away my dignity as by the wind,
and my prosperity has passed like a cloud.
16 And now my soul is poured out within me;
days of affliction grip me.
17 Night pierces my bones,
and my gnawing pains never rest.
18 With great force He grasps my garment; d
He seizes me by the collar of my tunic.
19 He throws me into the mud,
and I have become like dust and ashes.
20 I cry out to You for help, but You do not answer;
when I stand up, You merely look at me.
21 You have ruthlessly turned on me;
You oppose me with Your strong hand.
22 You snatch me up into the wind
and drive me before it;
You toss me about e in the storm.
23 Yes, I know that You will bring me down to death,
to the place appointed for all the living.
24 Yet no one stretches out his hand to a ruined man
when he cries for help in his distress.
25 Have I not wept for those in trouble?
Has my soul not grieved for the needy?
26 But when I hoped for good, evil came;
when I looked for light, darkness fell.
27 I am churning within and cannot rest;
days of affliction confront me.
28 I go about blackened, but not by the sun.
I stand up in the assembly and cry for help.
29 I have become a brother of jackals, f
a companion of ostriches. g
30 My skin grows black and peels,
and my bones burn with fever.
31 My harp is tuned to mourning
and my flute to the sound of weeping.
Footnotes:
4 a Or their fuel
11 b Hebrew the bridle
13 c Or with no one to assist them
18 d LXX; Hebrew He becomes like a garment to me or my garment is disfigured
22 e Or You dissolve me
29 f Or serpents or dragons
29 g Literally of daughters of an ostrich or of daughters of an owl
Job 31
Job’s Final Appeal
1 “I have made a covenant with my eyes.
How then could I gaze with desire at a virgin?
2 For what is the allotment of God from above,
or the heritage from the Almighty on high?
3 Does not disaster come to the unjust
and calamity to the workers of iniquity?
4 Does He not see my ways
and count my every step?
5 If I have walked in falsehood
or my foot has rushed to deceit,
6 let God weigh me with honest scales,
that He may know my integrity.
7 If my steps have turned from the path,
if my heart has followed my eyes,
or if impurity has stuck to my hands,
8 then may another eat what I have sown,
and may my crops be uprooted.
9 If my heart has been enticed by my neighbor’s wife,
or I have lurked at his door,
10 then may my own wife grind grain for another,
and may other men sleep with her.
11 For that would be a heinous crime,
an iniquity to be judged.
12 For it is a fire that burns down to Abaddon; a
it would root out my entire harvest.
13 If I have rejected the cause of my manservant or maidservant
when they made a complaint against me,
14 what will I do when God rises to judge?
How will I answer when called to account?
15 Did not He who made me in the womb also make them?
Did not the same One form us in the womb?
16 If I have denied the desires of the poor
or allowed the widow’s eyes to fail,
17 if I have eaten my morsel alone,
not sharing it with the fatherless—
18 though from my youth I reared him as would a father,
and from my mother’s womb I guided the widow—
19 if I have seen one perish for lack of clothing,
or a needy man without a cloak,
20 if his heart has not blessed me b
for warming him with the fleece of my sheep,
21 if I have lifted up my hand against the fatherless
because I saw that I had support in the gate,
22 then may my arm fall from my shoulder
and be torn from its socket.
23 For calamity from God terrifies me,
and His splendor I cannot overpower.
24 If I have put my trust in gold
or called pure gold my security,
25 if I have rejoiced in my great wealth
because my hand had gained so much,
26 if I have beheld the sun c in its radiance
or the moon moving in splendor,
27 so that my heart was secretly enticed
and my hand threw a kiss from my mouth,
28 this would also be an iniquity to be judged,
for I would have denied God on high.
29 If I have rejoiced in my enemy’s ruin,
or exulted when evil befell him—
30 I have not allowed my mouth to sin
by asking for his life with a curse—
31 if the men of my house have not said,
‘Who is there who has not had his fill?’—
32 but no stranger had to lodge on the street,
for my door has been open to the traveler—
33 if I have covered my transgressions like Adam d
by hiding my guilt in my heart,
34 because I greatly feared the crowds
and the contempt of the clans terrified me,
so that I kept silent
and would not go outside—
35 (Oh, that I had one to hear me!
Here is my signature.
Let the Almighty answer me;
let my accuser compose an indictment.
36 Surely I would carry it on my shoulder
and wear it like a crown.
37 I would give account of all my steps;
I would approach Him like a prince.)—
38 if my land cries out against me
and its furrows weep together,
39 if I have devoured its produce without payment
or broken the spirit of its tenants,
40 then let briers grow instead of wheat
and stinkweed instead of barley.”
Thus conclude the words of Job.
Footnotes:
12 a Abaddon means Destruction .
20 b Hebrew if his loins have not blessed me
26 c Hebrew the light
33 d Or like men
Job 32
Elihu Rebukes Job’s Friends
1 So these three men stopped answering Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes.
2 This kindled the anger of Elihu son of Barachel the Buzite, of the family of Ram. He burned with anger against Job for justifying himself rather than God, 3 and he burned with anger against Job’s three friends because they had failed to refute Job, and yet had condemned him.
4 Now Elihu had waited to speak to Job because the others were older than he. 5 But when he saw that the three men had no further reply, his anger was kindled. 6 So Elihu son of Barachel the Buzite declared:
“I am young in years,
while you are old;
that is why I was timid and afraid
to tell you what I know.
7 I thought that age should speak,
and many years should teach wisdom.
8 But there is a spirit a in a man,
the breath of the Almighty,
that gives him understanding.
9 It is not only the old b who are wise,
or the elderly who understand justice.
10 Therefore I say, ‘Listen to me;
I too will declare what I know.’
11 Indeed, I waited while you spoke;
I listened to your reasoning;
as you searched for words,
12 I paid you full attention.
But no one proved Job wrong;
not one of you rebutted his arguments.
13 So do not claim, ‘We have found wisdom;
let God, not man, refute him.’
14 But Job has not directed his words against me,
and I will not answer him with your arguments.
15 Job’s friends are dismayed, with no more to say;
words have escaped them.
16 Must I wait, now that they are silent,
now that they stand and no longer reply?
17 I too will answer;
yes, I will declare what I know.
18 For I am full of words,
and my spirit within me compels me.
19 Behold, my belly is like unvented wine;
it is about to burst like a new wineskin.
20 I must speak and find relief;
I must open my lips and respond.
21 I will be partial to no one,
nor will I flatter any man.
22 For I do not know how to flatter,
or my Maker would remove me in an instant.
Footnotes:
8 a Or the Spirit ; also in verse 18
9 b Or many or great
Job 33
Elihu Rebukes Job
1 “But now, O Job, hear my speech,
and listen to all my words.
2 Behold, I will open my mouth;
my address is on the tip of my tongue.
3 My words are from an upright heart,
and my lips speak sincerely what I know.
4 The Spirit of God has made me,
and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.
5 Refute me if you can;
prepare your case and confront me.
6 I am just like you before God;
I was also formed from clay.
7 Surely no fear of me should terrify you;
nor will my hand be heavy upon you.
8 Surely you have spoken in my hearing,
and I have heard these very words:
9 ‘I am pure, without transgression;
I am clean, with no iniquity in me.
10 Yet God finds occasions against me;
He counts me as His enemy.
11 He puts my feet in the stocks;
He watches over all my paths.’
12 Behold, you are not right in this matter.
I will answer you, for God is greater than man.
13 Why do you complain to Him
that He answers nothing a man asks? a
14 For God speaks in one way and in another,
yet no one notices.
15 In a dream,
in a vision in the night,
when deep sleep falls upon men
as they slumber on their beds,
16 He opens their ears
and terrifies them with warnings
17 to turn a man from wrongdoing
and keep him from pride,
18 to preserve his soul from the Pit
and his life from perishing by the sword.
19 A man is also chastened on his bed
with pain and constant distress in his bones,
20 so that he detests his bread,
and his soul loathes his favorite food.
21 His flesh wastes away from sight,
and his hidden bones protrude.
22 He draws near to the Pit,
and his life to the messengers of death.
23 Yet if there is a messenger on his side,
one mediator in a thousand,
to tell a man what is right for him,
24 to be gracious to him and say,
‘Spare him from going down to the Pit;
I have found his ransom,’
25 then his flesh is refreshed like a child’s;
he returns to the days of his youth.
26 He prays to God and finds favor;
he sees God’s face and shouts for joy,
and God restores His righteousness
to that man.
with these words:
‘I have sinned and perverted what was right;
yet I did not get what I deserved.
28 He redeemed my soul from going down to the Pit,
and I will live to see the light.’
29 Behold, all these things God does to a man,
two or even three times,
30 to bring back his soul from the Pit,
that he may be enlightened with the light of life.
31 Pay attention, Job, and listen to me;
be silent, and I will speak.
32 But if you have something to say, answer me;
speak up, for I would like to vindicate you.
33 But if not, then listen to me;
be quiet, and I will teach you wisdom.”
Footnotes:
13 a Or that He answers for none of His actions
27 b Or Then he looks upon
Job 34
Elihu Confirms God’s Justice
1 Then Elihu continued:
2 “Hear my words, O wise men;
give ear to me, O men of learning.
3 For the ear tests words
as the mouth tastes food.
4 Let us choose for ourselves what is right;
let us learn together what is good.
5 For Job has declared, ‘I am righteous,
yet God has deprived me of justice.
6 Would I lie about my case?
My wound is incurable,
though I am without transgression.’
7 What man is like Job,
who drinks up derision like water?
8 He keeps company with evildoers
and walks with wicked men.
9 For he has said, ‘It profits a man nothing
that he should delight in God.’
10 Therefore listen to me,
O men of understanding.
Far be it from God to do wrong,
and from the Almighty to act unjustly.
11 For according to a man’s deeds He repays him;
according to a man’s ways He brings consequences.
12 Indeed, it is true that God does not act wickedly,
and the Almighty does not pervert justice.
13 Who gave Him charge over the earth?
Who appointed Him over the whole world?
14 If He were to set His heart to it
and withdraw His Spirit and breath,
15 all flesh would perish together
and mankind would return to the dust.
16 If you have understanding, hear this;
listen to my words.
17 Could one who hates justice govern?
Will you condemn the just and mighty One,
18 who says to kings, ‘You are worthless!’
and to nobles, ‘You are wicked,’
19 who is not partial to princes
and does not favor rich over poor?
For they are all the work of His hands.
20 They die in an instant,
in the middle of the night.
The people convulse and pass away;
the mighty are removed without human hand.
21 For His eyes are on the ways of a man,
and He sees his every step.
22 There is no darkness or deep shadow
where the workers of iniquity can hide.
23 For God need not examine a man further
or have him approach for judgment.
24 He shatters the mighty without inquiry
and sets up others in their place.
25 Therefore, He recognizes their deeds;
He overthrows them in the night and they are crushed.
26 He strikes them for their wickedness
in full view,
27 because they turned aside from Him
and had no regard for any of His ways.
28 They caused the cry of the poor to come before Him,
and He heard the outcry of the afflicted.
29 But when He remains silent, who can condemn Him?
When He hides His face, who can see Him?
Yet He watches over both man and nation,
30 that godless men should not rule
or lay snares for the people.
31 Suppose someone says to God,
‘I have endured my punishment; I will offend no more.
32 Teach me what I cannot see;
if I have done wrong, I will not do it again.’
33 Should God repay you on your own terms
when you have disavowed His?
You must choose, not I;
so tell me what you know.
34 Men of understanding will declare to me,
and the wise men who hear me will say:
35 ‘Job speaks without knowledge;
his words lack insight.’
36 If only Job were tried to the utmost
for answering like a wicked man.
37 For he adds rebellion to his sin;
he claps his hands among us
and multiplies his words against God.”
Job 35
Elihu Recalls God’s Justice
1 And Elihu went on to say:
2 “Do you think this is just?
You say, ‘I am more righteous than God.’ a
3 For you ask, ‘What does it profit me,
and what benefit do I gain apart from sin?’
4 I will reply to you
and to your friends as well.
5 Look to the heavens and see;
gaze at the clouds high above you.
6 If you sin, what do you accomplish against Him?
If you multiply your transgressions, what do you do to Him?
7 If you are righteous, what do you give Him,
or what does He receive from your hand?
8 Your wickedness affects only a man like yourself,
and your righteousness only a son of man.
9 Men cry out under great oppression;
they plead for relief from the arm of the mighty.
10 But no one asks, ‘Where is God my Maker,
who gives us songs in the night,
11 who teaches us more than the beasts of the earth
and makes us wiser than the birds of the air?’
12 There they cry out, but He does not answer,
because of the pride of evil men.
13 Surely God does not listen to empty pleas,
and the Almighty does not take note of it.
14 How much less, then, when you say that you do not see Him,
that your case is before Him and you must wait for Him,
15 and further, that in His anger He has not punished
or taken much notice of folly!
16 So Job opens his mouth in vain
and multiplies words without knowledge.”
Footnotes:
2 a Or ‘I am righteous before God.’
Job 36
Elihu Describes God’s Power
1 And Elihu continued:
2 “Bear with me a little longer, and I will show you
that there is more to be said on God’s behalf.
3 I get my knowledge from afar,
and I will ascribe justice to my Maker.
4 For truly my words are free of falsehood;
one perfect in knowledge is with you.
5 Indeed, God is mighty, but He despises no one;
He is mighty in strength of understanding.
6 He does not keep the wicked alive,
but He grants justice to the afflicted.
7 He does not take His eyes off the righteous,
but He enthrones them with kings
and exalts them forever.
8 And if men are bound with chains,
caught in cords of affliction,
9 then He tells them their deeds
and how arrogantly they have transgressed.
10 He opens their ears to correction
and commands that they turn from iniquity.
11 If they obey and serve Him,
then they end their days in prosperity
and their years in happiness.
12 But if they do not obey,
then they perish by the sword a
and die without knowledge.
13 The godless in heart harbor resentment;
even when He binds them, they do not cry for help.
14 They die in their youth,
among the male shrine prostitutes.
15 God rescues the afflicted by their affliction b
and opens their ears in oppression.
16 Indeed, He drew you from the jaws of distress
to a spacious and broad place,
to a table full of richness.
17 But now you are laden with the judgment due the wicked;
judgment and justice have seized you.
18 Be careful that no one lures you with riches;
do not let a large bribe lead you astray.
19 Can your wealth c or all your mighty effort
keep you from distress?
20 Do not long for the night,
when people vanish from their homes.
21 Be careful not to turn to iniquity,
for this you have preferred to affliction.
22 Behold, God is exalted in His power.
Who is a teacher like Him?
23 Who has appointed His way for Him,
or told Him, ‘You have done wrong’?
24 Remember to magnify His work,
which men have praised in song.
25 All mankind has seen it;
men behold it from afar.
26 Indeed, God is great—beyond our knowledge;
the number of His years is unsearchable.
27 For He draws up drops of water
which distill the rain from the mist,
28 which the clouds pour out
and shower abundantly on mankind.
29 Furthermore, who can understand how the clouds spread out,
how the thunder roars from His pavilion?
30 See how He scatters His lightning around Him
and covers the depths of the sea.
31 For by these He judges d the nations
and provides food in abundance.
32 He fills His hands with lightning
and commands it to strike its mark.
33 The thunder declares His presence;
even the cattle regard the rising storm.
Footnotes:
12 a Or they will cross the river of death
15 b Or in their affliction
19 c Or your cry for help
31 d Or governs or nourishes
Job 37
Elihu Proclaims God’s Majesty
1 “At this my heart also pounds
and leaps from its place.
2 Listen closely to the thunder of His voice
and the rumbling that comes from His mouth.
3 He unleashes His lightning beneath the whole sky
and sends it to the ends of the earth.
4 Then there comes a roaring sound;
He thunders with His majestic voice.
He does not restrain the lightning
when His voice resounds.
5 God thunders wondrously with His voice;
He does great things we cannot comprehend.
6 For He says to the snow, ‘Fall on the earth,’
and to the gentle rain, ‘Pour out a mighty downpour.’
7 He seals up the hand of every man,
so that all men may know His work.
8 The wild animals enter their lairs;
they settle down in their dens.
9 The tempest comes from its chamber,
and the cold from the driving north winds.
10 By the breath of God the ice is formed
and the watery expanses are frozen.
11 He loads the clouds with moisture;
He scatters His lightning through them.
12 They swirl about,
whirling at His direction,
accomplishing all that He commands
over the face of all the earth.
13 Whether for punishment or for His land,
He accomplishes this in His loving devotion.
14 Listen to this, O Job;
stand still and consider the wonders of God.
15 Do you know how God dispatches the clouds
or makes the lightning flash?
16 Do you understand how the clouds float,
those wonders of Him who is perfect in knowledge?
17 You whose clothes get hot
when the land lies hushed under the south wind,
18 can you, like Him, spread out the skies
to reflect the heat like a mirror of bronze?
19 Teach us what we should say to Him;
we cannot draw up our case when our faces are in darkness.
20 Should He be told that I want to speak?
Would a man ask to be swallowed up a?
21 Now no one can gaze at the sun
when it is bright in the skies
after the wind has swept them clean.
22 Out of the north He comes in golden splendor;
awesome majesty surrounds Him.
23 The Almighty is beyond our reach;
He is exalted in power!
In His justice and great righteousness
He does not oppress.
24 Therefore, men fear Him,
for He is not partial to the wise in heart.”
Footnotes:
20 a Or speak without being swallowed up
Job 38
The LORD Challenges Job
1 Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind and said:
2 “Who is this who obscures My counsel
by words without knowledge? a
3 Now brace yourself b like a man;
I will question you, and you shall inform Me. c
4 Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?
Tell Me, if you have understanding.
5 Who fixed its measurements? Surely you know!
Or who stretched a measuring line across it?
6 On what were its foundations set,
or who laid its cornerstone, d
7 while the morning stars sang together
and all the sons of God shouted for joy?
8 Who enclosed the sea behind doors
when it burst forth from the womb,
9 when I made the clouds its garment
and thick darkness its blanket,
10 when I fixed its boundaries
and set in place its bars and doors,
11 and I declared: ‘You may come this far, but no farther;
here your proud waves must stop’?
12 In your days, have you commanded the morning
or assigned the dawn its place,
13 that it might spread to the ends of the earth
and shake the wicked out of it?
14 The earth takes shape like clay under a seal;
its hills stand out like the folds of a garment.
15 Light is withheld from the wicked,
and their upraised arm is broken.
16 Have you journeyed to the vents of the sea
or walked in the trenches of the deep?
17 Have the gates of death been revealed to you?
Have you seen the gates of the shadow of death?
18 Have you surveyed the extent of the earth?
Tell Me, if you know all this.
19 Where is the way to the home of light?
Do you know where darkness resides,
20 so you can lead it back to its border?
Do you know the paths to its home?
21 Surely you know, for you were already born!
And the number of your days is great!
22 Have you entered the storehouses of snow
or observed the storehouses of hail,
23 which I hold in reserve for times of trouble,
for the day of war and battle?
24 In which direction is the lightning dispersed,
or the east wind scattered over the earth?
25 Who cuts a channel for the flood
or clears a path for the thunderbolt,
26 to bring rain on a barren land,
on a desert where no man lives,
27 to satisfy the parched wasteland
and make it sprout with tender grass?
28 Does the rain have a father?
Who has begotten the drops of dew?
29 From whose womb does the ice emerge?
Who gives birth to the frost from heaven,
30 when the waters become hard as stone
and the surface of the deep is frozen?
31 Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades
or loosen the belt of Orion?
32 Can you bring forth the constellations in their seasons e
or lead out the Bear f and her cubs?
33 Do you know the laws of the heavens?
Can you set their dominion over the earth?
34 Can you command the clouds
so that a flood of water covers you?
35 Can you send the lightning bolts on their way?
Do they report to you, ‘Here we are’?
36 Who has put wisdom in the heart g
or given understanding to the mind?
37 Who has the wisdom to count the clouds?
Or who can tilt the water jars of the heavens
38 when the dust hardens into a mass
and the clods of earth stick together?
39 Can you hunt the prey for a lioness
or satisfy the hunger of young lions
40 when they crouch in their dens
and lie in wait in the thicket?
41 Who provides food for the raven
when its young cry out to God
as they wander about for lack of food?
Footnotes:
2 a Cited in Job 42:3
3 b Hebrew gird up your loins
3 c Cited in Job 42:4
6 d Or who set its core in place
32 e Or bring forth Mazzaroth in its season
32 f Or Leo or Arcturus
36 g Or Who has given the ibis wisdom , that is, wisdom about the flooding of the Nile
Job 39
The LORD Speaks of His Creation
1 “Do you know when mountain goats give birth?
Have you watched the doe bear her fawn?
2 Can you count the months they are pregnant?
Do you know the time they give birth?
3 They crouch down and bring forth their young;
they deliver their newborn.
4 Their young ones thrive and grow up in the open field;
they leave and do not return.
5 Who set the wild donkey free?
Who released the swift donkey from the harness?
6 I made the wilderness his home
and the salt flats his dwelling.
7 He scorns the tumult of the city
and never hears the shouts of a driver.
8 He roams the mountains for pasture,
searching for any green thing.
9 Will the wild ox consent to serve you?
Will he stay by your manger at night?
10 Can you hold him to the furrow with a harness?
Will he plow the valleys behind you?
11 Can you rely on his great strength?
Will you leave your hard work to him?
12 Can you trust him to bring in your grain
and gather it to your threshing floor?
13 The wings of the ostrich flap joyfully,
but cannot match the pinions a and feathers of the stork.
14 For she leaves her eggs on the ground
and lets them warm in the sand.
15 She forgets that a foot may crush them,
or a wild animal may trample them.
16 She treats her young harshly, as if not her own,
with no concern that her labor was in vain.
17 For God has deprived her of wisdom;
He has not endowed her with understanding.
18 Yet when she proudly spreads her wings,
she laughs at the horse and its rider.
19 Do you give strength to the horse
or adorn his neck with a mane?
20 Do you make him leap like a locust,
striking terror with his proud snorting?
21 He paws in the valley and rejoices in his strength;
he charges into battle.
22 He laughs at fear, frightened of nothing;
he does not turn back from the sword.
23 A quiver rattles at his side,
along with a flashing spear and lance. b
24 Trembling with excitement, he devours the distance;
he cannot stand still when the ram’s horn sounds.
25 At the blast of the horn, he snorts with fervor. c
He catches the scent of battle from afar—
the shouts of captains and the cry of war.
26 Does the hawk take flight by your understanding
and spread his wings toward the south?
27 Does the eagle soar at your command
and make his nest on high?
28 He dwells on a cliff and lodges there;
his stronghold is on a rocky crag.
29 From there he spies out food;
his eyes see it from afar.
30 His young ones feast on blood;
and where the slain are, there he is.”
Footnotes:
13 a Pinions are the outer parts of a bird’s wings, including the flight feathers.
23 b Or javelin
25 c Or he snorts, ‘Aha!’
Job 40
Job Humbles Himself before the LORD
1 And the LORD said to Job:
2 “Will the faultfinder contend with the Almighty?
Let him who argues with God give an answer.”
3 Then Job answered the LORD:
4 “Behold, I am insignificant. How can I reply to You?
I place my hand over my mouth.
5 I have spoken once, but I have no answer—
twice, but I have nothing to add.”
The LORD Challenges Job Again
6 Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind and said:
7 “Now brace yourself a like a man;
I will question you, and you shall inform Me. b
8 Would you really annul My justice?
Would you condemn Me to justify yourself?
9 Do you have an arm like God’s?
Can you thunder with a voice like His?
10 Then adorn yourself with majesty and splendor,
and clothe yourself with honor and glory.
11 Unleash the fury of your wrath;
look on every proud man and bring him low.
12 Look on every proud man and humble him;
trample the wicked where they stand.
13 Bury them together in the dust;
imprison them in the grave. c
14 Then I will confess to you
that your own right hand can save you.
15 Look at Behemoth, which I made along with you.
He feeds on grass like an ox.
16 See the strength of his loins
and the power in the muscles of his belly.
17 His tail sways like a cedar;
the sinews of his thighs are tightly knit.
18 His bones are tubes of bronze;
his limbs are rods of iron.
19 He is the foremost of God’s works; d
only his Maker can draw the sword against him.
20 The hills yield him their produce,
while all the beasts of the field play nearby.
21 He lies under the lotus plants, e
hidden among the reeds of the marsh.
22 The lotus plants conceal him in their shade;
the willows f of the brook surround him.
23 Though the river rages, Behemoth is unafraid;
he remains secure, though the Jordan surges to his mouth.
24 Can anyone capture him as he looks on,
or pierce his nose with a snare?
Footnotes:
7 a Hebrew gird up your loins
7 b Cited in Job 42:4
13 c Or in the hidden place
19 d Hebrew ways
21 e Or bramble bushes ; also in verse 22
22 f Or poplars
Job 41
The LORD’s Power Shown in Leviathan
1 “Can you pull in Leviathan with a hook
or tie down his tongue with a rope?
2 Can you put a cord through his nose
or pierce his jaw with a hook?
3 Will he beg you for mercy
or speak to you softly?
4 Will he make a covenant with you
to take him as a slave for life?
5 Can you pet him like a bird
or put him on a leash for your maidens?
6 Will traders barter for him
or divide him among the merchants?
7 Can you fill his hide with harpoons
or his head with fishing spears?
8 If you lay a hand on him,
you will remember the battle and never repeat it!
9 Surely hope of overcoming him is false.
Is not the sight of him overwhelming?
10 No one is so fierce as to rouse Leviathan.
Then who is able to stand against Me?
11 Who has given to Me that I should repay him? a
Everything under heaven is Mine.
12 I cannot keep silent about his limbs,
his power and graceful form.
13 Who can strip off his outer coat?
Who can approach him with a bridle? b
14 Who can open his jaws,
ringed by his fearsome teeth?
15 His rows of scales are his pride,
tightly sealed together.
16 One scale is so near to another
that no air can pass between them.
17 They are joined to one another;
they clasp and cannot be separated.
18 His snorting flashes with light,
and his eyes are like the rays of dawn.
19 Firebrands stream from his mouth;
fiery sparks shoot forth!
20 Smoke billows from his nostrils
as from a boiling pot over burning reeds.
21 His breath sets coals ablaze,
and flames pour from his mouth.
22 Strength resides in his neck,
and dismay leaps before him.
23 The folds of his flesh are tightly joined;
they are firm and immovable.
24 His chest is as hard as a rock,
as hard as a lower millstone!
25 When Leviathan rises up, the mighty are terrified;
they withdraw before his thrashing.
26 The sword that reaches him has no effect,
nor does the spear or dart or arrow.
27 He regards iron as straw
and bronze as rotten wood.
28 No arrow can make him flee;
slingstones become like chaff to him.
29 A club is regarded as straw,
and he laughs at the sound of the lance. c
30 His undersides are jagged potsherds,
spreading out the mud like a threshing sledge.
31 He makes the depths seethe like a cauldron;
he makes the sea like a jar of ointment.
32 He leaves a glistening wake behind him;
one would think the deep had white hair!
33 Nothing on earth is his equal—
a creature devoid of fear!
34 He looks down on all the haughty;
he is king over all the proud.”
Footnotes:
11 a Cited in Romans 11:35
13 b Or Who can come within his double mail?
29 c Or javelin
Job 42
Job Submits Himself to the LORD
1 Then Job replied to the LORD:
2 “I know that You can do all things
and that no plan of Yours can be thwarted.
3 You asked, ‘Who is this
who conceals My counsel without knowledge?’ a
Surely I spoke of things I did not understand,
things too wonderful for me to know.
4 You said, ‘Listen now, and I will speak.
I will question you, and you shall inform Me.’ b
5 My ears had heard of You,
but now my eyes have seen You.
6 Therefore I retract my words,
and I repent in dust and ashes.”
The LORD Rebukes Job’s Friends
7 After the LORD had spoken these words to Job, He said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “My wrath is kindled against you and your two friends. For you have not spoken about Me accurately, as My servant Job has. 8 So now, take seven bulls and seven rams, go to My servant Job, and sacrifice a burnt offering for yourselves. Then My servant Job will pray for you, for I will accept his prayer and not deal with you according to your folly. For you have not spoken accurately about Me, as My servant Job has.”
9 So Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite went and did as the LORD had told them; and the LORD accepted Job’s request.
The LORD Blesses Job
10 After Job had prayed for his friends, the LORD restored his prosperity and doubled his former possessions. 11 All his brothers and sisters and prior acquaintances came and dined with him in his house. They consoled him and comforted him over all the adversity that the LORD had brought upon him. And each one gave him a piece of silver c and a gold ring.
12 So the LORD blessed Job’s latter days more than his first. He owned 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 yoke of oxen, and 1,000 female donkeys. 13 And he also had seven sons and three daughters. 14 He named his first daughter Jemimah, his second Keziah, and his third Keren-happuch. 15 No women as beautiful as Job’s daughters could be found in all the land, and their father granted them an inheritance among their brothers.
16 After this, Job lived 140 years and saw his children and their children to the fourth generation. 17 And so Job died, old and full of years.
Footnotes:
3 a Job 38:2
4 b Job 38:3 and Job 40:7
11 c Hebrew a kesitah ; the value or weight of the kesitah is no longer known.
Psalm
Psalm 1
BOOK I
Psalms 1–41
The Two Paths
(Matthew 5:3–12; Luke 6:20–23)
1 Blessed is the man
who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,
or set foot on the path of sinners,
or sit in the seat of mockers.
2 But his delight is in the Law of the LORD,
and on His law he meditates day and night.
3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water,
yielding its fruit in season,
whose leaf does not wither,
and who prospers in all he does.
4 Not so the wicked!
For they are like chaff driven off by the wind.
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
6 For the LORD guards the path of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.
Psalm 2
The Triumphant Messiah
(Acts 4:23–31)
and the peoples plot in vain?
2 The kings of the earth take their stand
and the rulers gather together,
against the LORD
and against His Anointed One: b
3 “Let us break Their chains
and cast away Their cords.”
4 The One enthroned in heaven laughs;
the Lord taunts them.
5 Then He rebukes them in His anger,
and terrifies them in His fury:
6 “I have installed My King on Zion,
7 I will proclaim the decree
spoken to Me by the LORD:
“You are My Son;
today I have become Your Father. c
8 Ask Me, and I will make the nations Your inheritance,
the ends of the earth Your possession.
9 You will break them d with an iron scepter;
You will shatter them like pottery. e”
10 Therefore be wise, O kings;
be admonished, O judges of the earth.
11 Serve the LORD with fear,
and rejoice with trembling.
12 Kiss the Son, lest He be angry
and you perish in your rebellion,
when His wrath ignites in an instant.
Blessed are all who take refuge in Him.
Footnotes:
1 a Or noisily assemble ; see Revelation 11:18.
2 b Cited in Acts 4:25–26
7 c Literally today I have begotten You ; cited in Acts 13:33, Hebrews 1:5, and Hebrews 5:5
9 d LXX You will rule them or You will shepherd them
9 e Cited in Revelation 2:27; see also Revelation 12:5 and Revelation 19:15.
Psalm 3
Deliver Me, O LORD!
(2 Samuel 15:13–29)
A Psalm of David, when he fled from his son Absalom.
1O LORD, how my foes have increased!
How many rise up against me!
2 Many say of me,
“God will not deliver him.”
Selah a
3 But You, O LORD, are a shield around me,
my glory, and the One who lifts my head.
4 To the LORD I cry aloud,
and He answers me from His holy mountain.
Selah
5 I lie down and sleep;
I wake again, for the LORD sustains me.
6 I will not fear the myriads
set against me on every side.
7 Arise, O LORD!
Save me, O my God!
Strike all my enemies on the jaw;
break the teeth of the wicked.
8 Salvation belongs to the LORD;
may Your blessing be on Your people.
Selah
Footnotes:
2 a Selah or Interlude is probably a musical or literary term; here and throughout the Psalms.
Psalm 4
Answer Me When I Call!
For the choirmaster. With stringed instruments. A Psalm of David.
1Answer me when I call,
O God of my righteousness!
You have relieved my distress;
show me grace and hear my prayer.
2 How long, O men, will my honor be maligned?
How long will you love vanity and seek after lies a?
Selah
3 Know that the LORD has set apart the godly for Himself;
the LORD hears when I call to Him.
on your bed, search your heart and be still.
Selah
5 Offer the sacrifices of the righteous
and trust in the LORD.
6 Many ask, “Who can show us the good?”
Shine the light of Your face upon us, O LORD.
7 You have filled my heart with more joy
than when grain and new wine abound.
8 I will lie down and sleep in peace,
for You alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.
Footnotes:
2 a Or false gods
4 b Or In your anger do not sin or Tremble and do not sin ; cited in Ephesians 4:26
Psalm 5
Give Ear to My Words
For the choirmaster, to be accompanied by flutes. A Psalm of David.
1Give ear to my words, O LORD;
consider my groaning.
2 Attend to the sound of my cry,
my King and my God,
for to You I pray.
3 In the morning, O LORD, You hear my voice;
at daybreak I lay my plea before You
and wait in expectation.
4 For You are not a God who delights in wickedness;
no evil can dwell with You.
5 The boastful cannot stand in Your presence;
You hate all workers of iniquity.
6 You destroy those who tell lies;
the LORD abhors the man of bloodshed and deceit.
7 But I will enter Your house
by the abundance of Your loving devotion; a
in reverence I will bow down
toward Your holy temple.
8 Lead me, O LORD, in Your righteousness
because of my enemies;
make straight Your way before me.
9 For not a word they speak can be trusted;
destruction lies within them.
Their throats are open graves;
their tongues practice deceit. b
10 Declare them guilty, O God;
let them fall by their own devices.
Drive them out for their many transgressions,
for they have rebelled against You.
11 But let all who take refuge in You rejoice;
let them ever shout for joy.
May You shelter them,
that those who love Your name may rejoice in You.
12 For surely You, O LORD, bless the righteous;
You surround them with the shield of Your favor.
Footnotes:
7 a Forms of the Hebrew chesed are translated here and in most cases throughout the Scriptures as loving devotion ; the range of meaning includes love , goodness , kindness , faithfulness , and mercy , as well as loyalty to a covenant .
9 b Or flattery ; cited in Romans 3:13
Psalm 6
Do Not Rebuke Me in Your Anger
(Psalm 38:1–22)
For the choirmaster. With stringed instruments, according to Sheminith. a A Psalm of David.
1O LORD, do not rebuke me in Your anger
or discipline me in Your wrath.
2 Be merciful to me, O LORD, for I am frail;
heal me, O LORD, for my bones are in agony.
3 My soul is deeply distressed.
How long, O LORD, how long?
4 Turn, O LORD, and deliver my soul;
save me because of Your loving devotion.
5 For there is no mention of You in death;
who can praise You from Sheol?
6 I am weary from groaning;
all night I flood my bed with weeping
and drench my couch with tears.
7 My eyes fail from grief;
they grow dim because of all my foes.
8 Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity,
for the LORD has heard my weeping.
9 The LORD has heard my cry for mercy;
the LORD accepts my prayer.
10 All my enemies will be ashamed and dismayed;
they will turn back in sudden disgrace.
Footnotes:
1 a Sheminith is probably a musical term; here and in 1 Chronicles 15:21 and Psalm 12:1.
Psalm 7
I Take Refuge in You
A Shiggaion a of David, which he sang to the LORD concerning the words of Cush, a Benjamite.
1O LORD my God, I take refuge in You;
save me and deliver me from all my pursuers,
2 or they will shred my soul like a lion
and tear me to pieces with no one to rescue me.
3 O LORD my God, if I have done this,
if injustice is on my hands,
4 if I have rewarded my ally b with evil,
if I have plundered my foe without cause,
5 then may my enemy pursue me and overtake me;
may he trample me to the ground
and leave my honor in the dust.
Selah
6 Arise, O LORD, in Your anger;
rise up against the fury of my enemies.
Awake, my God, and ordain judgment.
7 Let the assembled peoples gather around You;
take Your seat over them on high.
8 The LORD judges the peoples;
vindicate me, O LORD,
according to my righteousness and integrity.
9 Put an end to the evil of the wicked,
but establish the righteous,
O righteous God who searches hearts and minds. c
10 My shield is with God,
who saves the upright in heart.
11 God is a righteous judge
and a God who feels indignation each day.
12 If one does not repent,
God will sharpen His sword;
He has bent and strung His bow.
13 He has prepared His deadly weapons;
He ordains His arrows with fire.
14 Behold, the wicked man travails with evil;
he conceives trouble and births falsehood.
15 He has dug a hole and hollowed it out;
he has fallen into a pit of his own making.
16 His trouble recoils on himself,
and his violence falls on his own head.
17 I will thank the LORD for His righteousness
and sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High.
Footnotes:
1 a Shiggaion is probably a musical or liturgical term.
4 b Hebrew the one at peace with me
9 c Hebrew hearts and kidneys
Psalm 8
How Majestic Is Your Name!
For the choirmaster. According to Gittith. a A Psalm of David.
1O LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is Your name in all the earth!
You have set Your glory
2 From the mouths of children and infants
You have ordained praise b
on account of Your adversaries,
to silence the enemy and avenger.
3 When I behold Your heavens,
the work of Your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
4 what is man that You are mindful of him,
or the son of man that You care for him?
5 You made him a little lower than the angels; c
You crowned him with glory and honor.
6 You made him ruler of the works of Your hands;
You have placed everything under his feet: d
7 all sheep and oxen,
and even the beasts of the field,
8 the birds of the air and the fish of the sea,
all that swim the paths of the seas.
9 O LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is Your name in all the earth!
Footnotes:
1 a Gittith is probably a musical or liturgical term; here and in Psalms 81 and 84.
2 b Literally You have ordained strength ; LXX You have prepared praise ; cited in Matthew 21:16
5 c Or than God or than the heavenly beings ; see also LXX.
6 d Cited in 1 Corinthians 15:27 and Hebrews 2:6–8
Psalm 9
I Will Give Thanks to the LORD
For the choirmaster. To the tune of “The Death of the Son.” A Psalm of David. a
1I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart;
I will recount all Your wonders.
2 I will be glad and rejoice in You;
I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High.
3 When my enemies retreat,
they stumble and perish before You.
4 For You have upheld my just cause;
You sit on Your throne judging righteously.
5 You have rebuked the nations;
You have destroyed the wicked;
You have erased their name forever and ever.
6 The enemy has come to eternal ruin,
and You have uprooted their cities;
the very memory of them has vanished.
7 But the LORD abides forever;
He has established His throne for judgment.
8 He judges the world with justice;
He governs the people with equity.
9 The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed,
a stronghold in times of trouble.
10 Those who know Your name trust in You,
for You, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You.
11 Sing praises to the LORD, who dwells in Zion;
proclaim His deeds among the nations.
12 For the Avenger of bloodshed remembers;
He does not ignore the cry of the afflicted.
13 Be merciful to me, O LORD;
see how my enemies afflict me!
Lift me up from the gates of death,
14 that I may declare all Your praises—
that within the gates of Daughter Zion
I may rejoice in Your salvation.
15 The nations have fallen into a pit of their making;
their feet are caught in the net they have hidden.
16 The LORD is known by the justice He brings;
the wicked are ensnared by the work of their hands.
Higgaion Selah b
17 The wicked will return to Sheol—
all the nations who forget God.
18 For the needy will not always be forgotten;
nor the hope of the oppressed forever dashed.
19 Rise up, O LORD, do not let man prevail;
let the nations be judged in Your presence.
20 Lay terror upon them, O LORD;
let the nations know they are but men.
Selah
Footnotes:
1 a Psalms 9 and 10 together follow an acrostic pattern, each stanza beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. In the LXX they form one psalm.
16 b Higgaion Selah or quiet interlude is probably a musical or liturgical term.
Psalm 10
The Perils of the Pilgrim
1 Why, O LORD, do You stand far off?
Why do You hide in times of trouble?
2 In pride the wicked pursue the needy;
let them be caught in the schemes they devise.
3 For the wicked man boasts in the cravings of his heart;
he blesses the greedy and reviles the LORD.
4 In his pride the wicked man does not seek Him;
in all his schemes there is no God.
5 He is secure in his ways at all times;
Your lofty judgments are far from him;
he sneers at all his foes.
6 He says to himself, “I will not be moved;
from age to age I am free of distress.”
7 His mouth is full of cursing, deceit, a and violence;
trouble and malice are under his tongue.
8 He lies in wait near the villages;
in ambush he slays the innocent;
his eyes watch in stealth for the helpless.
9 He lies in wait like a lion in a thicket;
he lurks to seize the oppressed;
he catches the lowly in his net.
10 They are crushed and beaten down; b
the hapless fall prey to his strength.
11 He says to himself, “God has forgotten;
He hides His face and never sees.”
12 Arise, O LORD! Lift up Your hand, O God!
Do not forget the helpless.
13 Why has the wicked man renounced God?
He says to himself, “You will never call me to account.”
14 But You have regarded trouble and grief;
You see to repay it by Your hand.
The victim entrusts himself to You;
You are the helper of the fatherless.
15 Break the arm of the wicked and evildoer;
call him to account for his wickedness
until none is left to be found.
16 The LORD is King forever and ever;
the nations perish from His land.
17 You have heard, O LORD, the desire of the humble;
You will strengthen their hearts.
You will incline Your ear,
18 to vindicate the fatherless and oppressed,
that the men of the earth
may strike terror no more.
Footnotes:
7 a LXX bitterness ; cited in Romans 3:14
10 b Or He crouches and lies low
Psalm 11
In the LORD I Take Refuge
(Habakkuk 1:12–17)
For the choirmaster. Of David.
1In the LORD I take refuge.
How then can you say to me:
“Flee like a bird to your mountain!
2 For behold, the wicked bend their bows.
They set their arrow on the string
to shoot from the shadows at the upright in heart.
3 If the foundations are destroyed,
what can the righteous do?”
4 The LORD is in His holy temple;
the LORD is on His heavenly throne.
His eyes are watching closely;
they examine the sons of men.
5 The LORD tests the righteous and the wicked;
His soul hates the lover of violence.
6 On the wicked He will rain down fiery coals and sulfur;
a scorching wind will be their portion.
7 For the LORD is righteous; He loves justice.
The upright will see His face.
Psalm 12
The Godly Are No More
For the choirmaster. According to Sheminith. a A Psalm of David.
1Help, O LORD, for the godly are no more;
the faithful have vanished from among men.
2 They lie to one another;
they speak with flattering lips and a double heart.
3 May the LORD cut off all flattering lips
and every boastful tongue.
4 They say, “With our tongues we will prevail.
We own our lips—who can be our master?”
5 “For the cause of the oppressed
and for the groaning of the needy,
I will now arise,” says the LORD.
“I will bring safety to him who yearns.”
6 The words of the LORD are flawless,
like silver refined in a furnace,
like gold purified sevenfold. b
7 You, O LORD, will keep us;
You will forever guard us from this generation.
8 The wicked wander freely,
and vileness is exalted among men.
Footnotes:
1 a Sheminith is probably a musical term; here and in 1 Chronicles 15:21 and Psalm 6:1.
6 b Probable reading; MT like silver refined in a furnace of clay, purified sevenfold
Psalm 13
How Long, O LORD?
For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.
1How long, O LORD?
Will You forget me forever?
How long will You hide Your face from me?
2 How long must I wrestle in my soul,
with sorrow in my heart each day?
How long will my enemy dominate me?
3 Consider me and respond, O LORD my God.
Give light to my eyes, lest I sleep in death,
4 lest my enemy say, “I have overcome him,”
and my foes rejoice when I fall.
5 But I have trusted in Your loving devotion;
my heart will rejoice in Your salvation.
6 I will sing to the LORD,
for He has been good to me.
Psalm 14
The Fool Says There Is No God
(Psalm 53:1–6; Isaiah 59:1–17; Romans 3:9–20)
For the choirmaster. Of David.
1The fool a says in his heart,
“There is no God.”
They are corrupt; their acts are vile.
There is no one who does good.
2 The LORD looks down from heaven
upon the sons of men
to see if any understand,
if any seek God.
3 All have turned away,
they have together become corrupt; b
there is no one who does good,
not even one. c
4 Will the workers of iniquity never learn?
They devour my people like bread;
they refuse to call upon the LORD.
5 There they are, overwhelmed with dread,
for God is in the company of the righteous.
6 You sinners frustrate the plans of the oppressed,
yet the LORD is their shelter.
7 Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come from Zion!
When the LORD restores His captive people,
let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad!
Footnotes:
1 a The Hebrew words rendered fool throughout the Psalms denote one who is morally deficient.
3 b LXX worthless
3 c Cited in Romans 3:10–12
Psalm 15
Who May Dwell on Your Holy Mountain?
A Psalm of David.
1O LORD, who may abide in Your tent?
Who may dwell on Your holy mountain?
2 He who walks with integrity
and practices righteousness,
who speaks the truth from his heart,
3 who has no slander on his tongue,
who does no harm to his neighbor,
who casts no scorn on his friend,
4 who despises the vile
but honors those who fear the LORD,
who does not revise a costly oath,
5 who lends his money without interest
and refuses a bribe against the innocent.
He who does these things
will never be shaken.
Psalm 16
The Presence of the LORD
(Acts 2:14–36)
A Miktam a of David.
1Preserve me, O God,
for in You I take refuge.
2 I said to the LORD, “You are my Lord;
apart from You I have no good thing.”
3 As for the saints in the land,
they are the excellence
in whom all my delight resides.
4 Sorrows will multiply
to those who chase other gods.
I will not pour out their libations of blood,
or speak their names with my lips.
5 The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup;
You have made my lot secure.
6 The lines of my boundary have fallen in pleasant places;
surely my inheritance is delightful.
7 I will bless the LORD who counsels me;
even at night my conscience instructs me. b
8 I have set c the LORD always before me.
Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
9 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will dwell securely. d
10 For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol,
nor will You let Your Holy One see decay. e
11 You have made known to me the path of life;
You will fill me with joy in Your presence, f
with eternal pleasures at Your right hand.
Footnotes:
1 a Miktam is probably a musical or liturgical term; used for Psalm 16 and Psalms 56–60.
7 b Or my heart instructs me ; Hebrew my kidneys instruct me
8 c LXX I foresaw
9 d LXX will dwell in hope
10 e Cited in Acts 13:35
11 f Cited in Acts 2:25–28
Psalm 17
Hear My Righteous Plea
A prayer of David.
1Hear, O LORD, my righteous plea;
listen to my cry.
Give ear to my prayer—
it comes from lips free of deceit.
2 May my vindication come from Your presence;
may Your eyes see what is right.
3 You have tried my heart;
You have visited me in the night.
You have tested me and found no evil;
I have resolved not to sin with my mouth.
4 As for the deeds of men—
by the word of Your lips
I have avoided the ways of the violent.
5 My steps have held to Your paths;
my feet have not slipped.
6 I call on You, O God,
for You will answer me.
Incline Your ear to me;
hear my words.
7 Show the wonders of Your loving devotion,
You who save by Your right hand
those who seek refuge from their foes.
8 Keep me as the apple of a Your eye;
hide me in the shadow of Your wings
9 from the wicked who assail me,
from my mortal enemies who surround me.
10 They have closed their callous hearts;
their mouths speak with arrogance.
11 They have tracked us down, and now surround us;
their eyes are set to cast us to the ground,
12 like a lion greedy for prey,
like a young lion lurking in ambush.
13 Arise, O LORD, confront them!
Bring them to their knees;
deliver me from the wicked by Your sword,
14 from such men, O LORD, by Your hand—
from men of the world
whose portion is in this life.
May You fill the bellies of Your treasured ones b and satisfy their sons,
so they leave their abundance to their children.
15 As for me, I will behold Your face in righteousness;
when I awake, I will be satisfied in Your presence.
Footnotes:
8 a Literally as the pupil, the daughter of
14 b Or May what You have stored up for the wicked fill their bellies
Psalm 18
The LORD Is My Rock
(2 Samuel 22:1–51)
For the choirmaster. Of David the servant of the LORD, who sang this song to the LORD on the day the LORD had delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. He said:
1I love You, O LORD, my strength.
2 The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer.
My God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield, and the horn of my salvation,
my stronghold.
3 I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised;
so shall I be saved from my enemies.
4 The cords of death encompassed me;
the torrents of chaos overwhelmed me.
5 The cords of Sheol entangled me;
the snares of death confronted me.
6 In my distress I called upon the LORD;
I cried to my God for help.
From His temple He heard my voice,
and my cry for His help reached His ears.
7 Then the earth shook and quaked,
and the foundations of the mountains trembled;
they were shaken because He burned with anger.
8 Smoke rose from His nostrils,
and consuming fire came from His mouth;
glowing coals blazed forth.
9 He parted the heavens and came down
with dark clouds beneath His feet.
10 He mounted a cherub and flew;
He soared on the wings of the wind.
11 He made darkness His hiding place,
and storm clouds a canopy around Him.
12 From the brightness of His presence
His clouds advanced—
hailstones and coals of fire. a
13 The LORD thundered from heaven;
the voice of the Most High resounded—
hailstones and coals of fire. b
14 He shot His arrows and scattered the foes;
He hurled lightning and routed them.
15 The channels of the sea appeared,
and the foundations of the world were exposed,
at Your rebuke, O LORD,
at the blast of the breath of Your nostrils.
16 He reached down from on high and took hold of me;
He drew me out of deep waters.
17 He rescued me from my powerful enemy,
from foes too mighty for me.
18 They confronted me in my day of calamity,
but the LORD was my support.
19 He brought me out into the open;
He rescued me because He delighted in me.
20 The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness;
He has repaid me according to the cleanness of my hands.
21 For I have kept the ways of the LORD
and have not wickedly departed from my God.
22 For all His ordinances are before me;
I have not disregarded His statutes.
23 And I have been blameless before Him
and kept myself from iniquity.
24 So the LORD has repaid me according to my righteousness,
according to the cleanness of my hands in His sight.
25 To the faithful You show Yourself faithful,
to the blameless You show Yourself blameless;
26 to the pure You show Yourself pure,
but to the crooked You show Yourself shrewd.
27 For You save an afflicted people,
but You humble those with haughty eyes.
28 For You, O LORD, light my lamp;
my God lights up my darkness.
29 For in You I can charge an army,
and with my God I can scale a wall.
30 As for God, His way is perfect;
the word of the LORD is flawless.
He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him.
31 For who is God besides the LORD?
And who is the Rock except our God?
32 It is God who arms me with strength
and makes my way clear.
33 He makes my feet like those of a deer
and stations me upon the heights.
34 He trains my hands for battle;
my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
35 You have given me Your shield of salvation;
Your right hand upholds me,
and Your gentleness exalts me. c
36 You broaden the path beneath me
so that my ankles do not give way.
37 I pursued my enemies and overtook them;
I did not turn back until they were consumed.
38 I crushed them so they could not rise;
they have fallen under my feet.
39 You have armed me with strength for battle;
You have subdued my foes beneath me.
40 You have made my enemies retreat before me;
I put an end to those who hated me.
41 They cried for help, but there was no one to save them—
to the LORD, but He did not answer.
42 I ground them as dust in the face of the wind;
I trampled them d like mud in the streets.
43 You have delivered me from the strife of the people;
You have made me the head of nations;
a people I had not known shall serve me.
44 When they hear me, they obey me;
45 Foreigners lose heart
and come trembling from their strongholds.
46 The LORD lives, and blessed be my Rock!
And may the God of my salvation be exalted—
47 the God who avenges me
and subdues nations beneath me,
48 who delivers me from my enemies.
You exalt me above my foes;
You rescue me from violent men.
49 Therefore I will praise You, O LORD, among the nations;
I will sing praises to Your name. e
50 Great salvation He brings to His king.
He shows loving devotion to His anointed,
to David and his descendants forever.
Footnotes:
12 a Or bolts of lightning ; also in verse 13
13 b Most Hebrew manuscripts; some Hebrew manuscripts and LXX do not include —hailstones and coals of fire ; see 2 Samuel 22:14.
35 c Or and Your help exalts me or and You stoop down to make me great
42 d Some Hebrew manuscripts, LXX, and Syriac (see also 2 Samuel 22:43); MT I poured them out
49 e Cited in Romans 15:9
Psalm 19
The Heavens Declare the Glory of God
For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.
1The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of His hands.
2 Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they reveal knowledge.
3 Without speech or language,
without a sound to be heard, a
4 their voice b has gone out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world. c
In the heavens He has pitched
a tent for the sun.
5 Like a bridegroom emerging from his chamber,
like a champion rejoicing to run his course,
6 it rises at one end of the heavens
and runs its circuit to the other;
nothing is deprived of its warmth.
7 The Law of the LORD is perfect,
reviving the soul;
the testimony of the LORD is trustworthy,
making wise the simple.
8 The precepts of the LORD are right,
bringing joy to the heart;
the commandments of the LORD are radiant,
giving light to the eyes.
9 The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever;
the judgments of the LORD are true,
being altogether righteous.
10 They are more precious than gold,
than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey,
than honey from the comb.
11 By them indeed Your servant is warned;
in keeping them is great reward.
12 Who can discern his own errors?
Cleanse me from my hidden faults.
13 Keep Your servant also from willful sins;
may they not rule over me.
Then I will be blameless
and cleansed of great transgression.
14 May the words of my mouth
and the meditation of my heart
be pleasing in Your sight,
O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.
Footnotes:
3 a Or There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard
4 b LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate; Hebrew their measuring line
4 c Cited in Romans 10:18
Psalm 20
The Day of Trouble
For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.
1May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble;
may the name of the God of Jacob protect you.
2 May He send you help from the sanctuary
and sustain you from Zion.
3 May He remember all your gifts
and look favorably on your burnt offerings.
Selah
4 May He give you the desires of your heart
and make all your plans succeed.
5 May we shout for joy at your victory
and raise a banner in the name of our God.
May the LORD grant all your petitions.
6 Now I know that the LORD saves His anointed;
He answers him from His holy heaven
with the saving power of His right hand.
7 Some trust in chariots and others in horses,
but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.
8 They collapse and fall,
but we rise up and stand firm.
Answer us on the day we call.
Footnotes:
9 a Or give victory to
Psalm 21
After the Battle
(Proverbs 21:1–31)
For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.
1O LORD, the king rejoices in Your strength.
How greatly he exults in Your salvation!
2 You have granted his heart’s desire
and have not withheld the request of his lips.
Selah
3 For You welcomed him with rich blessings;
You placed on his head a crown of pure gold.
4 He asked You for life, and You granted it—
length of days, forever and ever.
5 Great is his glory in Your salvation;
You bestow on him splendor and majesty.
6 For You grant him blessings forever;
You cheer him with joy in Your presence.
7 For the king trusts in the LORD;
through the loving devotion of the Most High,
he will not be shaken.
8 Your hand will apprehend all Your enemies;
Your right hand will seize those who hate You.
9 You will place them in a fiery furnace
at the time of Your appearing.
In His wrath the LORD will engulf them,
and the fire will consume them.
10 You will wipe their descendants from the earth,
and their offspring from the sons of men.
11 Though they intend You harm,
the schemes they devise will not prevail.
12 For You will put them to flight
when Your bow is trained upon them.
13 Be exalted, O LORD, in Your strength;
we will sing and praise Your power.
Psalm 22
The Psalm of the Cross
(Matthew 27:32–56; Mark 15:21–41; Luke 23:26–43; John 19:16–30)
For the choirmaster. To the tune of “The Doe of the Dawn.” A Psalm of David.
1My God, my God,
why have You forsaken me? a
Why are You so far from saving me,
so far from my words of groaning?
2 I cry out by day, O my God,
but You do not answer,
and by night,
but I have no rest.
3 Yet You are holy,
enthroned on the praises of Israel.
4 In You our fathers trusted;
they trusted and You delivered them.
5 They cried out to You and were set free;
they trusted in You and were not disappointed.
6 But I am a worm and not a man,
scorned by men and despised by the people.
7 All who see me mock me;
they sneer and shake their heads:
8 “He trusts in the LORD,
let the LORD deliver him;
let the LORD rescue him,
since He delights in him.” b
9 Yet You brought me forth from the womb;
You made me secure at my mother’s breast.
10 From birth I was cast upon You;
from my mother’s womb You have been my God.
11 Be not far from me,
for trouble is near
and there is no one to help.
12 Many bulls surround me;
strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.
13 They open their jaws against me
like lions that roar and maul.
14 I am poured out like water,
and all my bones are disjointed.
My heart is like wax;
15 My strength c is dried up like a potsherd,
and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth.
You lay me in the dust of death.
16 For dogs surround me;
a band of evil men encircles me;
they have pierced my hands and feet. d
17 I can count all my bones;
18 They divide my garments among them
and cast lots for my clothing. e
19 But You, O LORD, be not far off;
O my Strength, come quickly to help me.
20 Deliver my soul from the sword,
my precious life from the power of wild dogs.
21 Save me from the mouth of the lion;
at the horns of the wild oxen You have answered me!
22 I will proclaim Your name to my brothers;
I will praise You in the assembly. f
23 You who fear the LORD, praise Him!
All descendants of Jacob, honor Him!
All offspring of Israel, revere Him!
24 For He has not despised or detested
the torment of the afflicted.
He has not hidden His face from him,
but has attended to his cry for help.
25 My praise for You resounds in the great assembly;
I will fulfill my vows before those who fear You.
26 The poor will eat and be satisfied;
those who seek the LORD will praise Him.
May your hearts live forever!
27 All the ends of the earth
will remember and turn to the LORD.
All the families of the nations
will bow down before Him.
28 For dominion belongs to the LORD
and He rules over the nations.
29 All the rich of the earth will feast and worship;
all who go down to the dust will kneel before Him—
even those unable to preserve their lives.
30 Posterity will serve Him;
they will declare the Lord to a new generation.
31 They will come and proclaim His righteousness
to a people yet unborn—
all that He has done.
Footnotes:
1 a Cited in Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34
8 b Cited in Matthew 27:43
15 c MT; or My mouth , a possible reading of the original Hebrew text
16 d DSS, LXX, Vulgate, and Syriac; most MT like a lion at my hands and feet
18 e Cited in John 19:24; see also Matthew 27:35, Mark 15:24, and Luke 23:34
22 f LXX I will sing Your praises in the assembly ; cited in Hebrews 2:12.
Psalm 23
The LORD Is My Shepherd
(Ezekiel 34:11–24; John 10:1–21)
A Psalm of David.
I shall not want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside quiet waters.
3 He restores my soul;
He guides me in the paths of righteousness
for the sake of His name.
4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, b
I will fear no evil,
for You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and mercy will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
forever. c
Footnotes:
1 a See Revelation 7:17.
4 b Or the valley of deep darkness
6 c Literally for a length of days
Psalm 24
The Earth Is the LORD’s
A Psalm of David.
1The earth is the LORD’s, and the fullness thereof, a
the world and all who dwell therein.
2 For He has founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the waters.
3 Who may ascend the hill of the LORD?
Who may stand in His holy place?
4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who does not lift up his soul to an idol b
or swear deceitfully.
5 He will receive blessing from the LORD
and vindication from the God of his salvation.
6 Such is the generation of those who seek Him,
who seek Your face, O God of Jacob. c
Selah
7 Lift up your heads, O gates!
Be lifted up, O ancient doors,
that the King of Glory may enter!
8 Who is this King of Glory?
The LORD strong and mighty,
the LORD mighty in battle.
9 Lift up your heads, O gates!
Be lifted up, O ancient doors,
that the King of Glory may enter!
10 Who is He, this King of Glory?
The LORD of Hosts—
He is the King of Glory.
Selah
Footnotes:
1 a Cited in 1 Corinthians 10:26
4 b Or to falsehood or to vanity
6 c LXX, Syriac, and two Hebrew manuscripts; MT who seek your face, O Jacob
Psalm 25
To You I Lift Up My Soul
Of David. a
1To You, O LORD, I lift up my soul;
2 in You, my God, I trust.
Do not let me be put to shame;
do not let my enemies exult over me.
3 Surely none who wait for You will be put to shame;
but those who are faithless without cause will be disgraced.
4 Show me Your ways, O LORD;
teach me Your paths.
5 Guide me in Your truth and teach me,
for You are the God of my salvation;
all day long I wait for You.
6 Remember, O LORD, Your compassion and loving devotion,
for they are from age to age.
7 Remember not the sins of my youth,
nor my rebellious acts;
remember me according to Your loving devotion,
because of Your goodness, O LORD.
8 Good and upright is the LORD;
therefore He shows sinners the way.
9 He guides the humble in what is right
and teaches them His way.
10 All the LORD’s ways are loving and faithful
to those who keep His covenant and His decrees.
11 For the sake of Your name, O LORD,
forgive my iniquity, for it is great.
12 Who is the man who fears the LORD?
He will instruct him in the path chosen for him.
13 His soul will dwell in prosperity,
and his descendants will inherit the land.
14 The LORD confides in those who fear Him,
and reveals His covenant to them.
15 My eyes are always on the LORD,
for He will free my feet from the mesh.
16 Turn to me and be gracious,
for I am lonely and afflicted.
17 The troubles of my heart increase;
free me from my distress.
18 Consider my affliction and trouble,
and take away all my sins.
19 Consider my enemies, for they are many,
and they hate me with vicious hatred.
20 Guard my soul and deliver me;
let me not be put to shame,
for I take refuge in You.
21 May integrity and uprightness preserve me,
because I wait for You. b
22 Redeem Israel, O God,
from all its distress.
Footnotes:
1 a This psalm is an acrostic poem, each verse beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.
21 b Or because my hope is in You ; LXX because I wait for You, O Lord
Psalm 26
Vindicate Me, O LORD
Of David.
1Vindicate me, O LORD!
For I have walked with integrity;
I have trusted in the LORD without wavering.
2 Test me, O LORD, and try me;
examine my heart a and mind.
3 For Your loving devotion is before my eyes,
and I have walked in Your truth.
4 I do not sit with deceitful men,
nor keep company with hypocrites.
5 I hate the mob of evildoers,
and refuse to sit with the wicked.
6 I wash my hands in innocence
that I may go about Your altar, O LORD,
7 to raise my voice in thanksgiving
and declare all Your wonderful works.
8 O LORD, I love the house where You dwell,
the place where Your glory resides.
9 Do not take my soul away with sinners,
or my life with men of bloodshed,
10 in whose hands are wicked schemes,
whose right hands are full of bribes.
11 But I will walk with integrity;
redeem me and be merciful to me.
12 My feet stand on level ground;
in the congregations I will bless the LORD.
Footnotes:
2 a Hebrew my kidneys
Psalm 27
The LORD Is My Salvation
Of David.
1The LORD is my light and my salvation—
whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life—
whom shall I dread?
2 When the wicked came upon me to devour my flesh,
my enemies and foes stumbled and fell.
3 Though an army encamps around me,
my heart will not fear;
though a war breaks out against me,
I will keep my trust.
4 One thing I have asked of the LORD;
this is what I desire:
to dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
to gaze on the beauty of the LORD
and seek Him in His temple.
5 For in the day of trouble
He will hide me in His shelter;
He will conceal me under the cover of His tent;
He will set me high upon a rock.
6 Then my head will be held high
above my enemies around me.
At His tabernacle I will offer sacrifices with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make music to the LORD.
7 Hear, O LORD, my voice when I call;
be merciful and answer me.
8 My heart said, “Seek His face.”
Your face, O LORD, I will seek.
9 Hide not Your face from me,
nor turn away Your servant in anger.
You have been my helper;
do not leave me or forsake me,
O God of my salvation.
10 Though my father and mother forsake me,
the LORD will receive me.
11 Teach me Your way, O LORD,
and lead me on a level path,
because of my oppressors.
12 Do not hand me over to the will of my foes,
for false witnesses rise up against me,
breathing out violence.
13 Still I am certain to see
the goodness of the LORD
in the land of the living.
14 Wait patiently for the LORD;
be strong and courageous.
Wait patiently for the LORD!
Psalm 28
The LORD Is My Strength
Of David.
1To You, O LORD, I call;
be not deaf to me, O my Rock.
For if You remain silent,
I will be like those descending to the Pit.
2 Hear my cry for mercy
when I call to You for help,
when I lift up my hands
toward Your holy sanctuary. a
3 Do not drag me away with the wicked,
and with the workers of iniquity,
who speak peace to their neighbors
while malice is in their hearts.
4 Repay them according to their deeds
and for their works of evil.
Repay them for what their hands have done;
bring back on them what they deserve.
5 Since they show no regard for the works of the LORD
or what His hands have done,
He will tear them down
and never rebuild them.
6 Blessed be the LORD,
for He has heard my cry for mercy.
7 The LORD is my strength and my shield;
my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped.
Therefore my heart rejoices,
and I give thanks to Him with my song.
8 The LORD is the strength of His people,
a stronghold of salvation for His anointed.
9 Save Your people and bless Your inheritance;
shepherd them and carry them forever.
Footnotes:
2 a Or Your innermost sanctuary or Your Most Holy Place
Psalm 29
Ascribe Glory to the LORD
A Psalm of David.
1Ascribe to the LORD, O heavenly beings, a
ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.
2 Ascribe to the LORD the glory due His name;
worship the LORD in the splendor of His holiness. b
3 The voice of the LORD is over the waters;
the God of glory thunders;
the LORD is heard over many waters.
4 The voice of the LORD is powerful;
the voice of the LORD is majestic.
5 The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars;
the LORD shatters the cedars of Lebanon.
6 He makes Lebanon skip like a calf,
and Sirion c like a young wild ox.
7 The voice of the LORD
strikes with flames of fire.
8 The voice of the LORD shakes the wilderness;
the LORD shakes the Wilderness of Kadesh.
9 The voice of the LORD twists the oaks d
and strips the forests bare.
And in His temple all cry, “Glory!”
10 The LORD sits enthroned over the flood;
the LORD is enthroned as King forever.
11 The LORD gives His people strength;
the LORD blesses His people with peace.
Footnotes:
1 a Or sons of God or sons of might
2 b Or in holy attire
6 c That is, Mount Hermon
9 d Or LORD makes the deer to calve
Psalm 30
You Turned My Mourning into Dancing
A Psalm. A song for the dedication of the temple. Of David.
1I will exalt You, O LORD,
for You have lifted me up
and have not allowed my foes
to rejoice over me.
2 O LORD my God, I cried to You for help,
and You healed me.
3 O LORD, You pulled me up from Sheol;
You spared me from descending into the Pit.
4 Sing to the LORD, O you His saints,
and praise His holy name. a
5 For His anger is fleeting,
but His favor lasts a lifetime.
Weeping may stay the night,
but joy comes in the morning.
6 In prosperity I said,
“I will never be shaken.”
7 O LORD, You favored me;
You made my mountain stand strong.
When You hid Your face,
I was dismayed.
8 To You, O LORD, I called,
and I begged my Lord for mercy:
9 “What gain is there in my bloodshed, b
in my descent to the Pit? c
Will the dust praise You?
Will it proclaim Your faithfulness?
10 Hear me, O LORD, and have mercy;
O LORD, be my helper.”
11 You turned my mourning into dancing;
You peeled off my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,
12 that my heart may sing Your praises and not be silent.
O LORD my God, I will give thanks forever.
Footnotes:
4 a Or and praise the memorial of His holiness ; see Exodus 3:15.
9 b Or in my destruction
9 c Or to corruption
Psalm 31
Into Your Hands I Commit My Spirit
(Luke 23:44–49)
For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.
1In You, O LORD, I have taken refuge;
let me never be put to shame;
save me by Your righteousness.
2 Incline Your ear to me;
come quickly to my rescue.
Be my rock of refuge,
the stronghold of my deliverance.
3 For You are my rock and my fortress;
lead me and guide me for the sake of Your name.
4 You free me from the net laid out for me,
5 Into Your hands I commit my spirit; a
You have redeemed me, O LORD, God of truth.
6 I hate b those who cling to worthless idols,
but in the LORD I trust.
7 I will be glad and rejoice in Your loving devotion,
for You have seen my affliction;
You have known the anguish of my soul.
8 You have not delivered me to the enemy;
You have set my feet in the open.
9 Be merciful to me, O LORD,
for I am in distress;
my eyes fail from sorrow,
my soul and body as well.
10 For my life is consumed with grief
and my years with groaning;
my iniquity has drained my strength,
and my bones are wasting away.
11 Among all my enemies I am a disgrace,
and among my neighbors even more.
I am dreaded by my friends—
they flee when they see me on the street.
12 I am forgotten like a dead man, out of mind.
I am like a broken vessel.
13 For I hear the slander of many;
there is terror on every side.
They conspire against me
and plot to take my life.
14 But I trust in You, O LORD;
I say, “You are my God.”
15 My times are in Your hands;
deliver me from my enemies
and from those who pursue me.
16 Make Your face shine on Your servant;
save me by Your loving devotion.
17 O LORD, let me not be ashamed,
for I have called on You.
Let the wicked be put to shame;
let them lie silent in Sheol.
18 May lying lips be silenced—
lips that speak with arrogance against the righteous,
full of pride and contempt.
19 How great is Your goodness
which You have laid up for those who fear You,
which You have bestowed before the sons of men
on those who take refuge in You!
20 You hide them in the secret place of Your presence
from the schemes of men.
You conceal them in Your shelter
from accusing tongues.
21 Blessed be the LORD,
for He has shown me His loving devotion
in a city under siege.
22 In my alarm I said,
“I am cut off from Your sight!”
But You heard my plea for mercy
when I called to You for help.
23 Love the LORD, all His saints.
The LORD preserves the faithful,
but fully repays the arrogant.
24 Be strong and courageous,
all you who hope in the LORD.
Footnotes:
5 a Cited in Luke 23:46
6 b MT; one Hebrew manuscript, LXX, and Syriac You hate
Psalm 32
The Joy of Forgiveness
(Romans 4:1–12)
Of David. A Maskil. a
1Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven,
whose sins are covered. b
2 Blessed is the man
whose iniquity the LORD does not count against him, c
in whose spirit there is no deceit.
3 When I kept silent, my bones became brittle
from my groaning all day long.
4 For day and night
Your hand was heavy upon me;
my strength was drained d
as in the summer heat.
Selah
5 Then I acknowledged my sin to You
and did not hide my iniquity.
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,”
and You forgave the guilt of my sin.
Selah
6 Therefore let all the godly pray to You
while You may be found.
Surely when great waters rise,
they will not come near.
7 You are my hiding place.
You protect me from trouble;
You surround me with songs of deliverance.
Selah
8 I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go;
I will give you counsel and watch over you.
9 Do not be like the horse or mule,
which have no understanding;
they must be controlled with bit and bridle
to make them come to you.
10 Many are the sorrows of the wicked,
but loving devotion surrounds him who trusts in the LORD.
11 Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, O righteous ones;
shout for joy, all you upright in heart.
Footnotes:
1 a Maskil is probably a musical or liturgical term; used for Psalms 32, 42, 44–45, 52–55, 74, 78, 88–89, and 142.
1 b LXX Blessed is he whose lawless acts are forgiven, whose sins are covered ; cited in Romans 4:7
2 c LXX Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him ; cited in Romans 4:8
4 d Or my vitality was turned
Psalm 33
Praise to the Creator
(Psalm 148:1–14)
1 Rejoice in the LORD, O righteous ones;
it is fitting for the upright to praise Him.
2 Praise the LORD with the harp;
make music to Him with ten strings.
3 Sing to Him a new song;
play skillfully with a shout of joy.
4 For the word of the LORD is upright,
and all His work is trustworthy.
5 The LORD loves righteousness and justice;
the earth is full of His loving devotion.
6 By the word of the LORD the heavens were made,
and all the stars by the breath of His mouth.
7 He piles up the waters of the sea;
He puts the depths into storehouses.
8 Let all the earth fear the LORD;
let all the people of the world revere Him.
9 For He spoke, and it came to be;
He commanded, and it stood firm.
10 The LORD frustrates the plans of the nations;
He thwarts the devices of the peoples.
11 The counsel of the LORD stands forever,
the purposes of His heart to all generations.
12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD,
the people He has chosen as His inheritance!
13 The LORD looks down from heaven;
He sees all the sons of men.
14 From His dwelling place He gazes
on all who inhabit the earth.
15 He shapes the hearts of each;
He considers all their works.
16 No king is saved by his vast army;
no warrior is delivered by his great strength.
17 A horse is a vain hope for salvation;
even its great strength cannot save.
18 Surely the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear Him,
on those whose hope is in His loving devotion
19 to deliver them from death
and keep them alive in famine.
20 Our soul waits for the LORD;
He is our help and our shield.
21 For our hearts rejoice in Him,
since we trust in His holy name.
22 May Your loving devotion rest on us, O LORD,
as we put our hope in You.
Psalm 34
Taste and See That the LORD Is Good
(1 Samuel 21:8–15)
Of David, when he pretended to be insane before Abimelech, a so that the king drove him away. b
1I will bless the LORD at all times;
His praise will always be on my lips.
2 My soul boasts in the LORD;
let the oppressed hear and rejoice.
3 Magnify the LORD with me;
let us exalt His name together.
4 I sought the LORD, and He answered me;
He delivered me from all my fears.
5 Those who look to Him are radiant with joy;
their faces shall never be ashamed.
6 This poor man called out, and the LORD heard him;
He saved him from all his troubles.
7 The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him,
and he delivers them.
8 Taste and see that the LORD is good;
blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!
9 Fear the LORD, you His saints,
for those who fear Him lack nothing.
10 Young lions go lacking and hungry,
but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.
11 Come, children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
12 Who is the man who delights in life,
who desires to see good days?
13 Keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from deceitful speech.
14 Turn away from evil and do good;
seek peace and pursue it.
15 The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous,
and His ears are inclined to their cry. c
16 But the face of the LORD is against those who do evil, d
to wipe out all memory of them from the earth.
17 The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears;
He delivers them from all their troubles.
18 The LORD is near to the brokenhearted;
He saves the contrite in spirit.
19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
but the LORD delivers him from them all.
20 He protects all his bones;
not one of them will be broken. e
21 Evil will slay the wicked,
and the haters of the righteous will be condemned.
22 The LORD redeems His servants,
and none who take refuge in Him will be condemned.
Footnotes:
1 a Abimelech is another name for Achish ; see 1 Samuel 21–29 and 1 Kings 2:39.
1 b This psalm is an acrostic poem, each verse beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.
15 c LXX to their prayer
16 d Cited in 1 Peter 3:10–12
20 e Cited in John 19:36
Psalm 35
Contend with My Opponents, O LORD
Of David.
1Contend with my opponents, O LORD;
fight against those who fight against me.
2 Take up Your shield and buckler;
arise and come to my aid.
3 Draw the spear and javelin a against my pursuers;
say to my soul: “I am your salvation.”
4 May those who seek my life
be disgraced and put to shame;
may those who plan to harm me
be driven back and confounded.
5 May they be like chaff in the wind,
as the angel of the LORD drives them away.
6 May their path be dark and slick,
as the angel of the LORD pursues.
7 For without cause they laid their net for me;
without reason they dug a pit for my soul.
8 May ruin befall them by surprise;
may the net they hid ensnare them;
may they fall into the hazard they created.
9 Then my soul will rejoice in the LORD
and exult in His salvation.
10 All my bones will exclaim,
“Who is like You, O LORD,
who delivers the afflicted from the aggressor,
the poor and needy from the robber?”
11 Hostile witnesses come forward;
they make charges I know nothing about.
12 They repay me evil for good,
to the bereavement of my soul.
13 Yet when they were ill,
I put on sackcloth;
I humbled myself with fasting,
but my prayers returned unanswered. b
14 I paced about
as for my friend or brother;
I was bowed down with grief,
like one mourning for his mother.
15 But when I stumbled, they assembled in glee;
they gathered together against me.
Assailants I did not know
slandered me without ceasing.
16 Like godless jesters at a feast, c
they gnashed their teeth at me.
17 How long, O Lord, will You look on?
Rescue my soul from their ravages,
my precious life from these lions.
18 Then I will give You thanks in the great assembly;
I will praise You among many people.
19 Let not my enemies gloat over me without cause,
nor those who hate me without reason wink in malice. d
20 For they do not speak peace,
but they devise deceitful schemes
against those who live quietly in the land.
21 They gape at me and say,
“Aha, aha! Our eyes have seen!”
22 O LORD, You have seen it; be not silent.
O Lord, be not far from me.
23 Awake and rise to my defense,
to my cause, my God and my Lord!
24 Vindicate me by Your righteousness, O LORD my God,
and do not let them gloat over me.
25 Let them not say in their hearts,
“Aha, just what we wanted!”
Let them not say,
“We have swallowed him up!”
26 May those who gloat in my distress
be ashamed and confounded;
may those who exalt themselves over me
be clothed in shame and reproach.
27 May those who favor my vindication
shout for joy and gladness;
may they always say, “Exalted be the LORD
who delights in His servant’s well-being.”
28 Then my tongue will proclaim Your righteousness
and Your praises all day long.
Footnotes:
3 a Or and close the way
13 b Literally returned to my bosom
16 c Or Like a godless circle of mockers,
19 d See John 15:25.
Psalm 36
The Transgression of the Wicked
For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, the servant of the LORD.
1An oracle is in my heart
regarding the transgression of the wicked man:
There is no fear of God
before his eyes. a
2 For his eyes are too full of conceit
to detect or hate his own sin.
3 The words of his mouth are wicked and deceitful;
he has ceased to be wise and well-doing.
4 Even on his bed he plots wickedness;
he sets himself on a path that is not good;
he fails to reject evil.
5 Your loving devotion, O LORD, reaches to the heavens,
Your faithfulness to the clouds.
6 Your righteousness is like the highest mountains;
Your judgments are like the deepest sea.
O LORD, You preserve man and beast.
7 How precious is Your loving devotion, O God,
that the children of men take refuge
in the shadow of Your wings!
8 They feast on the abundance of Your house,
and You give them drink from Your river of delights.
9 For with You is the fountain of life;
in Your light we see light.
10 Extend Your loving devotion to those who know You,
and Your righteousness to the upright in heart.
11 Let not the foot of the proud come against me,
nor the hand of the wicked drive me away.
12 There the evildoers lie fallen,
thrown down and unable to rise.
Footnotes:
1 a Cited in Romans 3:18
Psalm 37
Delight Yourself in the LORD
(1 Kings 2:1–9)
Of David. a
1Do not fret over those who do evil;
do not envy those who do wrong.
2 For they wither quickly like grass
and wilt like tender plants.
3 Trust in the LORD and do good;
dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.
4 Delight yourself in the LORD,
and He will give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your way to the LORD;
trust in Him, and He will do it.
6 He will bring forth your righteousness like the dawn,
your justice like the noonday sun.
7 Be still before the LORD
and wait patiently for Him;
do not fret when men prosper in their ways,
when they carry out wicked schemes.
8 Refrain from anger and abandon wrath;
do not fret—it can only bring harm.
9 For the evildoers will be cut off,
but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.
10 Yet a little while, and the wicked will be no more;
though you look for them, they will not be found.
11 But the meek will inherit the land b
and delight in abundant prosperity.
12 The wicked scheme against the righteous
and gnash their teeth at them,
13 but the Lord laughs,
seeing that their day is coming.
14 The wicked have drawn the sword
and bent the bow
to bring down the poor and needy,
to slay those whose ways are upright.
15 But their swords will pierce their own hearts,
and their bows will be broken.
16 Better is the little of the righteous
than the abundance of many who are wicked.
17 For the arms of the wicked will be broken,
but the LORD upholds the righteous.
18 The LORD knows the days of the blameless,
and their inheritance will last forever.
19 In the time of evil they will not be ashamed,
and in the days of famine they will be satisfied.
20 But the wicked and enemies of the LORD
will perish like the glory of the fields.
They will vanish;
like smoke they will fade away.
21 The wicked borrow and do not repay,
but the righteous are gracious and giving.
22 Surely those He blesses will inherit the land,
but the cursed will be destroyed.
23 The steps of a man are ordered by the LORD
who takes delight in his journey.
24 Though he falls, he will not be overwhelmed,
for the LORD is holding his hand. c
25 I once was young and now am old,
yet never have I seen the righteous abandoned
or their children begging for bread.
26 They are ever generous and quick to lend,
and their children are a blessing.
27 Turn away from evil and do good,
so that you will abide forever.
28 For the LORD loves justice
and will not forsake His saints.
They are preserved forever,
but the offspring of the wicked will be cut off.
29 The righteous will inherit the land
and dwell in it forever.
30 The mouth of the righteous man utters wisdom,
and his tongue speaks justice.
31 The law of his God is in his heart;
his steps do not falter.
32 Though the wicked lie in wait for the righteous,
and seek to slay them,
33 the LORD will not leave them in their power
or let them be condemned under judgment.
34 Wait for the LORD and keep His way,
and He will raise you up to inherit the land.
When the wicked are cut off,
you will see it.
35 I have seen a wicked, ruthless man
flourishing like a well-rooted native tree,
36 yet he passed away and was no more;
though I searched, he could not be found.
37 Consider the blameless and observe the upright,
for posterity awaits the man of peace. d
38 But the transgressors will all be destroyed;
the future of the wicked will be cut off.
39 The salvation of the righteous is from the LORD;
He is their stronghold in time of trouble.
40 The LORD helps and delivers them;
He rescues and saves them from the wicked,
because they take refuge in Him.
Footnotes:
1 a This psalm is an acrostic poem, each stanza beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.
11 b Or the earth ; see Matthew 5:5.
24 c Or upholds him with His hand
37 d Or for there is a future for the man of peace
Psalm 38
Do Not Rebuke Me in Your Anger
(Psalm 6:1–10)
A Psalm of David, for remembrance.
1O LORD, do not rebuke me in Your anger
or discipline me in Your wrath.
2 For Your arrows have pierced me deeply,
and Your hand has pressed down on me.
3 There is no soundness in my body
because of Your anger;
there is no rest in my bones
because of my sin.
4 For my iniquities have overwhelmed me;
they are a burden too heavy to bear.
5 My wounds are foul and festering
because of my sinful folly.
6 I am bent and brought low;
all day long I go about mourning.
7 For my loins are full of burning pain,
and no soundness remains in my body.
8 I am numb and badly crushed;
I groan in anguish of heart.
9 O Lord, my every desire is before You;
my groaning is not hidden from You.
10 My heart pounds, my strength fails,
and even the light of my eyes has faded.
11 My beloved and friends shun my disease,
and my kinsmen stand at a distance.
12 Those who seek my life lay snares;
those who wish me harm speak destruction,
plotting deceit all day long.
13 But like a deaf man, I do not hear;
and like a mute man, I do not open my mouth.
14 I am like a man who cannot hear,
whose mouth offers no reply.
15 I wait for You, O LORD;
You will answer, O Lord my God.
16 For I said, “Let them not gloat over me—
those who taunt me when my foot slips.”
17 For I am ready to fall,
and my pain is ever with me.
18 Yes, I confess my iniquity;
19 Many are my enemies without cause, a
and many hate me without reason. b
20 Those who repay my good with evil
attack me for pursuing the good.
21 Do not forsake me, O LORD;
be not far from me, O my God.
22 Come quickly to help me,
O Lord my Savior.
Footnotes:
19 a One DSS manuscript; MT My enemies are vigorous and strong
19 b See John 15:25
Psalm 39
I Will Watch My Ways
For the choirmaster. For Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.
1I said, “I will watch my ways
so that I will not sin with my tongue;
I will guard my mouth with a muzzle
as long as the wicked are present.”
2 I was speechless and still;
I remained silent, even from speaking good,
and my sorrow was stirred.
3 My heart grew hot within me;
as I mused, the fire burned.
Then I spoke with my tongue:
4 “Show me, O LORD, my end
and the measure of my days.
Let me know how fleeting my life is.
5 You, indeed, have made my days as handbreadths,
and my lifetime as nothing before You.
Truly each man at his best
exists as but a breath.
Selah
6 Surely every man goes about like a phantom;
surely he bustles in vain;
he heaps up riches
not knowing who will haul them away.
7 And now, O Lord, for what do I wait?
My hope is in You.
8 Deliver me from all my transgressions;
do not make me the reproach of fools.
9 I have become mute;
I do not open my mouth
because of what You have done.
10 Remove Your scourge from me;
I am perishing by the force of Your hand.
11 You discipline and correct a man for his iniquity,
consuming like a moth what he holds dear;
surely each man is but a vapor.
Selah
12 Hear my prayer, O LORD,
and give ear to my cry for help;
do not be deaf to my weeping.
For I am a foreigner dwelling with You,
a stranger like all my fathers.
13 Turn Your gaze away from me,
that I may again be cheered
before I depart and am no more.”
Psalm 40
I Waited Patiently for the LORD
(Psalm 70:1–5; Hebrews 10:1–18)
For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.
1I waited patiently for the LORD;
He inclined to me and heard my cry.
2 He lifted me up from the pit of despair,
out of the miry clay;
He set my feet upon a rock,
and made my footsteps firm.
3 He put a new song in my mouth,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear
and put their trust in the LORD.
4 Blessed is the man
who has made the LORD his trust,
who has not turned to the proud,
nor to those who lapse into falsehood. a
5 Many, O LORD my God,
are the wonders You have done,
and the plans You have for us—
none can compare to You—
if I proclaim and declare them,
they are more than I can count.
6 Sacrifice and offering You did not desire,
but my ears You have opened. b
Burnt offerings and sin offerings
You did not require.
7 Then I said, “Here I am, I have come—
it is written about me in the scroll:
8 I delight to do Your will, O my God; c
Your law is within my heart.”
9 I proclaim righteousness in the great assembly;
behold, I do not seal my lips,
as You, O LORD, do know.
10 I have not covered up Your righteousness in my heart;
I have declared Your faithfulness and salvation;
I have not concealed Your loving devotion and faithfulness
from the great assembly.
11 O LORD, do not withhold Your mercy from me;
Your loving devotion and faithfulness will always guard me.
12 For evils without number surround me;
my sins have overtaken me, so that I cannot see.
They are more than the hairs of my head,
and my heart has failed within me.
13 Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me;
hurry, O LORD, to help me.
14 May those who seek my life
be ashamed and confounded;
may those who wish me harm
be repelled and humiliated.
15 May those who say to me, “Aha, aha!”
be appalled at their own shame.
16 May all who seek You
rejoice and be glad in You;
may those who love Your salvation
always say, “The LORD be magnified!”
17 But I am poor and needy;
may the Lord think of me.
You are my helper and deliverer;
O my God, do not delay.
Footnotes:
4 a Or who turn aside to false gods or who run after lies
6 b Hebrew; some LXX manuscripts but a body You prepared for me
8 c Cited in Hebrews 10:5–7
Psalm 41
Victory over Betrayal
(John 13:18–30)
For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.
1Blessed is the one who cares for the poor;
the LORD will deliver him in the day of trouble.
2 The LORD will protect and preserve him;
He will bless him in the land
and refuse to surrender him
to the will of his foes.
3 The LORD will sustain him on his bed of illness
and restore him from his bed of sickness.
4 I said, “O LORD, be gracious to me;
heal me, for I have sinned against You.”
5 My enemies say with malice:
“When will he die and be forgotten?”
6 My visitor speaks falsehood;
he gathers slander in his heart;
he goes out and spreads it abroad.
7 All who hate me whisper against me;
they imagine the worst for me:
8 “A vile disease has been poured into him;
he will never get up from where he lies!”
9 Even my close friend whom I trusted,
the one who shared my bread,
has lifted up his heel against me. a
10 But You, O LORD, be gracious to me and raise me up,
that I may repay them.
11 By this I know that You delight in me,
for my enemy does not triumph over me.
12 In my integrity You uphold me
and set me in Your presence forever.
13 Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting.
Amen and Amen.
Footnotes:
9 a Cited in John 13:18
Psalm 42
BOOK II
Psalms 42–72
As the Deer Pants for the Water
For the choirmaster. A Maskil of the sons of Korah. a
1As the deer pants for streams of water,
so my soul longs after You, O God.
2 My soul thirsts for God, the living God.
When shall I come and appear in God’s presence? b
3 My tears have been my food
both day and night,
while men ask me all day long,
“Where is your God?”
4 These things come to mind as I pour out my soul:
how I walked with the multitude,
leading the procession to the house of God
with shouts of joy and praise.
5 Why are you downcast, O my soul?
Why the unease within me?
Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him
for the salvation of His presence.
6 O my God, my soul despairs within me.
Therefore I remember You
from the land of Jordan and the peaks of Hermon—
even from Mount Mizar.
7 Deep calls to deep
in the roar of Your waterfalls;
all Your breakers and waves
have rolled over me.
8 The LORD decrees His loving devotion by day,
and at night His song is with me
as a prayer to the God of my life.
9 I say to God my Rock,
“Why have You forgotten me?
Why must I walk in sorrow
because of the enemy’s oppression?”
10 Like the crushing of my bones,
my enemies taunt me,
while they say to me all day long,
“Where is your God?”
11 Why are you downcast, O my soul?
Why the unease within me?
Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him,
my Savior and my God.
Footnotes:
1 a In many Hebrew manuscripts Psalms 42 and 43 constitute one psalm. Maskil is probably a musical or liturgical term; used for Psalms 32, 42, 44–45, 52–55, 74, 78, 88–89, and 142.
2 b Or and see the face of God?
Psalm 43
Send Out Your Light
1 Vindicate me, O God, and plead my case
against an ungodly nation;
deliver me from deceitful and unjust men.
2 For You are the God of my refuge.
Why have You rejected me?
Why must I walk in sorrow
because of the enemy’s oppression?
3 Send out Your light and Your truth;
let them lead me.
Let them bring me to Your holy mountain,
and to the place where You dwell.
4 Then I will go to the altar of God,
to God, my greatest joy.
I will praise You with the harp,
O God, my God.
5 Why are you downcast, O my soul?
Why the unease within me?
Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him,
my Savior and my God.
Psalm 44
Redeem Us, O God
(Romans 8:35–39)
For the choirmaster. A Maskil a of the sons of Korah.
1We have heard with our ears, O God;
our fathers have told us
the work You did in their days,
in the days of old.
2 With Your hand You drove out the nations
and planted our fathers there;
You crushed the peoples
and cast them out.
3 For it was not by their sword that they took the land;
their arm did not bring them victory.
It was by Your right hand,
Your arm, and the light of Your face,
because You favored them.
4 You are my King, O God,
who ordains victories for Jacob.
5 Through You we repel our foes;
through Your name we trample our enemies.
6 For I do not trust in my bow,
nor does my sword save me. b
7 For You save us from our enemies;
You put those who hate us to shame.
8 In God we have boasted all day long,
and Your name we will praise forever.
Selah
9 But You have rejected and humbled us;
You no longer go forth with our armies.
10 You have made us retreat from the foe,
and those who hate us have plundered us.
11 You have given us up as sheep to be devoured;
You have scattered us among the nations.
12 You sell Your people for nothing;
no profit do You gain from their sale.
13 You have made us a reproach to our neighbors,
a mockery and derision to those around us.
14 You have made us a byword among the nations,
a laughingstock c among the peoples.
15 All day long my disgrace is before me,
and shame has covered my face,
16 at the voice of the scorner and reviler,
because of the enemy, bent on revenge.
17 All this has come upon us,
though we have not forgotten You
or betrayed Your covenant.
18 Our hearts have not turned back;
our steps have not strayed from Your path.
19 But You have crushed us in the lair of jackals; d
You have covered us with deepest darkness.
20 If we had forgotten the name of our God
or spread out our hands to a foreign god,
21 would not God have discovered,
since He knows the secrets of the heart?
22 Yet for Your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered. e
23 Wake up, O Lord! Why are You sleeping?
Arise! Do not reject us forever.
24 Why do You hide Your face
and forget our affliction and oppression?
25 For our soul has sunk to the dust;
our bodies cling to the earth.
26 Rise up; be our help!
Redeem us on account of Your loving devotion.
Footnotes:
1 a Maskil is probably a musical or liturgical term; used for Psalms 32, 42, 44–45, 52–55, 74, 78, 88–89, and 142.
6 b Or give me victory ; similarly in verse 7
14 c Literally a shaking of the head
19 d Or serpents or dragons
22 e Cited in Romans 8:36
Psalm 45
My Heart Is Stirred by a Noble Theme
(1 Kings 3:1–15; 2 Chronicles 1:1–13; Psalm 72:1–20)
For the choirmaster. To the tune of “The Lilies.” A Maskil a of the sons of Korah. A love song.
1My heart is stirred by a noble theme
as I recite my verses to the king; b
my tongue is the pen of a skillful writer.
2 You are the most handsome of men;
grace has anointed your lips,
since God has blessed you forever.
3 Strap your sword at your side, O mighty warrior;
appear in your majesty and splendor.
4 In your splendor ride forth in victory
on behalf of truth and humility and justice;
may your right hand show your awesome deeds.
5 Your arrows pierce the hearts of the king’s foes;
the nations fall beneath your feet.
6 Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever,
and justice is the scepter of Your kingdom.
7 You have loved righteousness
and hated wickedness;
therefore God, your God, has anointed you
above your companions with the oil of joy. c
8 All your garments are fragrant
with myrrh and aloes and cassia;
from palaces of ivory the harps make you glad.
9 The daughters of kings are among your honored women;
the queen stands at your right hand,
adorned with the gold of Ophir.
10 Listen, O daughter! Consider and incline your ear:
Forget your people and your father’s house,
11 and the king will desire your beauty;
bow to him, for he is your lord.
12 The Daughter of Tyre will come with a gift;
men of wealth will seek your favor.
13 All glorious is the princess in her chamber;
her gown is embroidered with gold.
14 In colorful garments she is led to the king;
her virgin companions are brought before you.
15 They are led in with joy and gladness;
they enter the palace of the king.
16 Your sons will succeed your fathers;
you will make them princes throughout the land.
17 I will commemorate your name through all generations;
therefore the nations will praise you forever and ever.
Footnotes:
1 a Maskil is probably a musical or liturgical term; used for Psalms 32, 42, 44–45, 52–55, 74, 78, 88–89, and 142.
1 b Or King ; here and throughout Psalm 45
7 c Cited in Hebrews 1:8–9
Psalm 46
God Is Our Refuge and Strength
(2 Kings 18:13–16; 2 Chronicles 32:1–8)
For the choirmaster. Of the sons of Korah. According to Alamoth. a A song.
1God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in times of trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear,
though the earth is transformed
and the mountains are toppled
into the depths of the seas,
3 though their waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake in the surge.
Selah
4 There is a river whose streams delight the city of God,
the holy place where the Most High dwells.
5 God is within her; she will not be moved.
God will help her when morning dawns.
6 Nations rage, kingdoms crumble;
the earth melts when He lifts His voice.
7 The LORD of Hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Selah
8 Come, see the works of the LORD,
who brings devastation upon the earth.
9 He makes wars to cease throughout the earth;
He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
He burns the shields b in the fire.
10 “Be still and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted over the earth.”
11 The LORD of Hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Selah
Footnotes:
1 a Alamoth is probably a musical or liturgical term; here and in 1 Chronicles 15:20.
9 b Or chariots
Psalm 47
Clap Your Hands, All You Peoples
For the choirmaster. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.
1Clap your hands, all you peoples;
shout unto God with a voice of triumph.
2 How awesome is the LORD Most High,
the great King over all the earth!
3 He subdues nations beneath us,
and peoples under our feet.
4 He chooses our inheritance for us,
the pride of Jacob, whom He loves.
Selah
5 God has ascended amid shouts of joy,
the LORD with the sound of the horn.
6 Sing praises to God, sing praises;
sing praises to our King, sing praises!
7 For God is King of all the earth;
sing profound praises to Him. a
8 God reigns over the nations;
God is seated on His holy throne.
9 The nobles of the nations have assembled
as the people of the God of Abraham;
for the shields of the earth belong to God;
He is highly exalted.
Footnotes:
7 a Or sing a Maskil of praise or sing praises with understanding
Psalm 48
Broken Bondage
A song. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.
1Great is the LORD,
and greatly to be praised
in the city of our God,
His holy mountain.
2 Beautiful in loftiness,
the joy of all the earth,
like the peaks of Zaphon a is Mount Zion,
the city of the great King.
3 God is in her citadels;
He has shown Himself to be a fortress.
4 For behold, the kings assembled;
they all advanced together.
5 They saw and were astounded;
they fled in terror.
6 Trembling seized them there,
anguish like a woman in labor.
7 With a wind from the east
You wrecked the ships of Tarshish. b
8 As we have heard, so we have seen
in the city of the LORD of Hosts,
in the city of our God:
God will establish her forever.
Selah
9 Within Your temple, O God,
we contemplate Your loving devotion.
10 Your name, O God, like Your praise,
reaches to the ends of the earth;
Your right hand is full of righteousness.
11 Mount Zion is glad,
the daughters c of Judah rejoice,
on account of Your judgments.
12 March around Zion, encircle her,
count her towers,
13 consider her ramparts, tour her citadels,
that you may tell the next generation.
14 For this God is our God forever and ever;
He will be our guide even till death. d
Footnotes:
2 a Or in the far north ; the most sacred mountain of the Canaanites was Zaphon
7 b Or a fleet of trading ships
11 c Or the villages
14 d Or He will guide us beyond death
Psalm 49
The Evanescence of Wealth
(Ecclesiastes 5:8–20)
For the choirmaster. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.
1Hear this, all you peoples;
listen, all inhabitants of the world,
2 both low and high,
rich and poor alike.
3 My mouth will impart wisdom,
and the meditation of my heart will bring understanding.
4 I will incline my ear to a proverb;
I will express my riddle with the harp:
5 Why should I fear in times of trouble,
when wicked usurpers surround me?
6 They trust in their wealth
and boast in their great riches.
7 No man can possibly redeem his brother a
or pay his ransom to God.
8 For the redemption of his soul is costly,
and never can payment suffice,
9 that he should live on forever
and not see decay.
10 For it is clear that wise men die,
and the foolish and the senseless both perish
and leave their wealth to others.
11 Their graves b are their eternal homes—
their dwellings for endless generations—
even though their lands were their namesakes.
12 But a man, despite his wealth, cannot endure;
he is like the beasts that perish.
13 This is the fate of the self-confident c
and their followers who endorse their sayings.
Selah
14 Like sheep they are destined for Sheol.
Death will be their shepherd.
The upright will rule them in the morning,
and their form will decay in Sheol,
far from their lofty abode.
15 But God will redeem my life from Sheol,
for He will surely take me to Himself.
Selah
16 Do not be amazed when a man grows rich,
when the splendor of his house increases.
17 For when he dies, he will carry nothing away;
his abundance will not follow him down.
18 Though in his lifetime he blesses his soul—
and men praise you when you prosper—
19 he will join the generation of his fathers,
who will never see the light of day.
20 A man who has riches without understanding
is like the beasts that perish.
Footnotes:
7 a Or redeem another
11 b LXX, Syriac, and Aramaic Targum;Hebrew Their inward thoughts
13 c Or the way of the foolish
Psalm 50
The Mighty One Calls
A Psalm of Asaph.
1The Mighty One, God the LORD,
speaks and summons the earth
from where the sun rises to where it sets.
2 From Zion, perfect in beauty,
God shines forth.
3 Our God approaches and will not be silent!
Consuming fire precedes Him,
and a tempest rages around Him.
4 He summons the heavens above,
and the earth, that He may judge His people:
5 “Gather to Me My saints,
who made a covenant with Me by sacrifice.”
6 And the heavens proclaim His righteousness,
for God Himself is Judge. a
Selah
7 “Hear, O My people, and I will speak,
O Israel, and I will testify against you:
I am God, your God.
8 I do not rebuke you for your sacrifices,
and your burnt offerings are ever before Me.
9 I have no need for a bull from your stall
or goats from your pens,
10 for every beast of the forest is Mine—
the cattle on a thousand hills.
11 I know every bird in the mountains,
and the creatures of the field are Mine.
12 If I were hungry, I would not tell you,
for the world is Mine, and the fullness thereof.
13 Do I eat the flesh of bulls,
or drink the blood of goats?
14 Sacrifice a thank offering to God,
and fulfill your vows to the Most High.
15 Call upon Me in the day of trouble;
I will deliver you, and you will honor Me.”
16 To the wicked, however, God says,
“What right have you to recite My statutes
and to bear My covenant on your lips?
17 For you hate My instruction
and cast My words behind you.
18 When you see a thief, you befriend him,
and throw in your lot with adulterers.
19 You unleash your mouth for evil
and unharness your tongue for deceit.
20 You sit and malign your brother;
you slander your own mother’s son.
21 You have done these things, and I kept silent;
you thought I was b just like you.
But now I rebuke you
and accuse you to your face. c
22 Now consider this, you who forget God,
lest I tear you to pieces,
with no one to rescue you:
23 He who sacrifices a thank offering honors Me,
and to him who rights his way,
I will show the salvation of God.”
Footnotes:
6 a Or He is a God of justice
21 b Or you thought the ‘I AM’ was
21 c Literally and I set it in order before your eyes
Psalm 51
Create in Me a Clean Heart, O God
(2 Samuel 12:1–12)
For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. When Nathan the prophet came to him after his adultery with Bathsheba.
according to Your loving devotion;
according to Your great compassion,
blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me clean of my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is always before me.
4 Against You, You only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in Your sight,
so that You may be proved right when You speak
and blameless when You judge. b
5 Surely I was brought forth in iniquity;
I was sinful when my mother conceived me.
6 Surely You desire truth in the inmost being;
You teach me wisdom in the inmost place.
7 Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
8 Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones You have crushed rejoice.
9 Hide Your face from my sins
and blot out all my iniquities.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me.
11 Cast me not away from Your presence;
take not Your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation,
and sustain me with a willing spirit.
13 Then I will teach transgressors Your ways,
and sinners will return to You.
14 Deliver me from bloodguilt, O God,
the God of my salvation,
and my tongue will sing of Your righteousness.
15 O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare Your praise.
16 For You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
You take no pleasure in burnt offerings.
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
a broken and a contrite heart,
O God, You will not despise.
18 In Your good pleasure, cause Zion to prosper;
build up the walls of Jerusalem.
19 Then You will delight in righteous sacrifices,
in whole burnt offerings;
then bulls will be offered on Your altar.
Footnotes:
1 a Or Be gracious to me
4 b LXX and victorious when You judge ; cited in Romans 3:4
Psalm 52
Why Do You Boast of Evil?
(1 Samuel 22:6–23)
For the choirmaster. A Maskil a of David. After Doeg the Edomite went to Saul and told him, “David has gone to the house of Ahimelech.”
1Why do you boast of evil, O mighty man?
The loving devotion of God endures all day long.
2 Your tongue devises destruction
like a sharpened razor,
O worker of deceit.
3 You love evil more than good,
falsehood more than speaking truth.
Selah
4 You love every word that devours,
O deceitful tongue.
5 Surely God will bring you down to everlasting ruin;
He will snatch you up and tear you away from your tent;
He will uproot you from the land of the living.
Selah
6 The righteous will see and fear;
they will mock the evildoer, saying,
7 “Look at the man
who did not make God his refuge,
but trusted in the abundance of his wealth
and strengthened himself by destruction.”
8 But I am like an olive tree
flourishing in the house of God;
I trust in the loving devotion of God
forever and ever.
9 I will praise You forever,
because You have done it.
I will wait on Your name—
for it is good—
in the presence of Your saints.
Footnotes:
1 a Maskil is probably a musical or liturgical term; used for Psalms 32, 42, 44–45, 52–55, 74, 78, 88–89, and 142.
Psalm 53
The Fool Says There Is No God
(Psalm 14:1–7; Isaiah 59:1–17; Romans 3:9–20)
For the choirmaster. According to Mahalath. a A Maskil b of David.
1The fool says in his heart,
“There is no God.”
They are corrupt; their ways are vile.
There is no one who does good.
2 God looks down from heaven
upon the sons of men
to see if any understand,
if any seek God.
3 All have turned away,
they have together become corrupt; c
there is no one who does good,
not even one. d
4 Will the workers of iniquity never learn?
They devour my people like bread;
they refuse to call upon God.
5 There they are, overwhelmed with dread,
where there was nothing to fear.
For God has scattered the bones
of those who besieged you.
You put them to shame,
for God has despised them.
6 Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come from Zion!
When God restores His captive people, e
let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad!
Footnotes:
1 a Mahalath is probably a musical or liturgical term; see also Psalm 88:1.
1 b Maskil is probably a musical or liturgical term; used for Psalms 32, 42, 44–45, 52–55, 74, 78, 88–89, and 142.
3 c LXX worthless
3 d Cited in Romans 3:10–12
6 e Or the fortunes of His people
Psalm 54
Save Me by Your Name
(1 Samuel 23:7–29)
For the choirmaster. With stringed instruments. A Maskil a of David. When the Ziphites went to Saul and said, “Is David not hiding among us?”
1Save me, O God, by Your name,
and vindicate me by Your might!
2 Hear my prayer, O God;
listen to the words of my mouth.
3 For strangers rise up against me,
and ruthless men seek my life—
men with no regard for God.
Selah
4 Surely God is my helper;
the Lord is the sustainer of my soul.
5 He will reward my enemies with evil.
In Your faithfulness, destroy them.
6 Freely I will sacrifice to You;
I will praise Your name, O LORD, for it is good.
7 For He has delivered me from every trouble,
and my eyes have stared down my foes.
Footnotes:
1 a Maskil is probably a musical or liturgical term; used for Psalms 32, 42, 44–45, 52–55, 74, 78, 88–89, and 142.
Psalm 55
Cast Your Burden upon the LORD
(2 Samuel 17:15–29)
For the choirmaster. With stringed instruments. A Maskil a of David.
1Listen to my prayer, O God,
and do not ignore my plea.
2 Attend to me and answer me.
I am restless in my complaint,
and distraught 3 at the voice of the enemy,
at the pressure of the wicked.
For they release disaster upon me
and revile me in their anger.
4 My heart murmurs within me,
and the terrors of death assail me.
5 Fear and trembling grip me,
and horror has overwhelmed me.
6 I said, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove!
I would fly away and find rest.
7 How far away I would flee!
In the wilderness I would remain.
Selah
8 I would hurry to my shelter,
far from this raging tempest.”
9 O Lord, confuse and confound their speech,
for I see violence and strife in the city.
10 Day and night they encircle the walls,
while malice and trouble lie within.
11 Destruction is within;
oppression and deceit never leave the streets.
12 For it is not an enemy who insults me;
that I could endure.
It is not a foe who rises against me;
from him I could hide.
13 But it is you, a man like myself,
my companion and close friend.
14 We shared sweet fellowship together;
we walked with the crowd into the house of God.
15 Let death seize them by surprise;
let them go down to Sheol alive,
for evil is with them in their homes.
16 But I call to God,
and the LORD saves me.
17 Morning, noon, and night, I cry out in distress,
and He hears my voice.
18 He redeems my soul in peace
from the battle waged against me,
even though many oppose me.
19 God will hear and humiliate them—
the One enthroned for the ages—
Selah
because they do not change
and they have no fear of God.
20 My companion attacks his friends;
he violates his covenant.
21 His speech is smooth as butter,
but war is in his heart.
His words are softer than oil,
yet they are swords unsheathed.
22 Cast your burden upon the LORD
and He will sustain you;
He will never let the righteous be shaken.
23 But You, O God, will bring them down
to the Pit of destruction;
men of bloodshed and deceit
will not live out half their days.
But I will trust in You.
Footnotes:
1 a Maskil is probably a musical or liturgical term; used for Psalms 32, 42, 44–45, 52–55, 74, 78, 88–89, and 142.
Psalm 56
Be Merciful to Me, O God
(1 Samuel 21:8–15)
For the choirmaster. To the tune of “A Dove on Distant Oaks.” A Miktam a of David, when the Philistines seized him in Gath.
1Be merciful to me, O God,
for men are hounding me;
all day they press their attack.
2 My enemies pursue me all day long,
for many proudly assail me.
3 When I am afraid,
I put my trust in You.
4 In God, whose word I praise—
in God I trust.
I will not be afraid.
What can man do to me?
5 All day long they twist my words;
all their thoughts are on my demise.
6 They conspire, they lurk,
they watch my steps
while they wait to take my life.
7 In spite of such sin, will they escape? b
In Your anger, O God, cast down the nations.
8 You have taken account of my wanderings. c
Put my tears in Your bottle—
are they not in Your book?
9 Then my enemies will retreat
on the day I cry for help.
By this I will know that God is on my side.
10 In God, whose word I praise,
in the LORD, whose word I praise,
11 in God I trust; I will not be afraid.
What can man do to me?
12 Your vows are upon me, O God;
I will render thank offerings to You.
13 For You have delivered my soul from death,
and my feet from stumbling,
that I may walk before God
in the light of life.
Footnotes:
1 a Miktam is probably a musical or liturgical term; used for Psalms 16 and 56–60.
7 b Or do not let them escape ; MT does not include do not .
8 c Or sorrows
Psalm 57
In You My Soul Takes Refuge
(1 Samuel 22:1–5; Psalm 108:1–13; Psalm 142:1–7)
For the choirmaster. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” A Miktam a of David, when he fled from Saul into the cave.
1Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy,
for in You my soul takes refuge.
In the shadow of Your wings I will take shelter
until the danger has passed.
2 I cry out to God Most High, b
to God who fulfills His purpose for me.
3 He reaches down from heaven and saves me;
He rebukes those who trample me.
Selah
God sends forth
His loving devotion and His truth.
4 My soul is among the lions;
I lie down with ravenous beasts—
with men whose teeth are spears and arrows,
whose tongues are sharp swords.
5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
may Your glory cover all the earth.
6 They spread a net for my feet;
my soul was despondent.
They dug a pit before me,
but they themselves have fallen into it!
Selah
7 My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast.
I will sing and make music.
Awake, O harp and lyre!
I will awaken the dawn.
9 I will praise You, O Lord, among the nations;
I will sing Your praises among the peoples.
10 For Your loving devotion reaches to the heavens,
and Your faithfulness to the clouds.
11 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
may Your glory cover all the earth.
Footnotes:
1 a Miktam is probably a musical or liturgical term; used for Psalms 16 and 56–60.
2 b Hebrew Elohim-Elyon
8 c Or Awake, my soul!
Psalm 58
God Judges the Earth
For the choirmaster. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” A Miktam a of David.
1Do you indeed speak justly, O rulers?
Do you judge uprightly, O sons of men?
2 No, in your hearts you devise injustice;
with your hands you mete out violence on the earth.
3 The wicked are estranged from the womb;
the liars go astray from birth.
4 Their venom is like the venom of a snake,
like a cobra that shuts its ears,
5 refusing to hear the tune of the charmer
who skillfully weaves his spell.
6 O God, shatter their teeth in their mouths;
O LORD, tear out the fangs of the lions.
7 May they vanish
like water that runs off;
when they draw the bow,
may their arrows be blunted. b
8 Like a slug that dissolves in its slime,
like a woman’s stillborn child,
may they never see the sun.
9 Before your pots can feel the burning thorns—
whether green or dry—
He will sweep them away.
10 The righteous will rejoice
when they see they are avenged;
they will wash their feet
in the blood of the wicked.
11 Then men will say,
“There is surely a reward for the righteous!
There is surely a God who judges the earth!”
Footnotes:
1 a Miktam is probably a musical or liturgical term; used for Psalms 16 and 56–60.
7 b Or when they are trodden down, may they wither like grass
Psalm 59
Deliver Me from My Enemies
(1 Samuel 19:1–24)
For the choirmaster. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” A Miktam a of David, when Saul sent men to watch David’s house in order to kill him.
1Deliver me from my enemies, O my God;
protect me from those who rise against me.
2 Deliver me from workers of iniquity,
and save me from men of bloodshed.
3 See how they lie in wait for me.
Fierce men conspire against me
for no transgression or sin of my own, O LORD.
4 For no fault of my own,
they move swiftly to attack me.
Arise to help me, and take notice.
5 O LORD God of Hosts, the God of Israel,
rouse Yourself to punish all the nations;
show no mercy to the wicked traitors.
Selah
6 They return in the evening, snarling like dogs
and prowling around the city.
7 See what they spew from their mouths—
sharp words from their lips:
“For who can hear us?”
8 But You, O LORD, laugh at them;
You scoff at all the nations.
9 I will keep watch for You, O my strength,
because You, O God, are my fortress.
10 My God of loving devotion will come to meet me;
God will let me stare down my foes.
11 Do not kill them,
or my people will forget.
Scatter them by Your power,
and bring them down,
O Lord, our shield.
12 By the sins of their mouths
and the words of their lips,
let them be trapped in their pride,
in the curses and lies they utter.
13 Consume them in wrath;
consume them till they are no more,
so it may be known to the ends of the earth
that God rules over Jacob.
Selah
14 They return in the evening,
snarling like dogs
and prowling around the city.
15 They scavenge for food,
and growl if they are not satisfied.
16 But I will sing of Your strength
and proclaim Your loving devotion in the morning.
For You are my fortress,
my refuge in times of trouble.
17 To You, O my strength, I sing praises,
for You, O God, are my fortress,
my God of loving devotion.
Footnotes:
1 a Miktam is probably a musical or liturgical term; used for Psalms 16 and 56–60.
Psalm 60
Victory with God
(2 Samuel 8:1–14; 1 Chronicles 18:1–13; Psalm 108:1–13)
For the choirmaster. To the tune of “The Lily of the Covenant.” A Miktam a of David for instruction. When he fought Aram-naharaim b and Aram-zobah, c and Joab returned and struck down 12,000 Edomites in the Valley of Salt.
1You have rejected us, O God;
You have broken us;
You have been angry;
restore us!
2 You have shaken the land
and torn it open.
Heal its fractures,
for it is quaking.
3 You have shown Your people hardship;
we are staggered from the wine You made us drink.
4 You have raised a banner for those who fear You,
that they may flee the bow. d
Selah
5 Respond and save us with Your right hand,
that Your beloved may be delivered.
6 God has spoken from His sanctuary: e
“I will triumph!
I will parcel out Shechem
and apportion the Valley of Succoth.
7 Gilead is Mine, and Manasseh is Mine;
Ephraim is My helmet, Judah is My scepter.
8 Moab is My washbasin;
upon Edom I toss My sandal;
over Philistia I shout in triumph.”
9 Who will bring me to the fortified city?
Who will lead me to Edom?
10 Have You not rejected us, O God?
Will You no longer march out, O God, with our armies?
11 Give us aid against the enemy,
for the help of man is worthless.
12 With God we will perform with valor,
and He will trample our enemies.
Footnotes:
1 a Miktam is probably a musical or liturgical term; used for Psalms 16 and 56–60.
1 b That is, Mesopotamia; Aram-naharaim means Aram of the two rivers , likely the region between the Euphrates and Balih Rivers in northwestern Mesopotamia.
1 c That is, the land northeast of Damascus
4 d Or that it may be displayed because of truth
6 e Or in His holiness
Psalm 61
You Have Heard My Vows
For the choirmaster. With stringed instruments. Of David.
1Hear my cry, O God;
attend to my prayer.
2 From the ends of the earth I call out to You
whenever my heart is faint.
Lead me to the rock
that is higher than I.
3 For You have been my refuge,
a tower of strength against the enemy.
4 Let me dwell in Your tent forever
and take refuge in the shelter of Your wings.
Selah
5 For You have heard my vows, O God;
You have given me the inheritance
reserved for those who fear Your name.
6 Increase the days of the king’s life;
may his years span many generations.
7 May he sit enthroned in God’s presence forever;
appoint Your loving devotion
and Your faithfulness to guard him.
8 Then I will ever sing praise to Your name
and fulfill my vows day by day.
Psalm 62
Waiting on God
For the choirmaster. According to Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.
1In God alone my soul finds rest;
my salvation comes from Him.
2 He alone is my rock and my salvation.
He is my fortress;
I will never be shaken.
3 How long will you threaten a man?
Will all of you throw him down
like a leaning wall
or a tottering fence?
4 They fully intend to cast him down from his lofty perch;
they delight in lies;
with their mouths they bless,
but inwardly they curse.
Selah
5 Rest in God alone, O my soul,
for my hope comes from Him.
6 He alone is my rock and my salvation;
He is my fortress; I will not be shaken.
7 My salvation and my honor rest on God, my strong rock;
my refuge is in God.
8 Trust in Him at all times, O people;
pour out your hearts before Him.
God is our refuge.
Selah
9 Lowborn men are but a vapor,
the exalted but a lie.
Weighed on the scale, they go up;
together they are but a vapor.
10 Place no trust in extortion,
or false hope in stolen goods.
If your riches increase,
do not set your heart upon them.
11 God has spoken once;
I have heard this twice:
12 and loving devotion to You, O Lord.
For You will repay each man
according to his deeds. a
Footnotes:
12 a Cited in Romans 2:6
Psalm 63
Thirsting for God
(2 Samuel 15:30–37)
A Psalm of David, when he was in the Wilderness of Judah.
1O God, You are my God.
Earnestly I seek You;
my soul thirsts for You.
My body yearns for You
in a dry and weary land without water.
2 So I have seen You in the sanctuary
and beheld Your power and glory.
3 Because Your loving devotion is better than life,
my lips will glorify You.
4 So I will bless You as long as I live;
in Your name I will lift my hands.
5 My soul is satisfied as with the richest of foods;
with joyful lips my mouth will praise You.
6 When I remember You on my bed,
I think of You through the watches of the night.
7 For You are my help;
I will sing for joy in the shadow of Your wings.
8 My soul clings to You;
Your right hand upholds me.
9 But those who seek my life to destroy it
will go into the depths of the earth.
10 They will fall to the power of the sword;
they will become a portion for foxes.
11 But the king will rejoice in God;
all who swear by Him will exult,
for the mouths of liars will be shut.
Psalm 64
The Hurtful Tongue
(James 3:1–12)
For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.
1Hear, O God, my voice of complaint;
preserve my life from dread of the enemy.
2 Hide me from the scheming of the wicked,
from the mob of workers of iniquity,
3 who sharpen their tongues like swords
and aim their bitter words like arrows,
4 ambushing the innocent in seclusion,
shooting suddenly, without fear.
5 They hold fast to their evil purpose;
they speak of hiding their snares.
“Who will see them?” they say.
6 They devise injustice and say,
“We have perfected a secret plan.”
For the inner man and the heart are mysterious.
7 But God will shoot them with arrows;
suddenly they will be wounded.
8 They will be made to stumble,
their own tongues turned against them.
All who see will shake their heads.
9 Then all mankind will fear
and proclaim the work of God;
so they will ponder what He has done.
10 Let the righteous rejoice in the LORD
and take refuge in Him;
let all the upright in heart exult.
Psalm 65
Praise Awaits God in Zion
For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. A song.
1Praise awaits You, O God, in Zion;
to You our vows will be fulfilled.
2 O You who listen to prayer,
all people will come to You.
3 When iniquities prevail against me,
You atone for our transgressions.
4 Blessed is the one You choose
and bring near to dwell in Your courts!
We are filled with the goodness of Your house,
the holiness of Your temple.
5 With awesome deeds of righteousness You answer us,
O God of our salvation,
the hope of all the ends of the earth
and of the farthest seas.
6 You formed the mountains by Your power,
having girded Yourself with might.
7 You stilled the roaring of the seas,
the pounding of their waves,
and the tumult of the nations.
8 Those who live far away fear Your wonders;
You make the dawn and sunset shout for joy. a
9 You attend to the earth and water it; b
with abundance You enrich it.
The streams of God are full of water,
for You prepare our grain
by providing for the earth. c
10 You soak its furrows and level its ridges;
You soften it with showers and bless its growth.
11 You crown the year with Your bounty,
and Your paths overflow with plenty.
12 The pastures of the wilderness overflow;
the hills are robed with joy.
13 The pastures are clothed with flocks,
and the valleys are decked with grain.
They shout in triumph;
indeed, they sing.
Footnotes:
8 a Or where morning dawns and evening fades You call forth songs of joy.
9 b Or and make it overflow
9 c Or to provide the people with grain, for so You have ordained it
Psalm 66
Make a Joyful Noise
(Psalm 100:1–5)
For the choirmaster. A song. A Psalm.
1Make a joyful noise to God,
all the earth!
2 Sing the glory of His name;
make His praise glorious.
3 Say to God, “How awesome are Your deeds!
So great is Your power
that Your enemies cower before You.
4 All the earth bows down to You;
they sing praise to You;
they sing praise to Your name.”
Selah
5 Come and see the works of God;
how awesome are His deeds toward mankind.
6 He turned the sea into dry land;
they passed through the waters on foot;
there we rejoiced in Him.
7 He rules forever by His power;
His eyes watch the nations.
Do not let the rebellious exalt themselves.
Selah
8 Bless our God, O peoples;
let the sound of His praise be heard.
9 He preserves our lives
and keeps our feet from slipping.
10 For You, O God, have tested us;
You have refined us like silver.
11 You led us into the net;
You laid burdens on our backs.
12 You let men ride over our heads;
we went through fire and water,
but You brought us into abundance.
13 I will enter Your house with burnt offerings;
I will fulfill my vows to You—
14 the vows that my lips promised
and my mouth spoke in my distress.
15 I will offer You fatlings as burnt offerings,
with the fragrant smoke of rams;
I will offer bulls and goats.
Selah
16 Come and listen, all you who fear God,
and I will declare what He has done for me.
17 I cried out to Him with my mouth
and praised Him with my tongue. a
18 If I had cherished iniquity in my heart,
the Lord would not have listened.
19 But God has surely heard;
He has attended to the sound of my prayer.
20 Blessed be God, who has not rejected my prayer
or withheld from me His loving devotion!
Footnotes:
17 a Or and His praise was on my tongue
Psalm 67
May God Cause His Face to Shine upon Us
For the choirmaster. With stringed instruments. A Psalm. A song.
1May God be gracious to us and bless us,
and cause His face to shine upon us,
Selah
2 that Your ways may be known on earth,
Your salvation among all nations.
3 Let the peoples praise You, O God;
let all the peoples praise You.
4 Let the nations be glad and sing for joy,
for You judge the peoples justly
and lead the nations of the earth.
Selah
5 Let the peoples praise You, O God;
let all the peoples praise You.
6 The earth has yielded its harvest;
God, our God, blesses us.
7 God blesses us,
that all the ends of the earth shall fear Him.
Psalm 68
God’s Enemies Are Scattered
For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. A song.
1God arises. His enemies are scattered,
and those who hate Him flee His presence.
2 As smoke is blown away,
You will drive them out;
as wax melts before the fire,
the wicked will perish in the presence of God.
3 But the righteous will be glad
and rejoice before God;
they will celebrate with joy.
4 Sing to God!
Sing praises to His name.
Exalt Him who rides on the clouds a—
His name is the LORD—
and rejoice before Him.
5 A father of the fatherless,
and a defender of the widows,
is God in His holy habitation.
6 God settles the lonely in families;
He leads the prisoners out to prosperity,
but the rebellious dwell in a sun-scorched land.
7 O God, when You went out before Your people,
when You marched through the wasteland,
Selah
8 the earth shook and the heavens poured down rain
before God, the One on Sinai,
before God, the God of Israel.
9 You sent abundant rain, O God;
You refreshed Your weary inheritance.
10 Your flock settled therein;
O God, from Your bounty You provided for the poor.
11 The Lord gives the command;
a great company of women proclaim it:
12 “Kings and their armies flee in haste;
she who waits at home divides the plunder.
13 Though you lie down among the sheepfolds,
the wings of the dove are covered with silver,
and her feathers with shimmering gold.”
14 When the Almighty b scattered the kings in the land,
it was like the snow falling on Zalmon.
15 A mountain of God is Mount Bashan;
a mountain of many peaks is Mount Bashan.
16 Why do you gaze in envy, O mountains of many peaks?
This is the mountain God chose for His dwelling,
where the LORD will surely dwell forever.
17 The chariots of God are tens of thousands—
thousands of thousands are they;
the Lord is in His sanctuary
as He was at Sinai. c
18 You have ascended on high;
You have led captives away.
You have received gifts from men, d
even from the rebellious,
that the LORD God may dwell there.
19 Blessed be the Lord,
who daily bears our burden,
the God of our salvation.
Selah
20 Our God is a God of deliverance;
the Lord GOD is our rescuer from death.
21 Surely God will crush the heads of His enemies,
the hairy crowns of those who persist in guilty ways.
22 The Lord said, “I will retrieve them from Bashan,
I will bring them up from the depths of the sea,
23 that your foot may be dipped
in the blood of your foes—
the tongues of your dogs in the same.”
24 They have seen Your procession, O God—
the march of my God and King into the sanctuary.
25 The singers lead the way,
the musicians follow after,
among the maidens playing tambourines.
26 Bless God in the great congregation;
bless the LORD from the fountain of Israel.
27 There is Benjamin, the youngest, ruling them,
the princes of Judah in their company,
the princes of Zebulun and of Naphtali.
28 Summon Your power, O God; e
show Your strength, O God,
which You have exerted on our behalf.
29 Because of Your temple at Jerusalem
kings will bring You gifts.
30 Rebuke the beast in the reeds,
the herd of bulls among the calves of the nations,
until it submits, bringing bars of silver.
Scatter the nations who delight in war.
31 Envoys will arrive from Egypt;
Cush f will stretch out her hands to God.
32 Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth;
sing praises to the Lord—
Selah
33 to Him who rides upon the highest heavens of old;
behold, His mighty voice resounds.
34 Ascribe the power to God,
whose majesty is over Israel,
whose strength is in the skies.
35 O God, You are awesome in Your sanctuary;
the God of Israel Himself
gives strength and power to His people.
Blessed be God!
Footnotes:
4 a Or rides through the deserts
14 b Hebrew Shaddai
17 c Or the Lord has come from Sinai in His holiness
18 d Cited in Ephesians 4:8
28 e LXX and Syriac; most Hebrew manuscripts Your God has summoned your power
31 f That is, the upper Nile region
Psalm 69
The Waters Are up to My Neck
For the choirmaster. To the tune of “Lilies.” Of David.
1Save me, O God,
for the waters are up to my neck.
2 I have sunk into the miry depths,
where there is no footing;
I have drifted into deep waters,
where the flood engulfs me.
3 I am weary from my crying;
my throat is parched.
My eyes fail,
4 Those who hate me without cause
outnumber the hairs of my head;
many are those who would destroy me—
my enemies for no reason. a
Though I did not steal,
I must repay.
5 You know my folly, O God,
and my guilt is not hidden from You.
6 May those who hope in You not be ashamed through me,
O Lord GOD of Hosts;
may those who seek You not be dishonored through me,
O God of Israel.
7 For I have endured scorn for Your sake,
and shame has covered my face.
8 I have become a stranger to my brothers
and a foreigner to my mother’s sons,
9 because zeal for Your house has consumed me, b
and the insults of those who insult You have fallen on me. c
10 I wept and fasted,
but it brought me reproach.
11 I made sackcloth my clothing,
and I was sport to them.
12 Those who sit at the gate mock me,
and I am the song of drunkards.
13 But my prayer to You, O LORD,
is for a time of favor.
In Your abundant loving devotion, O God,
answer me with Your sure salvation.
14 Rescue me from the mire
and do not let me sink;
deliver me from my foes
and out of the deep waters.
15 Do not let the floods engulf me
or the depths swallow me up;
let not the Pit close its mouth over me.
16 Answer me, O LORD,
for Your loving devotion is good;
turn to me in keeping with Your great compassion.
17 Hide not Your face from Your servant,
for I am in distress.
Answer me quickly!
18 Draw near to my soul and redeem me;
ransom me because of my foes.
19 You know my reproach, my shame and disgrace.
All my adversaries are before You.
20 Insults have broken my heart,
and I am in despair.
I looked for sympathy, but there was none,
for comforters, but I found no one.
21 They poisoned my food with gall
and gave me vinegar to quench my thirst.
22 May their table become a snare;
may it be a retribution and a trap. d
23 May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see,
and their backs be bent forever. e
24 Pour out Your wrath upon them,
and let Your burning anger overtake them.
25 May their place be deserted;
let there be no one to dwell in their tents. f
26 For they persecute the one You struck
and recount the pain of those You wounded.
27 Add iniquity to their iniquity;
let them not share in Your righteousness.
28 May they be blotted out of the Book of Life
and not listed with the righteous.
29 But I am in pain and distress;
let Your salvation protect me, O God.
30 I will praise God’s name in song
and exalt Him with thanksgiving.
31 And this will please the LORD more than an ox,
more than a bull with horns and hooves.
32 The humble will see and rejoice.
You who seek God, let your hearts be revived!
33 For the LORD listens to the needy
and does not despise His captive people.
34 Let heaven and earth praise Him,
the seas and everything that moves in them.
35 For God will save Zion
and rebuild the cities of Judah,
that they may dwell there and possess it.
36 The descendants of His servants will inherit it,
and those who love His name will settle in it.
Footnotes:
4 a See John 15:25
9 b Cited in John 2:17
9 c Cited in Romans 15:3
22 d A slight revocalization of the Hebrew (see also LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate); literally may their prosperity be a trap ; cited in Romans 11:9
23 e LXX; Hebrew and may their loins tremble continually ; cited in Romans 11:10
25 f Cited in Acts 1:20
Psalm 70
Hurry, O LORD, to Help Me!
(Psalm 40:1–17; Psalm 141:1–10)
For the choirmaster. Of David. To bring remembrance.
1Make haste, O God, to deliver me!
Hurry, O LORD, to help me!
2 May those who seek my life
be ashamed and confounded;
may those who wish me harm
be repelled and humiliated.
3 May those who say, “Aha, aha!”
retreat because of their shame.
4 May all who seek You
rejoice and be glad in You;
may those who love Your salvation always say,
“Let God be magnified!”
5 But I am poor and needy;
hurry to me, O God.
You are my help and my deliverer;
O LORD, do not delay.
Psalm 71
Be My Rock of Refuge
1 In You, O LORD, I have taken refuge;
let me never be put to shame.
2 In Your justice, rescue and deliver me;
incline Your ear and save me.
3 Be my rock of refuge,
where I can always go.
Give the command to save me,
for You are my rock and my fortress.
4 Deliver me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked,
from the grasp of the unjust and ruthless.
5 For You are my hope, O Lord GOD,
my confidence from my youth.
6 I have leaned on You since birth;
You pulled me from my mother’s womb.
My praise is always for You.
7 I have become a portent to many,
but You are my strong refuge.
8 My mouth is filled with Your praise
and with Your splendor all day long.
9 Do not discard me in my old age;
do not forsake me when my strength fails.
10 For my enemies speak against me,
and those who lie in wait for my life conspire,
11 saying, “God has forsaken him;
pursue him and seize him,
for there is no one to rescue him.”
12 Be not far from me, O God.
Hurry, O my God, to help me.
13 May the accusers of my soul
be ashamed and consumed;
may those who seek my harm
be covered with scorn and disgrace.
14 But I will always hope
and will praise You more and more.
15 My mouth will declare Your righteousness
and Your salvation all day long,
though I cannot know their full measure.
16 I will enter in the strength of the Lord GOD;
I will proclaim Your righteousness—Yours alone.
17 O God, You have taught me from my youth,
and to this day I proclaim Your marvelous deeds.
18 Even when I am old and gray,
do not forsake me, O God,
until I proclaim Your power to the next generation,
Your might to all who are to come.
19 Your righteousness reaches to the heavens, O God,
You who have done great things.
Who, O God, is like You?
20 Though You have shown me many troubles and misfortunes,
You will revive me once again.
Even from the depths of the earth
You will bring me back up.
21 You will increase my honor
and comfort me once again.
22 So I will praise You with the harp
for Your faithfulness, O my God;
I will sing praise to You with the lyre,
O Holy One of Israel.
23 When I sing praise to You
my lips will shout for joy,
along with my soul,
which You have redeemed.
24 My tongue will indeed proclaim
Your righteousness all day long,
for those who seek my harm
are disgraced and confounded.
Psalm 72
Endow the King with Your Justice
(1 Kings 3:1–15; 2 Chronicles 1:1–13; Psalm 45:1–17)
Of Solomon.
1Endow the king with Your justice, O God,
and the son of the king with Your righteousness.
2 May he judge Your people with righteousness
and Your afflicted with justice.
3 May the mountains bring peace to the people,
and the hills bring righteousness.
4 May he vindicate the afflicted among the people;
may he save the children of the needy
and crush the oppressor.
5 May they fear him a as long as the sun shines,
as long as the moon remains,
through all generations.
6 May he be like rain that falls on freshly cut grass,
like spring showers that water the earth.
7 May the righteous flourish in his days
and prosperity abound,
until the moon is no more.
8 May he rule from sea to sea,
and from the Euphrates b to the ends of the earth.
9 May the nomads bow before him,
and his enemies lick the dust.
10 May the kings of Tarshish and distant shores bring tribute;
may the kings of Sheba and Seba offer gifts.
11 May all kings bow down to him
and all nations serve him.
12 For he will deliver the needy who cry out
and the afflicted who have no helper.
13 He will take pity on the poor and needy
and save the lives of the oppressed.
14 He will redeem them from oppression and violence,
for their blood is precious in his sight.
15 Long may he live!
May gold from Sheba be given him.
May people ever pray for him;
may they bless him all day long.
16 May there be an abundance of grain in the land;
may it sway atop the hills.
May its fruit trees flourish like the forests of Lebanon,
and its people like the grass of the field.
17 May his name endure forever;
may his name continue c as long as the sun shines.
In him may all nations be blessed;
may they call him blessed.
18 Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel,
who alone does marvelous deeds.
19 And blessed be His glorious name forever;
may all the earth be filled with His glory.
Amen and amen.
20 Thus conclude the prayers of David son of Jesse.
Footnotes:
5 a LXX He shall endure
8 b Hebrew the River
17 c Or increase
Psalm 73
BOOK III
Psalms 73–89
Surely God Is Good to Israel
A Psalm of Asaph.
1Surely God is good to Israel,
to those who are pure in heart.
2 But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled;
my steps had nearly slipped.
3 For I envied the arrogant
when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
4 They have no struggle in their death;
their bodies are well-fed.
5 They are free of the burdens others carry;
they are not afflicted like other men.
6 Therefore pride is their necklace;
a garment of violence covers them.
7 From their prosperity proceeds iniquity; a
the imaginations of their hearts run wild.
8 They mock and speak with malice;
with arrogance they threaten oppression.
9 They set their mouths against the heavens,
and their tongues strut across the earth.
10 So their people b return to this place
and drink up waters in abundance.
11 The wicked say, “How can God know?
Does the Most High have knowledge?”
12 Behold, these are the wicked—
always carefree as they increase their wealth.
13 Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure;
in innocence I have washed my hands.
14 For I am afflicted all day long
and punished every morning.
15 If I had said, “I will speak this way,”
then I would have betrayed Your children.
16 When I tried to understand all this,
it was troublesome in my sight
17 until I entered God’s sanctuary;
then I discerned their end.
18 Surely You set them on slick ground;
You cast them down into ruin.
19 How suddenly they are laid waste,
completely swept away by terrors!
20 Like one waking from a dream,
so You, O Lord, awaken and despise their form.
21 When my heart was grieved
and I was pierced within,
22 I was senseless and ignorant;
I was a brute beast before You.
23 Yet I am always with You;
You hold my right hand.
24 You guide me with Your counsel,
and later receive me in glory.
25 Whom have I in heaven but You?
And on earth I desire no one besides You.
26 My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength c of my heart
and my portion forever.
27 Those far from You will surely perish;
You destroy all who are unfaithful to You.
28 But as for me, it is good to draw near to God.
I have made the Lord GOD my refuge,
that I may proclaim all Your works.
Footnotes:
7 a Literally Their eye bulges with fatness ; Syriac From their callous heart proceeds iniquity
10 b Or His people
26 c Hebrew rock
Psalm 74
Why Have You Rejected Us Forever?
(Psalm 79:1–13; Jeremiah 52:1–11)
A Maskil a of Asaph.
1Why have You rejected us forever, O God?
Why does Your anger smolder
against the sheep of Your pasture?
2 Remember Your congregation,
which You purchased long ago
and redeemed as the tribe of Your inheritance—
Mount Zion where You dwell.
3 Turn Your steps to the everlasting ruins,
to everything in the sanctuary the enemy has destroyed.
4 Your foes have roared within Your meeting place;
they have unfurled their banners as signs,
5 like men wielding axes in a thicket of trees
6 and smashing all the carvings with hatchets and picks.
7 They have burned Your sanctuary to the ground;
they have defiled the dwelling place of Your Name.
8 They said in their hearts,
“We will crush them completely.”
They burned down every place
where God met us in the land.
9 There are no signs for us to see.
There is no longer any prophet.
And none of us knows how long this will last.
10 How long, O God, will the enemy taunt You?
Will the foe revile Your name forever?
11 Why do You withdraw Your strong right hand?
Stretch it out to destroy them! b
12 Yet God is my King from ancient times,
working salvation on the earth.
13 You divided the sea by Your strength;
You smashed the heads of the dragons of the sea;
14 You crushed the heads of Leviathan;
You fed him to the creatures of the desert.
15 You broke open the fountain and the flood;
You dried up the ever-flowing rivers.
16 The day is Yours, and also the night;
You established the moon c and the sun.
17 You set all the boundaries of the earth;
You made the summer and winter.
18 Remember how the enemy has mocked You, O LORD,
how a foolish people has spurned Your name.
19 Do not deliver the soul of Your dove to beasts;
do not forget the lives of Your afflicted forever.
20 Consider Your covenant,
for haunts of violence fill the dark places of the land.
21 Do not let the oppressed retreat in shame;
may the poor and needy praise Your name.
22 Rise up, O God; defend Your cause!
Remember how the fool mocks You all day long.
23 Do not disregard the clamor of Your adversaries,
the uproar of Your enemies that ascends continually.
Footnotes:
1 a Maskil is probably a musical or liturgical term; used for Psalms 32, 42, 44–45, 52–55, 74, 78, 88–89, and 142.
11 b Literally From the midst of Your bosom destroy them! or From the midst of Your bosom remove it!
16 c Literally the light
Psalm 75
God’s Righteous Judgment
(Romans 2:1–16)
For the choirmaster: To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” A Psalm of Asaph. A song.
1We give thanks to You, O God;
we give thanks, for Your Name is near.
The people declare Your wondrous works.
2 “When I choose a time,
I will judge fairly.
3 When the earth and all its dwellers quake,
it is I who bear up its pillars.
Selah
4 I say to the proud, ‘Do not boast,’
and to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up your horn.
5 Do not lift up your horn against heaven
or speak with an outstretched neck.’ ”
6 For exaltation comes neither from east nor west,
nor out of the desert,
7 but it is God who judges;
He brings down one and exalts another.
8 For a cup is in the hand of the LORD,
full of foaming wine mixed with spices.
He pours from His cup,
and all the wicked of the earth
drink it down to the dregs.
9 But I will proclaim Him a forever;
I will sing praise to the God of Jacob.
10 “All the horns of the wicked I will cut off,
but the horns of the righteous will be exalted.”
Footnotes:
9 a Or proclaim it
Psalm 76
God’s Name Is Great in Israel
For the choirmaster. With stringed instruments. A Psalm of Asaph. A song.
1God is known in Judah;
His name is great in Israel.
His dwelling place in Zion.
3 There He shattered the flaming arrows,
the shield and sword and weapons of war.
Selah
4 You are resplendent with light,
more majestic than mountains filled with game.
5 The valiant lie plundered; they sleep their last sleep.
No men of might could lift a hand.
6 At Your rebuke, O God of Jacob,
both horse and rider lie stunned.
7 You alone are to be feared.
When You are angry, who can stand before You?
8 From heaven You pronounced judgment,
and the earth feared and was still
9 when God rose up to judge,
to save all the lowly of the earth.
Selah
10 Even the wrath of man shall praise You;
with the survivors of wrath You will clothe Yourself. b
11 Make and fulfill your vows to the LORD your God;
let all the neighboring lands bring tribute
to Him who is to be feared.
12 He breaks the spirits of princes;
He is feared by the kings of the earth.
Footnotes:
2 a That is, Jerusalem
10 b Or Surely Your wrath against men brings You praise, and the survivors of Your wrath will be restrained.
Psalm 77
In the Day of Trouble I Sought the Lord
For the choirmaster. According to Jeduthun. A Psalm of Asaph.
1I cried out to God;
I cried aloud to God to hear me.
2 In the day of trouble I sought the Lord;
through the night my outstretched hands did not grow weary;
my soul refused to be comforted.
3 I remembered You, O God, and I groaned;
I mused and my spirit grew faint.
Selah
4 You have kept my eyes from closing;
I am too troubled to speak.
5 I considered the days of old,
the years long in the past.
6 At night I remembered my song;
in my heart I mused, and my spirit pondered:
7 “Will the Lord spurn us forever
and never show His favor again?
8 Is His loving devotion gone forever?
Has His promise failed for all time?
9 Has God forgotten to be gracious?
Has His anger shut off His compassion?”
Selah
10 So I said, “I am grieved
that the right hand of the Most High has changed.” a
11 I will remember the works of the LORD;
yes, I will remember Your wonders of old.
12 I will reflect on all You have done
and ponder Your mighty deeds.
13 Your way, O God, is holy.
What god is so great as our God?
14 You are the God who works wonders;
You display Your strength among the peoples.
15 With power You redeemed Your people,
the sons of Jacob and Joseph.
Selah
16 The waters saw You, O God;
the waters saw You and swirled;
even the depths were shaken.
17 The clouds poured down water;
the skies resounded with thunder;
Your arrows flashed back and forth.
18 Your thunder resounded in the whirlwind;
the lightning lit up the world;
the earth trembled and quaked.
19 Your path led through the sea,
Your way through the mighty waters,
but Your footprints were not to be found. b
20 You led Your people like a flock
by the hand of Moses and Aaron.
Footnotes:
10 a Or “To this I will appeal: to the years of the right hand of the Most High.”
19 b Or were unknown
Psalm 78
I Will Open My Mouth in Parables
(Matthew 13:34–35)
A Maskil a of Asaph.
1Give ear, O my people, to my instruction;
listen to the words of my mouth.
2 I will open my mouth in parables;
I will utter things hidden from the beginning, b
3 that we have heard and known
and our fathers have relayed to us.
4 We will not hide them from their children,
but will declare to the next generation
the praises of the LORD and His might,
and the wonders He has performed.
5 For He established a testimony in Jacob
and appointed a law in Israel,
which He commanded our fathers
to teach to their children,
6 that the coming generation would know them—
even children yet to be born—
to arise and tell their own children
7 that they should put their confidence in God,
not forgetting His works,
but keeping His commandments.
8 Then they will not be like their fathers,
a stubborn and rebellious generation,
whose heart was not loyal,
whose spirit was not faithful to God.
9 The archers of Ephraim
turned back on the day of battle.
10 They failed to keep God’s covenant
and refused to live by His law.
11 They forgot what He had done,
the wonders He had shown them.
12 He worked wonders before their fathers
in the land of Egypt, in the region of Zoan.
13 He split the sea and brought them through;
He set the waters upright like a wall.
14 He led them with a cloud by day
and with a light of fire all night.
15 He split the rocks in the wilderness
and gave them drink as abundant as the seas.
16 He brought streams from the stone
and made water flow down like rivers.
17 But they continued to sin against Him,
rebelling in the desert against the Most High.
18 They willfully tested God
by demanding the food they craved.
19 They spoke against God, saying,
“Can God really prepare a table in the wilderness?
20 When He struck the rock, water gushed out
and torrents raged.
But can He also give bread
or supply His people with meat?”
21 Therefore the LORD heard
and was filled with wrath;
so a fire was kindled against Jacob,
and His anger flared against Israel,
22 because they did not believe God
or rely on His salvation.
23 Yet He commanded the clouds above
and opened the doors of the heavens.
24 He rained down manna for them to eat;
He gave them grain from heaven. c
25 Man ate the bread of angels;
He sent them food in abundance.
26 He stirred the east wind from the heavens
and drove the south wind by His might.
27 He rained meat on them like dust,
and winged birds like the sand of the sea.
28 He felled them in the midst of their camp,
all around their dwellings.
29 So they ate and were well filled,
for He gave them what they craved.
30 Yet before they had filled their desire,
with the food still in their mouths,
31 God’s anger flared against them,
and He put to death their strongest
and subdued the young men of Israel.
32 In spite of all this, they kept on sinning;
despite His wonderful works, they did not believe.
33 So He ended their days in futility, d
and their years in sudden terror.
34 When He slew them, they would seek Him;
they repented and searched for God.
35 And they remembered that God was their Rock,
that God Most High e was their Redeemer.
36 But they deceived Him with their mouths,
and lied to Him with their tongues.
37 Their hearts were disloyal to Him,
and they were unfaithful to His covenant.
38 And yet He was compassionate;
He forgave their iniquity and did not destroy them.
He often restrained His anger
and did not unleash His full wrath.
39 He remembered that they were but flesh,
a passing breeze that does not return.
40 How often they disobeyed Him in the wilderness
and grieved Him in the desert!
41 Again and again they tested God
and provoked the Holy One of Israel.
42 They did not remember His power f —
the day He redeemed them from the adversary,
43 when He performed His signs in Egypt
and His wonders in the fields of Zoan.
44 He turned their rivers to blood,
and from their streams they could not drink.
45 He sent swarms of flies that devoured them,
and frogs that devastated them.
46 He gave their crops to the grasshopper,
the fruit of their labor to the locust.
47 He killed their vines with hailstones
and their sycamore-figs with sleet. g
48 He abandoned their cattle to the hail
and their livestock to bolts of lightning.
49 He unleashed His fury against them,
wrath, indignation, and calamity—
a band of destroying angels.
50 He cleared a path for His anger;
He did not spare them from death
but delivered their lives to the plague.
51 He struck all the firstborn of Egypt,
the virility in the tents of Ham.
52 He led out His people like sheep
and guided them like a flock in the wilderness.
53 He led them safely, so they did not fear,
but the sea engulfed their enemies.
54 He brought them to His holy land,
to the mountain His right hand had acquired.
55 He drove out nations before them
and apportioned their inheritance;
He settled the tribes of Israel in their tents.
56 But they tested and disobeyed God Most High,
for they did not keep His decrees.
57 They turned back and were faithless like their fathers,
twisted like a faulty bow.
58 They enraged Him with their high places
and provoked His jealousy with their idols.
59 On hearing it, God was furious
and rejected Israel completely.
60 He abandoned the tabernacle of Shiloh,
the tent He had pitched among men.
61 He delivered His strength to captivity,
and His splendor to the hand of the adversary.
62 He surrendered His people to the sword
because He was enraged by His heritage.
63 Fire consumed His young men,
and their maidens were left without wedding songs.
64 His priests fell by the sword,
but their widows could not lament.
65 Then the Lord awoke as from sleep,
like a mighty warrior overcome by wine.
66 He beat back His foes;
He put them to everlasting shame.
67 He rejected the tent of Joseph
and refused the tribe of Ephraim.
68 But He chose the tribe of Judah,
Mount Zion, which He loved.
69 He built His sanctuary like the heights,
like the earth He has established forever.
70 He chose David His servant
and took him from the sheepfolds;
71 from tending the ewes He brought him
to be shepherd of His people Jacob,
of Israel His inheritance.
72 So David shepherded them with integrity of heart
and guided them with skillful hands.
Footnotes:
1 a Maskil is probably a musical or liturgical term; used for Psalms 32, 42, 44–45, 52–55, 74, 78, 88–89, and 142.
2 b Or from ancient times ; see also LXX; cited in Matthew 13:35
24 c Cited in John 6:31
33 d Or in vapor
35 e Hebrew El-Elyon
42 f Or His hand
47 g Or frost or driving rain
Psalm 79
A Prayer for Deliverance
(Psalm 74:1–23; Jeremiah 52:1–11)
A Psalm of Asaph.
1The nations, O God, have invaded Your inheritance;
they have defiled Your holy temple
and reduced Jerusalem to rubble.
2 They have given the corpses of Your servants
as food to the birds of the air,
the flesh of Your saints to the beasts of the earth.
3 They have poured out their blood like water
all around Jerusalem,
and there is no one to bury the dead.
4 We have become a reproach to our neighbors,
a scorn and derision to those around us.
5 How long, O LORD?
Will You be angry forever?
Will Your jealousy burn like fire?
6 Pour out Your wrath on the nations
that do not acknowledge You,
on the kingdoms
that refuse to call on Your name,
7 for they have devoured Jacob
and devastated his homeland.
8 Do not hold past sins against us;
let Your compassion come quickly,
for we are brought low.
9 Help us, O God of our salvation,
for the glory of Your name;
deliver us and atone for our sins,
for the sake of Your name.
10 Why should the nations ask,
“Where is their God?”
Before our eyes, make known among the nations
Your vengeance for the bloodshed of Your servants.
11 May the groans of the captives reach You;
by the strength of Your arm preserve those condemned to death.
12 Pay back into the laps of our neighbors
sevenfold the reproach they hurled at You, O Lord.
13 Then we Your people, the sheep of Your pasture,
will thank You forever;
from generation to generation
we will declare Your praise.
Psalm 80
Hear Us, O Shepherd of Israel
For the choirmaster. To the tune of “The Lilies of the Covenant.” A Psalm of Asaph.
1Hear us, O Shepherd of Israel,
who leads Joseph like a flock;
You who sit enthroned between the cherubim,
shine forth 2 before Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh.
Rally Your mighty power
and come to save us.
3 Restore us, O God,
and cause Your face to shine upon us,
that we may be saved.
4 O LORD God of Hosts,
how long will Your anger smolder
against the prayers of Your people?
5 You fed them with the bread of tears
and made them drink the full measure of their tears.
6 You make us contend with our neighbors;
our enemies mock us.
7 Restore us, O God of Hosts,
and cause Your face to shine upon us,
that we may be saved.
8 You uprooted a vine from Egypt;
You drove out the nations and transplanted it.
9 You cleared the ground for it,
and it took root and filled the land.
10 The mountains were covered by its shade,
and the mighty cedars with its branches.
11 It sent out its branches to the Sea, a
and its shoots toward the River. b
12 Why have You broken down its walls,
so that all who pass by pick its fruit?
13 The boar from the forest ravages it,
and the creatures of the field feed upon it.
14 Return, O God of Hosts, we pray!
Look down from heaven and see!
Attend to this vine—
15 the root Your right hand has planted,
the son You have raised up for Yourself.
16 Your vine has been cut down and burned;
they perish at the rebuke of Your countenance.
17 Let Your hand be upon the man at Your right hand,
on the son of man You have raised up for Yourself.
18 Then we will not turn away from You;
revive us, and we will call on Your name.
19 Restore us, O LORD God of Hosts;
cause Your face to shine upon us,
that we may be saved.
Footnotes:
11 a That is, the Mediterranean Sea, also called the Great Sea
11 b That is, the Euphrates
Psalm 81
Sing for Joy to God Our Strength
For the choirmaster. According to Gittith. a Of Asaph.
1Sing for joy to God our strength;
make a joyful noise to the God of Jacob.
2 Lift up a song, strike the tambourine,
play the sweet-sounding harp and lyre.
3 Sound the ram’s horn at the New Moon,
and at the full moon on the day of our Feast.
4 For this is a statute for Israel,
an ordinance of the God of Jacob.
5 He ordained it as a testimony for Joseph b
when he went out over the land of Egypt,
where I heard an unfamiliar language:
6 “I relieved his shoulder of the burden;
his hands were freed from the basket.
7 You called out in distress, and I rescued you;
I answered you from the cloud of thunder;
I tested you at the waters of Meribah. c
Selah
8 Hear, O My people, and I will warn you:
O Israel, if only you would listen to Me!
9 There must be no strange god among you,
nor shall you bow to a foreign god.
10 I am the LORD your God,
who brought you up out of Egypt.
Open wide your mouth,
and I will fill it.
11 But My people would not listen to Me,
and Israel would not obey Me.
12 So I gave them up to their stubborn hearts
to follow their own devices.
13 If only My people would listen to Me,
if Israel would follow My ways,
14 how soon I would subdue their enemies
and turn My hand against their foes!
15 Those who hate the LORD would feign obedience,
and their doom would last forever.
16 But I would feed you the finest wheat;
with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”
Footnotes:
1 a Gittith is probably a musical or liturgical term; here and in Psalms 8 and 84.
5 b Or in Joseph
7 c Meribah means quarreling ; see Exodus 17:7.
Psalm 82
God Presides in the Divine Assembly
A Psalm of Asaph.
1God presides in the divine assembly;
He renders judgment among the gods:
2 “How long will you judge unjustly a
and show partiality to the wicked?
Selah
3 Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless;
uphold the rights of the afflicted and oppressed.
4 Rescue the weak and needy;
save them from the hand of the wicked.
5 They do not know or understand;
they wander in the darkness;
all the foundations of the earth are shaken.
6 I have said, ‘You are gods;
you are all sons of the Most High.’ b
7 But like mortals you will die,
and like rulers you will fall.”
8 Arise, O God, judge the earth,
for all the nations are Your inheritance.
Footnotes:
2 a Or How long will you defend the unjust
6 b Cited in John 10:34
Psalm 83
O God, Be Not Silent
A song. A Psalm of Asaph.
1O God, be not silent; be not speechless; a
be not still, O God.
2 See how Your enemies rage,
how Your foes have reared their heads.
3 With cunning they scheme against Your people
and conspire against those You cherish,
4 saying, “Come, let us erase them as a nation;
may the name of Israel be remembered no more.”
5 For with one mind they plot together,
they form an alliance against You—
6 the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites,
of Moab and the Hagrites,
7 of Gebal, Ammon, and Amalek,
of Philistia with the people of Tyre.
8 Even Assyria has joined them,
lending strength to the sons of Lot.
Selah
9 Do to them as You did to Midian,
as to Sisera and Jabin at the River Kishon,
10 who perished at Endor
and became like dung on the ground.
11 Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb,
and all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna,
12 who said, “Let us possess for ourselves
the pastures of God.”
13 Make them like tumbleweed, O my God,
like chaff before the wind.
14 As fire consumes a forest,
as a flame sets the mountains ablaze,
15 so pursue them with Your tempest,
and terrify them with Your storm.
16 Cover their faces with shame,
that they may seek Your name, O LORD.
17 May they be ever ashamed and terrified;
may they perish in disgrace.
18 May they know that You alone,
whose name is the LORD,
are Most High over all the earth.
Footnotes:
1 a Or deaf
Psalm 84
Better Is One Day in Your Courts
(John 1:14–18)
For the choirmaster. According to Gittith. a A Psalm of the sons of Korah.
1How lovely is Your dwelling place,
O LORD of Hosts!
2 My soul longs, even faints,
for the courts of the LORD;
my heart and my flesh cry out
for the living God.
3 Even the sparrow has found a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she places her young near Your altars,
O LORD of Hosts, my King and my God.
4 How blessed are those who dwell in Your house!
They are ever praising You.
Selah
5 Blessed are those whose strength is in You,
whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.
6 As they pass through the Valley of Baca, b
they make it a place of springs;
even the autumn rain covers it with pools. c
7 They go from strength to strength,
until each appears before God in Zion.
8 O LORD God of Hosts, hear my prayer;
give ear, O God of Jacob.
Selah
9 Take notice of our shield, O God,
and look with favor on the face of Your anointed.
10 For better is one day in Your courts
than a thousand elsewhere.
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
than dwell in the tents of the wicked.
11 For the LORD God is a sun and a shield;
the LORD gives grace and glory;
He withholds no good thing
from those who walk with integrity.
12 O LORD of Hosts,
how blessed is the man who trusts in You!
Footnotes:
1 a Gittith is probably a musical or liturgical term; here and in Psalms 8 and 81.
6 b Or Valley of Poplars
6 c Or with blessings
Psalm 85
You Showed Favor to Your Land
For the choirmaster. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.
1You showed favor to Your land, O LORD;
You restored Jacob from captivity. a
2 You forgave the iniquity of Your people;
You covered all their sin.
Selah
3 You withheld all Your fury;
You turned from Your burning anger.
4 Restore us, O God of our salvation,
and put away Your displeasure toward us.
5 Will You be angry with us forever?
Will You draw out Your anger to all generations?
6 Will You not revive us again,
that Your people may rejoice in You?
7 Show us Your loving devotion, O LORD,
and grant us Your salvation.
8 I will listen to what God the LORD will say;
for He will surely speak peace to His people and His saints;
He will not let them return to folly.
9 Surely His salvation is near to those who fear Him,
that His glory may dwell in our land.
10 Loving devotion and faithfulness have joined together;
righteousness and peace have kissed.
11 Faithfulness sprouts from the earth,
and righteousness looks down from heaven.
12 The LORD will indeed provide what is good,
and our land will yield its increase.
13 Righteousness will go before Him
to prepare the way for His steps.
Footnotes:
1 a Or restored the fortunes of Jacob
Psalm 86
Tried but Trusting
A prayer of David.
1Incline Your ear, O LORD, and answer me,
for I am poor and needy.
2 Preserve my soul, for I am godly.
You are my God; save Your servant who trusts in You.
3 Be merciful to me, O Lord,
for I call to You all day long.
4 Bring joy to Your servant,
for to You, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
5 For You, O Lord, are kind and forgiving,
rich in loving devotion to all who call on You.
6 Hear my prayer, O LORD,
and attend to my plea for mercy.
7 In the day of my distress I call on You,
because You answer me.
8 O Lord, there is none like You among the gods,
nor any works like Yours.
9 All the nations You have made
will come and bow before You, O Lord,
and they will glorify Your name.
10 For You are great and perform wonders;
You alone are God.
11 Teach me Your way, O LORD,
that I may walk in Your truth.
Give me an undivided heart,
that I may fear Your name.
12 I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart;
I will glorify Your name forever.
13 For great is Your loving devotion to me;
You have delivered me from the depths of Sheol.
14 The arrogant rise against me, O God;
a band of ruthless men seeks my life,
with no regard for You.
15 But You, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God,
slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion and faithfulness.
16 Turn to me and have mercy;
grant Your strength to Your servant;
save the son of Your maidservant.
17 Show me a sign of Your goodness,
that my enemies may see and be ashamed;
for You, O LORD, have helped me and comforted me.
Psalm 87
The LORD Loves the Gates of Zion
A Psalm of the sons of Korah. A song.
1He has founded His city
on the holy mountains. a
2 The LORD loves the gates of Zion
more than all the dwellings of Jacob.
3 Glorious things are ascribed to you,
O city of God.
Selah
4 “I will mention Rahab b and Babylon
among those who know Me—
along with Philistia, Tyre, and Cush c —
when I say, ‘This one was born in Zion.’ ”
5 And it will be said of Zion:
“This one and that one were born in her,
and the Most High Himself will establish her.”
6 The LORD will record in the register of the peoples:
“This one was born in Zion.”
Selah
7 Singers and pipers will proclaim,
“All my springs of joy are in You.”
Footnotes:
1 a Literally His foundation is on the holy mountains
4 b Rahab is a poetic name for Egypt.
4 c That is, the upper Nile region
Psalm 88
I Cry Out before You
A song. A Psalm of the sons of Korah. For the choirmaster. According to Mahalath Leannoth. a A Maskil b of Heman the Ezrahite.
1O LORD, the God of my salvation,
day and night I cry out before You.
2 May my prayer come before You;
incline Your ear to my cry.
3 For my soul is full of troubles,
and my life draws near to Sheol.
4 I am counted among those descending to the Pit.
I am like a man without strength.
5 I am forsaken among the dead,
like the slain who lie in the grave,
whom You remember no more,
who are cut off from Your care.
6 You have laid me in the lowest Pit,
in the darkest of the depths.
7 Your wrath weighs heavily upon me;
all Your waves have submerged me.
Selah
8 You have removed my friends from me;
You have made me repulsive to them;
I am confined and cannot escape.
9 My eyes grow dim with grief.
I call to You daily, O LORD;
I spread out my hands to You.
10 Do You work wonders for the dead?
Do departed spirits rise up to praise You?
Selah
11 Can Your loving devotion be proclaimed in the grave,
Your faithfulness in Abaddon c?
12 Will Your wonders be known in the darkness,
or Your righteousness in the land of oblivion?
13 But to You, O LORD, I cry for help;
in the morning my prayer comes before You.
14 Why, O LORD, do You reject me?
Why do You hide Your face from me?
15 From my youth I was afflicted and near death.
I have borne Your terrors; I am in despair.
16 Your wrath has swept over me;
Your terrors have destroyed me.
17 All day long they engulf me like water;
they enclose me on every side.
18 You have removed my beloved and my friend;
darkness is my closest companion.
Footnotes:
1 a Mahalath Leannoth is probably a musical or liturgical term; see also Psalm 53:1.
1 b Maskil is probably a musical or liturgical term; used for Psalms 32, 42, 44–45, 52–55, 74, 78, 88–89, and 142.
11 c Abaddon means Destruction .
Psalm 89
I Will Sing of His Love Forever
A Maskil a of Ethan the Ezrahite.
1I will sing of the loving devotion of the LORD forever;
with my mouth I will proclaim Your faithfulness to all generations.
2 For I have said, “Loving devotion is built up forever;
in the heavens You establish Your faithfulness.”
3 You said, “I have made a covenant with My chosen one,
I have sworn to David My servant:
4 ‘I will establish your offspring forever
and build up your throne for all generations.’ ”
Selah
5 The heavens praise Your wonders, O LORD—
Your faithfulness as well—
in the assembly of the holy ones.
6 For who in the skies can compare with the LORD?
Who among the heavenly beings b is like the LORD?
7 In the council of the holy ones, God is greatly feared,
and awesome above all who surround Him.
8 O LORD God of Hosts, who is like You?
O mighty LORD, Your faithfulness surrounds You.
9 You rule the raging sea;
when its waves mount up, You still them.
10 You crushed Rahab like a carcass;
You scattered Your enemies with Your mighty arm.
11 The heavens are Yours, and also the earth.
The earth and its fullness You founded.
12 North and south You created;
Tabor and Hermon shout for joy at Your name.
13 Mighty is Your arm; strong is Your hand.
Your right hand is exalted.
14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne;
loving devotion and faithfulness go before You.
15 Blessed are those who know the joyful sound,
who walk, O LORD, in the light of Your presence.
16 They rejoice in Your name all day long,
and in Your righteousness they exult.
17 For You are the glory of their strength,
and by Your favor our horn is exalted.
18 Surely our shield belongs to the LORD,
and our king to the Holy One of Israel.
19 You once spoke in a vision;
to Your godly ones You said,
“I have bestowed help on a warrior;
I have exalted one chosen from the people.
20 I have found My servant David;
with My sacred oil I have anointed him.
21 My hand will sustain him;
surely My arm will strengthen him.
22 No enemy will exact tribute;
no wicked man will oppress him.
23 I will crush his foes before him
and strike down those who hate him.
24 My faithfulness and loving devotion will be with him,
and through My name his horn will be exalted.
25 I will set his hand over the sea,
and his right hand upon the rivers.
26 He will call to Me, ‘You are my Father,
my God, the Rock of my salvation.’
27 I will indeed appoint him as My firstborn,
the highest of the kings of the earth.
28 I will forever preserve My loving devotion for him,
and My covenant with him will stand fast.
29 I will establish his line forever,
his throne as long as the heavens endure.
30 If his sons forsake My law
and do not walk in My judgments,
31 if they violate My statutes
and fail to keep My commandments,
32 I will attend to their transgression with the rod,
and to their iniquity with stripes.
33 But I will not withdraw My loving devotion from him,
nor ever betray My faithfulness.
34 I will not violate My covenant
or alter the utterance of My lips.
35 Once and for all I have sworn by My holiness—
I will not lie to David—
36 his offspring shall endure forever,
and his throne before Me like the sun,
37 like the moon, established forever,
a faithful witness in the sky.”
Selah
38 Now, however, You have spurned and rejected him;
You are enraged by Your anointed one.
39 You have renounced the covenant with Your servant
and sullied his crown in the dust.
40 You have broken down all his walls;
You have reduced his strongholds to rubble.
41 All who pass by plunder him;
he has become a reproach to his neighbors.
42 You have exalted the right hand of his foes;
You have made all his enemies rejoice.
43 You have bent the edge of his sword
and have not sustained him in battle.
44 You have ended his splendor
and cast his throne to the ground.
45 You have cut short the days of his youth;
You have covered him with shame.
Selah
46 How long, O LORD?
Will You hide Yourself forever?
Will Your wrath keep burning like fire?
47 Remember the briefness of my lifespan!
For what futility You have created all men!
48 What man can live and never see death?
Can he deliver his soul from the power of Sheol?
Selah
49 Where, O Lord, is Your loving devotion of old,
which You faithfully swore to David?
50 Remember, O Lord, the reproach of Your servants,
which I bear in my heart from so many people—
51 how Your enemies have taunted, O LORD,
and have mocked every step of Your anointed one!
52 Blessed be the LORD forever!
Amen and amen.
Footnotes:
1 a Maskil is probably a musical or liturgical term; used for Psalms 32, 42, 44–45, 52–55, 74, 78, 88–89, and 142.
6 b Or the sons of God or the sons of might
Psalm 90
BOOK IV
Psalms 90–106
From Everlasting to Everlasting
A prayer of Moses the man of God.
1Lord, You have been our dwelling place
through all generations.
2 Before the mountains were born
or You brought forth the earth and the world,
from everlasting to everlasting
You are God.
3 You return man to dust,
saying, “Return, O sons of mortals.”
4 For in Your sight a thousand years
are but a day that passes, a
or a watch of the night.
5 You whisk them away in their sleep;
they are like the new grass of the morning—
6 in the morning it springs up new,
but by evening it fades and withers.
7 For we are consumed by Your anger
and terrified by Your wrath.
8 You have set our iniquities before You,
our secret sins in the light of Your presence.
9 For all our days decline in Your fury;
we finish our years with a sigh.
10 The length of our days is seventy years—
or eighty if we are strong—
yet their pride is but labor and sorrow,
for they quickly pass, and we fly away.
11 Who knows the power of Your anger?
Your wrath matches the fear You are due.
12 So teach us to number our days,
that we may present a heart of wisdom.
13 Return, O LORD! How long will it be?
Have compassion on Your servants.
14 Satisfy us in the morning with Your loving devotion,
that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.
15 Make us glad for as many days as You have afflicted us,
for as many years as we have seen evil.
16 May Your work be shown to Your servants,
and Your splendor to their children.
17 May the favor b of the Lord our God rest upon us;
establish for us the work of our hands—
yes, establish the work of our hands!
Footnotes:
4 a See 2 Peter 3:8.
17 b Or beauty
Psalm 91
You Are My Refuge and My Fortress
1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. a
2 I will say to the LORD, “You are my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”
3 Surely He will deliver you
from the snare of the fowler,
and from the deadly plague.
4 He will cover you with His feathers;
under His wings you will find refuge;
His faithfulness is a shield and rampart.
5 You will not fear the terror of the night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the calamity that destroys at noon.
7 Though a thousand may fall at your side,
and ten thousand at your right hand,
no harm will come near you.
8 You will only see it with your eyes
and witness the punishment of the wicked.
9 Because you have made the LORD your dwelling—
my refuge, the Most High—
10 no evil will befall you,
no plague will approach your tent.
11 For He will command His angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways.
12 They will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. b
13 You will tread on the lion and cobra;
you will trample the young lion and serpent.
14 “Because he loves Me, I will deliver him;
because he knows My name, I will protect him.
15 When he calls out to Me,
I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble.
I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life I will satisfy him
and show him My salvation.”
Footnotes:
1 a Hebrew Shaddai
12 b Cited in Matthew 4:6 and Luke 4:10–11
Psalm 92
How Great Are Your Works!
A Psalm. A song for the Sabbath day.
1It is good to praise the LORD,
and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High,
2 to proclaim Your loving devotion in the morning
and Your faithfulness at night
3 with the ten-stringed harp
and the melody of the lyre.
4 For You, O LORD, have made me glad by Your deeds;
I sing for joy at the works of Your hands.
5 How great are Your works, O LORD,
how deep are Your thoughts!
6 A senseless man does not know,
and a fool does not understand,
7 that though the wicked sprout like grass,
and all evildoers flourish,
they will be forever destroyed.
8 But You, O LORD, are exalted forever!
9 For surely Your enemies, O LORD,
surely Your enemies will perish;
all evildoers will be scattered.
10 But You have exalted my horn like that of a wild ox;
with fine oil I have been anointed.
11 My eyes see the downfall of my enemies;
my ears hear the wailing of my wicked foes. a
12 The righteous will flourish like a palm tree,
and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
13 Planted in the house of the LORD,
they will flourish in the courts of our God.
14 In old age they will still bear fruit;
healthy and green they will remain,
15 to proclaim, “The LORD is upright; He is my Rock,
and in Him there is no unrighteousness.”
Footnotes:
11 a Or my ears hear evildoers when they rise against me
Psalm 93
The LORD Reigns!
(Psalm 99:1–9)
1 The LORD reigns! He is robed in majesty;
the LORD has clothed and armed Himself with strength.
The world indeed is firmly established;
it cannot be moved.
2 Your throne was established long ago;
You are from all eternity.
3 The floodwaters have risen, O LORD;
the rivers have raised their voice;
the seas lift up their pounding waves.
4 Above the roar of many waters—
the mighty breakers of the sea—
the LORD on high is majestic.
5 Your testimonies are fully confirmed;
holiness adorns Your house, O LORD,
for all the days to come.
Psalm 94
The LORD Will Not Forget His People
1 O LORD, God of vengeance,
O God of vengeance, shine forth.
2 Rise up, O Judge of the earth;
render a reward to the proud.
3 How long will the wicked, O LORD,
how long will the wicked exult?
4 They pour out arrogant words;
all workers of iniquity boast.
5 They crush Your people, O LORD;
they oppress Your heritage.
6 They kill the widow and the foreigner;
they murder the fatherless.
7 They say, “The LORD does not see;
the God of Jacob pays no heed.”
8 Take notice, O senseless among the people!
O fools, when will you be wise?
9 He who affixed the ear, can He not hear?
He who formed the eye, can He not see?
10 He who admonishes the nations, does He not discipline?
He who teaches man, does He lack knowledge?
11 The LORD knows the thoughts of man,
that they are futile. a
12 Blessed is the man You discipline, O LORD,
and teach from Your law,
13 to grant him relief from days of trouble,
until a pit is dug for the wicked.
14 For the LORD will not forsake His people;
He will never abandon His heritage.
15 Surely judgment will again be righteous,
and all the upright in heart will follow it.
16 Who will rise up for me against the wicked?
Who will stand for me against the workers of iniquity?
17 Unless the LORD had been my helper,
I would soon have dwelt in the abode of silence.
18 If I say, “My foot is slipping,”
Your loving devotion, O LORD, supports me.
19 When anxiety overwhelms me,
Your consolation delights my soul.
20 Can a corrupt throne be Your ally—
one devising mischief by decree?
21 They band together against the righteous
and condemn the innocent to death. b
22 But the LORD has been my stronghold,
and my God is my rock of refuge.
23 He will bring upon them their own iniquity
and destroy them for their wickedness.
The LORD our God will destroy them.
Footnotes:
11 a Cited in 1 Corinthians 3:20
21 b Or condemn innocent blood
Psalm 95
Do Not Harden Your Hearts
(Hebrews 3:7–11)
1 Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD;
let us shout to the Rock of our salvation!
2 Let us enter His presence with thanksgiving;
let us make a joyful noise to Him in song.
3 For the LORD is a great God,
a great King above all gods.
4 In His hand are the depths of the earth,
and the mountain peaks belong to Him.
5 The sea is His, for He made it,
and His hands formed the dry land.
6 O come, let us worship and bow down;
let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.
7 For He is our God,
and we are the people of His pasture,
the sheep under His care.
Today, if you hear His voice,
8 do not harden your hearts
as you did at Meribah, a
in the day at Massah in the wilderness, b
9 where your fathers tested and tried Me,
though they had seen My work.
10 For forty years I was angry with that generation,
and I said, “They are a people whose hearts go astray, c
and they have not known My ways.”
11 So I swore on oath in My anger,
“They shall never enter My rest.” d
Footnotes:
8 a LXX as you did in the rebellion ; Meribah means quarreling ; see Exodus 17:7; cited in Hebrews 3:15 and Hebrews 4:7.
8 b LXX in the day of testing in the wilderness ; Massah means testing ; see Exodus 17:7.
10 c LXX They always go astray in the heart
11 d Cited in Hebrews 3:7–11, Hebrews 4:3, and Hebrews 4:5
Psalm 96
Sing to the LORD, All the Earth
(1 Chronicles 16:23–36)
1 Sing to the LORD a new song;
sing to the LORD, all the earth.
2 Sing to the LORD, bless His name;
proclaim His salvation day after day.
3 Declare His glory among the nations,
His wonderful deeds among all peoples.
4 For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised;
He is to be feared above all gods.
5 For all the gods of the nations are idols,
but it is the LORD who made the heavens.
6 Splendor and majesty are before Him;
strength and beauty fill His sanctuary.
7 Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the nations,
ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.
8 Ascribe to the LORD the glory due His name;
bring an offering and enter His courts.
9 Worship the LORD in the splendor of His holiness;
tremble before Him, all the earth.
10 Declare among the nations: “The LORD reigns!”
The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved;
He will judge the peoples with equity.
11 Let the heavens be glad
and the earth rejoice;
let the sea resound,
and all that fills it.
12 Let the fields exult,
and all that is in them.
Then all the trees of the forest
will sing for joy 13 before the LORD,
for He is coming—
He is coming to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness
and the peoples in His faithfulness.
Psalm 97
Let the Earth Rejoice
1 The LORD reigns, let the earth rejoice;
let the distant shores be glad.
2 Clouds and darkness surround Him;
righteousness and justice are His throne’s foundation.
3 Fire goes before Him
and consumes His foes on every side.
4 His lightning illuminates the world;
the earth sees and trembles.
5 The mountains melt like wax
at the presence of the LORD,
before the Lord of all the earth.
6 The heavens proclaim His righteousness;
all the peoples see His glory.
7 All worshipers of images are put to shame—
those who boast in idols.
Worship Him, all you gods!
8 Zion hears and rejoices,
and the towns of Judah exult
because of Your judgments, O LORD.
9 For You, O LORD, are Most High over all the earth;
You are exalted far above all gods.
10 Hate evil, O you who love the LORD!
He preserves the souls of His saints;
He delivers them from the hand of the wicked.
11 Light shines a on the righteous,
gladness on the upright in heart.
12 Rejoice in the LORD, you righteous ones,
and praise His holy name.
Footnotes:
11 a One Hebrew manuscript, LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate; most Hebrew manuscripts Light is sown
Psalm 98
Sing to the LORD a New Song
(Psalm 149:1–9; Isaiah 42:10–17)
A Psalm.
1Sing to the LORD a new song,
for He has done wonders;
His right hand and holy arm
have gained Him the victory.
2 The LORD has proclaimed His salvation
and revealed His righteousness to the nations.
3 He has remembered His love and faithfulness
to the house of Israel;
all the ends of the earth
have seen the salvation of our God.
4 Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth;
break forth—let your cry ring out, and sing praises!
5 Sing praises to the LORD with the lyre,
in melodious song with the harp.
6 With trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn
shout for joy before the LORD, the King.
7 Let the sea resound, and all that fills it,
the world, and all who dwell in it.
8 Let the rivers clap their hands,
let the mountains sing together for joy
9 before the LORD,
for He comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness
and the peoples with equity.
Psalm 99
The LORD Reigns!
(Psalm 93:1–5)
1 The LORD reigns;
let the nations tremble!
He is enthroned above the cherubim;
let the earth quake!
2 Great is the LORD in Zion;
He is exalted above all the peoples.
3 Let them praise Your great and awesome name—
He is holy! a
4 The mighty King loves justice. b
You have established equity;
You have exercised justice
and righteousness in Jacob.
5 Exalt the LORD our God,
and worship at His footstool;
He is holy!
6 Moses and Aaron were among His priests;
Samuel was among those who called on His name.
They called to the LORD and He answered.
7 He spoke to them from the pillar of cloud;
they kept His decrees and the statutes He gave them.
8 O LORD our God, You answered them.
You were a forgiving God to them,
yet an avenger of their misdeeds.
9 Exalt the LORD our God
and worship at His holy mountain,
for the LORD our God is holy.
Footnotes:
3 a Or it is holy!
4 b Or The might of the King loves justice.
Psalm 100
Make a Joyful Noise
(Psalm 66:1–20)
A Psalm of thanksgiving.
1Make a joyful noise to the LORD,
all the earth.
2 Serve the LORD with gladness;
come into His presence with joyful songs.
3 Know that the LORD is God.
It is He who made us, and we are His; a
we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.
4 Enter His gates with thanksgiving
and His courts with praise;
give thanks to Him and bless His name.
5 For the LORD is good,
and His loving devotion endures forever;
His faithfulness continues to all generations.
Footnotes:
3 a Or and not we ourselves
Psalm 101
I Will Set No Worthless Thing before My Eyes
A Psalm of David.
1I will sing of Your loving devotion and justice;
to You, O LORD, I will sing praises.
2 I will ponder the way that is blameless—
when will You come to me?
I will walk in my house
with integrity of heart.
3 I will set no worthless thing
before my eyes.
I hate the work of those who fall away;
it shall not cling to me.
4 A perverse heart shall depart from me;
I will know nothing of evil.
5 Whoever slanders his neighbor in secret,
I will put to silence;
the one with haughty eyes and a proud heart,
I will not endure.
6 My eyes favor the faithful of the land,
that they may dwell with me;
he who walks in the way of integrity
shall minister to me.
7 No one who practices deceit
shall dwell in my house;
no one who tells lies
shall stand in my presence.
8 Every morning I will remove all the wicked of the land,
that I may cut off every evildoer from the city of the LORD.
Psalm 102
The Prayer of the Afflicted
A prayer of one who is afflicted, when he grows faint and pours out his lament before the LORD.
1Hear my prayer, O LORD;
let my cry for help come before You.
2 Do not hide Your face from me
in my day of distress.
Incline Your ear to me;
answer me quickly when I call.
3 For my days vanish like smoke,
and my bones burn like glowing embers.
4 My heart is afflicted, and withered like grass;
I even forget to eat my bread.
5 Through my loud groaning
my flesh clings to my bones.
6 I am like a desert owl,
like an owl among the ruins.
7 I lie awake;
I am like a lone bird on a housetop.
8 All day long my enemies taunt me;
they ridicule me and curse me.
9 For I have eaten ashes like bread
and mixed my drink with tears
10 because of Your indignation and wrath,
for You have picked me up and cast me aside.
11 My days are like lengthening shadows,
and I wither away like grass.
12 But You, O LORD, sit enthroned forever;
Your renown endures to all generations.
13 You will rise up and have compassion on Zion,
for it is time to show her favor—
the appointed time has come.
14 For Your servants delight in her stones
and take pity on her dust.
15 So the nations will fear the name of the LORD,
and all the kings of the earth will fear Your glory.
16 For the LORD will rebuild Zion;
He has appeared in His glory.
17 He will turn toward the prayer of the destitute;
He will not despise their prayer.
18 Let this be written for the generation to come,
so that a people not yet created may praise the LORD.
19 For He looked down from the heights of His sanctuary;
the LORD gazed out from heaven to earth
20 to hear a prisoner’s groaning,
to release those condemned to death,
21 that they may proclaim the name of the LORD in Zion
and praise Him in Jerusalem,
22 when peoples and kingdoms assemble
to serve the LORD.
23 He has broken my strength on the way;
He has cut short my days.
24 I say: “O my God, do not take me in the midst of my days!
Your years go on through all generations.
25 In the beginning You laid the foundations of the earth,
and the heavens are the work of Your hands.
26 They will perish, but You remain;
they will all wear out like a garment.
Like clothing You will change them,
and they will be passed on.
27 But You remain the same,
and Your years will never end. a
28 The children of Your servants will dwell securely,
and their descendants will be established before You.”
Footnotes:
27 a Cited in Hebrews 1:10–12
Psalm 103
Bless the LORD, O My Soul
Of David.
1Bless the LORD, O my soul;
all that is within me, bless His holy name.
2 Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and do not forget all His kind deeds—
3 He who forgives all your iniquities
and heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from the Pit
and crowns you with loving devotion and compassion,
5 who satisfies you with good things,
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
6 The LORD executes righteousness
and justice for all the oppressed.
7 He made known His ways to Moses,
His deeds to the people of Israel.
8 The LORD is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion.
9 He will not always accuse us,
nor harbor His anger forever.
10 He has not dealt with us according to our sins
or repaid us according to our iniquities.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is His loving devotion for those who fear Him.
12 As far as the east is from the west,
so far has He removed our transgressions from us.
13 As a father has compassion on his children,
so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him.
14 For He knows our frame;
He is mindful that we are dust.
15 As for man, his days are like grass—
he blooms like a flower of the field;
16 when the wind passes over, it vanishes,
and its place remembers it no more.
17 But from everlasting to everlasting
the loving devotion of the LORD
extends to those who fear Him,
and His righteousness to their children’s children—
18 to those who keep His covenant
and remember to obey His precepts.
19 The LORD has established His throne in heaven,
and His kingdom rules over all.
20 Bless the LORD, all His angels mighty in strength
who carry out His word,
who hearken to the voice of His command.
21 Bless the LORD, all His hosts,
you servants who do His will.
22 Bless the LORD, all His works
in all places of His dominion.
Bless the LORD, O my soul!
Psalm 104
How Many Are Your Works, O LORD!
1 Bless the LORD, O my soul!
O LORD my God, You are very great;
You are clothed with splendor and majesty.
2 He wraps Himself in light as with a garment;
He stretches out the heavens like a tent,
3 laying the beams of His chambers
in the waters above,
making the clouds His chariot,
walking on the wings of the wind.
4 He makes the winds His messengers,
flames of fire His servants. a
5 He set the earth on its foundations,
never to be moved.
6 You covered it with the deep like a garment;
the waters stood above the mountains.
7 At Your rebuke the waters fled;
at the sound of Your thunder they hurried away—
8 the mountains rose and the valleys sank
to the place You assigned for them—
9 You set a boundary they cannot cross,
that they may never again cover the earth.
10 He sends forth springs in the valleys;
they flow between the mountains.
11 They give drink to every beast of the field;
the wild donkeys quench their thirst.
12 The birds of the air nest beside the springs;
they sing among the branches.
13 He waters the mountains from His chambers;
the earth is satisfied by the fruit of His works.
14 He makes the grass grow for the livestock
and provides crops for man to cultivate,
bringing forth food from the earth:
15 wine that gladdens the heart of man,
oil that makes his face to shine,
and bread that sustains his heart.
16 The trees of the LORD have their fill,
the cedars of Lebanon that He planted,
17 where the birds build their nests;
the stork makes her home in the cypresses. b
18 The high mountains are for the wild goats,
the cliffs a refuge for the rock badgers. c
19 He made the moon to mark the seasons;
the sun knows when to set.
20 You bring darkness, and it becomes night,
when all the beasts of the forest prowl.
21 The young lions roar for their prey
and seek their food from God.
22 The sun rises, and they withdraw;
they lie down in their dens.
23 Man goes forth to his work
and to his labor until evening.
24 How many are Your works, O LORD!
In wisdom You have made them all;
the earth is full of Your creatures.
25 Here is the sea, vast and wide,
teeming with creatures beyond number,
living things both great and small.
26 There the ships pass,
and Leviathan, which You formed to frolic there.
27 All creatures look to You
to give them their food in due season.
28 When You give it to them,
they gather it up;
when You open Your hand,
they are satisfied with good things.
29 When You hide Your face,
they are terrified;
when You take away their breath,
they die and return to dust.
30 When You send Your Spirit, d
they are created,
and You renew
the face of the earth.
31 May the glory of the LORD endure forever;
may the LORD rejoice in His works.
32 He looks on the earth,
and it trembles;
He touches the mountains,
and they smolder.
33 I will sing to the LORD all my life;
I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.
34 May my meditation be pleasing to Him,
for I rejoice in the LORD.
35 May sinners vanish from the earth
and the wicked be no more.
Bless the LORD, O my soul.
Hallelujah! e
Footnotes:
4 a LXX He makes His angels winds, His servants flames of fire. Cited in Hebrews 1:7
17 b Or pines or junipers or firs
18 c Or the coneys or the hyraxes
30 d Or breath
35 e Or Hallelu YAH , meaning Praise the LORD
Psalm 105
Tell of His Wonders
(1 Chronicles 16:7–22)
1 Give thanks to the LORD, call upon His name;
make known His deeds among the nations.
2 Sing to Him, sing praises to Him;
tell of all His wonders.
3 Glory in His holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.
4 Seek out the LORD and His strength;
seek His face always.
5 Remember the wonders He has done,
His marvels, and the judgments He has pronounced,
6 O offspring of His servant Abraham,
O sons of Jacob, His chosen ones.
7 He is the LORD our God;
His judgments carry throughout the earth.
8 He remembers His covenant forever,
the word He ordained for a thousand generations—
9 the covenant He made with Abraham,
and the oath He swore to Isaac.
10 He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree,
to Israel as an everlasting covenant:
11 “I will give you the land of Canaan
as the portion of your inheritance.”
12 When they were few in number,
few indeed, and strangers in the land,
13 they wandered from nation to nation,
from one kingdom to another.
14 He let no man oppress them;
He rebuked kings on their behalf:
15 “Do not touch My anointed ones!
Do no harm to My prophets!”
16 He called down famine on the land
and cut off all their supplies a of food.
17 He sent a man before them—
Joseph, sold as a slave.
18 They bruised his feet with shackles
and placed his neck in irons,
19 until his prediction came true
and the word of the LORD proved him right.
20 The king sent and released him;
the ruler of peoples set him free.
21 He made him master of his household,
ruler over all his substance,
22 to instruct b his princes as he pleased
and teach his elders wisdom.
23 Then Israel entered Egypt;
Jacob dwelt in the land of Ham.
24 And the LORD made His people very fruitful,
more numerous than their foes,
25 whose hearts He turned to hate His people,
to conspire against His servants.
26 He sent Moses His servant,
and Aaron, whom He had chosen.
27 They performed His miraculous signs among them,
and wonders in the land of Ham.
28 He sent darkness, and it became dark—
yet they defied His words. c
29 He turned their waters to blood
and caused their fish to die.
30 Their land teemed with frogs,
even in their royal chambers.
31 He spoke, and insects swarmed—
gnats throughout their country.
32 He gave them hail for rain,
with lightning throughout their land.
33 He struck their vines and fig trees
and shattered the trees of their country.
34 He spoke, and the locusts came—
young locusts without number.
35 They devoured every plant in their land
and consumed the produce of their soil.
36 Then He struck all the firstborn in their land,
the firstfruits of all their vigor.
37 He brought Israel out with silver and gold,
and none among His tribes stumbled.
38 Egypt was glad when they departed,
for the dread of Israel had fallen on them.
39 He spread a cloud as a covering
and a fire to light up the night.
40 They asked, and He brought quail
and satisfied them with the bread of heaven.
41 He opened a rock, and water gushed out;
it flowed like a river in the desert.
42 For He remembered His holy promise
to Abraham His servant.
43 He brought forth His people with rejoicing,
His chosen with shouts of joy.
44 He gave them the lands of the nations,
that they might inherit the fruit of others’ labor,
45 that they might keep His statutes
and obey His laws.
Hallelujah! d
Footnotes:
16 a Hebrew staff
22 b LXX and Syriac; MT to bind
28 c LXX and Syriac; Hebrew for had they not defied His words?
45 d Or Hallelu YAH , meaning Praise the LORD
Psalm 106
Give Thanks to the LORD, for He Is Good
Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good;
His loving devotion endures forever.
2 Who can describe the mighty acts of the LORD
or fully proclaim His praise?
3 Blessed are those who uphold justice,
who practice righteousness at all times.
4 Remember me, O LORD, in Your favor to Your people;
visit me with Your salvation,
5 that I may see the prosperity of Your chosen ones,
and rejoice in the gladness of Your nation,
and give glory with Your inheritance.
6 We have sinned like our fathers;
we have done wrong and acted wickedly.
7 Our fathers in Egypt did not grasp Your wonders
or remember Your abundant kindness;
but they rebelled by the sea,
there at the Red Sea. b
8 Yet He saved them for the sake of His name,
to make His power known.
9 He rebuked the Red Sea, and it dried up;
He led them through the depths as through a desert.
10 He saved them from the hand that hated them;
He redeemed them from the hand of the enemy.
11 The waters covered their foes;
not one of them remained.
12 Then they believed His promises
and sang His praise.
13 Yet they soon forgot His works
and failed to wait for His counsel.
14 They craved intensely in the wilderness
and tested God in the desert.
15 So He granted their request,
but sent a wasting disease upon them.
16 In the camp they envied Moses,
as well as Aaron, the holy one of the LORD.
17 The earth opened up and swallowed Dathan;
it covered the assembly of Abiram.
18 Then fire blazed through their company;
flames consumed the wicked.
19 At Horeb c they made a calf
and worshiped a molten image.
20 They exchanged their Glory d
for the image of a grass-eating ox.
21 They forgot God their Savior,
who did great things in Egypt,
22 wondrous works in the land of Ham,
and awesome deeds by the Red Sea.
23 So He said He would destroy them—
had not Moses His chosen one
stood before Him in the breach
to divert His wrath from destroying them.
24 They despised the pleasant land;
they did not believe His promise.
25 They grumbled in their tents
and did not listen to the voice of the LORD.
26 So He raised His hand and swore
to cast them down in the wilderness,
27 to disperse e their offspring among the nations
and scatter them throughout the lands.
28 They yoked themselves to Baal of Peor
and ate sacrifices offered to lifeless gods.
29 So they provoked the LORD to anger with their deeds,
and a plague broke out among them.
30 But Phinehas stood and intervened,
and the plague was restrained.
31 It was credited to him as righteousness
for endless generations to come.
32 At the waters of Meribah f they angered the LORD,
and trouble came to Moses because of them.
33 For they rebelled against His Spirit, g
and Moses spoke rashly with his lips.
34 They did not destroy the peoples
as the LORD had commanded them,
35 but they mingled with the nations
and adopted their customs.
36 They worshiped their idols,
which became a snare to them.
37 They sacrificed their sons
and their daughters to demons.
38 They shed innocent blood—
the blood of their sons and daughters,
whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan,
and the land was polluted with blood.
39 They defiled themselves by their actions
and prostituted themselves by their deeds.
40 So the anger of the LORD burned against His people,
and He abhorred His own inheritance.
41 He delivered them into the hand of the nations,
and those who hated them ruled over them.
42 Their enemies oppressed them,
and subdued them under their hand.
43 Many times He rescued them,
but they were bent on rebellion
and sank down in their iniquity.
44 Nevertheless He heard their cry;
He took note of their distress.
45 And He remembered His covenant with them,
and relented by the abundance of His loving devotion.
46 He made them objects of compassion
to all who held them captive.
47 Save us, O LORD our God,
and gather us from the nations,
that we may give thanks to Your holy name,
that we may glory in Your praise.
48 Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting.
Let all the people say, “Amen!”
Hallelujah!
Footnotes:
1 a Or Hallelu YAH , meaning Praise the LORD ; also in verse 48
7 b Or the Sea of Reeds ; also in verses 9 and 22
19 c That is, Mount Sinai, or possibly a mountain in the range containing Mount Sinai
20 d Or their glorious God
27 e Or cast down or cause to fall
32 f Meribah means quarreling ; see Exodus 17:7.
33 g Or they provoked His Spirit
Psalm 107
BOOK V
Psalms 107–150
Thanksgiving for Deliverance
(Matthew 8:23–27; Mark 4:35–41; Luke 8:22–25)
1 Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good;
His loving devotion endures forever.
2 Let the redeemed of the LORD say so,
whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy
3 and gathered from the lands,
from east and west, from north and south. a
4 Some wandered in desert wastelands,
finding no path to a city in which to dwell.
5 They were hungry and thirsty;
their soul fainted within them.
6 Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,
and He delivered them from their distress.
7 He led them on a straight path
to reach a city where they could live.
8 Let them give thanks to the LORD for His loving devotion
and His wonders to the sons of men.
9 For He satisfies the thirsty
and fills the hungry with good things.
10 Some sat in darkness and in the shadow of death,
prisoners in affliction and chains,
11 because they rebelled against the words of God
and despised the counsel of the Most High.
12 He humbled their hearts with hard labor;
they stumbled, and there was no one to help.
13 Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,
and He saved them from their distress.
14 He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death
and broke away their chains.
15 Let them give thanks to the LORD for His loving devotion
and His wonders to the sons of men.
16 For He has broken down the gates of bronze
and cut through the bars of iron.
17 Fools, in their rebellious ways,
and through their iniquities, suffered affliction.
18 They loathed all food
and drew near to the gates of death.
19 Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,
and He saved them from their distress.
20 He sent forth His word and healed them;
He rescued them from the Pit.
21 Let them give thanks to the LORD for His loving devotion
and His wonders to the sons of men.
22 Let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving
and declare His works with rejoicing.
23 Others went out to sea in ships,
conducting trade on the mighty waters.
24 They saw the works of the LORD,
and His wonders in the deep.
25 For He spoke and raised a tempest
that lifted the waves of the sea.
26 They mounted up to the heavens, then sunk to the depths;
their courage melted in their anguish.
27 They reeled and staggered like drunkards,
and all their skill was useless. b
28 Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,
and He brought them out of their distress.
29 He calmed the storm to a whisper,
and the waves of the sea c were hushed.
30 They rejoiced in the silence,
and He guided them to the harbor they desired.
31 Let them give thanks to the LORD for His loving devotion
and His wonders to the sons of men.
32 Let them exalt Him in the assembly of the people
and praise Him in the council of the elders.
33 He turns rivers into deserts,
springs of water into thirsty ground,
34 and fruitful land into fields of salt,
because of the wickedness of its dwellers.
35 He turns a desert into pools of water
and a dry land into flowing springs.
36 He causes the hungry to settle there,
that they may establish a city in which to dwell.
37 They sow fields and plant vineyards
that yield a fruitful harvest.
38 He blesses them, and they multiply greatly;
He does not let their herds diminish.
39 When they are decreased and humbled
by oppression, evil, and sorrow,
40 He pours out contempt on the nobles
and makes them wander in a trackless wasteland.
41 But He lifts the needy from affliction
and increases their families like flocks.
42 The upright see and rejoice,
and all iniquity shuts its mouth.
43 Let him who is wise pay heed to these things
and consider the loving devotion of the LORD.
Footnotes:
3 a Hebrew north and the sea
27 b Or and all their wisdom was swallowed up or and they were at their wits’ end
29 c DSS; MT their waves
Psalm 108
Israel’s Kingdom Blessing
(Psalm 57:1–11; Psalm 60:1–12)
A song. A Psalm of David.
1My heart is steadfast, O God;
I will sing and make music with all my being. a
2 Awake, O harp and lyre!
I will awaken the dawn.
3 I will praise You, O LORD, among the nations;
I will sing Your praises among the peoples.
4 For Your loving devotion extends beyond the heavens,
and Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.
5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
may Your glory cover all the earth.
6 Respond and save us with Your right hand,
that Your beloved may be delivered.
7 God has spoken from His sanctuary: b
“I will triumph!
I will parcel out Shechem
and apportion the Valley of Succoth.
8 Gilead is Mine, and Manasseh is Mine;
Ephraim is My helmet, Judah is My scepter.
9 Moab is My washbasin;
upon Edom I toss My sandal;
over Philistia I shout in triumph.”
10 Who will bring me to the fortified city?
Who will lead me to Edom?
11 Have You not rejected us, O God?
Will You no longer march out, O God, with our armies?
12 Give us aid against the enemy,
for the help of man is worthless.
13 With God we will perform with valor,
and He will trample our enemies.
Footnotes:
1 a Or with my glory
7 b Or in His holiness
Psalm 109
The Song of the Slandered
For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.
1O God of my praise,
be not silent.
2 For wicked and deceitful mouths open against me;
they speak against me with lying tongues.
3 They surround me with hateful words
and attack me without cause.
4 In return for my love they accuse me,
but I am a man of prayer.
5 They repay me evil for good,
and hatred for my love.
6 Set over him a wicked man;
let an accuser stand at his right hand.
7 When he is tried, let him be found guilty,
and may his prayer be regarded as sin.
8 May his days be few;
may another take his position. a
9 May his children be fatherless
and his wife a widow.
10 May his children wander as beggars,
seeking sustenance b far from their ruined homes.
11 May the creditor seize all he owns,
and strangers plunder the fruits of his labor.
12 May there be no one to extend kindness to him,
and no one to favor his fatherless children.
13 May his descendants be cut off;
may their name be blotted out from the next generation.
14 May the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the LORD,
and the sin of his mother never be blotted out.
15 May their sins always remain before the LORD,
that He may cut off their memory from the earth.
16 For he never thought to show kindness,
but pursued the poor and needy and brokenhearted,
even to their death.
17 The cursing that he loved,
may it fall on him;
the blessing in which he refused to delight,
may it be far from him.
18 The cursing that he wore like a coat,
may it soak into his body like water,
and into his bones like oil.
19 May it be like a robe wrapped about him,
like a belt tied forever around him.
20 May this be the LORD’s reward to my accusers,
to those who speak evil against me.
21 But You, O GOD, the Lord,
deal kindly with me for the sake of Your name;
deliver me by the goodness of Your loving devotion.
22 For I am poor and needy;
my heart is wounded within me.
23 I am fading away like a lengthening shadow;
I am shaken off like a locust.
24 My knees are weak from fasting,
and my body grows lean and gaunt.
25 I am an object of scorn to my accusers;
when they see me, they shake their heads.
26 Help me, O LORD my God;
save me according to Your loving devotion.
27 Let them know that this is Your hand,
that You, O LORD, have done it.
28 Though they curse, You will bless.
When they rise up, they will be put to shame,
but Your servant will rejoice.
29 May my accusers be clothed with disgrace;
may they wear their shame like a robe.
30 With my mouth I will thank the LORD profusely;
I will praise Him in the presence of many.
31 For He stands at the right hand of the needy one,
to save him from the condemners of his soul.
Footnotes:
8 a Cited in Acts 1:20
10 b Hebrew; LXX may they be driven
Psalm 110
God’s Faithful Messiah
(Genesis 14:17–24; Hebrews 5:1–10)
A Psalm of David.
1The LORD said to my Lord:
“Sit at My right hand
until I make Your enemies
a footstool for Your feet.” a
2 The LORD extends Your mighty scepter from Zion:
“Rule in the midst of Your enemies.”
3 Your people shall be willing
on Your day of battle.
Arrayed in holy splendor, from the womb of the dawn,
to You belongs the dew of Your youth.
4 The LORD has sworn
and will not change His mind:
“You are a priest forever
in the order of Melchizedek.” b
5 The Lord is at Your right hand;
He will crush kings in the day of His wrath.
6 He will judge the nations, heaping up the dead;
He will crush the leaders far and wide.
7 He will drink from the brook by the road;
therefore He will lift up His head.
Footnotes:
1 a Cited in Matthew 22:44, Mark 12:36;Luke 20:42–43, Acts 2:34–35, and Hebrews 1:13
4 b Cited in Hebrews 5:6, Hebrews 7:17, and Hebrews 7:21
Psalm 111
Majestic Is His Work
I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart
in the council of the upright and in the assembly.
2 Great are the works of the LORD;
they are pondered by all who delight in them.
3 Splendid and majestic is His work;
His righteousness endures forever.
4 He has caused His wonders to be remembered;
the LORD is gracious and compassionate.
5 He provides food for those who fear Him;
He remembers His covenant forever.
6 He has shown His people the power of His works
by giving them the inheritance of the nations.
7 The works of His hands are truth and justice;
all His precepts are trustworthy.
8 They are upheld forever and ever,
enacted in truth and uprightness.
9 He has sent redemption to His people;
He has ordained His covenant forever;
holy and awesome is His name.
10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom;
all who follow His precepts gain rich understanding.
His praise endures forever!
Footnotes:
1 a Or Hallelu YAH , meaning Praise the LORD . This psalm is an acrostic poem, each line beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.
Psalm 112
The Blessed Fear of the LORD
(Psalm 128:1–6)
Blessed is the man who fears the LORD,
who greatly delights in His commandments.
2 His descendants will be mighty in the land;
the generation of the upright will be blessed.
3 Wealth and riches are in his house,
and his righteousness endures forever.
4 Light dawns in the darkness for the upright—
for the gracious, compassionate, and righteous.
5 It is well with the man who is generous and lends freely,
whose affairs are guided by justice.
6 Surely he will never be shaken;
the righteous man will be remembered forever.
7 He does not fear bad news;
his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.
8 His heart is assured; he does not fear,
until he looks in triumph on his foes.
9 He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor;
his righteousness endures forever; b
his horn will be lifted high in honor.
10 The wicked man will see and be grieved;
he will gnash his teeth and waste away;
the desires of the wicked will perish.
Footnotes:
1 a Or Hallelu YAH , meaning Praise the LORD . This psalm is an acrostic poem, each line beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.
9 b Cited in 2 Corinthians 9:9
Psalm 113
The LORD Exalts the Humble
(1 Samuel 1:1–8)
Give praise, O servants of the LORD;
praise the name of the LORD.
2 Blessed be the name of the LORD
both now and forevermore.
3 From where the sun rises to where it sets,
the name of the LORD is praised.
4 The LORD is exalted over all the nations,
His glory above the heavens.
5 Who is like the LORD our God,
the One enthroned on high?
6 He humbles Himself to behold
the heavens and the earth.
7 He raises the poor from the dust
and lifts the needy from the dump
8 to seat them with nobles,
with the princes of His people.
9 He settles the barren woman in her home
as a joyful mother to her children.
Hallelujah!
Footnotes:
1 a Or Hallelu YAH , meaning Praise the LORD ; also in verse 9
Psalm 114
A Psalm of Exodus
1 When Israel departed from Egypt,
the house of Jacob from a people of foreign tongue,
2 Judah became God’s sanctuary,
and Israel His dominion.
3 The sea observed and fled;
the Jordan turned back;
4 the mountains skipped like rams,
the hills like lambs.
5 Why was it, O sea, that you fled,
O Jordan, that you turned back,
6 O mountains, that you skipped like rams,
O hills, like lambs?
7 Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord,
at the presence of the God of Jacob,
8 who turned the rock into a pool,
the flint into a fountain of water!
Psalm 115
To Your Name Be the Glory
(Psalm 135:1–21)
1 Not to us, O LORD, not to us,
but to Your name be the glory,
because of Your loving devotion,
because of Your faithfulness.
2 Why should the nations say,
“Where is their God?”
3 Our God is in heaven;
He does as He pleases.
4 Their idols are silver and gold,
made by the hands of men.
5 They have mouths, but cannot speak;
they have eyes, but cannot see;
6 they have ears, but cannot hear;
they have noses, but cannot smell;
7 they have hands, but cannot feel;
they have feet, but cannot walk;
they cannot even clear their throats. a
8 Those who make them become like them,
as do all who trust in them.
9 O Israel, b trust in the LORD!
He is their help and shield.
10 O house of Aaron, trust in the LORD!
He is their help and shield.
11 You who fear the LORD, trust in the LORD!
He is their help and shield.
12 The LORD is mindful of us;
He will bless us.
He will bless the house of Israel;
He will bless the house of Aaron;
13 He will bless those who fear the LORD—
small and great alike.
14 May the LORD give you increase,
both you and your children.
15 May you be blessed by the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
16 The highest heavens belong to the LORD,
but the earth He has given to mankind.
17 It is not the dead who praise the LORD,
nor any who descend into silence.
18 But it is we who will bless the LORD,
both now and forevermore.
Hallelujah! c
Footnotes:
7 a Literally they cannot utter with their throat
9 b MT; many Hebrew manuscripts, LXX, and Syriac O house of Israel
18 c Or Hallelu YAH , meaning Praise the LORD
Psalm 116
The LORD Has Heard My Voice
1 I love the LORD, for He has heard my voice—
my appeal for mercy.
2 Because He has inclined His ear to me,
I will call on Him as long as I live.
3 The ropes of death entangled me;
the anguish of Sheol overcame me;
I was confronted by trouble and sorrow.
4 Then I called on the name of the LORD:
“O LORD, deliver my soul!”
5 The LORD is gracious and righteous;
our God is full of compassion.
6 The LORD preserves the simplehearted;
I was helpless, and He saved me.
7 Return to your rest, O my soul,
for the LORD has been good to you.
8 For You have delivered my soul from death,
my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling.
9 I will walk before the LORD
10 I believed, therefore I said, a
“I am greatly afflicted.”
11 In my alarm I said,
“All men are liars!”
12 How can I repay the LORD
for all His goodness to me?
13 I will lift the cup of salvation
and call on the name of the LORD.
14 I will fulfill my vows to the LORD
in the presence of all His people.
15 Precious in the sight of the LORD
is the death of His saints.
16 Truly, O LORD, I am Your servant;
I am Your servant, the son of Your maidservant;
You have broken my bonds.
17 I will offer to You a sacrifice of thanksgiving
and call on the name of the LORD.
18 I will fulfill my vows to the LORD
in the presence of all His people,
19 in the courts of the LORD’s house,
in your midst, O Jerusalem.
Hallelujah! b
Footnotes:
10 a LXX therefore I have spoken ; cited in 2 Corinthians 4:13
19 b Or Hallelu YAH , meaning Praise the LORD
Psalm 117
Extol Him, All You Peoples
1 Praise the LORD, all you nations!
Extol Him, all you peoples! a
2 For great is His loving devotion toward us,
and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever.
Hallelujah! b
Footnotes:
1 a Cited in Romans 15:11
2 b Or Hallelu YAH , meaning Praise the LORD
Psalm 118
The LORD Is on My Side
1 Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good;
His loving devotion endures forever.
“His loving devotion endures forever.”
3 Let the house of Aaron say,
“His loving devotion endures forever.”
4 Let those who fear the LORD say,
“His loving devotion endures forever.”
5 In my distress I called to the LORD,
and He answered and set me free.
6 The LORD is on my side; b I will not be afraid.
What can man do to me? c
7 The LORD is on my side; He is my helper.
Therefore I will look in triumph on those who hate me.
8 It is better to take refuge in the LORD
than to trust in man.
9 It is better to take refuge in the LORD
than to trust in princes.
10 All the nations surrounded me,
but in the name of the LORD I cut them off.
11 They surrounded me on every side,
but in the name of the LORD I cut them off.
12 They swarmed around me like bees,
but they were extinguished like burning thorns;
in the name of the LORD I cut them off.
13 I was pushed so hard I was falling,
but the LORD helped me.
14 The LORD is my strength and my song,
and He has become my salvation.
15 Shouts of joy and salvation resound in the tents of the righteous:
“The right hand of the LORD performs with valor!
16 The right hand of the LORD is exalted!
The right hand of the LORD performs with valor!”
17 I will not die, but I will live
and proclaim what the LORD has done.
18 The LORD disciplined me severely,
but He has not given me over to death.
19 Open to me the gates of righteousness,
that I may enter and give thanks to the LORD.
20 This is the gate of the LORD;
the righteous shall enter through it.
21 I will give You thanks, for You have answered me,
and You have become my salvation.
22 The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone. d
23 This is from the LORD,
and it is marvelous in our eyes. e
24 This is the day that the LORD has made;
we will rejoice and be glad in it.
25 O LORD, save us, we pray. f
We beseech You, O LORD, cause us to prosper!
26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD. g
From the house of the LORD we bless you.
27 The LORD is God;
He has made His light to shine upon us.
Bind the festal sacrifice with cords
to the horns of the altar. h
28 You are my God, and I will give You thanks.
You are my God, and I will exalt You.
29 Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good;
His loving devotion endures forever.
Footnotes:
2 a LXX the house of Israel
6 b Or The LORD is with me ; also in verse 7; LXX The Lord is my helper
6 c Cited in Hebrews 13:6
22 d Hebrew the head of the corner ; cited in Matthew 21:42, Mark 12:10, Luke 20:17, Acts 4:11, and 1 Peter 2:7
23 e Cited in Matthew 21:42 and Mark 12:11
25 f Hebrew hosia-na , meaning save, we pray or save now ; see Matthew 21:9, Matthew 21:15, Mark 11:9, and John 12:13.
26 g Cited in Matthew 21:9, Matthew 23:39, Mark 11:9, Luke 13:35, Luke 19:38, and John 12:13
27 h Or Join in the festal procession with boughs in hand, up to the horns of the altar.
Psalm 119
Your Word Is a Lamp to My Feet
א
ALEPH
1 Blessed a are those whose way is blameless,
who walk in the Law of the LORD.
2 Blessed are those who keep His testimonies
and seek Him with all their heart.
3 They do no iniquity;
they walk in His ways.
4 You have ordained Your precepts,
that we should keep them diligently.
5 Oh, that my ways were committed
to keeping Your statutes!
6 Then I would not be ashamed
when I consider all Your commandments.
7 I will praise You with an upright heart
when I learn Your righteous judgments.
8 I will keep Your statutes;
do not utterly forsake me.
ב
BETH
9 How can a young man keep his way pure?
By guarding it according to Your word.
10 With all my heart I have sought You;
do not let me stray from Your commandments.
11 I have hidden Your word in my heart
that I might not sin against You.
12 Blessed are You, O LORD;
teach me Your statutes.
13 With my lips I proclaim
all the judgments of Your mouth.
14 I rejoice in the way of Your testimonies
as much as in all riches.
15 I will meditate on Your precepts
and regard Your ways.
16 I will delight in Your statutes;
I will not forget Your word.
ג
GIMEL
17 Deal bountifully with Your servant,
that I may live and keep Your word.
18 Open my eyes that I may see
wondrous things from Your law.
19 I am a stranger on the earth;
do not hide Your commandments from me.
20 My soul is consumed with longing
for Your judgments at all times.
21 You rebuke the arrogant—
the cursed who stray from Your commandments.
22 Remove my scorn and contempt,
for I have kept Your testimonies.
23 Though rulers sit and slander me,
Your servant meditates on Your statutes.
24 Your testimonies are indeed my delight;
they are my counselors.
ד
DALETH
25 My soul cleaves to the dust;
revive me according to Your word.
26 I recounted my ways, and You answered me;
teach me Your statutes.
27 Make clear to me the way of Your precepts;
then I will meditate on Your wonders.
28 My soul melts with sorrow;
strengthen me according to Your word.
29 Remove me from the path of deceit
and graciously grant me Your law.
30 I have chosen the way of truth;
I have set Your ordinances before me.
31 I cling to Your testimonies, O LORD;
let me not be put to shame.
32 I run in the path of Your commandments,
for You will enlarge my heart.
ה
HE
33 Teach me, O LORD, the way of Your statutes,
and I will keep them to the end. b
34 Give me understanding that I may obey Your law,
and follow it with all my heart.
35 Direct me in the path of Your commandments,
for there I find delight.
36 Turn my heart to Your testimonies
and not to covetous gain.
37 Turn my eyes away from worthless things;
revive me with Your word. c
38 Establish Your word to Your servant,
to produce reverence for You.
39 Turn away the disgrace I dread,
for Your judgments are good.
40 How I long for Your precepts!
Revive me in Your righteousness.
ו
WAW
41 May Your loving devotion come to me, O LORD,
Your salvation, according to Your promise.
42 Then I can answer him who taunts,
for I trust in Your word.
43 Never take Your word of truth from my mouth,
for I hope in Your judgments.
44 I will always obey Your law,
forever and ever.
45 And I will walk in freedom,
for I have sought Your precepts.
46 I will speak of Your testimonies before kings,
and I will not be ashamed.
47 I delight in Your commandments
because I love them.
48 I lift up my hands to Your commandments, which I love,
and I meditate on Your statutes.
ז
ZAYIN
49 Remember Your word to Your servant,
upon which You have given me hope.
50 This is my comfort in affliction,
that Your promise has given me life.
51 The arrogant utterly deride me,
but I do not turn from Your law.
52 I remember Your judgments of old, O LORD,
and in them I find comfort.
53 Rage has taken hold of me
because of the wicked who reject Your law.
54 Your statutes are songs to me
in the house of my pilgrimage.
55 In the night, O LORD, I remember Your name,
that I may keep Your law.
56 This is my practice,
for I obey Your precepts.
ח
HETH
57 The LORD is my portion;
I have promised to keep Your words.
58 I have sought Your face with all my heart;
be gracious to me according to Your promise.
59 I considered my ways
and turned my steps to Your testimonies.
60 I hurried without hesitating
to keep Your commandments.
61 Though the ropes of the wicked bind me,
I do not forget Your law.
62 At midnight I rise to give You thanks
for Your righteous judgments.
63 I am a friend to all who fear You,
and to those who keep Your precepts.
64 The earth is filled with Your loving devotion, O LORD;
teach me Your statutes.
ט
TETH
65 You are good to Your servant, O LORD,
according to Your word.
66 Teach me good judgment and knowledge,
for I believe in Your commandments.
67 Before I was afflicted, I went astray;
but now I keep Your word.
68 You are good, and You do what is good;
teach me Your statutes.
69 Though the arrogant have smeared me with lies,
I keep Your precepts with all my heart.
70 Their hearts are hard d and callous,
but I delight in Your law.
71 It was good for me to be afflicted,
that I might learn Your statutes.
72 The law from Your mouth is more precious to me
than thousands of pieces of gold and silver.
י
YODH
73 Your hands have made me and fashioned me;
give me understanding to learn Your commandments.
74 May those who fear You see me and rejoice,
for I have hoped in Your word.
75 I know, O LORD, that Your judgments are righteous,
and that in faithfulness You have afflicted me.
76 May Your loving devotion comfort me, I pray,
according to Your promise to Your servant.
77 May Your compassion come to me, that I may live,
for Your law is my delight.
78 May the arrogant be put to shame for subverting me with a lie;
I will meditate on Your precepts.
79 May those who fear You turn to me,
those who know Your testimonies.
80 May my heart be blameless in Your statutes,
that I may not be put to shame.
כ
KAPH
81 My soul faints for Your salvation;
I wait for Your word.
82 My eyes fail, looking for Your promise;
I ask, “When will You comfort me?”
83 Though I am like a wineskin dried up by smoke,
I do not forget Your statutes.
84 How many days must Your servant wait? e
When will You execute judgment on my persecutors?
85 The arrogant have dug pits for me
in violation of Your law.
86 All Your commandments are faithful;
I am persecuted without cause—help me!
87 They almost wiped me from the earth,
but I have not forsaken Your precepts.
88 Revive me according to Your loving devotion,
that I may obey the testimony of Your mouth.
ל
LAMEDH
89 Your word, O LORD, is everlasting;
it is firmly fixed in the heavens.
90 Your faithfulness continues through all generations;
You established the earth, and it endures.
91 Your ordinances stand to this day, f
for all things are servants to You.
92 If Your law had not been my delight,
then I would have perished in my affliction.
93 I will never forget Your precepts,
for by them You have revived me.
94 I am Yours; save me,
for I have sought Your precepts.
95 The wicked wait to destroy me,
but I will ponder Your testimonies.
96 I have seen a limit to all perfection,
but Your commandment is without limit.
מ
MEM
97 Oh, how I love Your law!
All day long it is my meditation.
98 Your commandments make me wiser than my enemies,
for they are always with me.
99 I have more insight than all my teachers,
for Your testimonies are my meditation.
100 I discern more than the elders,
for I obey Your precepts.
101 I have kept my feet from every evil path,
that I may keep Your word.
102 I have not departed from Your ordinances,
for You Yourself have taught me.
103 How sweet are Your words to my taste—
sweeter than honey in my mouth!
104 I gain understanding from Your precepts;
therefore I hate every false way.
נ
NUN
105 Your word is a lamp to my feet
and a light to my path.
106 I have sworn and confirmed
that I will keep Your righteous judgments.
107 I am severely afflicted, O LORD;
revive me through Your word.
108 Accept the freewill offerings of my mouth, O LORD,
and teach me Your judgments.
109 I constantly take my life in my hands,
yet I do not forget Your law.
110 The wicked have set a snare for me,
but I have not strayed from Your precepts.
111 Your testimonies are my heritage forever,
for they are the joy of my heart.
112 I have inclined my heart to perform Your statutes,
even to the very end.
ס
SAMEKH
113 The double-minded I despise,
but Your law I love.
114 You are my hiding place and my shield;
I put my hope in Your word.
115 Depart from me, you evildoers,
that I may obey the commandments of my God.
116 Sustain me as You promised, that I may live;
let me not be ashamed of my hope.
117 Uphold me, and I will be saved,
that I may always regard Your statutes.
118 You reject all who stray from Your statutes,
for their deceitfulness is in vain.
119 All the wicked on earth You discard like dross;
therefore I love Your testimonies.
120 My flesh trembles in awe of You;
I stand in fear of Your judgments.
ע
AYIN
121 I have done what is just and right;
do not leave me to my oppressors.
122 Ensure Your servant’s well-being;
do not let the arrogant oppress me.
123 My eyes fail, looking for Your salvation,
and for Your righteous promise.
124 Deal with Your servant according to Your loving devotion,
and teach me Your statutes.
125 I am Your servant; give me understanding,
that I may know Your testimonies.
126 It is time for the LORD to act,
for they have broken Your law.
127 Therefore I love Your commandments more than gold,
even the purest gold.
128 Therefore I admire all Your precepts
and hate every false way.
פ
PE
129 Wonderful are Your testimonies;
therefore I obey them.
130 The unfolding of Your words gives light;
it informs the simple.
131 I open my mouth and pant,
longing for Your commandments.
132 Turn to me and show me mercy,
as You do to those who love Your name.
133 Order my steps in Your word;
let no sin rule over me.
134 Redeem me from the oppression of man,
that I may keep Your precepts.
135 Make Your face shine upon Your servant,
and teach me Your statutes.
136 My eyes shed streams of tears
because Your law is not obeyed.
צ
TZADE
137 Righteous are You, O LORD,
and upright are Your judgments.
138 The testimonies You have laid down are righteous
and altogether faithful.
139 My zeal has consumed me
because my foes forget Your words.
140 Your promise is completely pure;
therefore Your servant loves it.
141 I am lowly and despised,
but I do not forget Your precepts.
142 Your righteousness is everlasting
and Your law is true.
143 Trouble and distress have found me,
but Your commandments are my delight.
144 Your testimonies are righteous forever.
Give me understanding, that I may live.
ק
KOPH
145 I call with all my heart; answer me, O LORD!
I will obey Your statutes.
146 I call to You; save me,
that I may keep Your testimonies.
147 I rise before dawn and cry for help;
in Your word I have put my hope.
148 My eyes anticipate the watches of night,
that I may meditate on Your word.
149 Hear my voice, O LORD, according to Your loving devotion;
give me life according to Your justice.
150 Those who follow after wickedness draw near;
they are far from Your law.
151 You are near, O LORD,
and all Your commandments are true.
152 Long ago I learned from Your testimonies
that You have established them forever.
ר
RESH
153 Look upon my affliction and rescue me,
for I have not forgotten Your law.
154 Defend my cause and redeem me;
revive me according to Your word.
155 Salvation is far from the wicked
because they do not seek Your statutes.
156 Great are Your mercies, O LORD;
revive me according to Your ordinances.
157 Though my persecutors and foes are many,
I have not turned from Your testimonies.
158 I look on the faithless with loathing
because they do not keep Your word.
159 Consider how I love Your precepts, O LORD;
give me life according to Your loving devotion.
160 The entirety of Your word is truth,
and all Your righteous judgments endure forever.
ש
SIN and SHIN
161 Rulers persecute me without cause,
but my heart fears only Your word.
162 I rejoice in Your promise
like one who finds great spoil.
163 I hate and abhor falsehood,
but Your law I love.
164 Seven times a day I praise You
for Your righteous judgments.
165 Abundant peace belongs to those who love Your instruction;
nothing can make them stumble.
166 I wait for Your salvation, O LORD,
and I carry out Your commandments.
167 I obey Your testimonies
and love them greatly.
168 I obey Your precepts and Your testimonies,
for all my ways are before You.
ת
TAW
169 May my cry come before You, O LORD;
give me understanding according to Your word.
170 May my plea come before You;
rescue me according to Your promise.
171 My lips pour forth praise,
for You teach me Your statutes.
172 My tongue sings of Your word,
for all Your commandments are righteous.
173 May Your hand be ready to help me,
for I have chosen Your precepts.
174 I long for Your salvation, O LORD,
and Your law is my delight.
175 Let me live to praise You;
may Your judgments sustain me.
176 I have strayed like a lost sheep;
seek Your servant, for I have not forgotten Your commandments.
Footnotes:
1 a This psalm is an acrostic poem of twenty-two stanzas, following the letters of the Hebrew alphabet; within a stanza, each verse begins with the same Hebrew letter.
33 b Or keep them as my reward
37 c Two MT manuscripts and DSS; most MT manuscripts in Your way
70 d Or fat
84 e Or How many are the days of Your servant?
91 f Or They stand this day according to Your ordinances
Psalm 120
In My Distress I Cried to the LORD
A song of ascents.
1In my distress I cried to the LORD,
and He answered me.
2 Deliver my soul, O LORD,
from lying lips and a deceitful tongue.
3 What will He do to you,
and what will be added to you,
O deceitful tongue?
4 Sharp arrows will come from the warrior,
with burning coals of the broom tree!
5 Woe to me that I dwell in Meshech,
that I live among the tents of Kedar!
6 Too long have I dwelt
among those who hate peace.
7 I am in favor of peace;
but when I speak, they want war.
Psalm 121
I Lift Up My Eyes to the Hills
A song of ascents.
1I lift up my eyes to the hills.
From where does my help come?
2 My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
3 He will not allow your foot to slip;
your Protector will not slumber.
4 Behold, the Protector of Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The LORD is your keeper;
the LORD is the shade on your right hand.
6 The sun will not strike you by day,
nor the moon by night.
7 The LORD will guard you from all evil;
He will preserve your soul.
8 The LORD will watch over your coming and going,
both now and forevermore.
Psalm 122
Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem
A song of ascents. Of David.
1I was glad when they said to me,
“Let us go to the house of the LORD.”
2 Our feet are standing in your gates,
O Jerusalem.
3 Jerusalem is built up
as a city united together,
4 where the tribes go up,
the tribes of the LORD,
as a testimony for Israel,
to give thanks to the name of the LORD.
5 For there the thrones of judgment stand,
the thrones of the house of David.
6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
“May those who love you prosper. a
7 May there be peace within your walls,
and prosperity b inside your fortresses.”
8 For the sake of my brothers and friends,
I will say, “Peace be within you.”
9 For the sake of the house of the LORD our God,
I will seek your prosperity.
Footnotes:
6 a Or be secure
7 b Or security
Psalm 123
I Lift Up My Eyes to You
A song of ascents.
1I lift up my eyes to You,
the One enthroned in heaven.
2 As the eyes of servants
look to the hand of their master,
as the eyes of a maidservant
look to the hand of her mistress,
so our eyes are on the LORD our God
until He shows us mercy.
3 Have mercy on us, O LORD, have mercy,
for we have endured much contempt.
4 We have endured much scorn from the arrogant,
much contempt from the proud.
Psalm 124
Our Help Is in the Name of the LORD
A song of ascents. Of David.
1If the LORD had not been on our side—
let Israel now declare—
2 if the LORD had not been on our side
when men attacked us,
3 when their anger flared against us,
then they would have swallowed us alive,
4 then the floods would have engulfed us,
then the torrent would have overwhelmed us,
5 then the raging waters
would have swept us away.
6 Blessed be the LORD,
who has not given us as prey to their teeth.
7 We have escaped like a bird from the snare of the fowler;
the net is torn, and we have slipped away.
8 Our help is in the name of the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
Psalm 125
The LORD Surrounds His People
A song of ascents.
1Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion.
It cannot be moved; it abides forever.
2 As the mountains surround Jerusalem,
so the LORD surrounds His people,
both now and forevermore.
3 For the scepter of the wicked will not rest
upon the land allotted to the righteous,
so that the righteous will not put forth
their hands to injustice.
4 Do good, O LORD, to those who are good,
and to the upright in heart.
5 But those who turn to crooked ways
the LORD will banish with the evildoers.
Peace be upon Israel.
Psalm 126
Zion’s Captives Restored
A song of ascents.
1When the LORD restored the captives of Zion, a
we were like dreamers. b
2 Then our mouths were filled with laughter,
our tongues with shouts of joy.
Then it was said among the nations,
“The LORD has done great things for them.”
3 The LORD has done great things for us;
we are filled with joy.
4 Restore our captives, c O LORD,
like streams in the Negev.
5 Those who sow in tears
will reap with shouts of joy.
6 He who goes out weeping,
bearing a trail of seed,
will surely return with shouts of joy,
carrying sheaves of grain.
Footnotes:
1 a Or brought back the captives to Zion ; or restored the fortunes of Zion
1 b Or like those restored to health
4 c Or Restore our fortunes
Psalm 127
Children Are a Heritage from the LORD
A song of ascents. Of Solomon.
1Unless the LORD builds the house,
its builders labor in vain;
unless the LORD protects the city,
its watchmen stand guard in vain.
2 In vain you rise early
and stay up late,
toiling for bread to eat—
for He gives sleep to His beloved.
3 Children are indeed a heritage from the LORD,
and the fruit of the womb is His reward.
4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,
so are children born in one’s youth.
5 Blessed is the man
whose quiver is full of them.
He will not be put to shame
when he confronts the enemies at the gate.
Psalm 128
The Blessed Fear of the LORD
(Psalm 112:1–10)
A song of ascents.
1Blessed are all who fear the LORD,
who walk in His ways!
2 For when you eat the fruit of your labor,
blessings and prosperity will be yours.
3 Your wife will be like a fruitful vine
flourishing within your house,
your sons like olive shoots
sitting around your table.
4 In this way indeed shall blessing come
to the man who fears the LORD.
5 May the LORD bless you from Zion,
that you may see the prosperity of Jerusalem
all the days of your life,
6 that you may see
your children’s children.
Peace be upon Israel!
Psalm 129
The Cords of the Wicked
A song of ascents.
1Many a time they have persecuted me from my youth—
let Israel now declare—
2 many a time they have persecuted me from my youth,
but they have not prevailed against me.
3 The plowmen plowed over my back;
they made their furrows long.
4 The LORD is righteous;
He has cut me from the cords of the wicked.
5 May all who hate Zion
be turned back in shame.
6 May they be like grass on the rooftops,
which withers before it can grow,
7 unable to fill the hands of the reaper,
or the arms of the binder of sheaves.
8 May none who pass by say to them,
“The blessing of the LORD be on you;
we bless you in the name of the LORD.”
Psalm 130
Out of the Depths
A song of ascents.
1Out of the depths
I cry to You, O LORD!
2 O Lord, hear my voice;
let Your ears be attentive to my plea for mercy.
3 If You, O LORD, kept track of iniquities,
then who, O Lord, could stand?
4 But with You there is forgiveness,
so that You may be feared.
5 I wait for the LORD; my soul does wait,
and in His word I put my hope.
6 My soul waits for the Lord
more than watchmen wait for the morning—
more than watchmen wait for the morning.
7 O Israel, put your hope in the LORD,
for with the LORD is loving devotion,
and with Him is redemption in abundance.
8 And He will redeem Israel
from all iniquity.
Psalm 131
I Have Stilled My Soul
A song of ascents. Of David.
1My heart is not proud, O LORD,
my eyes are not haughty.
I do not aspire to great things
or matters too lofty for me.
2 Surely I have stilled and quieted my soul;
like a weaned child with his mother,
like a weaned child is my soul within me.
3 O Israel, put your hope in the LORD,
both now and forevermore.
Psalm 132
The LORD Has Chosen Zion
A song of ascents.
1O LORD, remember on behalf of David
all the hardships he endured,
2 how he swore an oath to the LORD,
and vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob:
3 “I will not enter my house
or get into my bed,
4 I will not give sleep to my eyes
5 until I find a place for the LORD,
a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob. a”
6 We heard that the ark was in Ephrathah; b
we found it in the fields of Jaar.
7 Let us go to His dwelling place;
let us worship at His footstool.
8 Arise, O LORD, to Your resting place,
You and the ark of Your strength.
9 May Your priests be clothed with righteousness,
and Your saints shout for joy.
10 For the sake of Your servant David,
do not reject Your anointed one.
11 The LORD swore an oath to David,
a promise He will not revoke:
“One of your descendants
I will place on your throne. c
12 If your sons keep My covenant
and the testimony I will teach them,
then their sons will also sit on your throne
forever and ever.”
13 For the LORD has chosen Zion;
He has desired it for His home:
14 “This is My resting place forever and ever;
here I will dwell, for I have desired this home.
15 I will bless her with abundant provisions;
I will satisfy her poor with bread.
16 I will clothe her priests with salvation,
and her saints will sing out in joy.
17 There I will make a horn grow for David;
I have prepared a lamp for My anointed one.
18 I will clothe his enemies with shame,
but the crown upon him will gleam.”
Footnotes:
5 a LXX for the God of Jacob ; see Acts 7:46.
6 b Literally Behold, we heard of it in Ephrathah
11 c Literally “From the fruit of your body I will set (one) on your throne. Cited in Acts 2:30
Psalm 133
How Pleasant to Live in Harmony!
(1 Corinthians 1:10–17; Ephesians 4:1–16)
A song of ascents. Of David.
1Behold, how good and pleasant it is
when brothers live together in harmony!
2 It is like fine oil on the head,
running down on the beard,
running down Aaron’s beard
over the collar of his robes.
3 It is like the dew of Hermon
falling on the mountains of Zion.
For there the LORD has bestowed the blessing
of life forevermore.
Psalm 134
Bless the LORD, All You Servants
A song of ascents.
1Come, bless the LORD,
all you servants of the LORD
who serve by night
in the house of the LORD!
2 Lift up your hands to the sanctuary
and bless the LORD!
3 May the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth,
bless you from Zion.
Psalm 135
Give Praise, O Servants of the LORD
(Psalm 115:1–18)
Praise the name of the LORD.
Give praise, O servants of the LORD,
2 who stand in the house of the LORD,
in the courts of the house of our God.
3 Hallelujah, for the LORD is good;
sing praises to His name, for it is lovely.
4 For the LORD has chosen Jacob as His own,
Israel as His treasured possession.
5 For I know that the LORD is great;
our Lord is above all gods.
6 The LORD does all that pleases Him
in the heavens and on the earth,
in the seas and in all their depths.
7 He causes the clouds to rise
from the ends of the earth.
He generates the lightning with the rain
and brings forth the wind from His storehouses.
8 He struck down the firstborn of Egypt,
of both man and beast.
9 He sent signs and wonders into your midst, O Egypt,
against Pharaoh and all his servants.
10 He struck down many nations
and slaughtered mighty kings:
11 Sihon king of the Amorites,
Og king of Bashan,
and all the kings of Canaan.
12 He gave their land as an inheritance,
as a heritage to His people Israel.
13 Your name, O LORD, endures forever,
Your renown, O LORD, through all generations.
14 For the LORD will vindicate His people b
and will have compassion on His servants.
15 The idols of the nations are silver and gold,
made by the hands of men.
16 They have mouths, but cannot speak;
they have eyes, but cannot see;
17 they have ears, but cannot hear;
nor is there breath in their mouths.
18 Those who make them become like them,
as do all who trust in them.
19 O house of Israel, bless the LORD;
O house of Aaron, bless the LORD;
20 O house of Levi, bless the LORD;
you who fear the LORD, bless the LORD!
21 Blessed be the LORD from Zion—
He who dwells in Jerusalem.
Hallelujah!
Footnotes:
1 a Or Hallelu YAH , meaning Praise the LORD ; also in verses 3 and 21
14 b Or will judge His people ; see also LXX; cited in Hebrews 10:30.
Psalm 136
His Loving Devotion Endures Forever
(2 Chronicles 7:1–3)
1 Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good.
His loving devotion endures forever.
2 Give thanks to the God of gods.
His loving devotion endures forever.
3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords.
His loving devotion endures forever.
4 He alone does great wonders.
His loving devotion endures forever.
5 By His insight He made the heavens.
His loving devotion endures forever.
6 He spread out the earth upon the waters.
His loving devotion endures forever.
7 He made the great lights—
His loving devotion endures forever.
8 the sun to rule the day,
His loving devotion endures forever.
9 the moon and stars to govern the night.
His loving devotion endures forever.
10 He struck down the firstborn of Egypt
His loving devotion endures forever.
11 and brought Israel out from among them
His loving devotion endures forever.
12 with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm.
His loving devotion endures forever.
13 He divided the Red Sea a in two
His loving devotion endures forever.
14 and led Israel through the midst,
His loving devotion endures forever.
15 but swept b Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea.
His loving devotion endures forever.
16 He led His people through the wilderness.
His loving devotion endures forever.
17 He struck down great kings
His loving devotion endures forever.
18 and slaughtered mighty kings—
His loving devotion endures forever.
19 Sihon king of the Amorites
His loving devotion endures forever.
20 and Og king of Bashan—
His loving devotion endures forever.
21 and He gave their land as an inheritance,
His loving devotion endures forever.
22 a heritage to His servant Israel.
His loving devotion endures forever.
23 He remembered us in our low estate
His loving devotion endures forever.
24 and freed us from our enemies.
His loving devotion endures forever.
25 He gives food to every creature.
His loving devotion endures forever.
26 Give thanks to the God of heaven!
His loving devotion endures forever.
Footnotes:
13 a Or the Sea of Reeds ; also in verse 15
15 b Hebrew shook off
Psalm 137
By the Rivers of Babylon
(Ezekiel 1:1–3)
1 By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept
when we remembered Zion.
we hung our harps,
3 for there our captors requested a song;
our tormentors demanded songs of joy:
“Sing us a song of Zion.”
4 How can we sing a song of the LORD
in a foreign land?
5 If I forget you, O Jerusalem,
may my right hand cease to function.
6 May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth
if I do not remember you,
if I do not exalt Jerusalem
as my greatest joy!
7 Remember, O LORD,
the sons of Edom on the day Jerusalem fell:
“Destroy it,” they said,
“tear it down to its foundations!”
8 O Daughter of Babylon,
doomed to destruction,
blessed is he who repays you
as you have done to us.
9 Blessed is he who seizes your infants
and dashes them against the rocks.
Footnotes:
2 a Or poplars
Psalm 138
A Thankful Heart
Of David.
1I give You thanks with all my heart;
before the gods I sing Your praises.
2 I bow down toward Your holy temple
and give thanks to Your name
for Your loving devotion and Your faithfulness;
You have exalted Your name
and Your word above all else.
3 On the day I called, You answered me;
You emboldened me and strengthened my soul. a
4 All the kings of the earth will give You thanks, O LORD,
when they hear the words of Your mouth.
5 They will sing of the ways of the LORD,
for the glory of the LORD is great.
6 Though the LORD is on high,
He attends to the lowly;
but the proud He knows from afar.
7 If I walk in the midst of trouble,
You preserve me from the anger of my foes;
You extend Your hand,
and Your right hand saves me.
8 The LORD will fulfill
His purpose for me.
O LORD, Your loving devotion endures forever—
do not abandon the works of Your hands.
Footnotes:
3 a Or You emboldened me with strength in my soul
Psalm 139
You Have Searched Me and Known Me
For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.
1O LORD, You have searched me
and known me.
2 You know when I sit and when I rise;
You understand my thoughts from afar.
3 You search out my path and my lying down;
You are aware of all my ways.
4 Even before a word is on my tongue,
You know all about it, O LORD.
5 You hem me in behind and before;
You have laid Your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain.
7 Where can I go to escape Your Spirit?
Where can I flee from Your presence?
8 If I ascend to the heavens, You are there;
if I make my bed in Sheol, You are there.
9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle by the farthest sea,
10 even there Your hand will guide me;
Your right hand will hold me fast.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me,
and the light become night around me”—
12 even the darkness is not dark to You,
but the night shines like the day,
for darkness is as light to You.
13 For You formed my inmost being; a
You knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise You,
for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Marvelous are Your works,
and I know this very well.
15 My frame was not hidden from You
when I was made in secret,
when I was woven together
in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all my days were written in Your book
and ordained for me
before one of them came to be.
17 How precious to me are Your thoughts, b O God,
how vast is their sum!
18 If I were to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand;
and when I awake,
I am still with You.
19 O God, that You would slay the wicked—
away from me, you bloodthirsty men—
20 who speak of You deceitfully;
Your enemies take Your name in vain. c
21 Do I not hate those who hate You, O LORD,
and detest those who rise against You?
22 I hate them with perfect hatred;
I count them as my enemies.
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my concerns.
24 See if there is any offensive way in me;
lead me in the way everlasting.
Footnotes:
13 a Hebrew my kidneys
17 b Or How amazing are Your thoughts concerning me
20 c Hebrew Your enemies take in vain or Your enemies bear up in vain ; LXX Your enemies take Your cities in vain
Psalm 140
Rescue Me from Evil Men
For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.
1Rescue me, O LORD, from evil men.
Protect me from men of violence,
2 who devise evil in their hearts
3 They sharpen their tongues like snakes;
the venom of vipers is on their lips. a
Selah
4 Guard me, O LORD,
from the hands of the wicked.
Keep me safe from men of violence
who scheme to make me stumble.
5 The proud hide a snare for me;
the cords of their net are spread along the path,
and lures are set out for me.
Selah
6 I say to the LORD, “You are my God.”
Hear, O LORD, my cry for help.
7 O GOD the Lord, the strength of my salvation,
You shield my head in the day of battle.
8 Grant not, O LORD, the desires of the wicked;
do not promote their evil plans,
lest they be exalted.
Selah
9 May the heads of those who surround me
be covered in the trouble their lips have caused.
10 May burning coals fall on them;
may they be thrown into the fire,
into the miry pits, never to rise again.
11 May no slanderer be established in the land;
may calamity hunt down the man of violence.
12 I know that the LORD upholds justice for the poor
and defends the cause of the needy.
13 Surely the righteous will praise Your name;
the upright will dwell in Your presence.
Footnotes:
3 a Cited in Romans 3:13
Psalm 141
Come Quickly to Me
(Psalm 70:1–5)
A Psalm of David.
1I call upon You, O LORD; come quickly to me.
Hear my voice when I call to You.
2 May my prayer be set before You like incense,
my uplifted hands like the evening offering.
3 Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth;
keep watch at the door of my lips.
4 Do not let my heart be drawn to any evil thing
or take part in works of wickedness
with men who do iniquity;
let me not feast on their delicacies.
5 Let the righteous man strike me;
let his rebuke be an act of loving devotion.
It is oil for my head; let me not refuse it.
For my prayer is ever against the deeds of the wicked.
6 When their rulers are thrown down from the cliffs,
the people will listen to my words,
for they are pleasant.
7 As when one plows and breaks up the soil,
so our bones have been scattered at the mouth of Sheol.
8 But my eyes are fixed on You,
O GOD the Lord.
In You I seek refuge;
do not leave my soul defenseless. a
9 Keep me from the snares they have laid for me,
and from the lures of evildoers.
10 Let the wicked fall into their own nets,
while I pass by in safety.
Footnotes:
8 a Or do not pour out my life or do not give me over to death
Psalm 142
I Lift My Voice to the LORD
(1 Samuel 22:1–5; Psalm 57:1–11)
A Maskil a of David, when he was in the cave. A prayer.
1I cry aloud to the LORD;
I lift my voice to the LORD for mercy.
2 I pour out my complaint before Him;
I reveal my trouble to Him.
3 Although my spirit grows faint within me,
You know my way.
Along the path I travel
they have hidden a snare for me.
4 Look to my right and see;
no one attends to me.
There is no refuge for me;
no one cares for my soul.
5 I cry to You, O LORD: “You are my refuge,
my portion in the land of the living.”
6 Listen to my cry,
for I am brought quite low.
Rescue me from my pursuers,
for they are too strong for me.
7 Free my soul from prison,
that I may praise Your name.
The righteous will gather around me
because of Your goodness to me.
Footnotes:
1 a Maskil is probably a musical or liturgical term; used for Psalms 32, 42, 44–45, 52–55, 74, 78, 88–89, and 142.
Psalm 143
I Stretch Out My Hands to You
A Psalm of David.
1O LORD, hear my prayer.
In Your faithfulness, give ear to my plea;
in Your righteousness, answer me.
2 Do not bring Your servant into judgment,
for no one alive is righteous before You.
3 For the enemy has pursued my soul,
crushing my life to the ground,
making me dwell in darkness
like those long since dead.
4 My spirit grows faint within me;
my heart is dismayed inside me.
5 I remember the days of old;
I meditate on all Your works;
I consider the work of Your hands.
6 I stretch out my hands to You;
my soul thirsts for You like a parched land.
Selah
7 Answer me quickly, O LORD;
my spirit fails.
Do not hide Your face from me,
or I will be like those who descend to the Pit.
8 Let me hear Your loving devotion in the morning,
for I have put my trust in You.
Teach me the way I should walk,
for to You I lift up my soul.
9 Deliver me from my enemies, O LORD;
I flee to You for refuge. a
10 Teach me to do Your will,
for You are my God.
May Your good Spirit lead me
on level ground.
11 For the sake of Your name, O LORD,
revive me.
In Your righteousness,
bring my soul out of trouble.
12 And in Your loving devotion,
cut off my enemies.
Destroy all who afflict me,
for I am Your servant.
Footnotes:
9 a LXX and one Hebrew manuscript; most Hebrew manuscripts in You I take cover
Psalm 144
Blessed Be the LORD, My Rock
Of David.
1Blessed be the LORD, my Rock,
who trains my hands for war,
my fingers for battle.
2 He is my steadfast love and my fortress,
my stronghold and my deliverer.
He is my shield, in whom I take refuge,
who subdues peoples a under me.
3 O LORD, what is man, that You regard him,
the son of man that You think of him?
4 Man is like a breath;
his days are like a passing shadow.
5 Part Your heavens, O LORD, and come down;
touch the mountains, that they may smoke.
6 Flash forth Your lightning and scatter them;
shoot Your arrows and rout them.
7 Reach down from on high;
set me free and rescue me
from the deep waters,
from the grasp of foreigners,
8 whose mouths speak falsehood,
whose right hands are deceitful.
9 I will sing to You a new song, O God;
on a harp of ten strings I will make music to You—
10 to Him who gives victory to kings,
who frees His servant David from the deadly sword.
11 Set me free and rescue me
from the grasp of foreigners,
whose mouths speak falsehood,
whose right hands are deceitful.
12 Then our sons will be like plants
nurtured in their youth,
our daughters like corner pillars
carved to adorn a palace.
13 Our storehouses will be full,
supplying all manner of produce;
our flocks will bring forth thousands,
tens of thousands in our fields.
14 Our oxen will bear great loads. b
There will be no breach in the walls,
no going into captivity,
and no cry of lament in our streets.
15 Blessed are the people of whom this is so;
blessed are the people whose God is the LORD.
Footnotes:
2 a Many Hebrew manuscripts, DSS, Syriac;most Hebrew manuscripts subdues my people
14 b Or Our chieftains will be firmly established
Psalm 145
I Will Exalt You, My God and King
A Psalm of praise. Of David. a
1I will exalt You, my God and King;
I will bless Your name forever and ever.
2 Every day I will bless You,
and I will praise Your name forever and ever.
3 Great is the LORD and greatly to be praised;
His greatness is unsearchable.
4 One generation will commend Your works to the next,
and will proclaim Your mighty acts—
5 the glorious splendor of Your majesty.
And I will meditate on Your wondrous works.
6 They will proclaim the power of Your awesome deeds,
and I will declare Your greatness.
7 They will extol the fame of Your abundant goodness
and sing joyfully of Your righteousness.
8 The LORD is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and abounding in loving devotion.
9 The LORD is good to all;
His compassion rests on all He has made.
10 All You have made will give You thanks, O LORD,
and Your saints will bless You.
11 They will tell of the glory of Your kingdom
and speak of Your might,
12 to make known to men Your mighty acts
and the glorious splendor of Your kingdom.
13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and Your dominion endures through all generations.
The LORD is faithful in all His words
and kind in all His actions. b
14 The LORD upholds all who fall
and lifts up all who are bowed down.
15 The eyes of all look to You,
and You give them their food in season.
16 You open Your hand
and satisfy the desire of every living thing.
17 The LORD is righteous in all His ways
and kind in all His deeds.
18 The LORD is near to all who call on Him,
to all who call out to Him in truth.
19 He fulfills the desires of those who fear Him;
He hears their cry and saves them.
20 The LORD preserves all who love Him,
but all the wicked He will destroy.
21 My mouth will declare the praise of the LORD;
let every creature bless His holy name
forever and ever.
Footnotes:
1 a This psalm is an acrostic poem, each verse beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.
13 b The final two lines are supplied by one MT manuscript, LXX, Syriac, and DSS.
Psalm 146
Praise the LORD, O My Soul
Praise the LORD, O my soul.
2 I will praise the LORD all my life;
I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.
3 Put not your trust in princes,
in mortal man, who cannot save.
4 When his spirit departs, he returns to the ground;
on that very day his plans perish.
5 Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the LORD his God,
6 the Maker of heaven and earth,
the sea, and everything in them.
He remains faithful forever.
7 He executes justice for the oppressed
and gives food to the hungry.
The LORD sets the prisoners free,
8 the LORD opens the eyes of the blind,
the LORD lifts those who are weighed down,
the LORD loves the righteous.
9 The LORD protects foreigners;
He sustains the fatherless and the widow,
but the ways of the wicked He frustrates.
10 The LORD reigns forever,
your God, O Zion, for all generations.
Hallelujah!
Footnotes:
1 a Or Hallelu YAH , meaning Praise the LORD ; also in verse 10
Psalm 147
It Is Good to Sing Praises
How good it is to sing praises to our God,
how pleasant and lovely to praise Him!
2 The LORD builds up Jerusalem;
He gathers the exiles of Israel.
3 He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds.
4 He determines the number of the stars;
He calls them each by name.
5 Great is our Lord, and mighty in power;
His understanding has no limit.
6 The LORD sustains the humble,
but casts the wicked to the ground.
7 Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving;
make music on the harp to our God,
8 who covers the sky with clouds,
who prepares rain for the earth,
who makes grass to grow on the hills.
9 He provides food for the animals,
and for the young ravens when they call.
10 He does not delight in the strength of the horse;
He takes no pleasure in the legpower of the man.
11 The LORD is pleased with those who fear Him,
who hope in His loving devotion.
12 Exalt the LORD, O Jerusalem;
praise your God, O Zion!
13 For He strengthens the bars of your gates
and blesses the children within you.
14 He makes peace at your borders;
He fills you with the finest wheat.
15 He sends forth His command to the earth;
His word runs swiftly.
16 He spreads the snow like wool;
He scatters the frost like ashes;
17 He casts forth His hail like pebbles. b
Who can withstand His icy blast?
18 He sends forth His word and melts them;
He unleashes His winds, and the waters flow.
19 He declares His word to Jacob,
His statutes and judgments to Israel.
20 He has done this for no other nation;
they do not know His judgments. c
Hallelujah!
Footnotes:
1 a Or Hallelu YAH , meaning Praise the LORD ; also in verse 20
17 b Or like crumbs or like morsels
20 c MT; DSS and LXX He has not made known to them His judgments
Psalm 148
Praise the LORD from the Heavens
(Psalm 33:1–22)
Praise the LORD from the heavens;
praise Him in the highest places. b
2 Praise Him, all His angels;
praise Him, all His heavenly hosts.
3 Praise Him, O sun and moon;
praise Him, all you shining stars.
4 Praise Him, O highest heavens,
and you waters above the skies.
5 Let them praise the name of the LORD,
for He gave the command and they were created.
6 He established them forever and ever;
He issued a decree that will never pass away.
7 Praise the LORD from the earth,
all great sea creatures and ocean depths,
8 lightning and hail, snow and clouds,
powerful wind fulfilling His word,
9 mountains and all hills,
fruit trees and all cedars,
10 wild animals and all cattle,
crawling creatures and flying birds,
11 kings of the earth and all peoples,
princes and all rulers of the earth,
12 young men and maidens,
old and young together.
13 Let them praise the name of the LORD,
for His name alone is exalted;
His splendor is above the earth and the heavens.
14 He has raised up a horn for His people,
the praise of all His saints,
of Israel, a people near to Him.
Hallelujah!
Footnotes:
1 a Or Hallelu YAH , meaning Praise the LORD ; also in verse 14
1 b See Matthew 21:9, Mark 11:10, and Luke 19:38.
Psalm 149
Sing to the LORD a New Song
(Psalm 98:1–9; Isaiah 42:10–17)
Sing to the LORD a new song—
His praise in the assembly of the godly.
2 Let Israel rejoice in their Maker;
let the children of Zion rejoice in their King.
3 Let them praise His name with dancing,
and make music to Him with tambourine and harp.
4 For the LORD takes pleasure in His people;
He adorns the afflicted with salvation.
5 Let the saints exult in glory;
let them shout for joy upon their beds.
6 May the high praises of God be in their mouths,
and a double-edged sword in their hands,
7 to inflict vengeance on the nations
and punishment on the peoples,
8 to bind their kings with chains
and their nobles with shackles of iron,
9 to execute the judgment written against them.
This honor is for all His saints.
Hallelujah!
Footnotes:
1 a Or Hallelu YAH , meaning Praise the LORD ; also in verse 9
Psalm 150
Let Everything That Has Breath Praise the LORD
Praise God in His sanctuary.
Praise Him in His mighty heavens. b
2 Praise Him for His mighty acts;
praise Him for His excellent greatness.
3 Praise Him with the sound of the horn;
praise Him with the harp and lyre.
4 Praise Him with tambourine and dancing;
praise Him with strings and flute.
5 Praise Him with clashing cymbals;
praise Him with resounding cymbals.
6 Let everything that has breath praise the LORD!
Hallelujah!
Footnotes:
1 a Or Hallelu YAH , meaning Praise the LORD ; also in verse 6
1 b Or in the expanse of His might or in the firmament of His might ; see also Genesis 1:6–8.
Proverbs
Proverbs 1
The Beginning of Knowledge
(Proverbs 9:1–12)
1 These are the proverbs of Solomon son of David,
king of Israel,
2 for gaining wisdom and discipline,
for comprehending words of insight,
3 and for receiving instruction in wise living
and in righteousness, justice, and equity.
4 To impart prudence to the simple a
and knowledge and discretion to the young,
5 let the wise listen and gain instruction,
and the discerning acquire wise counsel
6 by understanding the proverbs and parables,
the sayings and riddles of the wise.
7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge,
but fools b despise wisdom and discipline.
The Enticement of Sin
8 Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction,
and do not forsake the teaching of your mother.
9 For they are a garland of grace on your head
and a pendant around your neck.
10 My son, if sinners entice you,
do not yield to them.
11 If they say, “Come along, let us lie in wait for blood,
let us ambush the innocent without cause,
12 let us swallow them alive like Sheol,
and whole like those descending into the Pit.
13 We will find all manner of precious goods;
we will fill our houses with plunder.
14 Throw in your lot with us;
let us all share one purse”—
15 my son, do not walk the road with them
or set foot upon their path.
16 For their feet run to evil,
and they are swift to shed blood.
17 How futile it is to spread the net
where any bird can see it!
18 But they lie in wait for their own blood;
they ambush their own lives.
19 Such is the fate of all who are greedy,
whose unjust gain takes the lives of its possessors.
Wisdom Calls Aloud
20 Wisdom calls out in the street,
she lifts her voice in the square;
21 in the main concourse c she cries aloud,
at the city gates she makes her speech:
22 “How long, O simple ones, will you love your simple ways?
How long will scoffers delight in their scorn
and fools hate knowledge?
23 If you had repented at my rebuke,
then surely I would have poured out my spirit on you;
I would have made my words known to you.
24 Because you refused my call,
and no one took my outstretched hand,
25 because you neglected all my counsel,
and wanted none of my correction,
26 in turn I will mock your calamity;
I will sneer when terror strikes you,
27 when your dread comes like a storm,
and your destruction like a whirlwind,
when distress and anguish overwhelm you.
28 Then they will call on me, but I will not answer;
they will earnestly seek me, but will not find me.
29 For they hated knowledge
and chose not to fear the LORD.
30 They accepted none of my counsel;
they despised all my reproof.
31 So they will eat the fruit of their own way,
and be filled with their own devices.
32 For the waywardness of the simple will slay them,
and the complacency of fools will destroy them.
33 But whoever listens to me will dwell in safety,
secure from the fear of evil.”
Footnotes:
4 a The Hebrew word rendered simple in Proverbs refers to one who is naive, without moral direction, or inclined to evil.
7 b The Hebrew words rendered as fool in Proverbs denote one who is morally deficient.
21 c Or from the top of the wall
Proverbs 2
The Benefits of Wisdom
1 My son, if you accept my words
and hide my commandments within you,
2 if you incline your ear to wisdom
and direct your heart to understanding,
3 if you truly call out to insight
and lift your voice to understanding,
4 if you seek it like silver
and search it out like hidden treasure,
5 then you will discern the fear of the LORD
and discover the knowledge of God.
6 For the LORD gives wisdom;
from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.
7 He stores up sound wisdom for the upright;
He is a shield to those who walk with integrity,
8 to guard the paths of justice
and protect the way of His saints.
9 Then you will discern righteousness
and justice and equity—every good path.
10 For wisdom will enter your heart,
and knowledge will delight your soul.
11 Discretion will watch over you,
and understanding will guard you,
12 to deliver you from the way of evil,
from the man who speaks perversity,
13 from those who leave the straight paths
to walk in the ways of darkness,
14 from those who enjoy doing evil
and rejoice in the twistedness of evil,
15 whose paths are crooked
and whose ways are devious.
16 It will rescue you from the forbidden woman, a
from the stranger b with seductive words
17 who abandons the partner of her youth
and forgets the covenant of her God.
18 For her house sinks down to death,
and her tracks to the departed spirits. c
19 None who go to her return
or negotiate the paths of life.
20 So you will follow in the ways of the good,
and keep to the paths of the righteous.
21 For the upright will inhabit the land,
and the blameless will remain in it;
22 but the wicked will be cut off from the land,
and the unfaithful will be uprooted.
Footnotes:
16 a Or wayward wife
16 b Or adulteress
18 c Hebrew to the Rephaim
Proverbs 3
Trust in the LORD with All Your Heart
1 My son, do not forget my teaching,
but let your heart keep my commandments;
2 for they will add length to your days,
years and peace to your life.
3 Never let loving devotion a or faithfulness leave you;
bind them around your neck,
write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 Then you will find favor and high regard
in the sight of God and man.
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways acknowledge Him,
and He will make your paths straight.
7 Be not wise in your own eyes;
fear the LORD and turn away from evil.
8 This will bring healing to your body b
and refreshment c to your bones.
9 Honor the LORD with your wealth
and with the firstfruits of all your harvest;
10 then your barns will be filled with plenty,
and your vats will overflow with new wine.
11 My son, do not reject the discipline of the LORD,
and do not loathe His rebuke; d
12 for the LORD disciplines the one He loves,
as does a father the son in whom he delights. e
The Blessings of Wisdom
13 Blessed is the man who finds wisdom,
the man who acquires understanding,
14 for she is more profitable than silver,
and her gain is better than fine gold.
15 She is more precious than rubies;
nothing you desire compares with her.
16 Long life is in her right hand;
in her left hand are riches and honor.
17 All her ways are pleasant,
and all her paths are peaceful.
18 She is a tree of life to those who embrace her,
and those who lay hold of her are blessed.
19 The LORD founded the earth by wisdom
and established the heavens by understanding.
20 By His knowledge the watery depths were broken open,
and the clouds dripped with dew.
21 My son, do not lose sight of this:
Preserve sound judgment and discernment.
22 They will be life to your soul
and adornment to your neck.
23 Then you will go on your way in safety,
and your foot will not stumble.
24 When you lie down, you will not be afraid;
when you rest, your sleep will be sweet.
25 Do not fear sudden danger
or the ruin that overtakes the wicked,
26 for the LORD will be your confidence
and will keep your foot from the snare.
27 Do not withhold good from the deserving f
when it is within your power to act.
28 Do not tell your neighbor,
“Come back tomorrow and I will provide”—
when you already have the means.
29 Do not devise evil against your neighbor,
for he trustfully dwells beside you.
30 Do not accuse a man without cause,
when he has done you no harm.
31 Do not envy a violent man
or choose any of his ways;
32 for the LORD detests the perverse,
but He is a friend to the upright.
33 The curse of the LORD is on the house of the wicked,
but He blesses the home of the righteous.
34 He mocks the mockers,
but gives grace to the humble. g
35 The wise will inherit honor,
but fools are held up to shame.
Footnotes:
3 a Forms of the Hebrew chesed are translated here and in most cases throughout the Scriptures as loving devotion ; the range of meaning includes love , goodness , kindness , faithfulness , and mercy , as well as loyalty to a covenant .
8 b Hebrew navel
8 c Or medicine
11 d LXX and do not lose heart when He rebukes ; cited in Hebrews 12:5
12 e LXX and He flogs every son He receives ; cited in Hebrews 12:6
27 f Or from its owners
34 g LXX The Lord opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble ; cited in James 4:6 and 1 Peter 5:5
Proverbs 4
A Father’s Instruction
1 Listen, my sons, to a father’s instruction;
pay attention and gain understanding.
2 For I give you sound teaching;
do not abandon my directive.
3 When I was a son to my father,
tender and the only child of my mother,
4 he taught me and said,
“Let your heart lay hold of my words;
keep my commands and you will live.
5 Get wisdom, get understanding;
do not forget my words or turn from them.
6 Do not forsake wisdom, and she will preserve you;
love her, and she will guard you.
7 Wisdom is supreme; so acquire wisdom.
And whatever you may acquire, a gain understanding.
8 Prize her, and she will exalt you;
if you embrace her, she will honor you.
9 She will set a garland of grace on your head;
she will present you with a crown of beauty.”
10 Listen, my son, and receive my words,
and the years of your life will be many.
11 I will guide you in the way of wisdom;
I will lead you on straight paths.
12 When you walk, your steps will not be impeded;
when you run, you will not stumble.
13 Hold on to instruction; do not let go.
Guard it, for it is your life.
14 Do not set foot on the path of the wicked
or walk in the way of evildoers.
15 Avoid it; do not travel on it.
Turn from it and pass on by.
16 For they cannot sleep
unless they do evil;
they are deprived of slumber
until they make someone fall.
17 For they eat the bread of wickedness
and drink the wine of violence.
18 The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn,
shining brighter and brighter until midday.
19 But the way of the wicked is like the darkest gloom;
they do not know what makes them stumble.
20 My son, pay attention to my words;
incline your ear to my sayings.
21 Do not lose sight of them;
keep them within your heart.
22 For they are life to those who find them,
and health to the whole body.
23 Guard your heart with all diligence,
for from it flow springs of life.
24 Put away deception from your mouth;
keep your lips from perverse speech.
25 Let your eyes look forward;
26 Make a level path for your feet, b
and all your ways will be sure.
27 Do not swerve to the right or to the left;
turn your feet away from evil.
Footnotes:
7 a Or And whatever else you acquire
26 b Or Ponder the path for your feet ; LXX Make straight paths for your feet ; cited in Hebrews 12:13
Proverbs 5
Avoiding Immorality
(Leviticus 20:10–21;1 Corinthians 5:1–8)
1 My son, pay attention to my wisdom;
incline your ear to my insight,
2 that you may maintain discretion
and your lips may preserve knowledge.
3 Though the lips of the forbidden woman a drip honey
and her speech b is smoother than oil,
4 in the end she is bitter as wormwood,
sharp as a double-edged sword.
5 Her feet go down to death;
her steps lead straight to Sheol. c
6 She does not consider the path of life;
she does not know that her ways are unstable.
7 So now, my sons, listen to me,
and do not turn aside from the words of my mouth.
8 Keep your path far from her;
do not go near the door of her house,
9 lest you concede your vigor to others,
and your years to one who is cruel;
10 lest strangers feast on your wealth,
and your labors enrich the house of a foreigner.
11 At the end of your life you will groan
when your flesh and your body are spent,
12 and you will say, “How I hated discipline,
and my heart despised reproof!
13 I did not listen to the voice of my teachers
or incline my ear to my mentors.
14 I am on the brink of utter ruin
in the midst of the whole assembly.”
15 Drink water from your own cistern,
and running water from your own well.
16 Why should your springs flow in the streets,
your streams of water in the public squares?
17 Let them be yours alone,
never to be shared with strangers.
18 May your fountain be blessed,
and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth:
19 A loving doe, a graceful fawn—
may her breasts satisfy you always;
may you be captivated d by her love forever.
20 Why be captivated, my son, by an adulteress,
or embrace the bosom of a stranger? e
21 For a man’s ways are before the eyes of the LORD,
and the LORD examines f all his paths.
22 The iniquities of a wicked man entrap him;
the cords of his sin entangle him.
23 He dies for lack of discipline,
led astray by his own great folly.
Footnotes:
3 a Or the adulteress
3 b Or her palate
5 c Or lay hold of Sheol
19 d Or be led astray ; also in verse 20
20 e Or a foreign woman or another man’s wife
21 f Or ponders or makes level
Proverbs 6
Warnings against Foolishness
1 My son, if you have put up security for your neighbor,
if you have struck hands in pledge with a stranger,
2 if you have been trapped by the words of your lips,
ensnared by the words of your mouth,
3 then do this, my son, to free yourself,
for you have fallen into your neighbor’s hands:
Go, humble yourself, a
and press your plea with your neighbor.
4 Allow no sleep to your eyes
or slumber to your eyelids.
5 Free yourself, like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, b
like a bird from the snare of the fowler.
6 Walk in the manner of the ant, O slacker;
observe its ways and become wise.
7 Without a commander,
without an overseer or ruler,
8 it prepares its provisions in summer;
it gathers its food at harvest.
9 How long will you lie there, O slacker?
When will you get up from your sleep?
10 A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest,
11 and poverty will come upon you like a robber,
and need like a bandit.
12 A worthless person, a wicked man,
walks with a perverse mouth,
13 winking his eyes, speaking with his feet,
and pointing with his fingers.
14 With deceit in his heart he devises evil;
he continually sows discord.
15 Therefore calamity will come upon him suddenly;
in an instant he will be shattered beyond recovery.
16 There are six things that the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to Him:
17 haughty eyes,
a lying tongue,
hands that shed innocent blood,
18 a heart that devises wicked schemes,
feet that run swiftly to evil,
19 a false witness who gives false testimony,
and one who stirs up discord among brothers.
Warnings against Adultery
20 My son, keep your father’s commandment,
and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.
21 Bind them always upon your heart;
tie them around your neck.
22 When you walk, they will guide you;
when you lie down, they will watch over you;
when you awake, they will speak to you.
23 For this commandment is a lamp, this teaching is a light,
and the reproofs of discipline are the way to life,
24 to keep you from the evil woman,
from the smooth tongue of the adulteress. c
25 Do not lust in your heart for her beauty
or let her captivate you with her eyes. d
26 For the levy of the prostitute is poverty, e
and the adulteress preys upon your very life.
27 Can a man embrace fire
and his clothes not be burned?
28 Can a man walk on hot coals
without scorching his feet?
29 So is he who sleeps with another man’s wife;
no one who touches her will go unpunished.
30 Men do not despise the thief
if he steals to satisfy his hunger.
31 Yet if caught, he must pay sevenfold;
he must give up all the wealth of his house.
32 He who commits adultery lacks judgment;
whoever does so destroys himself.
33 Wounds and dishonor will befall him,
and his reproach will never be wiped away.
34 For jealousy enrages a husband,
and he will show no mercy in the day of vengeance.
35 He will not be appeased by any ransom,
or persuaded by lavish gifts.
Footnotes:
3 a Or hasten
5 b Hebrew does not include of the hunter .
24 c Or the stranger
25 d Or eyelids or eyelashes
26 e Literally a crust of bread
Proverbs 7
Warnings about the Adulteress
1 My son, keep my words
and treasure my commandments within you.
2 Keep my commandments and live;
guard my teachings as the apple a of your eye.
3 Tie them to your fingers;
write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”
and call understanding your kinsman,
5 that they may keep you from the adulteress,
from the stranger with seductive words.
6 For at the window of my house
I looked through the lattice.
7 I saw among the simple,
I noticed among the youths,
a young man lacking judgment,
8 crossing the street near her corner,
strolling down the road to her house,
9 at twilight, as the day was fading
into the dark of the night.
10 Then a woman came out to meet him,
with the attire of a harlot and cunning of heart.
11 She is loud and defiant;
her feet do not remain at home.
12 Now in the street, now in the squares,
she lurks at every corner.
13 She seizes him and kisses him;
she brazenly says to him:
14 “I have made my peace offerings;
today I have paid my vows.
15 So I came out to meet you;
I sought you, and I have found you.
16 I have decked my bed with coverings,
with colored linen from Egypt.
17 I have perfumed my bed with myrrh,
with aloes, and with cinnamon.
18 Come, let us take our fill of love till morning.
Let us delight in loving caresses!
19 For my husband is not at home;
he has gone on a long journey.
20 He took with him a bag of money
and will not return till the moon is full.”
21 With her great persuasion she entices him;
with her flattering lips she lures him.
22 He follows her on impulse,
like an ox going to the slaughter,
like a deer bounding into a trap, b
23 until an arrow pierces his liver,
like a bird darting into a snare—
not knowing it will cost him his life.
24 Now, my sons, listen to me,
and attend to the words of my mouth.
25 Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways;
do not stray into her paths.
26 For she has brought many down to death;
her slain are many in number.
27 Her house is the road to Sheol,
descending to the chambers of death.
Footnotes:
2 a Literally the pupil
22 b Probable reading (see LXX, Vulgate, Syriac); Hebrew like fetters to discipline a fool
Proverbs 8
The Excellence of Wisdom
1 Does not wisdom call out,
and understanding raise her voice?
2 On the heights overlooking the road,
at the crossroads she takes her stand.
3 Beside the gates to the city,
at the entrances she cries out:
4 “To you, O men, I call out,
and my cry is to the sons of men.
5 O simple ones, learn to be shrewd;
O fools, gain understanding. a
6 Listen, for I speak of noble things,
and the opening of my lips will reveal right.
7 For my mouth will speak the truth,
and wickedness is detestable to my lips.
8 All the words of my mouth are righteous;
none are crooked or perverse.
9 They are all plain to the discerning,
and upright to those who find knowledge.
10 Receive my instruction instead of silver,
and knowledge rather than pure gold.
11 For wisdom is more precious than rubies,
and nothing you desire compares with her.
12 I, wisdom, dwell together with prudence,
and I find knowledge and discretion.
13 To fear the LORD is to hate evil;
I hate arrogant pride, evil conduct, and perverse speech.
14 Counsel and sound judgment are mine;
I have insight and strength.
15 By me kings reign,
and rulers enact just laws;
16 By me princes rule,
and all nobles who govern justly. b
17 I love those who love me,
and those who seek me early shall find me.
18 With me are riches and honor,
enduring wealth and righteousness.
19 My fruit is better than gold, pure gold,
and my harvest surpasses choice silver.
20 I walk in the way of righteousness,
along the paths of justice,
21 bestowing wealth on those who love me
and making their treasuries full.
22 The LORD created me as His first course, c
before His works of old.
23 From everlasting I was established,
from the beginning, before the earth began.
24 When there were no watery depths, I was brought forth,
when no springs were overflowing with water.
25 Before the mountains were settled,
before the hills, I was brought forth,
26 before He made the land or fields,
or any of the dust of the earth.
27 I was there when He established the heavens,
when He inscribed a circle on the face of the deep,
28 when He established the clouds above,
when the fountains of the deep gushed forth,
29 when He set a boundary for the sea,
so that the waters would not surpass His command,
when He marked out the foundations of the earth.
30 Then I was a skilled craftsman at His side,
and His delight d day by day,
rejoicing always in His presence.
31 I was rejoicing in His whole world,
delighting together in the sons of men.
32 Now therefore, my sons, listen to me,
for blessed are those who keep my ways.
33 Listen to instruction and be wise;
do not ignore it.
34 Blessed is the man who listens to me,
watching daily at my doors,
waiting at the posts of my doorway.
35 For whoever finds me finds life
and obtains the favor of the LORD.
36 But he who fails to find me harms himself;
all who hate me love death.”
Footnotes:
5 a Or instruct your minds
16 b Some Hebrew manuscripts and LXX who govern the earth
22 c Or The LORD possessed me at the beginning of His way
30 d Or filled with His delight
Proverbs 9
The Way of Wisdom
(Proverbs 1:1–7)
1 Wisdom has built her house;
she has carved out a her seven pillars.
2 She has prepared her meat and mixed her wine;
she has also set her table.
3 She has sent out her maidservants;
she calls out from the heights of the city.
4 “Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!”
she says to him who lacks judgment.
5 “Come, eat my bread
and drink the wine I have mixed.
6 Leave your folly behind, and you will live;
walk in the way of understanding.”
7 He who corrects a mocker brings shame on himself;
he who rebukes a wicked man taints himself.
8 Do not rebuke a mocker, or he will hate you;
rebuke a wise man, and he will love you.
9 Instruct a wise man, and he will be wiser still;
teach a righteous man, and he will increase his learning.
10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom,
and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
11 For through wisdom b your days will be multiplied,
and years will be added to your life.
12 If you are wise, you are wise to your own advantage;
but if you scoff, you alone will bear the consequences.
The Way of Folly
13 The woman named Folly is loud;
she is naive and knows nothing.
14 She sits at the door of her house,
on a seat in the heights of the city,
15 calling out to those who pass by,
who make their paths straight.
16 “Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!”
she says to him who lacks judgment.
17 “Stolen water is sweet,
and bread eaten in secret is tasty!”
18 But they do not know that the dead c are there,
that her guests are in the depths of Sheol.
Footnotes:
1 a Hebrew; LXX, Syriac, and Aramaic Targum has set up
11 b LXX, Syriac, and Aramaic Targum;Hebrew through me
18 c Hebrew the Rephaim
Proverbs 10
Solomon’s Proverbs: The Wise Son
1 The proverbs of Solomon:
A wise son brings joy to his father,
but a foolish son grief to his mother.
2 Ill-gotten treasures profit nothing,
but righteousness brings deliverance from death.
3 The LORD does not let the righteous go hungry,
but He denies the craving of the wicked.
4 Idle hands make one poor,
but diligent hands bring wealth.
5 He who gathers in summer is a wise son,
but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son.
6 Blessings are on the head of the righteous,
but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence. a
7 The memory of the righteous is a blessing,
but the name of the wicked will rot.
8 A wise heart will receive commandments,
but foolish lips will come to ruin.
9 He who walks in integrity walks securely,
but he who perverts his ways will be found out.
10 He who winks the eye causes grief,
and foolish lips will come to ruin. b
11 The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life,
but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.
12 Hatred stirs up dissension,
but love covers all transgressions. c
13 Wisdom is found on the lips of the discerning,
but a rod is for the back of him who lacks judgment.
14 The wise store up knowledge,
but the mouth of the fool invites destruction.
15 The wealth of the rich man is his fortified city,
but poverty is the ruin of the poor.
16 The labor of the righteous leads to life,
but the gain of the wicked brings punishment.
17 Whoever heeds instruction is on the path to life,
but he who ignores reproof goes astray.
18 The one who conceals hatred has lying lips,
and whoever spreads slander is a fool.
19 When words are many, sin is unavoidable,
but he who restrains his lips is wise.
20 The tongue of the righteous is choice silver,
but the heart of the wicked has little worth.
21 The lips of the righteous feed many,
but fools die for lack of judgment.
22 The blessing of the LORD enriches,
and He adds no sorrow to it.
23 The fool delights in shameful conduct,
but a man of understanding has wisdom.
24 What the wicked man dreads will overtake him,
but the desire of the righteous will be granted.
25 When the whirlwind passes, the wicked are no more,
but the righteous are secure forever.
26 Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes,
so is the slacker to those who send him.
27 The fear of the LORD prolongs life,
but the years of the wicked will be cut short.
28 The hope of the righteous is joy,
but the expectations of the wicked will perish.
29 The way of the LORD is a refuge to the upright,
but destruction awaits those who do evil.
30 The righteous will never be shaken,
but the wicked will not inhabit the land.
31 The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom,
but a perverse tongue will be cut out.
32 The lips of the righteous know what is fitting,
but the mouth of the wicked is perverse.
Footnotes:
6 a Or but violence covers the mouth of the wicked ; also in verse 11
10 b Or babbling fools will fall
12 c See 1 Peter 4:8
Proverbs 11
Dishonest Scales
(Deuteronomy 25:13–16; Ezekiel 45:10–12)
1 Dishonest scales are an abomination to the LORD,
but an accurate weight is His delight.
2 When pride comes, disgrace follows,
but with humility comes wisdom.
3 The integrity of the upright guides them,
but the perversity of the faithless destroys them.
4 Riches are worthless in the day of wrath,
but righteousness brings deliverance from death.
5 The righteousness of the blameless directs their path,
but the wicked fall by their own wickedness.
6 The righteousness of the upright delivers them,
but the faithless are trapped by their own desires.
7 When the wicked man dies, his hope perishes,
and the hope of his strength vanishes.
8 The righteous man is delivered from trouble;
in his place the wicked man goes in.
9 With his mouth the ungodly man destroys his neighbor,
but through knowledge the righteous are rescued.
10 When the righteous thrive, the city rejoices,
and when the wicked perish, there are shouts of joy.
11 By the blessing of the upright a city is built up,
but by the mouth of the wicked it is torn down.
12 Whoever shows contempt for his neighbor lacks judgment,
but a man of understanding remains silent.
13 A gossip reveals a secret,
but a trustworthy person keeps a confidence.
14 For lack of guidance, a nation falls,
but with many counselors comes deliverance.
15 He who puts up security for a stranger will surely suffer,
but the one who hates indebtedness is secure.
16 A gracious woman attains honor,
but ruthless men gain only wealth.
17 A kind man benefits himself,
but a cruel man brings trouble on himself.
18 The wicked man earns an empty wage,
but he who sows righteousness reaps a true reward.
19 Genuine righteousness leads to life,
but the pursuit of evil brings death.
20 The perverse in heart are an abomination to the LORD,
but the blameless in their walk are His delight.
21 Be assured that the wicked will not go unpunished,
but the offspring of the righteous will escape.
22 Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout
is a beautiful woman who lacks discretion.
23 The desire of the righteous leads only to good,
but the hope of the wicked brings wrath.
24 One gives freely, yet gains even more;
another withholds what is right, only to become poor.
25 A generous soul will prosper,
and he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.
26 The people will curse the hoarder of grain,
but blessing will crown the one who sells it.
27 He who searches out good finds favor,
but evil will come to him who seeks it.
28 He who trusts in his riches will fall,
but the righteous will thrive like foliage.
29 He who brings trouble on his house will inherit the wind,
and the fool will be servant to the wise of heart.
30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,
and he who wins souls is wise.
31 If the righteous receive their due on earth,
how much more the ungodly and the sinner! a
Footnotes:
31 a LXX If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner? Cited in 1 Peter 4:18
Proverbs 12
Loving Discipline and Knowledge
1 Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge,
but he who hates correction is stupid.
2 The good man obtains favor from the LORD,
but the LORD condemns a man who devises evil.
3 A man cannot be established through wickedness,
but the righteous cannot be uprooted.
4 A wife of noble character is her husband’s crown,
but she who causes shame is like decay in his bones.
5 The plans of the righteous are just,
but the counsel of the wicked leads to deceit.
6 The words of the wicked lie in wait for blood,
but the speech of the upright rescues them.
7 The wicked are overthrown and perish,
but the house of the righteous will stand.
8 A man is praised according to his wisdom,
but a twisted mind is despised.
9 Better to be lightly esteemed yet have a servant,
than to be self-important but lack food.
10 A righteous man regards the life of his animal,
but the tender mercies of the wicked are only cruelty.
11 The one who works his land will have plenty of food,
but whoever chases fantasies lacks judgment.
12 The wicked desire the plunder of evil men,
but the root of the righteous flourishes.
13 An evil man is trapped by his rebellious speech,
but a righteous man escapes from trouble.
14 By fruitful speech a man is filled with good things,
and the work of his hands returns to him.
15 The way of a fool is right in his own eyes,
but a wise man listens to counsel.
16 A fool’s anger is known at once,
but a prudent man overlooks an insult.
17 He who speaks the truth declares what is right,
but a false witness speaks deceit.
18 Speaking rashly is like a piercing sword,
but the tongue of the wise brings healing.
19 Truthful lips endure forever,
but a lying tongue lasts only a moment.
20 Deceit is in the hearts of those who devise evil,
but the counselors of peace have joy.
21 No harm befalls the righteous,
but the wicked are filled with trouble.
22 Lying lips are detestable to the LORD,
but those who deal faithfully are His delight.
23 A shrewd man keeps his knowledge to himself,
but a foolish heart proclaims its folly.
24 The hand of the diligent will rule,
but laziness ends in forced labor.
25 Anxiety weighs down the heart of a man,
but a good word cheers it up.
26 A righteous man is cautious in friendship,
but the ways of the wicked lead them astray.
27 A lazy man does not roast his game,
but a diligent man prizes his possession.
28 There is life in the path of righteousness,
but another path leads to death.
Proverbs 13
A Father’s Discipline
1 A wise son heeds his father’s discipline,
but a mocker does not listen to rebuke.
2 From the fruit of his lips a man enjoys good things,
but the desire of the faithless is violence.
3 He who guards his mouth protects his life,
but the one who opens his lips invites his own ruin.
4 The slacker craves yet has nothing,
but the soul of the diligent is fully satisfied.
5 The righteous hate falsehood,
but the wicked bring shame and disgrace.
6 Righteousness guards the man of integrity,
but wickedness undermines the sinner.
7 One pretends to be rich, but has nothing;
another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth.
8 Riches may ransom a man’s life,
but a poor man hears no threat.
9 The light of the righteous shines brightly,
but the lamp of the wicked is extinguished.
10 Arrogance leads only to strife,
but wisdom is with the well-advised.
11 Dishonest wealth will dwindle,
but what is earned through hard work will be multiplied.
12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
but desire fulfilled is a tree of life.
13 He who despises instruction will pay the penalty,
but the one who respects a command will be rewarded.
14 The teaching a of the wise is a fountain of life,
turning one from the snares of death.
15 Good understanding wins favor,
but the way of the faithless is difficult.
16 Every prudent man acts with knowledge,
but a fool displays his folly.
17 A wicked messenger falls into trouble,
but a faithful envoy brings healing.
18 Poverty and shame come to him who ignores discipline,
but whoever heeds correction is honored.
19 Desire fulfilled is sweet to the soul,
but turning from evil is detestable to fools.
20 He who walks with the wise will become wise,
but the companion of fools will be destroyed.
21 Disaster pursues sinners,
but prosperity is the reward of the righteous.
22 A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children,
but the sinner’s wealth is passed to the righteous.
23 Abundant food is in the fallow ground of the poor,
but without justice it is swept away.
24 He who spares the rod hates his son,
but he who loves him disciplines him diligently.
25 A righteous man eats to his heart’s content,
but the stomach of the wicked is empty.
Footnotes:
14 a Or law
Proverbs 14
The Wise Woman
1 Every wise woman builds her house,
but a foolish one tears it down with her own hands.
2 He who walks in uprightness fears the LORD,
but the one who is devious in his ways despises Him.
3 The proud speech of a fool brings a rod to his back,
but the lips of the wise protect them.
4 Where there are no oxen, the manger is empty,
but an abundant harvest comes through the strength of the ox.
5 An honest witness does not deceive,
but a dishonest witness pours forth lies.
6 A mocker seeks wisdom and finds none,
but knowledge comes easily to the discerning.
7 Stay away from a foolish man;
you will gain no knowledge from his speech.
8 The wisdom of the prudent is to discern his way,
but the folly of fools deceives them.
9 Fools mock the making of amends,
but goodwill is found among the upright.
10 The heart knows its own bitterness,
and no stranger shares in its joy.
11 The house of the wicked will be destroyed,
but the tent of the upright will flourish.
12 There is a way that seems right to a man,
but its end is the way of death.
13 Even in laughter the heart may ache,
and joy may end in sorrow.
14 The backslider in heart receives the fill of his own ways,
but a good man is rewarded for his ways.
15 The simple man believes every word,
but the prudent man watches his steps.
16 A wise man fears a and turns from evil,
but a fool is careless and reckless.
17 A quick-tempered man acts foolishly,
and a devious man is hated.
18 The simple inherit folly,
but the prudent are crowned with knowledge.
19 The evil bow before the good,
and the wicked at the gates of the righteous.
20 The poor man is hated even by his neighbor,
but many are those who love the rich.
21 He who despises his neighbor sins,
but blessed is he who shows kindness to the poor.
22 Do not those who contrive evil go astray?
But those who plan goodness find b loving devotion and faithfulness.
23 There is profit in all labor,
but mere talk leads only to poverty.
24 The crown of the wise is their wealth,
but the effort of fools is folly.
25 A truthful witness saves lives,
but one who utters lies is deceitful.
26 He who fears the LORD is secure in confidence,
and his children shall have a place of refuge.
27 The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life,
turning a man from the snares of death.
28 A large population is a king’s splendor,
but a lack of subjects is a prince’s ruin.
29 A patient man has great understanding,
but a quick-tempered man promotes folly.
30 A tranquil heart is life to the body,
but envy rots the bones.
31 Whoever oppresses the poor taunts their Maker,
but whoever is kind to the needy honors Him.
32 The wicked man is thrown down by his own sin,
but the righteous man has a refuge even in death.
33 Wisdom rests in the heart of the discerning;
even among fools she is known. c
34 Righteousness exalts a nation,
but sin is a disgrace to any people.
35 A king delights in a wise servant,
but his anger falls on the shameful.
Footnotes:
16 a Or fears the LORD
22 b Or show
33 c Hebrew; LXX and Syriac but among fools she is not known
Proverbs 15
A Gentle Answer Turns Away Wrath
1 A gentle answer turns away wrath,
but a harsh word stirs up anger.
2 The tongue of the wise commends knowledge,
but the mouth of the fool spouts folly.
3 The eyes of the LORD are in every place,
observing the evil and the good.
4 A soothing tongue is a tree of life,
but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit.
5 A fool rejects his father’s discipline,
but whoever heeds correction is prudent.
6 The house of the righteous has great treasure,
but the income of the wicked is trouble.
7 The lips of the wise spread knowledge,
but not so the hearts of fools.
8 The sacrifice of the wicked is detestable to the LORD,
but the prayer of the upright is His delight.
9 The LORD detests the way of the wicked,
but He loves those who pursue righteousness.
10 Discipline is harsh for him who leaves the path;
he who hates correction will die.
11 Sheol and Abaddon a lie open before the LORD—
how much more the hearts of men!
12 A mocker does not love to be reproved,
nor will he consult the wise.
13 A joyful heart makes a cheerful countenance,
but sorrow of the heart crushes the spirit.
14 A discerning heart seeks knowledge,
but the mouth of a fool feeds on folly.
15 All the days of the oppressed are bad,
but a cheerful heart has a continual feast.
16 Better a little with the fear of the LORD
than great treasure with turmoil.
17 Better a dish of vegetables where there is love
than a fattened ox with hatred.
18 A hot-tempered man stirs up strife,
but he who is slow to anger calms dispute.
19 The way of the slacker is like a hedge of thorns,
but the path of the upright is a highway.
20 A wise son brings joy to his father,
but a foolish man despises his mother.
21 Folly is joy to one who lacks judgment,
but a man of understanding walks a straight path.
22 Plans fail for lack of counsel,
but with many advisers they succeed.
23 A man takes joy in a fitting reply—
and how good is a timely word!
24 The path of life leads upward for the wise,
that he may avoid going down to Sheol.
25 The LORD tears down the house of the proud,
but He protects the boundaries of the widow.
26 The LORD detests the thoughts of the wicked,
but the words of the pure are pleasant to Him.
27 He who is greedy for unjust gain brings trouble on his household,
but he who hates bribes will live.
28 The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer,
but the mouth of the wicked blurts out evil.
29 The LORD is far from the wicked,
but He hears the prayer of the righteous.
30 The light of the eyes cheers the heart,
and good news nourishes the bones.
31 He who listens to life-giving reproof
will dwell among the wise.
32 He who ignores discipline despises himself,
but whoever heeds correction gains understanding.
33 The fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom,
and humility comes before honor.
Footnotes:
11 a Or Death and Destruction
Proverbs 16
The Reply of the Tongue Is from the LORD
1 The plans of the heart belong to man,
but the reply of the tongue is from the LORD.
2 All a man’s ways are pure in his own eyes,
but his motives are weighed out by the LORD.
3 Commit your works to the LORD
and your plans will be achieved.
4 The LORD has made everything for His purpose—
even the wicked for the day of disaster.
5 Everyone who is proud in heart is detestable to the LORD;
be assured that he will not go unpunished.
6 By loving devotion and faithfulness iniquity is atoned for,
and by the fear of the LORD one turns aside from evil.
7 When a man’s ways please the LORD,
He makes even the man’s enemies live at peace with him.
8 Better a little with righteousness
than great gain with injustice.
9 A man’s heart plans his course,
but the LORD determines his steps.
10 A divine verdict is on the lips of a king;
his mouth must not betray justice.
11 Honest scales and balances are from the LORD;
all the weights in the bag are His concern.
12 Wicked behavior is detestable to kings,
for a throne is established through righteousness.
13 Righteous lips are a king’s delight,
and he who speaks honestly is beloved.
14 The wrath of a king is a messenger of death,
but a wise man will pacify it.
15 When a king’s face brightens, there is life;
his favor is like a rain cloud in spring.
16 How much better to acquire wisdom than gold!
To gain understanding is more desirable than silver.
17 The highway of the upright leads away from evil;
he who guards his way protects his life.
18 Pride goes before destruction,
and a haughty spirit before a fall.
19 It is better to be lowly in spirit among the humble
than to divide the spoil with the proud.
20 Whoever heeds instruction will find success, a
and blessed is he who trusts in the LORD.
21 The wise in heart are called discerning,
and pleasant speech promotes instruction.
22 Understanding is a fountain of life to its possessor,
but the discipline of fools is folly.
23 The heart of the wise man instructs his mouth
and adds persuasiveness to his lips.
24 Pleasant words are a honeycomb,
sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.
25 There is a way that seems right to a man,
but its end is the way of death.
26 A worker’s appetite works for him
because his hunger drives him onward.
27 A worthless man digs up evil,
and his speech b is like a scorching fire.
28 A perverse man spreads dissension,
and a gossip divides close friends.
29 A violent man entices his neighbor
and leads him down a path that is not good.
30 He who winks his eye devises perversity;
he who purses his lips is bent on evil.
31 Gray hair is a crown of glory;
it is attained along the path of righteousness.
32 He who is slow to anger is better than a warrior,
and he who controls his temper is greater than one who captures a city.
33 The lot is cast into the lap,
but its every decision is from the LORD.
Footnotes:
20 a Or Whoever speaks prudently will find what is good
27 b Or and what is on his lips
Proverbs 17
Better a Dry Morsel in Quietness
1 Better a dry morsel in quietness
than a house full of feasting a with strife.
2 A wise servant will rule over a disgraceful son
and share his inheritance as one of the brothers.
3 A crucible for silver and a furnace for gold,
but the LORD is the tester of hearts.
4 A wicked man listens to evil lips;
a liar gives ear to a destructive tongue.
5 He who mocks the poor insults their Maker;
whoever gloats over calamity will not go unpunished.
6 Grandchildren are the crown of the aged,
and the glory of a son is his father.
7 Eloquent words are unfit for a fool;
how much worse are lying lips to a ruler!
8 A bribe is a charm to its giver;
wherever he turns, he succeeds.
9 Whoever conceals an offense promotes love,
but he who brings it up separates friends.
10 A rebuke cuts into a man of discernment
deeper than a hundred lashes cut into a fool.
11 An evil man seeks only rebellion;
a cruel messenger will be sent against him.
12 It is better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs
than a fool in his folly.
13 If anyone returns evil for good,
evil will never leave his house.
14 To start a quarrel is to release a flood;
so abandon the dispute before it breaks out.
15 Acquitting the guilty and condemning the righteous—
both are detestable to the LORD.
16 Why should the fool have money in his hand
with no intention of buying wisdom?
17 A friend loves at all times,
and a brother is born for adversity.
18 A man lacking judgment strikes hands in pledge
and puts up security for his neighbor.
19 He who loves transgression loves strife;
he who builds his gate high invites destruction.
20 The one with a perverse heart finds no good,
and he whose tongue is deceitful falls into trouble.
21 A man fathers a fool to his own grief;
the father of a fool has no joy.
22 A joyful heart is good medicine,
but a broken spirit dries up the bones.
23 A wicked man takes a covert bribe b
to subvert the course of justice.
24 Wisdom is the focus of the discerning,
but the eyes of a fool wander to the ends of the earth.
25 A foolish son brings grief to his father
and bitterness to her who bore him.
26 It is surely not good to punish the innocent
or to flog a noble for his honesty.
27 A man of knowledge restrains his words,
and a man of understanding maintains a calm spirit.
28 Even a fool is considered wise if he keeps silent,
and discerning when he holds his tongue.
Footnotes:
1 a Or sacrifices
23 b Hebrew a bribe from the bosom
Proverbs 18
The Selfishness of the Unfriendly
1 He who isolates himself pursues selfish desires;
he rebels against all sound judgment.
2 A fool does not delight in understanding,
but only in airing his opinions.
3 With a wicked man comes contempt as well,
and shame is accompanied by disgrace.
4 The words of a man’s mouth are deep waters;
the fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook.
5 Showing partiality a to the wicked is not good,
nor is depriving the innocent of justice.
6 A fool’s lips bring him strife,
and his mouth invites a beating.
7 A fool’s mouth is his ruin,
and his lips are a snare to his soul.
8 The words of a gossip are like choice morsels
that go down into the inmost being.
9 Whoever is slothful in his work
is brother to him who destroys.
10 The name of the LORD is a strong tower;
the righteous run to it b and are safe.
11 A rich man’s wealth is his fortified city;
it is like a high wall in his imagination.
12 Before his downfall a man’s heart is proud,
but humility comes before honor.
13 He who answers a matter before he hears it—
this is folly and disgrace to him.
14 The spirit of a man can endure his sickness,
but who can survive a broken spirit?
15 The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge,
and the ear of the wise seeks it out.
16 A man’s gift opens doors for him,
and brings him before great men.
17 The first to state his case seems right
until another comes and cross-examines him.
18 Casting the lot ends quarrels
and separates strong opponents.
19 An offended brother is harder to win than a fortified city,
and disputes are like the bars of a castle.
20 From the fruit of his mouth a man’s belly is filled;
with the harvest from his lips he is satisfied.
21 Life and death are in the power of the tongue,
and those who love it will eat its fruit.
22 He who finds a wife finds a good thing
and obtains favor from the LORD.
23 The poor man pleads for mercy,
but the rich man answers harshly.
24 A man of many companions may come to ruin,
but there is a friend who stays closer than a brother.
Footnotes:
5 a Hebrew Lifting the face
10 b Or to Him
Proverbs 19
The Man of Integrity
1 Better a poor man who walks with integrity
than a fool whose lips are perverse.
2 Even zeal is no good without knowledge,
and he who hurries his footsteps misses the mark.
3 A man’s own folly subverts his way,
yet his heart rages against the LORD.
4 Wealth attracts many friends,
but a poor man is deserted by his friend.
5 A false witness will not go unpunished,
and one who utters lies will not escape.
6 Many seek the favor of the prince,
and everyone is a friend of the gift giver.
7 All the brothers of a poor man hate him—
how much more do his friends avoid him!
He may pursue them with pleading,
but they are nowhere to be found.
8 He who acquires wisdom loves himself;
one who safeguards understanding will find success.
9 A false witness will not go unpunished,
and one who pours out lies will perish.
10 Luxury is unseemly for a fool—
how much worse for a slave to rule over princes!
11 A man’s insight gives him patience,
and his virtue is to overlook an offense.
12 A king’s rage is like the roar of a lion,
but his favor is like dew on the grass.
13 A foolish son is his father’s ruin,
and a quarrelsome wife is like a constant dripping.
14 Houses and wealth are inherited from fathers,
but a prudent wife is from the LORD.
15 Laziness brings on deep sleep,
and an idle soul will suffer hunger.
16 He who keeps a commandment preserves his soul,
but he who is careless in his ways will die.
17 Kindness to the poor is a loan to the LORD,
and He will repay the lender.
18 Discipline your son, for in that there is hope;
do not be party to his death.
19 A man of great anger must pay the penalty;
if you rescue him, you will have to do so again.
20 Listen to counsel and accept discipline,
that you may be wise the rest of your days.
21 Many plans are in a man’s heart,
but the purpose of the LORD will prevail.
22 The desire of a man is loving devotion;
better to be poor than a liar.
23 The fear of the LORD leads to life,
that one may rest content, without visitation from harm.
24 The slacker buries his hand in the dish;
he will not even bring it back to his mouth.
25 Strike a mocker, and the simple will beware;
rebuke the discerning man, and he will gain knowledge.
26 He who assaults his father or evicts his mother
is a son who brings shame and disgrace.
27 If you cease to hear instruction, my son,
you will stray from the words of knowledge.
28 A corrupt witness mocks justice,
and a wicked mouth swallows iniquity.
29 Judgments are prepared for mockers,
and beatings for the backs of fools.
Proverbs 20
Wine Is a Mocker
1 Wine is a mocker, strong drink is a brawler,
and whoever is led astray by them is not wise.
2 The terror of a king is like the roar of a lion;
whoever provokes him forfeits his own life. a
3 It is honorable for a man to resolve a dispute,
but any fool will quarrel.
4 The slacker does not plow in season;
at harvest time he looks, but nothing is there.
5 The intentions of a man’s heart are deep waters,
but a man of understanding draws them out.
6 Many a man proclaims his loving devotion,
but who can find a trustworthy man?
7 The righteous man walks with integrity;
blessed are his children after him.
8 A king who sits on a throne to judge
sifts out all evil with his eyes.
9 Who can say, “I have kept my heart pure;
I am cleansed from my sin”?
10 Differing weights and unequal measures b—
both are detestable to the LORD.
11 Even a young man is known by his actions—
whether his conduct is pure and upright.
12 Ears that hear and eyes that see—
the LORD has made them both.
13 Do not love sleep, or you will grow poor;
open your eyes, and you will have plenty of food.
14 “Worthless, worthless!” says the buyer,
but on the way out, he gloats.
15 There is an abundance of gold and rubies,
but lips of knowledge are a rare treasure.
16 Take the garment of the one who posts security for a stranger;
get collateral if it is for a foreigner. c
17 Food gained by fraud is sweet to a man,
but later his mouth is full of gravel.
18 Set plans by consultation,
and wage war under sound guidance.
19 He who reveals secrets is a constant gossip;
avoid the one who babbles d with his lips.
20 Whoever curses his father or mother,
his lamp will be extinguished in deepest darkness.
21 An inheritance gained quickly
will not be blessed in the end.
22 Do not say, “I will avenge this evil!”
Wait on the LORD, and He will save you.
23 Unequal weights are detestable to the LORD,
and dishonest scales are no good.
24 A man’s steps are from the LORD,
so how can anyone understand his own way?
25 It is a trap for a man to dedicate something rashly,
only later to reconsider his vows.
26 A wise king separates out the wicked
and drives the threshing wheel over them.
27 The spirit e of a man is the lamp of the LORD,
searching out his inmost being.
28 Loving devotion and faithfulness preserve a king;
by these he maintains his throne.
29 The glory of young men is their strength,
and gray hair is the splendor of the old.
30 Lashes and wounds scour evil,
and beatings cleanse the inmost parts.
Footnotes:
2 a Literally sins against his own soul
10 b Hebrew A stone and a stone, an ephah and an ephah
16 c Or a wayward woman
19 d Or the one who is simple
27 e Or breath or speech
Proverbs 21
The King’s Heart
(Psalm 21:1–13)
1 The king’s heart is a waterway in the hand of the LORD;
He directs it where He pleases.
2 All a man’s ways seem right to him,
but the LORD weighs the heart.
3 To do righteousness and justice
is more desirable to the LORD than sacrifice.
4 Haughty eyes and a proud heart—
the guides of the wicked—are sin.
5 The plans of the diligent bring plenty,
as surely as haste leads to poverty.
6 Making a fortune by a lying tongue
is a vanishing mist, a deadly pursuit.
7 The violence of the wicked will sweep them away
because they refuse to do what is just.
8 The way of a guilty man is crooked,
but the conduct of the innocent is upright.
9 Better to live on a corner of the roof
than to share a house with a quarrelsome wife.
10 The soul of the wicked man craves evil;
his neighbor finds no favor in his eyes.
11 When a mocker is punished, the simple gain wisdom;
and when a wise man is instructed, he acquires knowledge.
12 The Righteous One a considers the house of the wicked
and brings the wicked to ruin.
13 Whoever shuts his ears to the cry of the poor,
he too shall cry out and receive no answer.
14 A gift in secret soothes anger,
and a covert bribe b pacifies great wrath.
15 Justice executed is a joy to the righteous,
but a terror to the workers of iniquity.
16 The man who strays from the path of understanding
will rest in the assembly of the dead.
17 He who loves pleasure will become poor;
the one who loves wine and oil will never be rich.
18 The wicked become a ransom for the righteous,
and the faithless for the upright.
19 Better to live in the desert
than with a contentious and ill-tempered wife.
20 Precious treasures and oil are in the dwelling of the wise,
but a foolish man consumes them.
21 He who pursues righteousness and loving devotion
finds life, righteousness, and honor.
22 A wise man scales the city of the mighty
and pulls down the stronghold in which they trust.
23 He who guards his mouth and tongue
keeps his soul from distress.
24 Mocker is the name of the proud and arrogant man—
of him who acts with excessive pride.
25 The craving of the slacker kills him
because his hands refuse to work.
26 All day long he covets more,
but the righteous give without restraint.
27 The sacrifice of the wicked is detestable—
how much more so when brought with ill intent!
28 A lying witness will perish,
but the man who listens to truth will speak forever.
29 A wicked man hardens his face, c
but the upright man makes his way sure.
30 There is no wisdom, no understanding, no counsel
that can prevail against the LORD.
31 A horse is prepared for the day of battle,
but victory is of the LORD.
Footnotes:
12 a Or The righteous one
14 b Hebrew a bribe in the bosom
29 c Or puts up a bold front
Proverbs 22
A Good Name
1 A good name is more desirable than great riches;
favor is better than silver and gold.
2 The rich and the poor have this in common:
The LORD is Maker of them all.
3 The prudent see danger and take cover,
but the simple keep going and suffer the consequences.
4 The rewards of humility and the fear of the LORD
are wealth and honor and life.
5 Thorns and snares lie on the path of the perverse;
he who guards his soul stays far from them.
6 Train up a child in the way he should go,
and when he is old he will not depart from it.
7 The rich rule over the poor,
and the borrower is slave to the lender.
8 He who sows injustice will reap disaster,
and the rod of his fury will be destroyed. a
9 A generous man b will be blessed,
for he shares his bread with the poor.
10 Drive out the mocker, and conflict will depart;
even quarreling and insults will cease.
11 He who loves a pure heart and gracious lips
will have the king for a friend.
12 The LORD’s eyes keep watch over knowledge,
but He frustrates the words of the faithless.
13 The slacker says, “There is a lion outside!
I will be slain in the streets!”
14 The mouth of an adulteress is a deep pit;
he who is under the wrath of the LORD will fall into it.
15 Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child,
but the rod of discipline drives it far from him.
16 Oppressing the poor to enrich oneself or giving gifts to the rich
will surely lead to poverty.
Thirty Sayings of the Wise
Saying 1
17 Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise—
apply your mind to my knowledge—
18 for it is pleasing when you keep them within you
and they are constantly on your lips.
19 So that your trust may be in the LORD,
I instruct you today—yes, you.
20 Have I not written for you thirty sayings c
about counsel and knowledge,
21 to show you true and reliable words,
that you may soundly answer those who sent you?
Saying 2
22 Do not rob a poor man because he is poor,
and do not crush the afflicted at the gate,
23 for the LORD will take up their case
and will plunder those who rob them.
Saying 3
24 Do not make friends with an angry man,
and do not associate with a hot-tempered man,
25 or you may learn his ways
and entangle yourself in a snare.
Saying 4
26 Do not be one who gives pledges,
who puts up security for debts.
27 If you have nothing with which to pay,
why should your bed be taken from under you?
Saying 5
28 Do not move an ancient boundary stone
which your fathers have placed.
Saying 6
29 Do you see a man skilled in his work?
He will be stationed in the presence of kings;
he will not stand before obscure men.
Footnotes:
8 a LXX includes God blesses a cheerful and generous man, but foolish works will come to an end ; see also 2 Corinthians 9:7.
9 b Literally He whose eye is good
20 c Or written for you excellent sayings or written for you three times
Proverbs 23
True Riches
(1 Timothy 6:17–19; James 5:1–6)
Saying 7
1 When you sit down to dine with a ruler,
consider carefully what is set before you, a
2 and put a knife to your throat
if you possess a great appetite.
3 Do not crave his delicacies,
for that food is deceptive.
Saying 8
4 Do not wear yourself out to get rich;
be wise enough to restrain yourself.
5 When you glance at wealth, it disappears,
for it makes wings for itself
and flies like an eagle to the sky.
Saying 9
6 Do not eat the bread of a stingy man, b
and do not crave his delicacies;
7 for he is keeping track,
inwardly counting the cost. c
“Eat and drink,” he says to you,
but his heart is not with you.
8 You will vomit up what little you have eaten
and waste your pleasant words.
Saying 10
9 Do not speak to a fool,
for he will despise the wisdom of your words.
Saying 11
10 Do not move an ancient boundary stone
or encroach on the fields of the fatherless,
11 for their Redeemer is strong;
He will take up their case against you.
Saying 12
12 Apply your heart to instruction
and your ears to words of knowledge.
Saying 13
13 Do not withhold discipline from a child;
although you strike him with a rod, he will not die.
14 Strike him with a rod,
and you will deliver his soul from Sheol.
Saying 14
15 My son, if your heart is wise,
my own heart will indeed rejoice.
16 My inmost being d will rejoice
when your lips speak what is right.
Saying 15
17 Do not let your heart envy sinners,
but always continue in the fear of the LORD.
18 For surely there is a future,
and your hope will not be cut off.
Saying 16
19 Listen, my son, and be wise,
and guide your heart on the right course.
20 Do not join those who drink too much wine
or gorge themselves on meat.
21 For the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty,
and drowsiness will clothe them in rags.
Saying 17
22 Listen to your father who gave you life,
and do not despise your mother when she is old.
23 Invest in truth and never sell it—
in wisdom and instruction and understanding.
24 The father of a righteous man will greatly rejoice,
and he who fathers a wise son will delight in him.
25 May your father and mother be glad,
and may she who gave you birth rejoice!
Saying 18
26 My son, give me your heart,
and let your eyes delight in my ways.
27 For a prostitute is a deep pit,
and an adulteress e is a narrow well.
28 Like a robber she lies in wait
and multiplies the faithless among men.
Saying 19
29 Who has woe? Who has sorrow?
Who has contentions? Who has complaints?
Who has needless wounds? Who has bloodshot eyes?
30 Those who linger over wine,
who go to taste mixed drinks.
31 Do not gaze at wine while it is red,
when it sparkles in the cup
and goes down smoothly.
32 In the end it bites like a snake
and stings like a viper.
33 Your eyes will see strange things,
and your mind will utter perversities.
34 You will be like one sleeping on the high seas
or lying on the top of a mast:
35 “They struck me, but I feel no pain!
They beat me, but I did not know it!
When can I wake up
to search for another drink?”
Footnotes:
1 a Or who is before you
6 b Literally of him whose eye is evil
7 c Or for as he calculates in his soul, so is he
16 d Hebrew My kidneys
27 e Or a foreign woman or a wayward wife
Proverbs 24
Do Not Envy
Saying 20
1 Do not envy wicked men
or desire their company;
2 for their hearts devise violence,
and their lips declare trouble.
Saying 21
3 By wisdom a house is built
and by understanding it is established;
4 through knowledge its rooms are filled
with every precious and beautiful treasure.
Saying 22
and a man of knowledge enhances his strength.
6 Only with sound guidance should you wage war,
and victory lies in a multitude of counselors.
Saying 23
7 Wisdom is too high for a fool;
he does not open his mouth in the meeting place.
Saying 24
8 He who plots evil
will be called a schemer.
9 A foolish scheme is sin,
and a mocker is detestable to men.
Saying 25
10 If you faint in the day of distress,
how small is your strength!
11 Rescue those being led away to death,
and restrain those stumbling toward the slaughter.
12 If you say, “Behold, we did not know about this,”
does not He who weighs hearts consider it?
Does not the One who guards your life know?
Will He not repay a man according to his deeds?
Saying 26
13 Eat honey, my son, for it is good,
and the honeycomb is sweet to your taste.
14 Know therefore that wisdom is sweet to your soul.
If you find it, there is a future for you,
and your hope will never be cut off.
Saying 27
15 Do not lie in wait, O wicked man, near the dwelling of the righteous;
do not destroy his resting place.
16 For though a righteous man may fall seven times, he still gets up;
but the wicked stumble in bad times.
Saying 28
17 Do not gloat when your enemy falls,
and do not let your heart rejoice when he stumbles,
18 or the LORD will see and disapprove,
and turn His wrath away from him.
Saying 29
19 Do not fret over evildoers,
and do not be envious of the wicked.
20 For the evil man has no future;
the lamp of the wicked will be extinguished.
Saying 30
21 My son, fear the LORD and the king,
and do not associate with the rebellious.
22 For they will bring sudden destruction.
Who knows what ruin they can bring?
Further Sayings of the Wise
23 These also are sayings of the wise:
To show partiality in judgment
is not good.
24 Whoever tells the guilty, “You are innocent”—
peoples will curse him, and nations will denounce him;
25 but it will go well with those who convict the guilty,
and rich blessing will come upon them.
26 An honest answer given
is like a kiss on the lips.
27 Complete your outdoor work and prepare your field;
after that, you may build your house.
28 Do not testify against your neighbor without cause,
and do not deceive with your lips.
29 Do not say, “I will do to him as he has done to me;
I will repay the man according to his work.”
30 I went past the field of a slacker
and by the vineyard of a man lacking judgment.
31 Thorns had grown up everywhere,
thistles had covered the ground,
and the stone wall was broken down.
32 I observed and took it to heart;
I looked and received instruction:
33 A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest,
34 and poverty will come upon you like a robber,
and need like a bandit.
Footnotes:
5 a LXX The wise are mightier than the strong
Proverbs 25
More Proverbs of Solomon
1 These are additional proverbs of Solomon, which were copied by the men of Hezekiah king of Judah:
2 It is the glory of God to conceal a matter
and the glory of kings to search it out.
3 As the heavens are high and the earth is deep,
so the hearts of kings cannot be searched.
4 Remove the dross from the silver,
and a vessel for a silversmith will come forth.
5 Remove the wicked from the king’s presence,
and his throne will be established in righteousness.
6 Do not exalt yourself in the presence of the king,
and do not stand in the place of great men;
7 for it is better that he says to you, “Come up here!”
than that you should be demoted in the presence of the prince.
Even what a you have seen with your own eyes,
8 do not bring hastily to court.
Otherwise, what will you do in the end
when your neighbor puts you to shame?
9 Argue your case with your neighbor
without betraying another’s confidence,
10 lest the one who hears may disgrace you,
and your infamy never go away.
11 A word fitly spoken
is like apples of gold in settings of silver.
12 Like an earring of gold or an ornament of fine gold
is a wise man’s rebuke to a listening ear.
13 Like the cold of snow in the time of harvest
is a trustworthy messenger to those who send him;
he refreshes the soul of his masters.
14 Like clouds and wind without rain
is the man who boasts of gifts never given.
15 Through patience a ruler can be persuaded,
and a gentle tongue can break a bone.
16 If you find honey, eat just what you need,
lest you have too much and vomit it up.
17 Seldom set foot in your neighbor’s house,
lest he grow weary and hate you.
18 Like a club or sword or sharp arrow
is a man who bears false witness against his neighbor.
19 Like a broken tooth or a foot out of joint
is confidence in a faithless man in time of trouble.
20 Like one who removes a garment on a cold day
or vinegar poured on a wound b
is one who sings songs to a heavy heart.
21 If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat,
and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink.
22 For in so doing, you will heap burning coals on his head, c
and the LORD will reward you.
23 As the north wind brings forth rain,
so a backbiting tongue brings angry looks.
24 Better to live on a corner of the roof
than to share a house with a quarrelsome wife.
25 Like cold water to a weary soul
is good news from a distant land.
26 Like a muddied spring or a polluted well
is a righteous man who gives way to the wicked.
27 It is not good to eat too much honey
or to search out one’s own glory.
28 Like a city whose walls are broken down
is a man who does not control his temper.
Footnotes:
7 a Or Even the one
20 b Or on soda
22 c LXX; Hebrew For you will heap burning coals on his head ; cited in Romans 12:20
Proverbs 26
Similitudes and Instructions
1 Like snow in summer and rain at harvest,
honor does not befit a fool.
2 Like a fluttering sparrow or darting swallow,
an undeserved curse does not come to rest.
3 A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey,
and a rod for the backs of fools!
4 Do not answer a fool according to his folly,
or you yourself will be like him.